Apple Airlifts Five iPhones from India in Preparedness for US Tariffs

Before the US president's instructions on tariff increases take effect later this week, Apple is reportedly hoarding iPhones.

In response to Donald Trump's tariff threat, Apple is said to have sent five cargo planes full of iPhones made in India to the US. In order to avoid inventory shortages when American consumers start panic buying in anticipation of the price increase that is anticipated once the announced tariffs go into effect on April 9, its suppliers completed the rushed assignment in only three days.

According to the Times of India, Apple is hoarding before the US president's orders to raise tariffs take effect later this week. The company's largest iPhone manufacturers, China and India, supply the majority of the shipments that travel to the US warehouses. Beginning on March 25, Apple flew five cargo planes from India in three days, indicating that the corporation is preparing for the impact of a possible price increase in the event that it does not secure the same exemptions from the US government as it has in the past. Apple was granted exemptions from tariffs on Chinese imports.

Apple would be able to fulfill the surge in demand for iPhones brought on by the tariffs by rushing supplies from its largest exporters. Additionally, it would allow Apple some time to devise a plan to deal with the tariffs while maintaining almost constant revenues. Apple can withstand the effect because its profit margins on iPhones can reach 47%. Apple may pass on the tariff burden to customers if it chooses to maintain the margins, which would raise concerns about the price increase.

Trump declared reciprocal duties on almost all exporting countries, including India, earlier this month. China, where Apple has the greatest supply chain, will impose a 54% tax on exports to the US, while India will impose a 26% tax on exports to the US. Companies like Apple are laying out a plan to lessen the impact because its production lines are primarily located in Asian countries, even though some countries are allegedly seeking exemptions from the US. Due to lower reciprocal tariffs, experts think India might become a more attractive alternative to China for the production of iPhones. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has increased iPhone manufacturing in India.

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Using Machine Learning to Create a Bacterial Evolutionary Timeline

Using Machine Learning to Create a Bacterial Evolutionary Timeline

a comprehensive method to reconstruct the history of oxygen adaption and date bacterial evolution. By combining genomic, fossil, and geochemical data and connecting aerobic metabolism and oxygen tolerance to the GOE, we were able to construct a bacterial timetree. Anaerobic (blue) and aerobic (red) states are indicated by colors, while the percentage of aerobic lineages in the current bacterial phyla is shown by shades of purple. Plasmids and mitochondria were added in order to take advantage of the larger eukaryotic fossils. For the purpose of time comparison, land plants and animals are indicated. — Science

Scientists from the University of Queensland have contributed to the creation of a thorough timeline for the evolution of bacteria, indicating that some bacteria consumed oxygen long before they developed the capacity to manufacture it through photosynthesis.

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, the University of Bristol, Queensland University of Technology, and UQ led the multinational collaboration, which examined how microorganisms reacted to the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE), which occurred approximately 2.33 billion years ago and transformed Earth's atmosphere from one that was primarily oxygen-free to one that is suitable for human breathing.

The lack of complete fossil evidence has made it challenging to date the evolution of bacteria before, during, and after the GOE, according to Professor Phil Hugenholtz of UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

According to Professor Hugenholtz, "the bulk of microbial life leaves no direct fossil record, which means that fossils are missing from the majority of life's history on Earth."

However, by simultaneously examining geological and genomic data, we were able to fill in the gaps since we know that ancient rocks include chemical clues about how bacteria lived and nourished.

Assuming that most aerobic bacterial branches are unlikely to be older than this event unless genetic or fossil indications indicate otherwise, the GOE was used as a time boundary. This was the main innovation.

Initially, the group calculated which genes were found in ancestral genomes. Then, they employed machine learning to forecast if each ancestor relied on oxygen for survival.

The researchers incorporated genes from mitochondria (related to alphaproteobacterial) and chloroplasts (related to cyanobacteria) into fossil records in order to make the greatest use of them. This allowed them to use information from early complex organisms to more accurately determine the time of events.

