Country Financial News

Israel’s prime minister is floating the idea of building infrastructure projects such as a fiber optic cable linking countries in Asia and the Arabian Peninsula with Europe through Israel and Cyprus

For small businesses that rely on summer tourism to keep afloat, extreme weather is replacing the pandemic as the determining factor in how well a summer will go

The United Arab Emirates has created a federal authority to potentially run a national lottery and what it describes as “commercial gaming.”

For some investors seeking to diversify their portfolios, emerging markets are looking increasingly attractive. There are 169 emerging-markets stock ETFs available to fund investors, with total assets of about $296 billion, according to fund researcher Morningstar Direct. Some analysts and financial advisers say there is a lot to like about this sector right now.

On his recent viral video during Asia Cup 2023, former cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir says, "What is shown on social media has no truth in it because people show whatever they want to show. The truth about the video that went viral is that if you raise anti-India slogans and speak about Kashmir then the person before you will obviously react and not smile and leave.

By Joice Alves

By Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth and Luiza Ilie

Vladimir Putin said Monday that the grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea won't be restored until the West meets its obligations to facilitate Russian agricultural exports. Putin made the statement after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who along with the U.N. brokered the deal seen as vital for global food supplies, especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Power Finance Corporation (PFC) on Monday signed a pact to provide Rs 1,229 crore term loan to Assam Petrochemicals to implement a 500 tonnes per day methanol plant at Namrup and 200 tonnes per day formalin plant at Boitamari in Assam. «PFC and Assam Petrochemicals Ltd (APL) signed a loan agreement on September 4, 2023, for extending a term loan of Rs 1,229 crore for the implementation of 500 Tons Per Day (TPD) Methanol Plant, including their 11 MW Captive Power Plant (CPP) at Namrup and 200 TPD Formalin Plant, including their Captive 0.90 MW power plant at Boitamari in Assam at an estimated Project Cost of Rs 1,827 Crore,» a PFC statement said. The 500 TPD Methanol Plant, including 11 MW CPP, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on April 14, 2023, on completion. The project, including the 200 TPD Formalin Plant, is scheduled to commence commercial operation by March 31, 2024.

space startups in India in 2014 and that number has increased to more than 150 in 2023, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here Monday, noting that currently, the country's space economy is valued at USD 8 billion and estimated to reach USD 40 billion by 2040. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology shared the information as he inaugurated the S20 Conference under the aegis of G20 at Amity University here. He said India's presidency of G20 is a matter of immense pride and under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has attained remarkable achievements in science and technology. «In 2014, the country had 350 startups but today we have more than 1.25 lakh startups and 130 unicorns.

Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film Jawan has seen a robust momentum in its advance bookings so far. Over 7 lakh tickets of the action-thriller film excluding blocked seats have been sold as of Monday.

Jim O'Neill came up with the term ‘BRIC’ (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in 2001, little did he know that the acronym would become the groundwork for an ambitious alliance of the world’s highest-potential large economies. That potential is, in a way, now spreading, even as more nations dare to dream beyond the West’s hegemony. The BRICS bloc was born in 2009 as a response to the changing global economic landscape, aiming to promote cooperation on common challenges.

Days of Our Lives never fails to add intrigue. Here's what we know of the latest episode.Spoilers ahead. The Days of Our Lives September 4, 2023 episode could well be actor Dick Van Dyke's final episode, who made a special appearance in a few episodes. His character added more mystery, which is likely to be resolved in his final episode. For this purpose, Marlena gets the help of John and Steve in identifying the mysterious man. Marlena also calls John Black and Steve Johnson for assistance with identifying Dick Van Dyke and finding his son. Black Patch will be John's father. Meanwhile, Xander is offered a job. As Marlena agrees to assist Ava, there will be more surprises on the show. As a twist, Theresa Donovan will pay a visit to Brady Black.

