Country Financial News

Monterrey, Mexico native learned he almost was American at birth. Suarez’s parents flirted with the idea of heading to America ahead of his 1992 birth and having the future NASCAR star born in the U.S. One problem, the cost was too prohibitive so the idea was scrapped.

Reform UK's top leader Nigel Farage, in an interview with BBC, had claimed that the West had somehow 'provoked' Vladimir Putin to go into war against the Ukraine, a statement that has received severe criticism from leaders like Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, says an Evening Standard report.

KYIV: At least three people were killed in a Russian bomb attack on Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, on Saturday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Another 19 people were wounded in the attack, in which a guided aerial bomb hit a residential building, according to Zelenskyy. Russia has also continued to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, officials in Kyiv said Saturday, damaging energy facilities in the southeast and west and injuring at least two workers.

Willie Nelson are concerned that he may not participate in the 'Outlaw Music Festival'. The 91-year-old country music icon said on Instagram that he isn't feeling well and that his doctors have advised him to take it easy for the next four days. According to 'Metro', Willie Nelson will not be attending this weekend's Outlaw Music Festival, instead, Lukas Nelson and the Family Band, along with a few guests will perform. They'll play a unique set that features additional songs in addition to some of Willie's most well-known hits. Willie expects to resume the festival tour the following week and anticipates a speedy recovery. Fans express concerns

Bengaluru: Prestige Estates Projects plans to raise Rs 5,000 crore from institutional investors to bolster its hospitality business. On Friday, the board approved a proposal to raise the funds through a public sale of shares to institutional investors or other permissible modes, it said in a filing with BSE. The board also cleared another plan to monetise the hospitality business, and established a subcommittee to supervise the process. The Bengaluru-based company may either consider creating a real estate investment trust — which could be the first hotel REIT in India — or pursue an initial public offering to monetise the hospitality business.

Tom Brady was reportedly spotted with Brazilian model Isabella Settanni in June even though they were not photographed together, as per a New York Post report. Brady, former New England Patriots quarterback, is 14-year older than Settanni, as per the report.

UFO whistleblower Lue Elizondo has alleged that he and many other whistleblowers have been threatened. Appearing on «The Good Trouble Show», he said, «I would like to make this clear to the American people. I am not prone to accidents. I am not suicidal. I am not abusing drugs. I am not engaged in any illicit activities.» The man, who was the head of a secretive Pentagon unit that studied UFOs, said that if something happens to him or his family members in the future, they will know what happened.

ethnic wear,’ I reach for the nearest clothes hangar. Being in a garments store recently, a hangar was, indeed, close at hand. But I refrained from hooking someone with it simply because, the shop being in Khan Market, it was impossible for me to distinguish between customers and the store’s employees. It may have been a close call for at least one member of India’s thriving retail industry. But the term ‘ethnic wear’ pisses me off no end. What ‘ethnic wear’? I know that you know that I know what it means — sari, salwar kameez, choli, sherwani, bandhgala, Khan suit…. Like light, I know ‘ethnic wear’ when I see it. But for a voluble section of the country — which, in its continued quest to be a nation of virtue-signallers, recently took to the ludicrous binary of ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ in English, thereby quietly emphasising the perceived dowdiness of the latter against the perceived spunkiness of the former — their perfunctory use of the term ‘ethnic wear’ sounds not just preposterous, but downright embarrassing. ‘Ethnic,’ as an adjective, merely denotes belonging to an ethnicity, a population group or subgroup sharing a common genetic descent and/or cultural background. So ‘Germanic’ is as good a description of ‘ethnic’ as ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Indian’ and ‘Western’ or ‘Nordic’. And yet, somehow, you enter a store — here in India — and there’s a section devoted to ‘ethnic wear’. In India.

Edi Rama’s best friend during the World Cup summer of 1982 just so happened to be the one person he knew who owned a color television. So every evening, Rama would find himself crammed into his kitchen with countless others, desperately hoping that the fuzzy, flickering signal would hold. Albania was an island back then, under the repressive, conspiracist rule of Enver Hoxha. Foreign travel was banned for all but a select few insiders. Even communication with the outside world, particularly the West, was limited. Rama and his friends could only follow that World Cup through what he has subsequently called a “dark network” operated by RAI, the Italian state broadcaster. In a recent interview with Italy’s Tuttosport, he said that he still remembers that month warmly. Italy served as Albania’s avatar for the tournament; the two countries, in Rama’s estimation, are “a people divided by the sea, but united in everything else, similar as two drops of water.” When Dino Zoff, the Italian captain, eventually lifted the trophy in Madrid, it felt like victory in Tirana, too. “We saw it in his hands, as if it were also in ours,” Rama said.

Parliament, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday. Addressing the media alongside his brother Prataprao Pawar and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, the veteran politician highlighted the potential of AI technology in revolutionising agricultural practices. He claimed the AI method (in farming) has been introduced in Baramati- the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his daughter Supriya Sule -for the first time in the country. The former Union agriculture minister also said sugarcane production can be increased at low cost through AI technology.

