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Asian equities rose Thursday after cooler-than-forecast US inflation helped Wall Street rebound from two days of heavy losses. Australian and Japanese shares rose and equity-index futures for US stocks climbed in early Asian trading, bolstering advances in the prior session. Even after Wednesday’s gains for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, the first since Friday for the US benchmarks, they both remained over 3% lower this week. Hong Kong equity futures fell, tracking declines in an index of US-listed Chinese companies on Wednesday.

tariffs on imports like cocoa and fruit, according to a letter seen by Reuters. PepsiCo, Conagra and J M Smucker, are requesting that Trump exempt ingredients not available from U.S. sources to protect manufacturers who otherwise buy from domestic farmers and suppliers, according to the letter, sent on Monday by a consumer products trade group representing the companies, the Consumer Brands Association. Coffee, oats, cocoa, spices, tropical fruit and tin mill steel, used for specialty food and household goods, are among the imports listed as unavailable domestically in the letter. «We believe targeted and carefully calibrated removal of these ingredients and inputs from tariffs is appropriate to best protect U.S. manufacturers and support (Trump's) efforts to lower consumer inflation,» the letter said. PepsiCo and Smucker, which have executives sitting on the executive committee of the Consumer Brands Association, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Want to celebrate Holi in Varanasi or spend Eid unwinding in the Maldives? Be ready to pay up. With Holi falling on 14 March (Friday) and Eid expected on 31 March (Monday), travellers are seizing the back-to-back long weekends, sending hotel rates soaring.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi/Mumbai: The back-to-back marketing agreements signed by Starlink with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio has finally paved the way for launch of the Elon-Musk-owned satellite internet provider’s services after an initial attempt four years ago.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A blockbuster diabetes drug will soon be available to Indian patients at a tenth of its cost, as its patent expires. At least four Indian generics players have launched cheaper variants of the drug, which is used to treat type-2 diabetes as well as heart and kidney ailments.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: There is unanimity on the need to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) on health and life insurance premia from 18%, but consensus eludes on what the final rate should be: nil, 5% or 12%.

mobile gaming industry, has officially acquired Niantic’s gaming division for a staggering $3.5 billion. This deal doesn’t just include Pokémon GO—it also brings Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now under Scopely’s wing. The acquisition, rumored since early 2025, now awaits final regulatory approval before it’s fully sealed.

US Federal Trade Commission asked a federal court in Seattle on Wednesday to delay a September trial in its case alleging Amazon misled consumers over its Prime subscription service, citing «severe resource shortfalls in terms of both money and personnel.» Jonathan Cohen, an attorney for the FTC, told US District Judge John Chun during a hearing that the agency faces a «dire resource situation» amid cost cutting measures enacted under President Donald Trump's administration. «We have lost employees in the agency, in our division and on our case team,» Cohen said. Cohen's statements are the first clear indication of how large-scale efforts led by Trump advisor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to shrink government are affecting the FTC, which enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws.

trade with Pakistan means expanding their export base and extending economic influence in the region. For Pakistan, reopening structured trade with India could be a lifeline. Institutional frameworks built during the Indo-Pak trade discussions of 2011-12 still exist. Rather than settling for a hesitant revival of pre-2019 trade, both nations have the chance to build a structured, high-impact trade corridor that turns decades of rivalry into economic interdependence, stretching beyond Afghanistan to CIS countries. Despite ad-hoc bans and restrictions, trade has not vanished. But it has been driven underground, morphing into an informal, fragmented and inefficient shadow of its true potential. In 2023-24, India officially imported only $3 mn worth of goods from Pakistan, while its exports to Pakistan reached $1.2 bn.

Inflation showed signs of cooling in February, offering some signs of relief for Americans who were squeezed by rising costs. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of living costs, climbed 2.8 per cent compared to last year, with monthly growth slowing to 0.2 per cent down from January’s sharper 0.5 per cent jump and beating economists’ forecasts. Even the “core” inflation rate, which ignores food and energy prices, eased slightly to 3.1 per cent annually. While progress toward the Fed’s 2 per cent target remains uneven, the dip suggests some pressure is lifting, as per NY Times.

A viral video from Instagram account @wankernomics has hilariously captured the absurdity of workplace communication, showcasing just how far we stretch language to sound more… sophisticated? Professional? Let’s be honest—it’s mostly just nonsense.

Indian Air Force. The radar has been indigenously designed and developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is capable of tracking aerial targets from high-speed fighter aircraft to slow moving targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters. The defence ministry said acquisition of the radar will significantly enhance the operational preparedness of the Indian Air Force. «As part of the government's efforts to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities, the Ministry of Defence has inked a capital acquisition contract with BEL for the procurement of Low-level Transportable Radar, LLTR (Ashwini) at a cost of Rs 2,906 crore,» an official readout said. The contract was signed in presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

With interest rates being a key factor in home loans, personal loans, and corporate borrowings, understanding the latest rates can help borrowers make informed financial decisions. Below is an overview of the latest lending rates across major Indian banks.

Thomas Kierans was stopped by a reporter in St. John’s, Nfld., on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Regarded around town as somewhat of a local treasure, he was dressed in a tan winter coat, a colourful knit scarf and a newsboy-style cap, and he was asked about some of his equally colourful and yet never realized ideas for mega-scale infrastructure projects.

United States President Donald Trump’s back-and-forth tariff threats are galvanizing an “invest in Canada” movement that’s prodding pensions to keep more of their cash at home.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Investors in Bharti Hexacom Ltd stock must be a happier lot vis-à-vis their counterparts in Bharti Airtel Ltd, the parent company holding a 70% stake in the former. Hexacom’s shares have gained as much as 66% since its listing day’s closing price of ₹813.30 apiece on 12 April 2024.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India recently announced a budgetary allocation of ₹3,200 crore to set up 200 Day Care Cancer Centres in all district hospitals over the next three years. This is welcome.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Emami Ltd is tweaking its playbook to stay ahead. It is betting big on urban expansion, cutting back its dependence on general trade and doubling down on modern retail.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In her pop-art decorated office in the heart of Beverly Hills, real-estate broker Rochelle Maize got an early look at who would control the future of the Pacific Palisades. It was eight days after the wildfires broke out—before Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had appointed a recovery czar, before rebuilding plans had been drawn.

In its full-year results for 2024 released today (12 March), L&G said the 4% drop has seen its AUM decrease from over £1.15trn in the 2023 financial year to just over £1.11trn in 2024.  Outflows of £47.8bn were driven by UK defined benefit (DB) clients continuing «to adjust their portfolios in response to improved funding ratios and execute some one-off tactical asset allocation rebalances», the insurance giant said.  Legal & General to cut jobs in revamped asset management arm Moreover, profits before tax also dropped year-on-year from £325m to £211m and costs increased from £658m...