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Economy

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LPG price cut: Oil marketing companies slash commercial cylinder rate by ₹183.50 — Check updated price

Fareha NaazFareha Naaz is a Delhi-based journalist and Content Producer at LiveMint, where she has built nearly three years of experience in digital journalism. She covers a diverse range of topics, including national news, education, entertainment, lifestyle trends science, global health and international news. With a background in Economics and Education, she focuses on providing insightful, thoroughly researched coverage that bridges the gap between breaking news and in-depth analysis. In addition to breaking copies, legal and political news, her reporting blends editorial rigour with search-driven storytelling. With a keen eye-on-global events, she provides insightful coverage on latest developments. Her reporting combines editorial rigour with in-depth coverage and search-driven storytelling provide valuable insight and context to readers, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Her newsroom experience helped her in combining her critical thinking skills with real-time editorial decision-making. Over the years, she has been presenting complex stories with clarity for a digital-first audience amid fast-paced news cycles. Her thoroughly researched stories, with well-structured and engaging content, provide readers with clear understanding of the context and background. Fareha holds a Master’s degree in Economics, in addition to a Bachelor of Education degree. When not in the newsroom, she enjoys painting and sports, reading books and current developments.

LiveMintJul 1

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Politics

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hostsoverofficials

NTA launches digital training programme for examination officials

The decision to postpone the Maharashtra TET exam was taken after confidential reports of an alleged paper leak came in from Bhiwandi in Thane district. File picture | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Maharashtra government on Saturday (June 27, 2026) postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026 over allegations of a “paper leak”. Around six lakh candidates were expected to appear for the examination scheduled on Sunday (June 28, 2026) across 1,728 centres in the State. “This decision was taken to make the examination transparent,” the government stated in a press release.Also read | Rebuilding trust in India’s exam ecosystemMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe into the incident. The Opposition hit out at the government and sought a thorough investigation. “Why is the government not capable of holding a single exam transparently? Why is it playing with the lives of our youth? If the government does not act strictly, we will hit the streets,” Maharashtra Congress president Harshawardhan Sapkal said.The decision to postpone the exam a day before the exam was taken after an investigation and search by the Bhiwandi Police in Thane district found people in possession of questions similar to those in the TET paper.“Officials of the Maharashtra State Examination Council [MSEC] were immediately called to the spot. They verified the seized papers. During the investigation, it was observed that some of the questions found with the suspects and the questions in the TET paper were the same. A case has been registered in this regard at the Bhiwandi police station,” the statement added.“The process of organising an examination of this scale typically takes around three weeks. Candidates who had already registered for the examination will not have to register again. Since the candidates are not at fault, no re-registration fee will be charged,” MSEC Deputy Commissioner Priya Shinde said.A first information report (FIR) has been registered against three persons, and the police are conducting further investigation, she said, adding that strict action will be taken against those found responsible.The new date for the examination and other related information will be published on the official website of the MSEC.The Chief Minister constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Thane Joint CP Panjabrao Ugale to probe the paper leak. He also directed School Education Minister Dada Bhuse and DGP Sadanand Date to take stringent action against the culprits.Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the accused should be booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Published - June 27, 2026 02:47 pm IST

The HinduJun 27

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Technology

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socialgettingfall

TikTok now wants to be the place you book the trip you just saw on TikTok

Although TikTok is widely described as a social media giant, it’s been gradually moving beyond that category. Over time, the video app added TikTok Shop, a map for local discovery, robust search, games, and so much more. Recently, it’s added hotel booking capabilities and is pursuing a fintech license. It appears that TikTok is taking steps to evolve into a “super app,” a single platform where users can do much more than just watch and share videos and that can actually handle a wide range of needs in one destination. The super app model is big in China with apps like WeChat, which is kind of like Facebook, WhatsApp, Apple Pay, and an app store all rolled into a single platform. Of course, there’s the question of whether a super app model would work outside of China, but that doesn’t mean TikTok won’t try. Instead of switching between apps, TikTok is working to become the app that people use for most of their digital activities. After taking its biggest leap with TikTok Shop, the company — which, notably, transitioned to new, primarily U.S. ownership back in January — has applied the same playbook to recent developments. Sports Image Credits:TechCrunch/Screenshot Over the years, TikTok has steadily been looking to become a place where users can come to for sports highlights and content. In early June, the company launched a dedicated hub for the FIFA World Cup where users can see scores, match schedules, standings, trending videos, highlights, videos from players, and more. If people are already watching videos on TikTok but want to keep up with the score, they can do so without leaving the app or opening a dedicated sports news app or Google. The World Cup hub was made possible through TikTok’s Sports-focused product called “TikTok GamePlan,” which is designed to allow sports teams, leagues, and broadcasters to drive discovery and engagement on the platform. The social media giant also has partnerships with Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Baseball (MLB) for behind-the-scenes and exclusive content. Hotel and attraction booking Image Credits:TikTok In May, TikTok launched TikTok GO, a way for users to discover and book hotels, attractions, and experiences directly within its app in the United States. TikTok GO surfaces lodging and things to do through videos, search, and location pages. When users find something they’re interested in, they can view details, check availability, and complete a booking. Instead of directing users to third-party websites after they find a destination or recommendation in a video, TikTok has started positioning itself as a one-stop platform where viral travel content can drive bookings and revenue. While people have already been using TikTok as a search engine and replacement for Google, this latest step puts TikTok in more direct competition with Google’s core businesses, Search and Google Maps, because it’s working to not only be the app where you discover places, but also the platform where you purchase that trip. Payments Image Credits:Just_Super / Getty Images In March, Reuters reported that TikTok had applied to Brazil’s central bank for approval to operate as a financial technology company offering lending and payment services. The company is seeking two licenses. The first would allow it to provide prepaid accounts so users can store funds, receive money, and make payments. The second license would authorize it to operate as a direct credit provider, allowing it to lend its own capital or function as a platform that connects borrowers and lenders. The move marks a significant way that TikTok is branching out beyond a social media platform and into a digital ecosystem. By aiming to bring financial services into its app, TikTok is looking to increase user engagement, open new revenue streams, and position itself to compete with fintech startups and e-commerce platforms. TikTok Shop Image Credits:TikTok It’s widely known that one of TikTok’s biggest leaps beyond

TechCrunchJun 26

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Technology

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Customers say Trump Mobile is leaking their personal information

Russian authorities hacked into the phone of a prominent political opponent while he was in custody, using technology made by forensics firm Cellebrite — even after the company had said it cut ties with Putin’s government agencies, according to a new report that raises fresh questions about whether Western tech companies can truly control how their tools are used once they’re in the wild. The case is a cautionary tale for any technology company that sells to governments. Cellebrite, an Israeli outfit with a second headquarters in Virginia that sells to governments all over the world — including in the U.S — had announced it would stop providing hardware and software to Russia. It apparently didn’t, or couldn’t, follow through. Researchers at The Citizen Lab, digital rights group based at the University of Toronto, said they found evidence that a Russian government investigative unit used a phone hacking tool made by Cellebrite to break into the iPhone of local human rights dissident and opposition politician Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021. Three months before that hack, Cellebrite had announced that it would “immediately” stop selling its technology to its Russian government customers. On its official website, Cellebrite claims that as of March 2021, when it cut ties with Putin’s government, the company “can stop the device from functioning or receiving software updates.” It’s unclear why that didn’t happen in this case, and the episode exposes an uncomfortable truth about surveillance tech, which is that once powerful hacking and surveillance technologies reach the wrong customer, clawing them back isn’t so easy. The tools proliferate, get abused, and can keep getting abused, often long after the company that made them has washed its hands of the customer. “It’s not surprising, and [it] is the result of the policies of Cellebrite,” said Eitay Mack, an Israeli human rights lawyer who has long campaigned against surveillance technology makers like Cellebrite and spyware maker NSO Group. Contact Us Do you have more information about Cellebrite? Or about how Cellebrite’s customers are abusing its tech? We’d love to hear from you. From a non-work device and network, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. Mack argued that ceasing sales, and even revoking a software license, doesn’t stop a former Cellebrite customer from abusing the company’s technology, as this case demonstrates. Mack also pointed out that Cellebrite refuses to say whether it asks customers to dismantle the hacking tools it sold to them, a critical gap that its own cut-ties announcements don’t address. This case, Mack added, suggests that former customers can still abuse Cellebrite’s phone unlocking tool, dubbed UFED, even after the company stops supporting the customer and presumably revokes its software license. In theory, that should make the company’s devices less useful. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, told TechCrunch that Cellebrite “should also remote-disable deployments following credible reports of abuse, and end the era of plausible deniability by implementing cryptographically-signed watermarks on all imaged devices.” In plain terms, Cellebrite should be able to remotely brick its own tools when they’re being misused, and it should build in a kind of digital fingerprint so that any data extracted with its technology can be traced back to which specific device was used. Cellebrite sells hardware devices designed to unlock and hack into cellphones that are connected to them. Over the years, researchers have documented cases where company customers used its technology against dissidents, human rights activists, and journalists in Hong Kong, Kenya, and Jordan. In response to some of these findings, Cellebrite has cut ties with Bangladesh, China and Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Serbia. In an email to the Citizen Lab, which he share