Hindujas, have said they are «appalled» by a Swiss court's ruling of jail terms for some members and have filed an appeal in a higher court challenging the verdict finding them guilty of exploiting vulnerable domestic workers from India employed at their villa in Geneva. A spokesperson for the affected family members, Kamal and Prakash Hinduja and their son Ajay and his wife Namrata — who are all Swiss nationals, pointed out on Saturday that neither of them have been subjected to any «imprisonment, conviction, sentence or detention.» «Per Swiss law procedures, the lower court's judgement is rendered ineffective and inoperative as the presumption of innocence is paramount until and unless a final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced,» the family's spokesperson said. «It may be noted that the case has no complainants left anymore and they had declared in the court that they were led into signing statements that they didn't even understand. They had neither intended to nor initiated such proceedings. All of them further testified that the four Hinduja Family Members treated them with 'respect, dignity and like family',» the spokesperson added.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the intention of the central government has always been to bring petrol and diesel under GST, and it is now up to the states to come together and decide on the rate. She said a provision has already been made by former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley by including petrol and diesel into GST law. What is remaining is for the states to come together to discuss and decide on the rate of the levy. «The intention of the GST, as was brought in by former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, was to have petrol and diesel in GST. It is up to the states now… to decide on the rate. The intent of my predecessor was very clear, we want petrol and diesel to come into GST,» Sitharaman said. When GST was introduced on July 1, 2017, amalgamating over a dozen central and state levies, five commodities — crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel, and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) — were included in GST law but it was decided that it would be taxed under GST at a later date.

Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy has asked top officials of Hindustan Machine and Tools (HMT) to submit proposals for reviving the ailing public sector undertaking (PSU). An official statement said, “The once-glorious HMT is currently facing significant challenges. The Minister emphasized the need to strengthen the company and instructed Rajesh Kohli (HMT’s Chairman and Managing Director) to submit a proposal to the central government for necessary support.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative was highlighted as a framework for HMT's revival, the statement added.

road transport and highways (MoRTH) has set up a round the clock control room in view of the onset of monsoon, same as last year. “The control room has been set up to monitor the problems arising from heavy rains impacting the operation of national highways in the country, viz., disruption of traffic, accidents due to poor visibility and potholes, water logging, road obstruction and landslides etc,” it said in an office memorandum issued on Saturday. Dedicated teams have been deployed for control room duties which will include receiving calls from public as well as government agencies and monitoring electronic media platforms for monsoon related incidents pertaining to operation of national highways.

GST) Council at its 53rd meeting in New Delhi on Saturday decided to roll out Pan-India biometric authentication to check fake invoicing. «This will help us to combat fraudulent input tax credit claims made through fake invoices in the cases,» she added. Post-budget session, there will be another meeting.

Teesta river, moving ahead to start negotiations on a comprehensive trade pact and boosting defence ties were among major outcomes of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday. The two sides signed 10 agreements providing for bolstering ties in a range of critical areas such as digital domain, maritime sphere, blue economy, railways, space, green technology, health and medicine. Both sides also firmed up a «futuristic vision» for bringing transformative cooperation between the two «trusted» neighbours in a raft of new areas. A major focus of the talks between the two prime ministers was to explore ways to shore up India-Bangladesh cooperation in digital and energy connectivity even as both sides resolved to work towards peaceful management of borders between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Saturday highlighted the importance of Bangladesh in India's strategic plans for regional cooperation and security stating that neighbouring country is crucial for India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and its vision for the Indo-Pacific region. Addressing a special press briefing on the State visit of Bangladesh PM to India today, Kwatra also stated that renewing the disaster management agreement will improve response and capacity building. Additionally, they will focus on reducing and managing disaster risks, which is a key part of the Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative. «Bangladesh is a key part of India's SAGAR doctrine and the Indo-Pacific vision. The renewal of the MoU on maritime cooperation and blue economy that was signed in exchange earlier today aims to develop our ocean-based blue economy and maritime cooperation,» said Kwatra

price stabilisation and it expects retail prices to ease with the progress of monsoon over most parts of the country. According to data compiled by the department of consumer affairs, the all-India average onion retail prices stood at Rs 38.67 per kg on Friday, while the modal price was Rs 40 per kg. Till June 20th, the Centre has procured 70,987 tonnes of onion, as against 74,071 tonnes procured in the same period last year, a senior official in the department of consumer affairs said. «The pace of onion procurement for price stabilisation buffer this year is largely comparable with last year, despite about 20 per cent decline in estimated rabi production,» the official said, adding that the government is on course to achieve targeted procurement of 5 lakh tonnes for price stabilisation.

Amarnath Yatra set to begin in a week, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said security arrangements have been tightened and facilities improved for the successful conduct of the pilgrimage. Jammu Additional Director General of Police Anand Jain has reviewed security arrangements along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, emphasising the need for the highest level of alertness to scuttle any attempt by terrorists to disrupt the pilgrimage, officials said on Saturday. Taking part in the virtual 'Pratham Puja' ' which marks the ceremonial commencement of the Amarnath Yatra — at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar on Saturday morning, Sinha said 'darshan' for the pilgrims across the country will start on June 29 when the yatra commences. «The (Shri Amarnath) Shrine Board and the J-K administration have made special arrangements for the pilgrims. In the last two years, the facilities for the yatris have improved a lot.»

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole inspected the cracks spotted on the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), and alleged that these cracks are the result of corruption. Project Head Kailash Gantra said that the repair work will be completed by this evening.

India and Bangladesh on Saturday moved to bolster their defense relationship and signed agreements for expanding cooperation in maritime security, ocean economy, space, and telecommunication sectors, as New Delhi tries to present itself as a regional power and a counterweight to China. The agreements were signed during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India, the first foreign leader to visit New Delhi since Narendra Modi became the country's prime minister for a third term two weeks ago. Modi welcomed Bangladesh's decision to join his Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative to expand and facilitate regional cooperation of India's maritime neighbors. He said the deals with Dhaka were part of his country's pursuit of a neighborhood-first approach.