"The findings indicate that at least three aerobic lineages existed around 900 million years prior to the GOE, indicating that the ability to use oxygen arose long before it was widely accumulated in the atmosphere," Professor Hugenholtz stated.

"There is evidence that the cyanobacterial progenitor underwent the earliest aerobic transition approximately 3.2 billion years ago, suggesting that aerobic metabolism took place prior to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis."

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Amid Donald Trump's stringent immigration regulations, tech behemoths Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and others have issued a "travel advisory" to Indian H-1B holders: Stay away from

 Amid Donald Trump's stringent immigration regulations, tech behemoths Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and others have issued a "travel advisory" to Indian H-1B holders: Stay away from...

New Trump administration immigration rules have increased uncertainty for Indian H-1B visa holders in the US. Employees at tech companies are advised not to travel abroad for fear of being denied re-entry. Concerns are exacerbated by birthright citizenship issues and Green Card waitlists. The circumstance affects employee productivity and raises expenses for accelerated processing.

Fearing denial of re-entry to the United States, two H-1B employees interviewed by the Washington Post have canceled their plans to travel to India. One voiced worry that a future child would be stateless not American or Indian—due to the administration's possible alterations to birthright citizenship.

Through an attorney, one H-1B employee told the Washington Post, "There is an assumption that anybody who is not a US citizen might be here unlawfully."

Practical difficulties have also been brought about by the uncertainty. Businesses are paying for accelerated processing of visa extensions to offset delays, and some employees report always carrying papers when they are in public—costs that "add up," according to one human resources representative.

Foreign talent, particularly Indian skill, is crucial to the tech sector. 

such as Cognizant and Infosys, which handle a significant amount of H-1B applications. The uncertainty "certainly impairs their performance," according to an HR representative at a Silicon Valley tech company who spoke to the Washington Post, because "the threat is lurking that some action may be done against them."

The process of obtaining permanent residency is already incredibly drawn out for Indian tech workers. Even though they work for famous companies, many Indians endure decades-long wait times because of per-country Green Card limits. Despite starting a business with hundreds of employees, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the AI startup Perplexity, which was reportedly valued at $9 billion, posted on social media that he had been waiting three years for a green card.

The administration's larger immigration policy has caused a great deal of fear, even though President Trump has recently made encouraging remarks about H-1Bs and some White House tech aides are immigrants themselves. Denial rates for skilled visas increased to 15% during Trump's first term, and immigration lawyers are cautioning their clients that such increases could happen again.

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Ten major highlights of the Indian stock market today include the Sensex and Nifty 50 ending higher ahead of the Trump tariff announcement.

Ten major highlights of the Indian stock market today include the Sensex and Nifty 50 ending higher ahead of the Trump tariff announcement.

After two days of declines driven by IT and financial companies, the Nifty and Sensex rebounded on April 2. Amid worries about how US tariffs might affect the economy, the Sensex increased 593 points to 76,617.44 and the Nifty gained 166.65 points to 23,332.35.

On April 2, the Nifty and Sensex concluded the day with significant gains following a two-day loss, propelled by a recovery in IT and financial companies. The event takes place soon before the tariff deadline set by US President Donald Trump on April 2, which the White House has said will go into effect right away.

The Nifty 50 concluded 166.65 points, or 0.72 percent, higher at 23,332.35, while the Sensex closed 593 points, or 0.78 percent, higher at 76,617.44.

The Nifty Midcap 100 increased 1.6% and the Smallcap 100 rose 1.1%, reflecting the upbeat sentiment in the overall market.

Due to growing concerns that increased taxes will raise domestic costs and possibly slow down economic activity, the tariffs come at a time when company and consumer confidence in the US is declining. These worries have been strengthened by recent inflation statistics, which showed that consumer spending grew more slowly than anticipated in February while the Federal Reserve's primary inflation indicator surged more than anticipated.

