Uber brings back carpooling service under new name 'UberX Share' in US

Ride-hailing company Uber, which suspended its shared rides service -- Uber Pool -- amid the pandemic has now relaunched the feature under a new name, UberX Share, in the US.

The service is available in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Oregon, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. This formal launch follows a quieter debut back in November, when it was available only in Miami as part of a pilot test, reports Engadget.

The new shared rides feature is similar to Uber's pre-pandemic carpooling feature, but with an added cash incentive. Riders who select UberX Share will be matched with another co-rider who is headed in the same direction.

Qatar Economic Forum: Musk, Roubini, Goldman warn of US recession risk

Elon Musk, Nouriel Roubini and Goldman Sachs Group have warned of a growing likelihood that the US economy will fall into recession. Their outlooks will stoke fears of a hard landing for the world’s biggest economy as the Federal Reserve jacks up interest rates to counter the fastest pace of inflation in decades.

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Musk said Tuesday that a recession in the US looks likely in the near future.

“A recession is inevitable at some point. As to whether there is a recession in the near term, that is more likely than not,” Musk said in an interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. “It is not a certainty, but it appears more likely than not,” Musk said.

Biden to call for 3-month suspension of federal gas tax as prices skyrocket

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will call on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months a move meant to ease financial pressures at the pump that also reveals the political toxicity of high gas prices in an election year.

The Democratic president will also call on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar relief, the White House said.

At issue is the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on diesel fuel. If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save roughly 3.6% at the pump when prices are averaging about $5 a gallon nationwide.

But many economists and lawmakers from both parties view the idea of a gas tax holiday with skepticism.

UK inflation rate hits new 40-year high of 9.1% in May, likely to rise more

Britain's inflation rate hit 9.1% in May, a new 40-year high and up slightly on the previous month,

The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that consumer price inflation rose slightly from 9% in April, itself the highest level since 1982.

Chief economist Grant Fitzner said continued steep food price rises and record high petrol (gasoline) prices were offset by clothing costs rising by less than this time last year, and a drop in often fluctuating computer games prices.

The increase was in line with analysts' expectations and signals no quick end to the cost-of-living squeeze facing millions in Britain. The Bank of England says inflation could hit 11% in October when a cap on domestic energy bills is lifted.

Use of anonymised datasets by govts needs debate: Google privacy officer

Data localisation and monetisation can hurt users’ privacy and cloud networks, said Google chief privacy officer Keith Enright on Wednesday as he urged policymakers to be "extremely circumspect".

Enright, in a select media roundtable, said anonymous data is safer for personal information but it must be defined. “Anonymous tends to mean different things in different contexts, different legal regimes have defined anonymous or anonymization differently… We need to be thoughtful and deliberate about how we define anonymous data,” he said.

Academics have said that large data sets shared for research consistently over time had their anonymity eroded. “So I would encourage policymakers and companies to be extremely circumspect while proceeding in that direction,” he said.

PM Modi to visit Germany, UAE from June 26-28 to attend G7 Summit: MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a three-day visit to Germany and the United Arab Emirates beginning Sunday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi will visit Germany from June 26 to June 27 to attend the G7 summit.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Schloss Elmau, Germany at the invitation of Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, for the G7 Summit under the German Presidency on June 26 and 27," the MEA said in a statement on Wednesday.

It said Modi will travel to the UAE from Germany on June 28.

Samsung Galaxy F13 with 6000 mAh battery launched in India: Price, specs

South Korean electronics maker Samsung on Wednesday launched in India the Galaxy F13 smartphone. Starting June 29, it will be available in waterfall blue, sunrise copper, and nightsky green colours on Samsung online store, Flipkart, and select retail stores. The Galaxy F13 will be available in 4GB+64GB and 4GB+128GB configurations priced at Rs 11,999 and Rs 12,999, respectively.

“Continuing the Samsung legacy of bringing meaningful innovations, we are pleased to launch the all-new Galaxy F13 - the perfect partner for uninterrupted entertainment. This stylish device has been designed to cater to the evolving needs of Gen MZ. Galaxy F13 features a Full HD+ display for an immersive viewing experience, a massive 6000mAh battery, and segment-first Auto Data Switching for uninterrupted connectivity,” said Aditya Babbar, Senior Director and Head, Product Marketing, Samsung India.

BPCL halves crude runs at Mumbai refinery; plans repairs at other plants

Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) has shut half of its crude processing capacity at its 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) Mumbai refinery in western India since June 10 to carry out maintenance, a company spokesman said.

The state-run refiner has shut a 120,000 bpd crude unit and some secondary units including diesel hydro desulfuriser and hydrogen generation units for 20 to 25 days, the spokesman said. Other units are functioning as normal, he said.

BPCL had planned the maintenance shutdown for March but pushed it back to take advantage of strong fuel cracks.

The refiner also plans to shut units at its 156,000 bpd Bina refinery in central India and 310,000 bpd Kochi refinery in the southern Kerala state later this year.

Sheena Bora case: Bombay HC grants bail to Indrani's ex-husband Sanjeev

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sanjeev Khanna, ex-husband of Indrani Mukerjea, arrested in the Sheena Bora murder case.

Khanna was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court.

He was allegedly involved in Sheena Bora's murder case and was in custody since August 2015.

Last month, Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, was granted bail by the Supreme Court.

Indrani, facing trials for the alleged killing of her daughter Sheena Bora, was lodged at the Byculla women's prison in Mumbai, following her arrest in August 2015, and had spent over six years there.

