Country Financial News

Rahul Gandhi, arrived in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday for his three-day US visit starting today. The Congress MP was welcomed at the airport by Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, and members of the Indian diaspora. Rahul Gandhi expressed his anticipation for engaging in meaningful discussions to strengthen the bond between the two nations. He was greeted with bouquets and performed aarti upon his arrival in the US.

International Solar Alliance (ISA) announced the winners of the SolarX Startup Challenge 2024: APAC edition during the International Solar Festival held at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Building on the success of the Africa edition, which attracted 182 applications from 28 countries and produced 20 winning companies, including seven women-led ventures, the APAC edition continues this momentum by addressing the unique energy needs and opportunities within this diverse region. The SolarX Startup Challenge is designed to develop scalable and replicable business models that accelerate global energy transitions. The APAC edition, which also included a dedicated segment for India, highlighted ways to enhance solar deployment through localised solutions and entrepreneurial efforts across the Asia-Pacific. Ajay Mathur, Director General, ISA said in a statement, «This challenge emphasises our focus on developing scalable solutions tailored to the diverse energy needs of this dynamic region.»

India is gearing up for an exceptionally harsh winter, as forecasted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has pointed to the onset of the La Niña phenomenon in September 2024, which is expected to cause a significant drop in temperatures and increased rainfall across the country. La Niña, the cooler counterpart to El Niño, is characterised by lower sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, leading to widespread climate effects, including colder and harsher winters. According to the IMD's announcement on September 2, 2024, La Niña is likely to result in a severe winter. Typically, La Niña begins between April and June, strengthening between October and February, and can last from nine months to two years. It is driven by strong easterly winds pushing ocean waters westward, which cools the ocean surface. This contrasts with El Niño, which brings warmer conditions. Different regions in India are expected to experience varying degrees of winter severity. Northern states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir may see especially frigid conditions, with temperatures potentially falling as low as 3°C. Additionally, the combination of colder weather and increased rainfall could impact agriculture, particularly in areas that rely on winter crops.

Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy, is a reminder that India’s foreign policy did not take shape in the hands of the current external affairs ministry, but has been built on a long legacy of a storied foreign service founded in 1948 by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. As the title suggests, Bhattacherjee’s book is about India’s very first diplomats, the men and women recruited to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in the first dozen years after independence who helped shaped an independent foreign policy for a country that had been a British colony for nearly two centuries.

TeamLease Services. Among the others, 17% will trim their employee count while 21% will keep it unchanged in the six months through September, the staffing firm said in a report. It noted a 5.62% net employment growth in these sectors. Among locations, Delhi led at 57% for employers expanding their workforce in existing job locations, followed closely by Bengaluru and Chennai at 53% each. Hyderabad and Bhopal topped the hiring list for new job locations with 20% each, followed by Bengaluru, Vadodara, and Jaipur at 19% each, TeamLease said.

Odisha is celebrating Ganesh Puja for the 18th year by preparing a 15-foot tall Ganesh idol using 25,000 glass bangles, and the pandal has been made of bamboo in Baripada. Friends Union Organisation President Saumya Ranjan Mishra told ANI, «We are celebrating Ganesh Puja for 5 days according to the tradition of Maharashtra. The festival lasts for 8 days with tribal traditional songs, dances, a national-level dance competition, and much more. Prasad distribution takes place for 5 days. Some artists come from West Bengal and other states. Very unique 15-foot Ganesh idol made by 25000 (twenty-five thousand) glass bangles. This is the main attraction of our Ganesh festival, for which devotees come from different states.» Cashier of the organisation Srikant Barik said, «This time we are celebrating 18th year. We have spent more than 22 to 25 lakhs all together for this decoration and making unique idols.»

Mining raw materials, like nickel, for batteries harms the environment, and new mines are very difficult to get approved, so the search is on to recycle metals that have already come out of the earth

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania say they are committed to completing by the end of the decade a financially troubled and badly delayed high-speed rail project integrating the three Baltic countries with the continental European rail network

Taylor Fritz became the first American man since 2009 to reach a Grand Slam final on Friday, setting up a US Open title showdown against world number one Jannik Sinner. Fritz, the world number 12, twice fought back to defeat compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in his semi-final. Australian Open champion Sinner became the first Italian man to make the New York final with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 win over an ailing Jack Draper of Britain.

Connor Sephton is a journalist based in London, who also works for Sky News and the BBC as a radio newsreader and online reporter. He has covered crypto since 2018 — reporting from major conferences...

