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It is likely to be taken up as part of the near-term agenda and could be rolled out by the end of the year, they said. The move, on the lines of the national population register, is aimed at building a comprehensive database of available organ donors to meet increasing demand for organ transplant in the country.

An extensive crackdown led to the recovery of 598 stolen vehicles in Canada before they could be illegally shipped overseas,  authorities announced Wednesday amid a boom in auto thefts across the country.

Xi Jinping has told his US counterpart Joe Biden that the Taiwan question is the «first red line» that must not be crossed by Washington, and warned that Beijing will not «sit on its hands» if "Taiwan independence" forces step up their "separatist activities" with the help of external elements. Biden spoke on the phone with Xi on Tuesday, marking the first conversation between the two leaders since their historic in-person summit last November in San Francisco and the latest in ongoing efforts by US and Chinese officials to defuse tensions between the two countries. The White House described the one-hour-45-minute conversation as «candid and constructive» on a range of issues on which the leaders agreed and disagreed. Biden stressed the need to maintain «peace and stability» across the Taiwan Strait and he also raised his concerns over China's support for Russia's defence industry, the White House said.

AAP leader Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday said Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month, is the Delhi Chief Minister and will continue to hold the post, ruling out that he will resign. He alleged that part of the conspiracy of BJP was that they would first arrest Kejriwal and say he should resign and then try to break the AAP. Talking to reporters in Amritsar after holding a meeting with party volunteers, Pathak said, «Kejriwal is CM and will remain the CM, and if need be he will run the government from inside the jail.» To another question, Pathak, who is AAP national general secretary (organisation), said people of Punjab and country are emotional, they do not like any big person dominates another person and commits excesses.

Inflation has fallen again in Europe, to 2.4% in March

NEW DELHI : New Delhi: India’s personal computers (PC) market of desktops and laptops, which experienced a lull last year due to a post-pandemic sales decline, could double in the next five years if the country's economic targets are met, said Ipsita Dasgupta, senior vice-president and managing director of HP India. Speaking about a dip in demand for PCs and the way forward for the upcoming year, Dasgupta said, “The consumer market has been a bit up-and-down. But nobody discards their PCs, so the comeback on demand doesn't concern me.

MUMBAI : Government reforms aiding the privatization of listed companies could help unlock greater value for investors in the Indian market, said Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer at Blackstone, one of the largest alternatives investors globally. "The government has done a lot of incredibly positive things. I think one thing that could help unlock the market here is an ability to take companies private, to help improve them, then bring them back to the market, maybe with more scale," Gray said during a media briefing in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Santanu Thakur, who is seeking re-election from Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal, on Wednesday urged members of the Matua community, who migrated to India before 2014, to apply for citizenship under the CAA, even if they already possess voting rights. Addressing a meeting at his constituency which has a large population of Matuas, Thakur said he himself would apply for citizenship under Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) though he is already a bona fide resident of the country. «Applying for fresh citizenship under CAA will enable you to avail all benefits, including permanent residency proof which is necessary for passport and visa. Although I was born here and my grandfather had proof of residency after coming, I will still apply,» Thakur said. Thakur, a strong votary of CAA since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, had asserted in the past that the Act would be enforced before the 2024 general elections.

private equity major Blackstone Group is confident of investing USD 2 billion annually in India, a top official said on Wednesday. Its chief operating officer Jonathan D Gray pitched for a slew of measures to improve the ease of doing business for firms like it in India, including quicker approvals on mergers and acquisitions, easier privatisation of listed companies, and improvements in dispute resolution in commercial matters. The New York-based group, which has been operational in India for nearly two decades, said Indian PE investments have delivered the highest return for it worldwide, and the investment in realty, which made it the largest landlord in the country, has also delivered well. «We plan to invest around USD 2 billion every year in India,» its senior managing director Amit Dixit told reporters here.

2024 Lok Sabha elections “even if they are united". "This is an alliance of convenience of some self-seeking Opposition leaders. However, they can't even face up to the NDA even if they are united.

Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishan, CPI national executive member Annie Raja and BJP national secretary Anil Antony were among the prominent contestants who filed their nominations in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday. While Radhakrishnan is contesting from Alathur in northern Palakkad district, Raja and Antony are fielded in Wayanad and Pathanamthitta constituencies, respectively. Kerala will go to polls on April 26. Sitting Congress MPs Rajmohan Unnithan and Benny Behannan, who will contest again from Kasaragod and Chalakudy, respectively, CPI (M) nominee in Ernakulam constituency K J Shine and LDF candidate in Ponnani K S Hamsa also filed the nominations today morning.

Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds has received a strategic investment of US$1 million from two leading retail jewellery chains. The newly raised capital comes in the form of a strategic alliance that will enable Limelight to open new stores and boost its brand presence in the country. Before this, the company had secured an investment from the Emerald Group, Asia's largest jewellery manufacturer, as part of a strategic tie-up to establish Limelight as a one-of-a-kind vertically integrated brand to jointly manufacture, sell and distribute LGD studded jewellery in India and worldwide. The current investment plays a similar role in the company's strategic play to enable faster and more robust growth in the brand's store expansion in the country. At present, the company has 10 stores. It also has 40 plus shop-in-shops spread across 25 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and others. Madhavan said «We have received good response and support for LGD jewellery from customers across the country. It has also reflected in our sales and has given us the confidence to scale at a faster pace. With the Government’s impetus and focus on this sunrise sector, the investment further propels us towards achieving the goal of scaling our presence in India as well as globally.»

marrying a 12-year-old girl. Despite facing criticism, community leaders have defended the marriage, stating that outsiders fail to understand their customs and traditions. According to a report by BBC, the priest, named Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, conducted the marriage in a customary ceremony held on Saturday.

«It was always a long row,» said Piet De Staercke of the line to go through passport screening. He, his wife and two sons were visiting Washington and Chicago. «We were a bit scared. But now with the app, it's amazing.» As travel continues to boom following pandemic-related slumps, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding the use of technology like the Mobile Passport Control app the De Staercke family used in an effort to process the ever-growing number of passengers traveling internationally. And with events like a rare solar eclipse, the Olympics in Paris, and summer holidays still driving international travel, those numbers don't look set to drop any time soon.

cruise passengers were left stranded at a port in West Africa after the vessel didn’t allow them to board due to lateness.Six American and two Australian tourists were supposed to be on a dream vacation, but it quickly turned into a nightmare when they arrived back at port from a private tour to find the boat had already closed its doors and denied them entry.The group had embarked on a private excursion on March 27 on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe and were expected to be back for the all-aboard time of 3 p.m. The tour operator had called ahead in an attempt to let the cruise captain know they would be late.Despite help from the local Coast Guard, they were denied entry to the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship.Affected passengers Jay and Jill Campbell told ABC affiliate WPDE the incident happened during their first week of a three-week voyage with Norwegian Cruise Line.

At least half of adults in a range of major economies report being stressed about their personal finances, and say inflation is one of the main reasons.

Taylor Swift has been officially recognized as a billionaire, marking a significant milestone in her already illustrious career. The financial publication confirmed longstanding rumours about Swift's wealth, estimating her fortune to exceed a billion dollars, specifically sitting at $1.1 billion. What sets Swift apart is that she achieved this status solely through her music, making her the first artist to do so. Forbes highlighted that while other industry heavyweights like Rihanna and Jay-Z have amassed substantial wealth through various ventures such as fashion brands, alcohol companies, and entertainment holdings, Swift's wealth is primarily attributed to her music career. Her impressive songwriting catalogue and groundbreaking accomplishments, such as staging the first billion-dollar tour ever with her ongoing Eras Tour, have been instrumental in catapulting her into the billionaire club.

In many ways, the recently concluded agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is mainly a confidence building measure for India in the run-up to trade agreements likely to be pursued after general elections with the EU and UK. In most cases, the I-EFTA pact will have limited impact—India’s principal import from the four-nation group, gold, is not subject to pre-determined tariff reductions, while agricultural imports are excluded.

Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a bill that would raise the state’s sales tax by 1 cent to 6.5% on every taxable dollar spent

Amazon is removing Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores as part of an effort to revamp the grocery chain

Philippines warned of "high tsunami waves" and called for the evacuation of coastal areas across the country Wednesday after a 7.4-magnitude quake in neighbouring Taiwan. «The people in the coastal areas of the following provinces are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or move farther inland,» the state seismology institute said in an advisory.