1. Trend by Sector

Every sector finished on a positive note. The best-performing Nifty was Nifty Realty, which increased 3.6%, followed by Nifty Consumer Durables, which up 2.5%. In the meantime, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Bank both saw a 1% increase. Additionally, Nifty Pharma, Nifty IT, Nifty Financial Services, and Nifty Auto all had increases of about 0.8%.

2. Top 5 Today's Nifty 50 gainers

The five biggest winners were Tata Consumer (up 6.91 percent), Zomato (up 4.9%), Titan (up 3.7%), IndusInd Bank (up 2.8%), and Maruti Suzuki (up 2%).

3. Today's top five Nifty 50 losers

Shares of Bharat Electronics (down 3.34 percent), Nestle India (down 1.3 percent), UltraTech Cement (down 1 percent), PowerGrid (down 0.9 percent), and Bajaj Finserv (down 0.7 percent) were the top losers among the 17 Nifty 50 firms that ended the day lower.

4. Circuits in the Upper and Lower

434 equities reached their respective upper circuits during today's trading, while 153 stocks were at their respective lower circuits, according to BSE data.

5. The stocks with the highest level of activity

The most active stocks in terms of volume were Bharat Electronics (5.26 crore shares), Zomato (5.94 crore shares), and Vodafone Idea (92.21 crore shares), per NSE statistics.

6. More than sixty stocks reached 52-week highs.

In intraday trading on the BSE on Wednesday, 64 equities, including those of Chambal Fertilizers, Jyothi Infraventures, Maruti Securities, AAVAS Financiers, NACL Industries, and Texel Industries, reached their 52-week highs.

7. More than 80 stocks drop below 52-week lows.

85 equities, including those of Titan, Bajaj Electricals, Central Bank of India, JP Associates, Orchid Pharma, and Happiest Minds Technologies, reached new 52-week lows during intraday trading on the BSE.

8. The ratio of advance to decrease

Provisional data shows that 2,813 stocks rose, 1,108 fell, and 146 stayed the same on the BSE on Wednesday.

9. Fundamental Expert View

"The domestic market saw consistent gains despite conflicting signals from around the world about the upcoming US tariffs. Expectations that the tariffs would have little effect on the home economy, considering the encouraging developments in trade talks between the US and India, were a major factor in this confidence. India's manufacturing PMI for March, which hit an eight-month high and suggested a rebound in Q4FY25 corporate profitability, further strengthened sentiments, according to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Limited.

10. Technical Perspective

"The index seems to be finding support around the crucial 50 EMA on the daily timeframe after a recent correction. The index has also maintained its position above the breakout point of the declining trendline. On the daily chart, a bullish Harami candlestick pattern has developed, indicating a possible short-term price recovery. In the immediate term, 23,100 might continue to be a solid support level on the lower end, below which weakness might intensify. However, maintaining above 23,100 could give the market impetus for a surge toward 23,800, according to Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities.

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How to use Grok and ChatGPT to generate free Ghibli-style AI images: Check out our detailed instructions

 

How to use Grok and ChatGPT to generate free Ghibli-style AI images: Check out our detailed instructions.

Due to user demand, ChatGPT can only generate three photos for free users. Grok from xAI, on the other hand, permits lengthier image uploads, albeit with less accuracy. Better results can be obtained by using ChatGPT to generate elaborate Grok prompts, particularly for particular styles like Studio Ghibli.

As customers demand that ChatGPT create and transform their real-life photos in the style of Studio Ghibli, the chatbot's new native picture generating features continue to cause chaos on OpenAI's servers. Due to increasing demand, ChatGPT's native image generating capabilities enable it to produce more contextual and comprehensive graphics than other chatbots. However, even paid users have a use limit, and free users are currently only permitted to make three images.

Conversely, xAI's Grok chatbot might not be the best at producing photographs, but it often has a higher upload and creation limit for images (the firm has not specified a limit). However, what if Grok could be used with ChatGPT to produce more complex images? See the detailed instructions below.

