Country Financial News

CBS announces the return of 'Ghosts' for its fourth season. The comedy series will begin its next run of episodes on Thursday, October 17, from 8:30-9:00 pm. Samantha (Rose McIver), Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), and their ghostly roommates will continue to bring laughs and resolve lingering storylines.

pharmaceutical industry has sought exemption from the government on fixation of ceiling prices for all low-priced formulations or those that are priced at up to ₹5 per unit. At a meeting last week, the Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs (FoPE) lobby group also asked for the exemption of patented drugs from price control for 10 years instead of the existing five. According to FoPE, in the absence of a 10-year exemption, many companies are conducting research outside the country. «All formulations sold at ₹5 per unit i.e. per tablet, capsule, ml, gm may be exempted from provisions of ceiling price,» FOPE said in its presentation to the secretary, department of pharmaceuticals (DoP). «The industry has been asking for this exemption for a long time. It would be desirable to allow...small manufacturing units to be kept outside the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) provisions,» said a person in the know. Earlier, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), which represents the country's biggest drug manufacturing companies, along with other lobby groups had asked for exemptions from price ceiling regulations for low-priced formulations. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) fixes the ceiling price of essential Schedule I drugs under the DPCO.

BJP's state executive meeting in Lucknow on Sunday, the party passed a resolution stating that it could not get win on the expected lines in the 2024 LS polls in Uttar Pradesh because of false propaganda spread by the opposition against it on issues like ending reservation and making changes in the Constitution. The BJP reiterated that the party is committed to ensuring reservation for the OBCs, SCs and STs. The party felt that its workers must unite with greater strength. The BJP held the first major meeting of the UP unit to discuss the reasons for its performance which was below its expectations in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls where the BJP bagged only 33 seats, down from 62 it had won in 2019.

Vanuatu on the map. He had never been there; probably, he never would. Until the other day, he had not heard about the country. Vanuatu sounded like a mystery land in a ‘guess the country’ game. Nonetheless, he and his wife are citizens of Vanuatu — an island nation in the South Pacific that few Indians knew two years ago. Today, many do. Vanuatu has emerged as the quickest and cheapest avenue to switch citizenship, grab a new passport. Competing with Cyprus and Malta — which are more expensive and time-consuming options — Vanuatu is among the very few countries where one can become a citizen without ever visiting it. FIRST SPEND A YEAR IN UAE

The AR-15-style rifle is one of the most popular guns in the US. It has also been a common denominator in some of the country's worst mass shootings. Here are some key facts about the weapon:

State Bank of India (SBI) has hiked its benchmark marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR) by 5 to 10 basis points in majority of tenures effective Monday. In an update on its website the country's largest lender said MCLR on one month to three years has been hiked by 5 to 10 basis points. One basis point is 0.01 percentage point. Following the hike, interest rates on loans linked to MCLR will likely go up by a similar quantum. The benchmark rate on one month MCLR has been hiked by 5 basis points to 8.35% while the three month MCLR has been hiked by 10 basis points to 8.40%.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's health in judicial custody. Addressing a press conference here, Delhi cabinet minister Atishi said Kejriwal, who is a severe diabetic, has had his sugar levels falling dangerously low. «The BJP has conspired to put Kejriwal in jail in a fake case. There is an acute danger to his health. His weight has declined by 8.5 kgs and his sugar levels have fallen below 50 five times in sleep. This is a worrying situation especially for a diabetic,» she said. «If Kejriwal suffers a stroke, if there is brain damage and permanent damage, who will be responsible,» she said, claiming the AAP chief is unable to get proper medical attention as he is in jail.

K P Sharma Oli was appointed Nepal's Prime Minister for the third time on Sunday to lead the new coalition government that faces the daunting challenge of providing political stability in the country. Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday, leading to the formation of the new government process as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution. President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Oli as the new Prime Minister of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-Nepali Congress (NC) coalition.

Lupin was shot there), even as Paris gears up for about 15 million visitors for the Olympics later this month. At home, Tamil Nadu introduced permits for tourists wanting to visit its overburdened, fragile towns in the Western Ghats, in Nilgiris and Kodaikanal. Goans have long demanded curbs on untrammelled tourism which impacts their environment and makes their cities and villages unliveable.

For many years now, emerging-market (EM) assets as a class have got little attention, globally. Data from JPMorgan suggests that over the past year, foreign investors have pulled out over $36 billion from this asset class. No discussion about EMs is complete without someone pointing out their insipid returns over the past decade—a paltry 3% annualized in US dollars (including dividends).

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram stressed on Sunday that the central government needs to give up all-India examinations, adding that the right to conduct examinations for medical college admissions must be reverted back to states. The NEET-UG exam, held on May 5, 2024, has been mired in controversy, with allegations of cheating and impersonation. In an exclusive interview with ANI, P Chidambaram said, «NEET is a scandal and we have been saying this for the last 3-4 years. Tamil Nadu has passed a resolution in the assembly demanding the exemption of the state from NEET. Each state must have the right to conduct its own entrance examination to select students for the colleges run by the state government. When you have an all-India-level examination, these scandals are bound to happen.»

