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Latin America to secure critical mineral blocks on a government-to-government basis, Veena Kumari Dermal, joint secretary in the mines ministry, said on Tuesday. Critical minerals like lithium are crucial in driving energy transition as they are essential for clean energy technologies, including wind and electric vehicles. Currently, New Delhi is heavily reliant on imports for its critical mineral supply. «We are having lots of discussions with many resource-rich countries in Africa as well as in Latin America for getting a block on a priority basis or government-to-government basis,» said Dermal.

As Thursday’s presidential debate reverberated through American politics, most attention focused on President Biden’s faltering performance. But there is another dimension to the story. The debate moved foreign policy to center stage in the presidential race even as it raised the temperature of world politics and increased the chances of more international crises as the U.S.

TURIN, Italy—Over more than 120 years of history, the Tour de France had seen stage winners emerge from 33 different countries. The list included historic cycling powerhouses like France and Belgium, more recent talent hubs such as Denmark and Slovenia, and even a couple that came completely out of nowhere, like Latvia. But the roll call of winners at cycling’s biggest bike race expanded a little Monday when a 24-year-old named Biniam Girmay crossed the line first to become the first Eritrean to take a stage here.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) reforms are expected to be announced in the finance minister’s forthcoming Budget speech. As the IBC is a complex business law on the solvency of corporate enterprises, it deserves priority attention. When the IBC was adopted by India in 2016, Parliament had intended that the time period for insolvency resolution be mandatorily limited to 330 days, inclusive of one extension and the time taken in legal proceedings.

Brazil’s national data protection authority determined on Tuesday that Meta cannot use data originating in the country to train its artificial intelligence

₹1,253 crore-1,670 crore) in India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem, a top executive told Mint. The Mumbai-based firm, which has invested in MobiKwik, PharmEasy, and Country Delight, among others, is open to all sectors including software-as-a-service (SaaS), agritech, and healthtech, as it doubles down on early-stage startups with cheque sizes of $1-2 million, Sukhmani Bedi, a partner at Orios, said in an interview. So far, almost half of the $150 million fourth fund has been invested in startups including climate-tech firm Varaha and fixed-income lender Lendbox.

Voronezh region, near the two countries' shared border, Russian and Ukrainian officials said Sunday. «Several drones were detected and destroyed overnight by air defence systems above the Voronezh region,» regional governor Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram. «Their falling debris set off a fire in a depot» in the Podgorensky district, about 80 km from the Ukrainian borderm. «Explosives began to detonate», Gusev said, adding that there were no indications anybody had been hurt. Rescue teams were at the scene and Gusev said local people living near the depot were being evacuated.

Bihar is planning to introduce a few policies in the next 2 months to attract capital in various potential sectors and is poised to become the growth engine of the East, State Industries and Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra has said. The state is implementing strategic measures to suit both large and small businesses in order to promote industry and employment, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to develop East India as a growth engine, he said. «Bihar is ready to participate in the country's development and become the growth engine of the East,» Mishra said on the sidelines of Bihar Business Connect 2024 first roadshow in Kolkata on Monday. Over 50 companies represented by some nearly 90 officials and industrialists attended the event.

Polls have closed in the presidential election in Mauritania

luxury hotels and other experiences than they used to. These include journeys literally to the ends of the earth, Formula 1 drives and epic train rides across continents. For instance, bookings by Indians at the Four Seasons Mauritius rose 50% in 2023 from 2022, said general manager Martin Dell. «The trend continues to be positive in 2024. Our multi-bedroom private retreats are very popular among family travellers looking to have a memorable vacation in the privacy of their pool villas,» he said. Adding to the property's lure is Indian restaurant Chatkar.

India’s recent inclusion in JPMorgan's Emerging Market Bond Index (EMBI) marks a significant milestone for our country's financial markets. As someone who has long anticipated this development, I believe it presents a compelling opportunity for fixed income investors to capitalise on the changing landscape. This move is not just another headline—it’s a fundamental shift that will reshape India's position in the global financial ecosystem.

In parts of Afghanistan where there are no street names or house numbers, utility companies and their customers have adopted a creative approach for connecting

Narendra Modi on Thursday said that terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified and called on the international community to isolate and expose the countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone terrorism. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered these remarks on behalf of PM Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation being held under Kazakhstan's Presidency in Astana. Calling SCO a principle-based organization whose consensus drives the approach of its member states, PM Modi stated, «At this time, it is particularly noteworthy that we are reiterating mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of use of force as a basis for our foreign policies. We have also agreed not to take any measures contrary to the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.»

UN Security Council members confronted Russia on Tuesday over a missile strike the previous day that destroyed part of Ukraine's largest children's hospital, pouring out condemnations at an emergency meeting chaired by Moscow's own ambassador. Russia denies responsibility for the strike at the hospital, where at least two staffers were killed. France and Ecuador asked for the session at the Security Council, but Russia led it as the current holder of the council's rotating presidency, putting Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on the receiving end of the criticism. «Mr President, please stop this war. It has been going on for too long,» Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar appealed.

One aspect of Indian foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has stood out since he first assumed office in 2014 is the outreach he has made to countries New Delhi seemed to have little time for. Modi’s visits to West Asia have been the most remarkable, but his visit to Austria is another good example.

Keir Starmer led Britain's Labour Party to a landslide victory in the 2024 parliamentary election, taking over from the Conservatives after 14 years in opposition. Below are details on new Prime Minister Starmer and his freshly appointed team of senior ministers: KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER

Keir Starmer described the British economy as «in a bad state» on Monday, saying his new government would make the decisions needed to bring about change. «The economy is in a bad state, I think the whole country knows that. That's why there was such a strong mandate for the incoming Labour government for change,» Starmer, who led his party to a landslide election win last week, said. «What we now have to do is to get on and deliver that change.»

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks on Monday at his daily news conference in response to a question on US-India relations and the recent conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the recent G7 Summit in Italy. «India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation,» Patel told reporters.

petroleum products rose 2.6% year-on-year in June, helped by growth in petrol and jet fuel. Petrol sales grew 4.6% on-year in June while diesel sales expanded only 1%, according to the oil ministry data. Diesel accounts for 40% of the sales volume of petroleum products in the country. Petrol makes up 17% while LPG accounts for 12%. LPG, used mostly as cooking gas in the country, grew 3.2% in sales in June. Jet fuel consumption grew 10%, helped by a rise in holiday travel in June. Sales of bitumen, used mainly in building roads, grew 4.2% while the use of polluting petcoke rose 2%. Petrol sales were helped by strong new vehicle sales and increased holiday travel. Diesel is used mainly in long-haul transport, mining, irrigation, and backup generators.

electric vehicles, sections of EV makers said this time they wanted a subsidy policy with a definite timeline, rather than one that would be abruptly cut off like the previous one. “New changes are too sudden, especially for the automobile industry with its long lead times. We would want the new subsidy regime to last for at least two to three years to truly benefit the industry,” Amitabh Saran, chief executive of electric three-wheeler maker Altigreen, told ET. The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme was originally launched in 2015 to encourage the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles. Under it, a subsidy was provided to EV makers who used it to lower the prices of their products. The second edition, FAME-II, was introduced in 2019 and went on till March 2024 when it was scrapped. There has since been a steep slowdown in EV sales, according to a report by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations.

The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine