Country Financial News

As climate change fuels the intensity and frequency of wildfires, it's also driving up the health risks for farmworkers who often have no choice but to continue working amid dangerous levels of smoke

China says it will restrict exports of a mineral used in a wide range of products from batteries to weapons

Ajit Pawar on Thursday batted for an all-party meeting to discuss the Maratha quota issue. Talking to PTI during his Jan Sanman Yatra, Pawar said the opposition parties cannot be neglected since they too represent the people. «Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange wants quota under OBC segment. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called an all party meeting to discuss the quota issue but the opposition stayed away. I don't know if the boycott was deliberate. It has been decided to seek their (opposition) time again,» he said. Hailing the Mukhyamnatri Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women get Rs 1,500 per month as aid if their annual family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh, Pawar said it will be launched on August 17 at an event in Balewadi here with beneficiaries getting money for July and August. The event will be attended by CM Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. It is a transparent scheme in which money is transferred to accounts linked to the beneficiary's Aadhaar, leaving no room for any illegality, Pawar added. Slamming the opposition for calling it an election gimmick that would burden the exchequer, Pawar said he had presented 10 budgets and knew about finances.

India «over the next several weeks.» The search giant launched AI Overviews in Search in May, starting with the US, to help people quickly discover information on the web. «After extensive testing and positive feedback, including in the US and Search Labs globally, we’re bringing the helpfulness of AI Overviews to six new countries: India, United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil – along with local language support in each country,» Hema Budaraju, senior director, product management, Search said in a blog post. In India, Google said it will be rolling out AI Overviews in English and Hindi. It will also introduce popular India-first features that were well-received during the company's Search Labs experiment. This includes helping a user easily switch between English and Hindi results with the language toggle button, and listen to responses with Text-To-Speech by tapping the 'Listen' button.

Ever pull into a gas station in British Columbia and wince at the posted price?

electric mobility terming it a right step in the right direction for the country. The Mumbai-based auto major noted that supporting electric mobility is in the best interest of the nation. «The right direction for the country is EV focus and we believe that is what the government should support,» Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Executive Director and CEO for auto and farm director Rajesh Jejurikar told reporters here. He was responding to a query regarding the company's stand on the Uttar Pradesh government announcing registration waivers for hybrid vehicles.

Ukraine's top commander said on Thursday Kyiv had set up a military commandant's office in the occupied part of Russia's Kursk region where he said his forces were still advancing and had taken up to 1.5 km (0.93 miles) in the last 24 hours. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a video published by the Ukrainian leader that Kyiv's forces had advanced 35 km into Russia's Kursk region since launching an incursion last week. Kyiv's surge into Russian territory last week caught Moscow by surprise, seizing the initiative from Russian forces who have been grinding out small but steady gains all year in the east of the country.

phulkari embroidery, cholis with kaanchi (mirror embroidery) from Gujarat, brocade on quilt covers and saris, tie-and-dye odhanis, Naga shawls, jamdanis, telia rumal from Andhra Pradesh and batik rumal from West Bengal—all introducing the viewer to ancient textiles starting from the 18th century. (Unlike painting, when it comes to textiles, something that belongs to 18th century is considered ancient, because cloth is more delicate and tends to perish faster.) Then the gallery takes a turn into the modernisation of traditional textiles, highlighting pieces from the Vishwakarma exhibitions, led by the late Martand Singh from the 1970s onwards. These shows were a series of seven textile art and history exhibitions from 1982-92 that documented the introduction of design to crafts communities.

Adani Power said on Thursday it was committed to supplying electricity to Bangladesh, saying a recent amendment to power export rules does not affect its existing contract. The amendment by the government facilitates connectivity to the Indian grid but does not impose any obligation on India to buy electricity, Adani Power said in a statement. «Adani Power is committed to fulfil contractual obligations as per Bangladesh Power Development Board's demand schedule and provisions of the power purchase agreement and would look forward to continuing reciprocal fulfilment,» Adani Power said.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate has sharply criticised the West Bengal government over the recent rape and murder of a female trainee doctor, questioning why the local administration allegedly attempted to cover up the crime. Speaking out on Thursday, the Congress leader condemned the violence that erupted at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata after the incident and expressed anguish over the administration's handling of the situation. «The incident was extremely unfortunate. What happened to the woman doctor raises a critical question: Where is the safety for women, who constitute half the population? What is happening to women in this country? Why did the local administration try to cover up the crime? The violence we saw yesterday is unacceptable and it is not the answer to anything,» Shrinate, the chairperson of social media and digital platforms in Congress' communication department, told ANI.

Opposition leaders on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Independence Day speech, alleging that it failed to unite and inspire people or address important issues faced by the nation. Communist Party of India General Secretary D Raja said the prime minister's speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 78th Independence Day did not place any issue before the nation to unite and inspire people. «Whatever he spoke is in line with the sinister, divisive agenda of RSS,» Raja told PTI. «The prime minister speaks about 2047 but he failed to address the issues of plurality, and diversity of the nation. He is trying to impose uniformity on the country,» he alleged.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 78th Independence Day, he highlighted his government's efforts towards environment protection in various fields with a focus on rail operations. «We are aiming to achieve net zero emission by 2030 in Railways,» said the prime minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called upon Indian professionals to lead the global gaming market and help establish the country as a global leader in the industry. In his address during the 78th Independence Day celebrations here, the prime minister emphasised the need for Indian talent to dominate not just in gaming but in game production as well by leveraging the country's rich cultural heritage. Asserting that those who create and produce games are largely foreigners, he said he sees that a huge market has emerged in the world of gaming. «India has a rich heritage, and we can bring talent into the gaming world. We should attract everyone to our gaming sector, and I want Indian children and youth to lead the gaming industry,» Modi said.

V O Chidambaram Pillai, called VOC, started the first indigenous Indian shipping company, Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNCo), in 1906, against British India Steam Navigation Company, plying ships between Tuticorin-Colombo. He was later arrested by the British government in 1908 and sentenced to two terms of life-imprisonment and was locked in Coimbatore prison where he was sentenced to hard labour. Also Read: No, India did not get complete independence in 1947. Here's why

Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence and gradually emerging as a global manufacturing hub of military equipment due to measures taken by the government in the last few years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday. In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said there was a time when the majority of the defence budget was used to procure military hardware from abroad, but his government focused on indigenous defence production. «We are becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. Today, we have our own identity in defence manufacturing. India is emerging as a defence manufacturing hub,» he said. The prime minister complimented the defence ministry and the armed forces for taking a series of decisions, including the notification of a number of positive indigenisation lists under which over thousands of items are being procured from the Indian industry in line with designated timelines. According to the defence ministry, a total of 5,600 items have been identified for domestic manufacturing.

Binance has registered with India’s virtual digital asset (VDA) monitoring agency FIU-IND after paying a penalty of Rs 18.82 crore, lifting a seven-month ban on its website and mobile application in India. Binance registration with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) marks its 19th global regulatory milestone, the company said in a statement on Thursday. “Recognising the vitality and potential of the Indian VDA market, this alignment with Indian regulations allows us to tailor our services for Indian users,” said Richard Teng, chief executive of Binance. “It is a privilege to extend the reach of our cutting-edge platform to this thriving market, supporting India’s continued VDA evolution.”

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that while everyone in the country was sad regarding the Wayanad landslides that claimed over 200 lives, it was time to live and move forward for the survival of the state. Vijayan, speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Central Stadium on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day of the country, also said that even as India excelled in various sectors since its independence in 1947, the scientific awareness in the country was being damaged and superstitions, harmful customs, and outdated rituals were making a comeback. Referring to the landslides in Wayanad, the CM said that Kerala and the country were celebrating the independence day in a time of grief following the disaster. «But, we cannot remain sad. We need to live and move forward for the survival of the state. So, the independence day, this year, should give impetus to the joint activities that ensure the state's survival,» he said.

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant were recently seen shopping for jewelry in Panama during their honeymoon. A video uploaded on Instagram captures the newly married couple inside a jewelry store, where they cheerfully posed with the store's staff. Radhika Merchant chose a laid-back look, wearing a striped t-shirt paired with white pants and sporting relaxed, beachy waves. She kept her appearance understated by not wearing any jewelry. Anant opted for a tropical print shirt, which has quickly become a hallmark of his style. Anant is the younger son of Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, and his wife, Nita Ambani.

Independence Day, highlighted that India is moving towards self-reliance by improving domestic manufacturing and has even started exporting to other countries. PM Modi emphasized that India has become self-reliant in mobile phone manufacturing and is now exporting to other countries. «There was a time when we imported mobile phones, but today we have built a mobile phone manufacturing ecosystem, and now we have started exporting mobile phones to the world,» said PM Modi. Regarding the defence sector, PM Modi stated that India is becoming self-reliant in defence manufacturing.

The Chief Minister was delivering his address on the occasion of 78th Independence Day, after hoisting the national flag at the Manekshaw Parade Ground here. He noted that MoUs (memorandum of understanding) have been signed with 13 industries, which will bring in investments worth Rs 42,915 crore and is expected to create around 22,600 jobs. The government has approved 591 investment projects through single window committees during 2023-24, he said adding this will result in a flow of Rs 84,232 crore investment and employment generation for 1,56,986 people. «During 2023-24, our state stood first in exports, with a value of USD 1,66,545 Million.

China has put together a revised draft law that will make it simpler for couples to register their marriage, while filing for divorce will become tougher, a move that drew scorn from netizens and became a top trending online topic on Thursday. The draft, aimed at building a "family friendly society", was released by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs this week for public feedback. People are able to submit comments to the ministry until Sept 11, it said. It comes as policymakers struggle to encourage young couples to get married and have children after the country's population fell for two consecutive years.