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Kia revealed its new compact SUV, Syros, in the Indian market on Thursday. The car is the second sub-compact SUV after Sonet by Kia in India. The model will go on sale in 2025. The price for the new vehicle will be announced in January at the Bharat Mobility Show. The company will start accepting bookings from January 3, 2025, and the deliveries will begin from February 2025.

FAAD Capital, a SEBI-registered Category 1 Angel Fund headquartered in Gurugram, on Thursday, announced the launch of its investor network in Dubai, marking the fund’s first international expansion. With this milestone underscores FAAD, aims to support global collaboration and engaging with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and local investors to drive investments into Indian startups. The inaugural Dubai edition of the FAAD Network Investor Meet was held at the Shangri-La Hotel, and participation from over 100 investors was seen.

YouTube sensation MrBeast is reportedly leasing the Great Pyramids of Giza for 100 hours to produce content for his channel. He disclosed this during a conversation on the Beyond the Records podcast with Olympic athlete Noah Lyles. Although he hasn’t filmed the video yet, MrBeast mentioned he’s been granted full access to the pyramids for a 100-hour period. He shared: «We have access to all three of Egypt's pyramids for 100 hours. I'm going to make a video where I can explore every part of the pyramids.» He went on to describe how the video will feature him and his crew «spending the night inside the pyramids» as they’ll have them «completely to ourselves.»

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for having an LMIA-based job offer, as per a CIC News report. Prior to this change, Express Entry candidates could receive an additional 50 or 200 CRS points for having an LMIA-based job offer. An additional 50 points can easily make the difference between a candidate receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residency, or not being invited at all. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the change on Tuesday, December 17, in a televised interview.

The report attributed this to a shift in the U.S. Federal Reserve's stance on rate cuts, which has reshaped global monetary policy expectations. The report noted that the Federal Reserve's decision to pause rate hikes was not unexpected, as markets had already anticipated a shallower rate cut cycle. The Fed aligns with market projections of two rate cuts in 2025 and two more in 2026, compared to its September guidance of four cuts in 2025 alone.

Billionaire author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott acknowledged $2 billion in 2024 donations in a blog post on Wednesday, bringing the total she’s given away since 2019 to $19.2 billion

zero-collateral housing loan scheme for low- and middle-income groups which will offer up to Rs 20 lakh with minimal documentation or third-party guarantee, said people familiar with the matter. Amendments to the Credit Risk Guarantee Fund Scheme for Low-Income Housing (CRGFTLIH) are being examined to pave the way for the scheme, they said, adding that the loan could have a tenure of 30 years. Under the existing provisions, housing loans up to Rs 8 lakh are eligible for guaranteed cover. «The idea is to make credit available for those homebuyers who do not have any documented income or minimal supporting documents,» a government official told ET.

industrial real estate manager Welspun One aims to raise more than Rs 4,000 crore as a new fund to support the platform’s growth strategy even as global investors are exploring financial and strategic general partnerships with the fund. This will be among the first instances of a General Partner (GP) level alliance in the Indian private equity industry. The platform, backed by Welspun Group, is looking to double its portfolio to more than 32 million sq ft by 2028, and has already identified a robust pipeline of over 8 million sq ft across multiple assets in the country.

Chandrababu Naidu government continues to debate the fate of the controversial solar power deal, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has defended the «transfer» of the 2,333 mw power project from Azure to Adani Group before the apex power regulator, citing Andhra Pradesh's power requirement and unchanged terms and conditions of the contract, ET has learnt. In a December 7, 2024 submission to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), SECI stated that «Andhra Pradesh had sought for such supply and SECI could finalise the generation and supply of such quantum by Adani Group on the same terms and conditions». It underlined that the transfer to Adani Group did not affect «the essential terms» on which the regulatory approval was given for the overall Andhra power project by the CERC on April 2, 2022.

CATL said on Wednesday it had co-developed 10 new electric vehicle models with automakers that use swappable batteries, as the Chinese battery giant seeks to lead a trend it says will replace a third of gasoline stations in China. Yang Jun, CEO of CATL's battery swapping brand EVOGO, said it would roll out the first EV that uses its so-called «choco-swap» battery this month, with the remaining to be launched in upcoming months. CATL will also look to build 1,000 battery swapping stations next year and to accelerate this further by enlisting partners to build more stations, he added.

Treebo Hospitality Ventures (THV) announced the launch of its new premium hotel brand called ‘Medalio’ on Wednesday. This launch comes close on the heels of the opening of Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Thrissur, the company’s first hotel under its master franchise partnership with Radisson Hotel Group to address the vast opportunity in the mid-market segment with a price range of Rs 3,500-6,000. The company said derived from the word ‘medallion’, Medalio hotels will come with 'elegant' decor, 'spacious' rooms, wider breakfast spreads, and premium Kimirica toiletries besides other amenities.

Indian firms sought to raise $5.5 billion from the overseas market in October through the external commercial borrowing (ECB) and foreign currency convertible bond (FCCB) route, the latest RBI data shows. ECB registrations through combined automatic and approval route in October was higher sequentially from $4.8 billion in September as well as year on year basis from $765 million last October.