Maharashtra political crisis: CM Thackeray calls cabinet meeting today

Amid a political turmoil in Maharashtra that has put up a question mark on the survival of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called a State Cabinet meeting at 1 pm on Wednesday.

This comes as speculation is rife that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with other MLAs might join the BJP in a bid to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Eknath Shinde, with 33 party MLAs and seven independent MLAs, who were staying at Le Meridien hotel in Surat arrived at Assam's Guwahati on Wednesday morning.

Shinde on Wednesday claimed that 40 party MLAs have reached Assam and said that they will carry Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva.

J-K police attaches 5 residential houses used by terrorists for hideouts

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday attached five houses in Srinagar used for harbouring terrorists.

Two houses were attached in Parimpora, while one each in Panthachowk, Nowhatta and Zakoora area of Srinagar district.

The police also claimed that many attacks on civilians and security forces were conspired and planned by terrorists while using these houses as hideouts.

"These are the houses where it has been proved beyond doubt that these houses were used for purpose of terrorism and the shelter or harbour was voluntarily or knowingly given by the member(s) of the house," said police.

According to Srinagar Police, the residential houses of wilful harbourers of terrorists were attached as per section 2(g) and section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Upset with NCP, Congress style of functioning, says rebel Shiv Sena MLA

A Maharashtra Shiv Sena minister, who is among the dissidents led by party leader Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday said they do not have any complaints against the Sena leadership, but they have been upset with the style of function of the NCP and Congress, the other two ruling alliance partners in the state.

The Shiv Sena MLAs, who have rebelled against the party, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra into a crisis, arrived in Assam's Guwahati city by a chartered flight on Wednesday.

Speaking to a TV channel over phone, Maharashtra minister Sandipan Bhumare, who is among the dissidents, said, "We do not have any complaints against the Shiv Sena leadership. We have raised our complaints with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, that it was getting difficult to work with the NCP and Congress ministers. It was very difficult for us to get our proposals and work requests approved from their ministers.

Ban on same-sex marriage does not violate constitution, rules Japan court

A Japanese court ruled Monday that the country's ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitution, and rejected demands for compensation by three couples who said their right to free union and equality has been violated.

The Osaka District Court ruling is the second decision on the issue, and disagrees with a ruling last year by a Sapporo court that found the ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.

It underscores how divisive the issue remains in Japan, the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations that does not recognize same-sex unions.

In its ruling, the Osaka court rejected the plaintiffs' demand for 1 million yen ($7,400) in damages per couple for discrimination they face.

No nuclear weapons? Ukraine-Russian war will shape world's arsenals

The headlines on the newsstands in Seoul blared fresh warnings of a possible nuclear test by North Korea.

Out on the sidewalks, 28-year-old office worker Lee Jae Sang already had an opinion about how to respond to North Korea's fast-growing capacity to lob nuclear bombs across borders and oceans.

Our country should also develop a nuclear programme. And prepare for a possible nuclear war," said Lee, voicing a desire that a February poll showed was shared by 3 out of 4 South Koreans.

It's a point that people and politicians of non-nuclear powers globally are raising more often, at what has become a destabilising moment in more than a half-century of global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, one aggravated by the daily example of nuclear Russia tearing apart non-nuclear Ukraine.

MLC poll: Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde disappears with Shiv Sena MLAs

Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde and some other Shiv Sena MLAs from the state are camping at a hotel in Gujarat's Surat city, sources said on Tuesday, a day after the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi faced a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls.

The MLAs, who are seemingly unhappy with their leadership, arrived in Surat on Monday night and are camping at the Le Meridian Hotel here, they said.

"Some Shiv Sena MLAs, including Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde, are in Surat," a source said.

A large number of police personnel have been deployed outside the hotel.

The opposition BJP on Monday won all five seats it contested in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections for 10 seats, while Congress candidate and Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore lost, in another setback for the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, after the Rajya Sabha polls earlier this month.

Meta Reality Labs division reveals latest VR headset prototypes

Tech giant Meta's Reality Labs division has revealed new prototypes in its roadmap toward the lightweight, hyper-realistic virtual reality graphics.

The breakthroughs remain far from consumer-ready, but the designs, codenamed Butterscotch, Starburst, Holocake 2, and Mirror Lake, could add up to a slender, brightly lit headset that supports finer detail than its current Quest 2 display, reports The Verge.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Reality Labs chief scientist Michael Abrash, along with other Reality Labs members, presented their work at a virtual roundtable last week.

The event focused on designs that Meta refers to as "time machines": bulky proofs of concept meant for testing one specific feature, like a super-bright backlight or super-high-resolution screen.

Gold, silver inch higher by Rs 100, yellow metal selling at Rs 52,080/10 gm

Gold prices inched higher in Tuesday's early trade from the previous day's price by Rs 100, with 10 gram of yellow metal (24-carat) selling at Rs 52,080. Meanwhile, 10 gram of 22-carat gold is trading at Rs 47,750.

Silver, on the other hand, also witnessed a rise of Rs 100 in Tuesday's early trade, as the precious metal is trading at Rs 61,000 per kg.

A series of surprise actions by some of the world's largest central banks fretting about runaway inflation has left bond investors battered. Now, a growing chorus of investors is calling on policymakers to move fast to end the uncertainty.

Although bullion is often seen as an inflation hedge, higher interest rates and bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding gold, which yields nothing.