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Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said India is standing out globally in terms of economic growth and will continue to do so in the next few years. Sitharaman said the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees approved by the Cabinet last month, balances the interests of government employees as well as taxpayers by not overburdening future generations with heavy pension bills. «We are much better off than many other countries, even if they are advanced countries, today they are struggling to grow. We are standing out as an economy which is growing at the fastest rate in the last few years, this year and the next few years also for which we can do prediction,» Sitharaman said. The Indian economy grew at 8.2 per cent in 2023-24. The Economic Survey 2023-24 tabled in Parliament in July projected the economy to clock 6.5-7 per cent growth this fiscal year.

election processes in seven countries including South Africa, Sweden and Belgium, before recommending simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies in India, according to the committee's report approved by Union Cabinet on Wednesday. The other countries where simultaneous elections are conducted are Germany, Japan, Indonesia and the Phillipines. The panel led by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted its report to President Droupadi Mumu in March recommending simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. According to the report, a comparative analysis of other countries was drawn while dealing with the issue of simultaneous elections. The aim was to study and adopt the best international practices to ensure fairness and transparency in elections.

Pernod Ricard, which owns popular brands such as Absolute, Chivas Regal, and Glenlivet, said its India MD Jean Touboul on Wednesday. The India market, which reported a 6.1 per cent growth in net sales in FY24, has become a «growth engine» for Pernod Ricard, he said. The French company also owns the IMFL portfolio of Royal Stag, Blenders Pride and Imperial Blue. Besides, India has become the second largest market for Scotch whiskey Glenlivet and Irish whiskey Jameson as the Indian whiskey market is witnessing premiumisation, Touboul told PTI in an interaction. The company is also increasing exports from India by taking its Seagram's portfolio of Royal Stag, Blenders Pride and Imperial Blue to around 70 markets from the present 40 countries, targeting the Indian diaspora.

Government scientists and artificial intelligence experts from at least nine countries and the European Union will meet in San Francisco after the U.S. elections to coordinate on safely developing AI technology and averting its dangers

What's 'One Nation, One Election' The concept revolves around conducting simultaneous elections for both Lok Sabha and State Assemblies throughout the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a long-time advocate of this idea. Currently, elections for state assemblies and the Lok Sabha take place independently, either upon the completion of a five-year term for the existing government or in the case of dissolution due to various reasons.

State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 7,500 crore through issuance of Basel III-compliant Tier 2 bonds to qualified institutional bidders. In a regulatory filing, SBI said the issue attracted overwhelming response from investors with bids in excess of 3 times against the base issue size of Rs 4,000 crore. «The investors were across provident funds, pension funds, mutual funds, banks etc,» SBI said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark believes hacking by foreign governments is a major risk to the U.S. and plans to donate $100 million to bolster the country’s cybersecurity.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has entered the fast-food industry in Asia Pacific (APAC), signing a two-year partnership with the master franchise holder of McDonald's in the Philippines George Yang-led Golden Arches Development Corporation (GADC). The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. This partnership, which is TCS’ first with the fast-food chain in the APAC region, aims to standardize and digitize the IT operations for 760+ McDonald’s restaurants in the Philippines,” TCS informed in a regulatory filing. The Tata group’s largest technology subsidiary will upgrade the current systems of GADC to the cloud to standardise and digitise operations for the fast-food chain.

UK on Wednesday launched a major drive urging all immigrants across the country, including Indians, who are using a physical immigration document to take immediate action to transition to an eVisa. As part of plans to fully digitise the UK border and immigration system, all those using a physical biometric residence permit (BRP), a passport containing a visa vignette sticker or ink stamp confirming their “indefinite leave to enter/remain” in the country, or biometric residence card (BRC) as evidence of their immigration rights will be switched over to an entirely online system by next year. A majority of the BRPs are set to expire towards the end of this year and are being automatically transitioned online in phases to be accessed by creating and logging into a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) online account.

Both leading candidates in Sri Lanka's presidential election are promising to give land to the country’s hundreds of thousands of plantation workers, but the long-marginalized group has heard promises like these before

Japan has posted a trade deficit for a second straight month, as both exports and imports were lower than expected

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : In what may result in the first review of the new Indian criminal codes, the Centre has started discussions on the misuse of Sections 85 and 86 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) that criminalize domestic violence against women by their husbands and in-laws, said Union law and justice minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in an interview. The development comes after the Supreme Court expressed concerns over the replication of Section 498A of the now-repealed Indian Penal Code in the BNS without adequate safeguards for husbands and their relatives against frivolous complaints.

Donald Trump on Tuesday referred to India as a “very big abuser” concerning its trade policies, specifically regarding import tariffs. Speaking at a campaign event in Michigan, Trump emphasized that India’s tariffs on imports were unfair, reflecting his long-standing critique of global trade practices. He said, «So when India, which is a very big abuser. He (Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he's fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic.» He added that countries like Brazil and China also impose tough trade terms on the US, but China, in particular, was the most challenging of all. Further emphasizing India's competitive stance in global trade, Trump remarked, «They're not a little bit backwards...You know the expression, they're at the top of their game, and they use it against us. But India is very tough.» He also noted that Brazil, like India, maintained strict policies that made it difficult for the US to engage in fair trade. Also Read: Why is Donald Trump meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the US Presidential Polls?

Israel's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has responded to comments made by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, about the situation of Muslims in India. Azar criticized Khamenei, saying, «You are a killer and oppressor of your own people. Muslims in Israel, India and all democracies enjoy freedom, which is denied in Iran. I wish the people of Iran will be free soon.» Khamenei had earlier compared the plight of Muslims in India with those in Gaza, which drew a sharp reaction from India. Khamenei stated, «The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic Ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in #Myanmar, #Gaza, #India, or any other place.» India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strong response to Khamenei's comments on Monday. The MEA's statement read, «We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others.»

Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad has threatened to «bury any Congress dog» coming to his programme. On Monday, the Buldhana legislator's announcement of a 'reward' for anyone chopping off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's tongue had set off a huge political row. Talking to reporters on the same day, Gaikwad is heard saying in a video that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde — who heads the Shiv Sena — will attend a programme about the government's flagship 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' for women in his district. «If any Congress dog tries to enter my programme, I will bury them then and there,» Gaikwad is heard saying. The MLA had earlier announced a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone who «chops off» Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system.

Samir Kumar will take over as the country manager for India replacing Manish Tiwary who stepped down from his role in August. Kumar will take India responsibility in addition to his current charter of leading Amazon’s consumer businesses in the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey. Kumar is working closely with Tiwary on the transition, and will assume operational responsibilities for India starting October 1, Amazon said in a statement. Samir, who joined Amazon in 1999, was a part of the original team that planned and launched Amazon India in 2013.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The Adani group will manufacture microchips for its own businesses ranging from ports to power and mining, as well as for global and domestic customers at its proposed fabrication plant in Maharashtra, multiple officials aware of the plans said. The ports-to-cement conglomerate has tied up with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor to build the foundry in Maharashtra's Raigad district.

The world’s centi-millionaires — individuals with liquid investable assets of US$100 million or more — have ballooned by 54 per cent over the past decade, a new report shows.

Fed rate cut is directly targeted at battling the inflation levels in the United States, and also halt the recession in its tracks, but there is still some more insight needed as to how much the move will affect the markets beyond the US. There are chances that the global markets will resonate the impact of the Fed rate cut, and countries like China, which exports heavily to the United States, could be among the ones most affected by the call.

Apple is in discussions with JPMorgan Chase for the bank to take over the tech giant's flagship credit card program from Goldman Sachs, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said.