Labor Day 2023 in the US seems to have become fruitful for Sony and Escape Artists' «The Equalizer 3» as the movie made a spectacular global debut, raking in $60.6 million, marking the franchise's most impressive opening to date. Notably, the film's international box office performance, which amounted to $26.1 million across 49 markets, set a new record for the Denzel Washington-led series, as per a report. Among the initial suite of releases, the top five markets contributing to this success are the UK ($3.5 million), France ($2.8 million), Germany ($2.4 million), Spain ($1.7 million), and Saudi Arabia ($1.6 million), according to a report by Deadline.

Meta on Monday said it has entered into a three-year partnership with the education ministry as well as the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship to empower students, educators and entrepreneurs across the country. Meta signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) for free digital marketing courses to promote entrepreneurship and skill development in India. The American technology company also signed two other LoIs with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the Department of Higher Education, and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said India's democracy, demography and diversity are to be connected with technology conversion so that technology becomes the equaliser for the entire society. «Guided by the tenets of NEP, Meta's partnerships with NIESBUD, CBSE and AICTE will catalyse infinite possibilities for equipping our population with critical digital skills and empowering micro entrepreneurs and small businesses,» he added.

Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge of keeping quiet on the matter. While Tamil Nadu Congress leader Nana Patole had distanced the party from Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks saying that the Congress party respects all religions and does not want to make any comments that could hurt anyone's sentiments, the principal opposition party on Monday stressed that others also have the freedom to express their views. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said while the Congress' stand is clear, every other political party has the freedom to express its own view.

Marine equipment and spare parts supplier Maritronics India on Monday announced its foray into specialised equipment manufacturing for the defence sector.

HONG KONG—China’s top surviving private developer bought more time to sort out its liquidity problems, giving investors hope that it will cobble together enough cash to avoid defaulting on its U.S. dollar bonds this week. Last Friday, Country Garden Holdings said it got approval from investors in mainland China to extend the maturity date of $537 million in domestic bonds by three years.

Muthoot FinCorp, the flagship entity of Muthoot Pappachan Group (Muthoot Blue), has announced its 16th series of secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures (NCDs), that will offer a yield up to 9.43% (per annum). «Effective yield (per annum) for the NCD holders in all categories of investors ranges from 8.65-9.43%,» the company said in a statement. The secured NCDs issued under Tranche I have been rated at ‘AA-/ Stable’ by CRISIL and are proposed to be listed on the debt market segment of BSE. Through the issue, the company plans to raise an amount aggregating up to Rs 400 crore, which is within the shelf limit of Rs 1,100 crore. The first tranche issuance of Rs 100 crore comes with a green shoe option of Rs 300 crore aggregating up to Rs 400 crore. The Tranche I issue with a face value of Rs 1000 has been open to the public from Friday, September 1 till September 14, subject to an early closure as may be approved by the Board. The NCDs under the Tranche I Issue are being offered with maturity/tenure options of 24 months, 36 months, 60 months, and 96 months with monthly, annual, and cumulative payment options across different schemes from which the customers can conveniently choose. The funds will be used for onward lending, financing, and for repayment/ prepayment of interest and principal of existing borrowings of the company and for the general corporate purposes. “Our strength is the belief and trust of our customers from across the country for more than 136 years and I am happy to announce the 16th series of NCDs from Muthoot FinCorp," said Shaji Varghese, CEO, Muthoot FinCorp. «Customers come from various walks of life, and this is a great platform for both existing customers and prospective investors to

Siddaramaiah on Monday praised the past Congress regimes for their contributions to the nation's and the state’s information technology (IT) policies, saying it was the Congress-led government’s IT policy in Karnataka in 1992 — the first in the state — that laid the foundation of a national policy. “Congress governments have always provided political stability, which is good for long-term investments at the state and national level,” he said.

India has been a “tremendous success” for Mercedes-Benz in the last few years and the company is revving up to invest in infrastructure and drive in the “right products” to participate in the growth story of the country, Ola Kallenius, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes Benz AG, told ET. Kallenius, who visited India earlier this year to review operations and meet policymakers and industry leaders, said: “We had a very constructive meeting (in India). And you get a sense in India, it's like the 21st century belongs to India.