How can ChatGPT assist in producing better and free photos with Grok?

Even though contemporary large language models (LLMs) are able to comprehend natural conversational tones in order to produce images, these images are frequently unsatisfactory because users may overlook important features or the chatbot may hallucinate (make up) important aspects of the images. Creating thorough suggestions that consider context, subject, backdrop, theme, color palette, atmosphere, and art style is crucial at this point.

It is crucial to avoid ambiguity in this case since it could lead the chatbot to produce unexpected visual elements.

In order to eliminate ambiguity in the visuals and provide comprehensive instructions that consider the user's preferences, a chatbot like ChatGPT or even Gemini can be helpful in this situation.

We attempted to use Grok to produce a Studio Ghibli-style picture of three well-known Indian commanders, but the outcome was unsatisfactory. But when we gave ChatGPT the first query and instructed the chatbot to generate a text prompt to generate the image using Grok, the situation was completely different.

With faces that do not look like the actual players and the incorrect Royal Challengers Bengaluru jersey, the first image misses most of the details, as you can see from the two pictures below. This image's background is not even believable.

Compare this to the second image, which was created using ChatGPT's text prompts. In this image, the players' faces, the Ghibli-style effect, and even the jersey pattern are largely accurate. The team logos were correct, but the names of the franchises and their sponsors were still incorrect in the graphic that Grok produced.

How can I use Grok to create a Ghibli-style graphic using ChatGPT's assistance?

1) Launch the ChatGPT app or website and provide the chatbot with as much information as you can about the image you would like it to create.

2) Request that ChatGPT generate the desired image from Grok as a text prompt.

3) Launch the Grok app and respond to the ChatGPT-generated text prompt.

4) It should take a few seconds for the image you want to be created. Simply ask Grok to make the necessary changes with assistance from ChatGPT if you need to make a few more.

Notably, Grok is powered by xAI's most recent foundation model, Grok 3, which was made available last month. The chatbot had previously only been available to X subscribers, but as competition from Chinese AI companies like DeepSeek and Qwen increased, the Elon Musk-led company was compelled to make it available to everyone for free.

At the time, Grok 3's photorealistic and intricate image generating skills garnered a lot of interest. However, Google and ChatGPT have subsequently acquired native image generation capabilities, and their more complex images have eclipsed xAI's own chatbot.

The capacity of the chatbot to produce images utilizing language prompts as opposed to depending on external models is known as "native image generation." This enables the AI to produce far more complex graphics by utilizing its language knowledge base and firsthand awareness of the user's preferences.

Studio Ghibli: What is it?

In 1985, Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao, and Suzuki Toshio established the Japanese animation film studio Studio Ghibli. Rich storytelling and hand-drawn animation are hallmarks of the company's excellent filmmaking.

Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke are a few of the company's best-known animated productions.

Dreamlike sceneries, delicate color schemes, and profoundly human narratives are hallmarks of the studio's films. Ghibli animators' meticulous, hand-drawn method has long been regarded as the best in traditional animation.

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Satellite photos from the Myanmar earthquake reveal the scale of the destruction in Mandalay and nearby places.

 

 Satellite photos from the Myanmar earthquake reveal the scale of the destruction in Mandalay and nearby places.

In Mandalay, Myanmar, following a powerful earthquake in central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, people ride motorcycles past a damaged building. | Photo Credit: Reuters


Images from the capital, Naypyidaw, show rescue workers removing casualties from the debris of collapsed buildings in another severely damaged city in Myanmar.



What caused the earthquake at Myanmar



Experts claim that because the earthquake was near the Earth's surface and happened along the Sagaing Fault, it produced strong seismic forces. Nearly 800,000 people in Myanmar may have been inside the area of the most intense shaking, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey, and it is likely that at than 1,000 people died, if not more.



Recent years have seen a number of earthquakes strike Sagaing; in late 2012, a 6.8 magnitude event claimed at least 26 lives and injured hundreds more.

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