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NEW DELHI : Indian companies directly or indirectly in business with European firms face a twin hurdle as Germany tightens its screws on a new law aimed at ensuring fair labour standards and environmental requirements. For Indian businesses already subject to Europe’s carbon tax, Germany’s supply chain rules would mean additional compliance and reporting costs, apart from fines and loss of business opportunities for any violations, industry experts told Mint.

geo-strategic landscape is characterised by a change that is taking place at an «unprecedented» scale and speed, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Tuesday while asserting that military strength and capabilities are necessary to prevent wars. Recent geopolitical powerplays have displayed, that where national interests are concerned, countries will «not hesitate» to go to war. These developments have reaffirmed the relevance of hard power, he said this during an event here. The Army chief took part in the AIMA National Leadership Conclave and spoke on 'Hard Power: Modernising Forces through Self-reliance'. He said the overall rise of a nation can be said to occur when there is a significant and continuous increase in its «comprehensive national power».

Schengen visa rules for Indians, the strength of Indian passport is arguably set to grow with travel to 29 European countries getting seamless and hassle-free. Incidentally, Indian passport is currently ranked at 85, as per Henley Passport Index for 2024 that ranks 199 nations based on the strength of their passports. Our neigbouring country Pakistan is ranked at 106, while Bangladesh at 102.

defence spending is concerning given its economy is «failing», the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Admiral John Aquilino said China's economy had been battered by turmoil in its real estate sector and asserted that its official growth rates were «not real». He also said China was spending «drastically more» on its military than the 7.2% increase it declared last month.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said there is no Modi wave in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections but there is one in favour of the Congress party's guarantee schemes in the state. Addressing a poll rally here, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to fulfill any of his promises such as bringing back black money from abroad, creating two crore jobs every year and doubling farm income. «There is no Modi wave in the state because of his lies. People have realised his lies. Hence in the entire country, the Modi wave is not there. If there is any wave it's only our Guarantee wave,» Siddaramaiah said, as he referred to the five guarantee schemes launched by his government. He claimed that during his previous stint as chief minister from 2013 to 2018, he managed to fulfill 158 out of 165 promises, and also started 130 new programmes during the period. The BJP, which governed the state from 2019 to 2023, could not keep up any of its promises, the chief minister alleged at the public meeting, which was also addressed by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The surge in e-commerce has transformed the face of retail industry in the country, creating business opportunities as well as posing challenges to conventional real estate in India. With e-commerce growing rapidly and more people enjoying the benefits of online shopping, shopping malls and physical retail places are getting significantly impacted. Yet, despite the challenges brought by the changing dynamics, there is a sense of confidence among the leaders in the industry for adapting to the changing surroundings.

Credit cards offer several benefits like cashback, miles, vouchers, discounts, free priority pass membership, etc, to attract customers. One of their prominent offerings is free airport lounge access at select airports in the country and abroad. The facility of airport lounge access is available not only on travel credit cards but also on some other premium cards issued by banks.

telecom industry recorded a 1.88% sequential growth in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) to Rs 67,835 crore in the October-December quarter, led by growth of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, which expanded their 5G services. State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) also saw its AGR for mobile services rise but cash-strapped Vodafone Idea continued to witness a decline. As per data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Tuesday, of the total AGR of the telecom industry, access or mobile services contributed 82.07% at Rs 55,669.76 crore while NLD (national long distance) AGR stood at 6,523.30 crore and ISP (internet service provider) AGR at Rs 3,881.79 crore.

Authority (UP-RERA) has fined a homebuyer for repeatedly filing complaint with the authority after getting the relief. UP RERA said that instances of some allottees filing repeated complaints in the same matter and misusing the process of law, are also surfacing. “When such a matter came for hearing before the NCR Bench of Chairman UP RERA, he noticed that this allottee had not approached RERA with clean hands and was misusing the process of law and wasting the time of the bench. It was the fourth complaint of the allottee in the same matter,” UP RERA said.

Also Read | 'Goodbye Air India jumbo': Netizens hail ‘wing wave’ manoeuvre as Boeing 747 takes off for last time from Mumbai “Delighted to announce our newest codeshare partner, @FlyANA_official. With this, we offer you even more convenient connectivity between India and Japan. If you are a Flying Returns Gold or Platinum member, this also lets you enjoy premium services on both airlines," Air India said on X.

SYDNEY—Elon Musk criticized an order by Australian authorities to remove a video of the stabbing of a religious leader, with the billionaire owner of social-media platform X arguing it sets a dangerous precedent that effectively allows one country to control the entire internet. The row has intensified in recent days, with Australia’s eSafety commissioner—the official in charge of monitoring social media for harmful content—taking X to court for not doing enough to remove the content after it received a formal notice to take it down. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also weighed in, arguing that Musk is fighting for the right to show violent videos on his platform.