Cochin Shipyard Limited's wholly-owned subsidiary Udupi-Cochin Shipyard on Wednesday announced the launch of the Series of Six 3800 TDW general cargo vessels being built for Norway's Wilson ASA. The vessel was launched by Martine Aamdal Bottheim, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy, along with Wilson ASA Chief Financial Officer Einar Tornes and Cochin Shipyard's Chairman and MD Madhu S Nair, Cochin Shipyard Ltd said. Constructed as environment-friendly diesel-electric vessels for the transport of general cargo in the coastal waters of Europe, these vessels have a length of 89.43 metres, 13.2 metres breadth with a draft of 4.2 metres and have been designed by Conoship International of the Netherlands, it added.

Tom Cruise is now a real-life military hero after years of playing military heroes on screen. The 'Top Gun' star was honoured with the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service (DPS) Award during a ceremony in London on Tuesday, which recognized Cruise’s contribution and dedication to the US Navy through his film work. Top Cruise was awarded the US Navy's top civilian honor on Tuesday for “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” with “Top Gun” and other films, reports news agency AP. He works in the UK. “Top Gun,” the smash hit 1986 movie about Cold War flying aces, made Cruise a star and drove a spike in military enlistment. The Navy even set up recruitment tables in theaters.

direct tax collections for this fiscal year so far have recorded robust growth, rising by 16.45% year-on-year to over Rs 15.82 lakh crore, according to the latest government data. The gross direct tax collections surged to Rs 19.21 lakh crore, marking a robust growth of 20.32% over the same period last fiscal. Refunds issued during this period stood at Rs 3,38 lakh crore, an increase of 42.49%.

premium Scotch whisky brand, The Glenwalk, is set to make a major push in Maharashtra with the launch of a new 200ml Nip bottle. Priced at Rs 500, this more accessible format is part of the brand's strategy to quadruple its sales in the region, which already accounts for 68 per cent of its overall sales, the company said in a press release on Wednesday. Fresh off a Gold Medal win at the 2024 IWS Awards, The Glenwalk has garnered recognition for its quality, having also secured top honours at the ProWine 2023 and the 2024 London Spirits Competition. With the 200ml bottle, the brand aims to expand its customer base and further solidify its position in the competitive Indian whisky market. “We are thrilled to introduce the 200 ml Nip bottle to the discerning consumers of Maharashtra,” said Mokksh Sani, Founder of Living Liquidz, Mansionz, and Co-founder of Cartel Bros. “This launch, backed by the expertise of Cartel Bros, is a testament to our commitment to innovation and our dedication to providing premium spirits experiences. We are confident that this new format will resonate with our existing customers and attract new ones.”

Gems and jewellery exports saw a decline of 12.94 per cent to USD 1,986.21 million (Rs 16,763.13 crore) in November on prolonged geopolitical tension, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said on Wednesday. Gems and jewellery exports in November 2023 stood at USD 2,281.4 million, the GJEPC data added. Cut and polished diamonds export in November declined 39.81 per cent to USD 666.01 million compared to USD 1,106.53 million for the same period last year.

Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), billed as the world's largest office building, remains largely unoccupied a year after its grand opening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 17, 2023. Although the massive 4,200-office complex has been entirely sold out, only 150 offices have become operational so far, ToI reported. The sluggish response is being attributed to the global slowdown in the diamond business, which has tempered the enthusiasm of traders and manufacturers to shift operations from Mumbai's established diamond hubs and Surat's traditional markets to the state-of-the-art bourse. To spark activity, the SDB has hosted multiple events throughout the year to encourage businesses to move in. In the meantime, significant infrastructure and services have been established to support diamond-related operations.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has dubbed the proposal to introduce 35 per cent GST on «sin goods» like aerated beverages and tobacco products as a «bad idea» as it would lead to smuggling and loss of revenue for the country. Besides, other bodies like All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) and Indian Sellers Collective — an umbrella body of trade associations and sellers across the country — have raised concerns on the recommendations of the GoM on GST rate rationalisation. Earlier this month, the Group of Ministers (GoM) recommended a special rate of 35 per cent on sin goods like aerated beverages, cigarettes, tobacco and related products. The GoM headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary also suggested rationalisation of tax rates on apparel. «Another slab in GST, in the name of luxury and sin goods is primarily a bad idea, which will defeat the very efficiency principle of taxation. Already, a need is being felt among economists that the present number of slabs should be reduced, and the highest 28 per cent slab be abolished,» SJM national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said.

President-elect Donald Trump is accusing the Des Moines Register newspaper and its pollster of “brazen election interference” for publishing a poll the weekend before the election that showed Democrat Kamala Harris was leading by three percentage point...

reinsurance support, industry sources said. Claims from the catastrophes such as Vijayawada and Vadodara floods have prompted reinsurers to demand revised pricing models and stricter underwriting practices, industry sources said. Fire and engineering insurance policies are typically bought by businesses, industrial units, and property owners to protect against risks like fire damage, machinery breakdown, and engineering-related perils. From January 1, Industrial All Risk (IAR) policies, a comprehensive fra-mework for industrial property and operations, will follow stricter pricing rules.