Pakistan is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it has got new hope. It has reportedly found a substantial deposit of petroleum and natural gas in its territorial waters. It's said to be so large that it can change the country's destiny. DawnNewsTV has reported that a three-year survey was undertaken in collaboration with a friendly country to verify the presence of the oil and gas reserves. Pakistan has been struggling with mounting debt and rising inflation for quite some time and has been depending substantially on foreign aid, which is often elusive. To make matters worse, political instability and rising terrorism in some provinces only add to Pakistan's economic plight. Can the new discovery save Pakistan? The news of the discovery of oil and gas reserves sure offers hope to Pakistan, but that hope lies buried at the bottom of the sea. It can't help Pakistan tide over its economic crisis in the near future.

open dialogue and warmheartedness. «There exist few problems, not many, between Nepal and India, and they can be resolved, if we maintain warm heart and open dialogue,» Oli said here at the launch of former administrator Surya Nath Upadhyay's book titled 'International Watercourses Law: A Perspective on Nepal-India Cooperation'. «India is our friendly neighbour and Nepal and India have rich cultures so we should have an open dialogue. The blame cannot be merely imposed on the geopolitical situation for our inability to speak openly. We should not be involved in any game meant for gaining and sustaining power,» Oli said. «Earlier, foreign relations were maintained and dominated by the country's strengths. After the IInd World War, a country should present its national interests reasonably and justifiably in line with international treaties and agreements.»

Jaishankar will on Sunday embark on a six-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland with a larger aim to boost overall bilateral ties and deliberate on pressing regional and global challenges. He will first travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh on a two-day trip primarily to attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers' meeting, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The GCC is an influential grouping comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The total volume of India's trade with GCC countries stood at USD 184.46 billion in the financial year 2022-23. In Riyadh, Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of several GCC member countries.

Renewable Energy (MNRE) on Saturday notified draft norms for an approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) for solar cells, which is proposed to be effective from April 2026, similar to that for modules which has worked like a non-tariff barrier for domestic manufacturing. The list for solar modules comprises models and manufacturers that project developers can buy equipment from. With installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells in the country expected to increase substantially in the next two years, the government proposes to issue solar PV cells under ALMM from April 2026, according to the draft.

Swiggy on Saturday launched an initiative to provide skilling and employment opportunities within Swiggy's food delivery and the quick commerce network. The partnership will benefit 2.4 lakh delivery partners and staff of restaurant partners associated with Swiggy. The initiative will provide employment, internship and training opportunities for people in restaurant operations, and various aspects of retail management. Under the Swiggy Skills initiative, its delivery partner platform will be integrated with Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), providing access to online skill development courses, certifications, and training modules to Swiggy's workforce.

Napoleon Osorio is proud of being the first taxi driver to have accepted payment in bitcoin in the first country in the world to make the cryptocurrency legal tender: El Salvador. He credits President Nayib Bukele's decision to bank on bitcoin three years ago with changing his life. «Before I was unemployed… and now I have my own business,» said the 39-year-old businessman, who uses an app to charge for rides in bitcoin and now runs his own car rental company.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday highlighted India's readiness to collaborate with like-minded partners on focused agendas, citing the Quad as a prime example. Jaishankar made these remarks as he addressed the FPCI Global Town Hall 2024. Jaishankar also shared a post on X and wrote, «Addressing the @fpcindo Global Townhall 2024 session on 'Anticipating Greater Geopolitical Turbulence Ahead, and Finding Ways to Calm the Storm.'

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Saturday held extensive talks with Maldives' Chief of Defence Force Major General Ibrahim Hilmy, focusing on a reset of military ties that came under severe strain after President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office in November last. The talks between the two top military officials came a day after India and the Maldives held the fifth round of defence dialogue which decided to expedite implementation of the ongoing defence projects. Officials said the talks were aimed at furthering the bilateral defence cooperation, especially on measures to strengthen regional security and enhance bilateral training opportunities. It is understood that cooperation in the maritime security domain dominated the discussions.

submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. ''Applications for Aadhaar cards are more than the population...It indicates that there are doubtful citizens and we have decided that new applicants will have to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN)," the chief minister said at a press conference here. This will «stop the influx of illegal foreigners» and the state government will be ''very strict" in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said.

Ukraine Saturday as the country continues to face increased long-range bombardment from invading Russian forces. The Ukrainian Air Force said that 67 drones were launched over the country overnight, with air defences active in 11 regions across the country, including in the capital, Kyiv. Fifty-eight drones were shot down, with three more destroyed by electronic weapons systems, it said. Debris from one drone was photographed on the street outside Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Ukraine's parliamentary press service confirmed that drone fragments had been found but said there were no casualties and no damage to the parliament building. The bombardment follows a week of increased long-range attacks across Ukraine, including a missile strike on a Ukrainian military academy and hospital Tuesday in the city of Poltava that killed 55 people and wounded 328 more.

Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir accepted that it was involved in the 1999 Kargil War on Saturday, reported Pakistani news channel G News Network. Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz, Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif had accepted involvement, but not when they were in office. Munir was speaking at an event on the occasion of Pakistan Army Day. He said that the Pakistani army had given tough fight to its enemies over the years. «Be it 1948, 1965, 1971 or 1999 Kargil Pakistan-India wars, thousands of Shuhadas have sacrificed their life for the country and nation,» he said, adding that sacrifices continued even today. Munir said that the Pakistani army was brave and knew the importance and the cost of independence