Real estate agent Mauricio Umansky says high mortgage rates, high prices and low supply are creating difficulties for homebuyers on 'The Claman Countdown.'

Reliance Industries Ltd has got government approval for making additional investments in developing gas reserves in its KG-D6 block in the Bay of Bengal that can add 4 to 5 million standard cubic meters per day to the production, a company official said. Reliance and its partner bp Plc currently produce around 30 mmscmd or about 30 per cent of India's gas production, from the KG-D6 block. At an investors' call announcing the fourth quarter earnings, Sanjay Roy, senior vice-president for exploration and production at Reliance Industries Ltd, said the development plan for incremental production has been approved by the government. «One good aspect of this quarter gone by was that we had an incremental development plan approved by the government, which has the potential to deliver incremental production of 4 to 5 million standard cubic meters (per day) in the coming few years, which would augment the production that we have,» he said.

JSW Neo Energy, Reliance Industries, Lucas TVS, ACME Cleantech, Amara Raja, Anvi Power, and Waaree Energies have participated in auction of production linked incentives (PLI) for setting up new age battery manufacturing capacity in the country. An official statement said the companies have bid for setting up a cumulative capacity of 70 Giga Watt hours (GWh) while of sops are available only for 10 GWh. Technical bids for Rs 3,620 crore of PLI were opened on Tuesday. Bids have been received from these seven bidders under a global tender for the re-bidding of PLI for 10 GWh Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC). The centre had approved a technology agnostic PLI Scheme under the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage in May 2021. The goal was to achieve manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh of ACC with a PLI outlay of Rs 18,100 crore.

What is Blue Whale challenge?IT Ministry has decribed the Blue whale challenge game as “abetment to suicide." In this game, the participants are given 50 tasks to be completed in 50 days. The task given to players get challenging day by day.

Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the previous Congress government in Rajasthan saying the state ranked number one in crime against women during the grand old party's rule. Addressing a Lok Sabha election campaign in Rajasthan's Tonk, the Prime Minister accused the Congress party of corruption, protecting the serial blast accused, crime against women, and many more incidents. “Congress had committed the sin of protecting the Rajasthan serial blast accused...If Congress was in power, it would have found new ways of corruption for itself...," PM Modi said.

Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda on Tuesday filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the Khunti Lok Sabha constituency in the state. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Joba Manjhi also filed her nomination during the day as the INDIA bloc candidate for the Singhbhum (ST) Lok Sabha seat. Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto and other senior leaders accompanied Munda when he submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer at the Khunti district collectorate. Before filing his nomination, Munda offered prayers at a temple in Khunti.

Messi or Ronaldo? If I don't like both, what should I answer? I will tell my Favourite player, right?," the KKR mentor said during the podcast. During the KKR Knights Dugout Podcast, Gautam Gambhir spoke about how results matter to him as he knows that the fans of KKR want their team to win.

visa rejections among Indian students planning to pursue higher education in Australia. Amid reports that these rejections might be causing Indian students to reconsider their plans, Green clarified the situation, stating that the statistics do not support claims of a surge in visa rejections. According to Green, the data he reviewed indicates that the number of visa rejections this year is quite similar to the previous year, indicating no significant increase. He emphasized that, unlike some other countries, Australia has not imposed a cap on the number of foreign students entering the country. This approach aligns with Australia's commitment to attracting and welcoming international students. Do you meet the immigration criteria? Check here «There has not been a surge in rejection of students. I have looked at these statistics myself and they are very similar to this year to what they were last year,» Green told ANI. He explained that while Australia is open to foreign students, it seeks to ensure they come from reputable institutions and are well-matched with suitable courses, leading to a positive educational experience. Green acknowledged the need to maintain high standards, emphasizing that the selection process aims to benefit both the students and the Australian education system.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday made serious allegations against the Congress and said the grand old party has in its election manifesto expressed its intention to implement the 'Sharia law' in the country and redistribute people's property. Addressing an election rally in Amroha, Adityanath said, «The Congress and its allies have betrayed the country and have once again come to you with their false manifesto. If you look at the Congress' manifesto, they say that if they form a government, we will implement the Sharia law.» «You tell me, will this country be run by the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar or by Shariat?» he asked.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot slammed BJP stating that the party won't be able to win a single seat in Kerala or any southern state and expressed strong confidence in the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the INDIA bloc predicting a clean sweep for the coalition in the state. «I think the response is fantastic. People have decided to vote for the UDF. In Kerala, all people across community religion and across caste have decided to fully support the INDIA alliance and UDF will get 20 0ut 0f 20 seats here. BJP will not be able to open their account in kerala or in any other southern states,» Pilot told ANI. Kerala sees a straight face-off between the Congress and the Left in most of the 20 seats with the BJP hoping to dent the tradition by putting up a good show.