Country Financial News

monsoon has covered more than three-fourths of the country and it is set to cover the entire country on time for the planting season despite stalling earlier this month, two senior weather officials said on Thursday. Summer rains, critical for economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around June 1 before spreading nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane. «Monsoon is advancing quickly in northern India and will cover the entire country on time,» said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

India is keen to fast-track longstanding talks with Sri Lanka on setting up a power grid link between the two neighbours for electricity trading, especially renewable energy. The aim is to eventually sign a memorandum of understanding between state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India and Sri Lanka's Ceylon Electricity Board, said people familiar with the matter. «Discussion is still going on with the Sri Lankan government on the grid connectivity project,» an Indian government official said. The grid connectivity project is being planned through both overhead and under-sea cables, a second official added. Power Grid didn't respond to ET's queries.

nuclear arsenal has emerged as a concern for many stakeholders and has threatened global peace. There is also an increasing cost associated with building, maintaining and expanding this weaponry. A report published by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAR) noted that countries spent £72.2 billion on their nuclear arsenal in 2023. This indicated a rise in spending to the tune of £18.1 billion or an increase of 34% as compared to 2022. This amount indicates that around £ 198 million was spent every day, £ 8.2 million a hour, £137,000 a minute and £2288 a second.

cement sector, say watchers, may intensify with the Adani group announcing ambitious future expansion plans, but for now, the Kumar Mangalam Birla group has seemingly consolidated its position with a 23% stake in India Cements, expanding its footprint in the country's biggest regional market with among the highest per capita incomes. While the Adani group has unveiled a $3-billion war chest aimed at expanding through acquisitions in the cement sector, the significant gap between the Birla group and its nearest competitor remains a formidable challenge. UltraTech's annual organic capex has been estimated to be $1-1.2 billion. «It has been Birla group's strategic initiative and efforts over 36 years to get UltraTech to reach the 100 MTPA capacity. In fact, 50 MTPA has been added in just 5 years and in the last 12 months alone, UltraTech has added about 19 million tonnes of capacity. Leadership position is not an overnight development,» said an official close to the development.

Influenced by social media celebs, she now has an in-depth five step skin care regimen, which changes for the day and at night. Singh is not alone. Young India has a new obsession — clinically-backed skincare products. Companies selling cleansers, moisturisers, serums and lotions with claims of being backed by dermatologists, are now drawing a younger consumer base, especially Gen Z users. These youngsters are far more conscious of what goes on to their skin, compared to millennials and Gen X. They no longer chase basic whitening or moisturising creams. That translates to hyaluronic gel as sunscreen, kojic acid to treat dark spots and pigmentation, and snail mucin with peptide complex for smooth and moisturised skin. It is not just that they know what to buy. They have educated themselves on how each active ingredient works on their skin, even at the granular level of being aware of the exact percentage of ingredients used in products.

NEET and UGC-NET paper leak, President Droupadi Murmu emphasised that her government is committed to an impartial probe and will ensure that those involved in the crime are given the severest sentence. In her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, President Murmu also brought up the 1975 national emergency, terming it an attack on the Constitution and a «dark chapter». Her remarks came a day after Speaker Om Birla moved a resolution in the House against the Emergency. The ruling coalition has raked up Emergency as a counter to the INDIA bloc attacking it on the alleged threat to the Constitution under the new regime.

BBQ season, eagerly reaching for their favourite smoked-flavoured chips and barbecue treats. However, while these snacks are a staple of summer gatherings, Europe’s recent ban on smoked flavours due to potential genotoxicity concerns is prompting a closer look at their safety.In April, the European Union (EU) moved to ban several artificial smoke flavourings found in popular foods such as chips, cheese, barbecue sauce and ham, citing potential health concerns related to cancer.Flavours such as smoky bacon chips will be phased out across all EU countries over the next two to five years.

Thousands of doctors in England are staging their 11th walkout in a long-running dispute with the government over pay and working conditions

Nearly 2 million people go to the polls on Saturday in Mauritania

The Environmental Protection Agency won't be able to enforce a key rule limiting air pollution in nearly a dozen states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country

NASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build the vehicle that will bring the International Space Station out of its longtime orbit of Earth when its operating lifespan ends in a few more years

China’s space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from across the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples the Chang’e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically...

Russia's war against Ukraine has led many people in neighboring Poland to invest in gold

Chess.com posted on its official blog in December 2022. The platform saw its total users go from 25 million at the beginning of 2020 to 75 million in 2021 to over 100 million users in 2022 globally. While Chess has been integral to Indian culture since ancient times, the sport has today gained popularity worldwide, and is played in almost 200 countries.

Parents giving money to their kids to buy a home took off during the pandemic when real estate went through the roof.

Airtel's data centre arm Nxtra has joined the RE100 initiative, a flagship global initiative led by Climate Group in partnership with Carbon Disclosure Project, and has committed to sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity, the company said on Thursday. Nxtra has the largest network of data centres in India with 12 large and 120 edge data centres across the country. «We are an environmentally responsible brand and have been increasingly adopting clean energy alternatives. We are on a healthy trajectory towards achieving our net-zero goals of 2031 and are happy to become a part of the RE100 initiative with a commitment to 100 per cent renewable electricity,» Nxtra by Airtel, CEO, Ashish Arora said in a statement. According to the statement, Nxtra has become the only data centre organisation in India to have pledged to RE100 and the 14th Indian company to achieve this milestone.

vegetable spending has increased by 25-100% in the last few weeks due to higher prices. Within the last week alone, per kilogram price paid for tomatoes by 2 in 3 consumers has risen from Rs 30 or more to Rs 50 or more. In some states, it has crossed Rs 100/kg. If the monsoon does not deliver better than normal rains during July, when most of the sowing is done in rain-fed areas, or if it rains too much where vegetables are grown, the situation is likely to worsen as far as vegetable supplies and prices are concerned. Local authorities may need to step in to prevent profiteering and the Department of Consumer Affairs may need to intervene via NCCF in making these vegetables available at subsidized prices in districts that are currently experiencing abnormally higher prices, the survey added.

SEOUL : North Korea said it had successfully tested technology for raining down multiple nuclear warheads at once—a top weapons goal for Kim Jong Un and an increased threat to the U.S. and its allies. But, in an unusually pointed rebuke, South Korea denounced the self-declared achievement as a bluff.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Share Price Today: Shares of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders rallied nearly 12 per cent to hit a lifetime record-high mark during intra-day on Thursday, June 27, after bagging the ‘Navratna’ status from the finance ministry. The defence public sector undertaking (PSU) has delivered multi-bagger returns to investors over the last one-to-three-year periods.Shares of the premier warship and submarine builder rallied for the second straight day on June 27 after the finance ministry elevated the defence PSU to the Navratna status.

Expert view: RBI may implement shallow rate cut even if US Fed defers, says Rajani Sinha of CareEdge Among developed economies, the European Central Bank, Bank of Canada and the Swiss National Bank have started trimming interest rates. The usual trendsetter for global monetary policy decisions, the US Federal Reserve, is still in a wait-and-watch mode. As for emerging markets, key central banks such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bank of Korea, Bank of Indonesia and People’s Bank of China are maintaining the status quo on key lending rates.

MUMBAI : India has long relied on global giants for medical devices to equip a healthcare network burdened by a lack of doctors, expensive treatments, and inadequate technology. Now, domestic medtech firms are taking the fight to their international peers, attracting interest from top-tier global investors and pharmaceutical giants. According to Indian government estimates, India is the fourth-largest market for medical devices in Asia.