Jammu and Kashmir and other regional politicians were disallowed to visit the martyrs graveyard in downtown Srinagar on Saturday to commemorate the killing of 22 people on this day in 1931 by the forces of the then Dogra ruler of the erstwhile state of J&K The authorities had also sealed the graveyard in the premises of Naqshband sahib shrine in Srinagar and deployed policemen to scuttle any gathering there. The political parties alleged that the administration had placed their leaders under house arrest and termed it as «despotic» and an attempt to erase collective memory of J&K. Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was also placed under house arrest. «Another 13th July, Martyr’s Day, another round of locked gates and police excesses to stop people from paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives to establish a just, fair and democratic regime in J&K. Everywhere else in the country these people would have been celebrated but in J&K the administration wants to ignore these sacrifices,» said Omar Abdullah of the National Conference. He hoped that the assembly election would be held soon and this is the last year the administration would be able to do this. «InshaAllah next year we will mark 13th July with the solemnity and respect this day deserves,» he said.

Seoul, an official said. The agreement, dubbed as comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), was operationalised in January 2010. So far, 10 rounds of review talks have been concluded. The Indian team «will visit Seoul from July 17-19» for the next round of review meetings, the official added. «In the 11th round, both the sides would discuss the broad contours for closing the deal,» the official said, adding that Korea is keen to conclude the negotiations this year.

Signature Global will launch multiple housing projects with a revenue potential of around Rs 13,000 crore by March next year to expand business and encash strong demand. Signature Global Chairman Pradeep Kumar Aggarwal said, «We have launched one housing project worth around Rs 3,000 crore in the first quarter of 2024-25. We have a strong launch pipeline for the remaining three quarters». «We are looking at launching more housing projects in Gurugram, Manesar and Sohna belt. These upcoming projects will have a revenue potential of around Rs 13,000 crore,» he added. Gurugram-based Signature Global, which got listed on the stock exchanges last year, is one of the leading real estate developers in the country.

Paris is hosting an extra-special guest for France's national holiday Sunday — the Olympic flame lighting up the city's grandiose military parade for Bastille Day. Just 12 days before the French capital hosts exceptionally ambitious and high-security Summer Games, the torch relay is joining up with thousands of soldiers, sailors, rescuers and medics marching in Paris beneath roaring fighter jets to mark Bastille Day. While people around France mark the day with concerts, parties and fireworks, here's a look at what the holiday's about, and what's different this year: What does Bastille Day celebrate?On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in Paris, heralding the start of the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy.

Verona province, according to a media report, weeks after the country was shocked by the tragic death of a Sikh farm worker who bled to death. Finance police also seized assets worth 475,000 euros from the suspects, who own two agricultural sector companies with no employees on the books and are allegedly total tax evaders, ANSA news agency reported on Saturday. The two alleged gangmasters were arrested on Saturday and are under investigation for crimes, including enslavement and labour exploitation, the Italian news agency said. The issue of modern forms of slavery in Italy recently came to the fore of media attention following the case of 31-year-old Sikh farm labourer Satnam Singh, who bled to death after being abandoned by his employer after a strawberry wrapping machine severed his arm in Lazio, near Rome, last month.

Fire Country will return for its third season, as per a CBS announcement. The show, which is known for its dramatic twists, continues to follow the journey of Bode and his team of firefighters.

Joe Biden has adopted a two-pronged strategy. First, he has rejected calls to pull out of the race for the White House and has declared defiantly that he may not be as young and energetic as before, but he knows how to deliver as the president of the country. Secondly, he has targeted Republican contender Donald Trump, saying that he is in a worse condition and he will take the country along the wrong path if he wins the election.

There are many businessmen who have a stake in India's fast-growing sports industry, but a very few with as varied a portfolio as that of Parth Jindal, founder and director of JSW Sports. A sports aficionado, Jindal says he is into it for a dream — a dream to see India becoming a force in the world of sport. Delhi Capitals may be the shiniest of all assets in his possession, but it is the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary, Karnataka, that is his favourite. The sprawling 42-acre facility is an example of personal initiative and collective growth. With the help of over 30 corporates, the facility, in just seven years of its existence, has helped produce multiple champions in Olympic sports. Jindal, founder of IIS, spoke with AMIT CHAUDHARY about his vision, the challenges of securing corporate funding, CSR, looking beyond medals, and more. Excerpts: What was the vision when you decided to start this centre? How has that vision evolved over the years? The vision was to be the preeminent high-performance centre in India for Olympic sports, to work at the grassroots level and create Olympians who can win medals for the country across five sports disciplines — boxing, wrestling, judo, track and field and swimming. We started supporting athletes from 2012 and started building this centre in 2014. Obviously our first medal was Sakshi Malik in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and then Neeraj [Chopra] and Bajrang [Punia] in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday credited the record rise in India's stock markets to small and big investors being «happy» as they know that «only the NDA government can give stability». «Small and big investors in the country have welcomed our third term; they know that only the NDA government can give stability. Immediately after taking over as the Prime Minister, I had said that we would work three times faster, and today we are seeing it happen,» Modi said. He was speaking at the NESCO centre in Goregaon after laying the foundation stone and unveiling a slew of infrastructure projects in Mumbai and neighbouring regions worth Rs 29,000 crore. Modi attacked the opposition saying his government had created record employment in the country and attributed a Reserve Bank of India report to say that in the last three to four years, 80 million new jobs were created.

Chief Justice of India Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Saturday said law students should be well-versed with regional languages and laws so that people's access to the legal system can be improved. Addressing the third convocation of Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow, Justice DY Chandrachud underscored the importance of imparting legal education in «easy language», asserting that it is currently a shortcoming in the legal profession. Citing an analysis done by the research department of the Supreme Court on 81 universities and colleges, the CJI said, «It was found that common people experience hurdles in understanding their rights and schemes meant for them as they do not know English.» «This means that in law universities, legal education is imparted English, and many times, students at legal aid centres are not able explain legal procedures to the common people in regional languages,» he said.