Country Financial News

For efficiency, the form of an instrument must follow its function. This logic applies to India’s defence too, which is why there is no valid argument against aligning our armed forces to focus on potential theatres of war. How well we fare could depend on how well we’re geared for hostilities on a particular front—be it western, northern or maritime.

Gold prices were flat on Tuesday, as investors awaited key U.S. inflation data that could provide more clues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.

Ganga Saptami 2024 is considered one of the most sacred festivals among Hindus. This day is dedicated solely to Goddess Ganga. It is also celebrated as Ganga Jayanti. People celebrate this day to honor the reincarnation of Goddess Ganga. As per the Drik Panchang, Ganga Saptami will be celebrated on the Saptami Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Vaishakha. In the current year, Ganga Saptami will be celebrated nationwide on May 14, 2024. The date and time of Ganga Saptami 2024

LTTE, a Sri Lankan rebel group commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. This decision was prompted by the group's involvement in violent activities and its aim for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka, which posed a threat to India's national security. The ban was part of a broader international effort, as many other countries also proscribed the Tamil Tigers due to their use of terrorism tactics.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as the supply-demand balance looked set to tighten on operational disruptions, stronger demand and voluntary output cuts. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 18 cents to $79.30 a barrel by 1224 GMT. Brent crude futures gained 19 cents, reaching $83.55 a barrel.

India signed an agreement to operate the Chabahar Port in Iran for 10 years, the United States has warned that «anyone» considering business deals with Tehran needs to be aware of the «potential risk of sanctions.» The US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, Vedant Patel, however, also said that it will let the Indian government speak on its foreign policy goals. «We are aware of these reports that Iran and India have signed a deal concerning the Chabahar Port, I would let the government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals, vis-a-vis the Chabahar Port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran,» Vedant Patel said in the press briefing on Monday (local time).

Authorities say that anti-government rebels in the Central African Republic have carried out an attack in a village known for gold mining

The leaders of Greece and Turkey have met for talks that were supposed to underline their efforts to put aside decades-old disputes but also revealed deep divisions between them

U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish, remaining near their record heights

Federal investigators have secured a third guilty plea in connection with an investigation into U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, who is accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico

Nayara Energy is planning to invest ₹600 crore to set up two ethanol manufacturing plants in the country, said a senior company executive. Each plant will have a production capacity of 200,000 kilo litres of ethanol per day. These will be set up in Andhra Pradesh's Naidupeta and Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat, and are slated for commissioning by 2026. The company will use broken rice and maize for feedstock. In the long run, the company plans to have five ethanol manufacturing plants. «We have big plans on the ethanol front. By 2025, we have to blend 20% ethanol, so we have a mission for 100% sourcing. We aim to have at least five ethanol plants in the long term but to start with, we are setting up two,» said Prasad Panicker, executive chairman at Nayara Energy.

polling across eight constituencies of south-central West Bengal saw sporadic incidents of violence on Monday, although the state led other regions of the country in voter participation. Several people, including three CISF personnel in charge of the security of Dilip Ghosh, BJP's Bardhaman-Durgapur candidate, and a Trinamool worker, were injured in Monteswar and Kalna Gate areas, respectively, of Purba Bardhaman district. Two vehicles carrying Ghosh's security personnel were also vandalised. Separately, a Trinamool worker in Purba Bardhaman's Ketugram, which is part of the Bolpur Lok Sabha seat in Birbhum district, was reportedly murdered on Sunday night.

India's diesel exports to Europe fell by a fifth sequentially in April as rising competition from US and Gulf suppliers amid softening demand in the continent weakened margins on the fuel. Diesel exports to Europe declined to 210,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April from 262,000 bpd in March, according to energy cargo tracker Vortexa. Europe consumes more than 40% of India's diesel exports. India's overall diesel exports fell 9% to 517,000 bpd in April from 567,000 bpd in March. Exports to Asia, however, rose 33% to 69,000 bpd in April from 52,000 bpd in March.

nomination papers from Varanasi drawing closer, the district collectorate saw a flood of candidates on Monday. More than 100 candidates from different parts of the country landed up in Varanasi just to record their names in history by contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More than 70 nominations were filed on Monday and some candidates were still waiting in the queue. Tuesday is the last day for filing nomination papers. Still following 2014 schedule Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following almost the same campaign schedule in these Lok Sabha elections that he did a decade ago in 2014, when he addressed four to five rallies everyday. After asomewhat slow start in this round, Modi has picked up pace and is holding three rallies and a roadshow virtually everyday. He took a break on May 9 which came as a surprise to many. Leaders from other parties who are younger in age still have a less hectic schedule.

bailout program, endorsing government austerity measures so severe they even surpass the terms of its $43 billion loan. The IMF deal follows the completion of its review of Argentina's compliance record and confirms the next $792 million payment will become available to the government in June, reassuring markets and boosting confidence among bankers about Argentina’s prospects as it goes through its worst economic crisis in two decades.

Knight Frank released its report, 'Think India Think Retail 2024'. It has an ominous warning for shopping malls across the country. 'Ghost shopping malls with vacancy rates of 40% or more rose from 57 in 2022 to 64 in 2023 across eight major cities, with larger shopping centres preferred for an outing, and online shopping taking away some old retail charms,' states the report. There was a 238% y-o-y increase, it added, in the gross leasable area (GLA) of all shopping centres in prime Indian markets in 2023, even as ghost malls rose in number. Big retail in India needs reinvention. The mall as a massive real estate complex is an American idea that goes back to a combination of consumer boom, timescape, landscape and culture that suited the West rather than India. Mall culture is changing in the West itself. If an American works five days a week, with kids to raise and without help at home in sparsely populated cities, the mall may still be the place to catch a movie or for shopping. However, land costs and rentals were not real issues in the US, compared to disposable incomes that generated suitable demand.

Splendid works of art are inspired not only by positive aspects of life and nature; they are also born of the dark side of life. For example, the recent splash of colour, of aurora borealis, the Northern Lights, has resulted in rainbow brushstrokes across a vast sky canvas, worldwide. Northern Lights are normally visible only in the upper reaches of the northern hemisphere at certain times of the year, a popular tourist attraction in Scandinavia. Suddenly, these multi-hued lights have broken free, becoming visible in many countries of Europe and in America, in the UK and in Ladakh, India. The cause is solar flare-ups gone rogue, creating violent solar storms. To protect us, the earth's magnetic field deflects the flare particles back to the sun; the ensuing reaction brings on the spectacular celestial show. Wartime poetry is known to tug at the heartstrings, and evoke deep reflection on why we are such a violent species. Bloggers' outpourings on their search for inner peace while suffocated by negative events are lyrical essays and poems that give expression to deep self-doubt and for some, later, self-discovery and illumination.

Tier-2 cities or non-metros are giving tough competition to top metro cities in the country in terms of infrastructure development, as a result attracting NRIs and resident Indians to invest.

Alberta has been a powerhouse in Canada since the pandemic, with country-beating growth and a housing market that has stood strong while others slumped under the weight of higher interest rates.

By Ruchir Sharma

Suzuki Motor Corp expects car sales in India to grow 2% in the ongoing financial year and its local subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, to perform better than the market, helping it recover lost market share in the country.