TechCrunchJun 25

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Technology

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trustenablesopenai

How Shivon Zilis Operated as Elon Musk’s OpenAI Insider

Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI made their closing arguments this week, and now it’s up to jurors to decide whether OpenAI did anything wrong as it’s transformed into a slightly-more-for-profit organization. But as Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I noted on the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, a big theme in the trial’s final days was whether OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is trustworthy — for example, Musk’s attorney Steve Molo grilled Altman about whether statements he’d made during congressional testimony were truthful. Kirsten noted that Musk has made plenty of misleading statements of his own, and that trust isn’t just an issue for Altman. “This is a fundamental question [for] a lot of tech journalists, policymakers, and more and more consumers, about all the AI labs,” she said. “It’s really come down to trust, because we don’t have the insight, necessarily — these are all privately held companies, there’s a lot behind the veil still.” Keep reading for a preview of our conversation, edited for length and clarity. Anthony Ha: [The end of the trial] led to this really provocative headline from one of our writers, Tim Fernholz, [that] just says, “Who trusts Sam Altman?” Does anyone want to take a stab at answering this? Kirsten Korosec: Yeah, Anthony, I’m going to throw it right back to you. Do you trust Sam Altman? Anthony: It's an interesting question because it feels like something that's kind of a wild question to discuss in a journalistic context, but actually that's the core of the trial, in a lot of ways. Sean O’Kane: That’s not a yes. Anthony: And it actually seems to be [at the] core of understanding so much of what's happened at OpenAI, especially this big executive power struggle that they now call The Blip. It just seems like a lot of people who've worked with Altman don't trust him. And he's acknowledged this a little bit, because he'll talk about the fact that he recognizes he's been conflict averse, telling people what they want to hear, and he's trying to work on that. I mean, it sounds plausible, and I can understand how that can lead to misunderstandings in some situations. [But] I'm also a very conflict-averse person and I'd like to think that if any of this stuff went to trial, that people would not be asking, “Is Anthony Ha trustworthy?” Sean: Still not a yes! Kirsten: I think that people would say that you are trustworthy. I will say that question, while provocative, doesn't just encapsulate what this trial was about. I would zoom out even more and say this is a fundamental question [for] a lot of tech journalists, policymakers, and more and more consumers, about all the AI labs. It's really come down to trust, because we don't have the insight, necessarily — these are all privately held companies, there's a lot behind the veil still. Maybe when they all IPO, we can get a peek, but it is fundamentally about trust and misuse, and do we believe the intent? And what I would throw back is, sometimes the intent can be worthy, noble, and still misused. It can still end up as a bit of a shit show. I think it's more than who trusts Sam Altman — although that was very interesting in this trial — but more of that bigger question that we can apply to the entire industry. Sean: I'll say it: I don't trust him. But you know, I don't trust most people, so I guess that's just the baseline. We’ll see where this goes. The trial wraps up today. I've been very curious to hear how the jury decides this all. I think at the start of this, a big motivator of this was Elon Musk trying to sling mud, at a perceived rival and someone who he feels slighted him. And I don't know if we know enough yet to say that that was completely accomplished, and whether or not he has a shot at winning. But I think all these people came out of this looking a little bit worse. Anthony: And just to get specific, why this is coming up this week is that [Altman] was on the stand and he was basically getting grilled about some

TechCrunchMay 17

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