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they do not want to become the 51st state of the United States. In fact, 80% of Canadians are strongly opposed to the idea, and 78% are concerned about the rhetoric from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who once referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as «Governor Trudeau.»

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri along with other senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the Indo-Bangladesh relations. The panel is chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Officials are also learnt to have expressed concern that the Bangladesh government has «not only not acknowledged the systematic persecution of minorities but has sought to downplay the scale and nature of violence against Hindus since 2024», sources said. The officials also apparently referred to the statement of Mohammed Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, where he termed the atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh as media exaggeration. Officials also expressed concern that persecution against minorities has been characterised as «political killings» of Awami League members rather than communal violence. When asked about the Bangladesh Army, it was suggested that they are out of barracks to take control of the law and order in the neighbouring nation. Officials suggested that India is interested in advancing mutual interests and priorities with Bangladesh, sources said.

China as «sources of precursors and equipment for drug traffickers» and the primary source country for illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressing equipment." The '2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA)', released on Tuesday, is the Intelligence Community's (IC) official, coordinated evaluation of an array of threats to US citizens, the homeland, and US interests in the world. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids remain the most lethal drugs trafficked into the United States, causing more than 52,000 US deaths in a 12-month period ending in October 2024, it said. Fentanyl is a potent opioid drug that is blamed for widespread drug addiction in the US. The Trump administration has initiated a crackdown on illegal import of fentanyl and also linked it with tariffs adjustments in case of some countries. The report said some transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) are producing and trafficking large amounts of illicit drugs, imperiling American lives and livelihoods.

They told ET in an interview that macroeconomic uncertainty, potential tariff wars and inflation concerns may slow down global real estate recovery, but India's strong fundamentals continue to attract long-term investors. «We think 2025 will continue to be a little bit more choppy, just because of the potential tariff wars. But as that gets resolved, we expect strong growth heading into 2026,» Robinson said.

According to reports, US President Donald Trump has said that automobile tariffs will be coming soon even as he indicated that some countries may get an exemption from reciprocal tariffs to be imposed on April 2. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that India certainly deserves an exemption or waiver from reciprocal tariffs as it is constructively engaged with America at different levels and also for a Bilateral Trade Agreement. «The Mission 500 to take bilateral trade from the current level of about USD 200 billion to USD 500 billion requires a greater push for seamless trade, which the exemption will further facilitate,» FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai said. Another exporter said that the exemption to India would remove tariff uncertainties and will help further increase exports to the US.

Indian Railways' network with an endeavour to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Vaishnaw responded to questions raised by parliamentarians on complaints filed by MPs, MLAs, ministers and public representatives against corruption in the award of contracts for base kitchens by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) and issues related to that. «On an average, 16 lakh meals are served per day on the Indian Railways' network. It is the endeavour of Indian Railways to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services of such a large volume of meals to passengers. Further, necessary measures are put in place from time to time to improve overall services to passengers,» Railway Minister said. He added that with the objective to bring improvement in the quality and hygiene of food in trains, the Railway Ministry issued instructions for the stipulation of supply of meals in trains only from designated base kitchens.

reservation for Muslims in public contracts valued up to ₹2 cr, and goods and services contracts up to ₹1 cr, a long-pending demand. Karnataka reserves 24% of civil works contracts for SC/STs, 4% for OBCs in Category-1, and 15% for Category-2A. BJP termed the Bill an 'unconstitutional misadventure'. For a country born from the cauldron of religion-based violence, such quotas were contentious even before the 42nd Amendment of 1976 added 'secular' to the Preamble.

There were 2.83 lakh Indians who can be tagged as UHNIs in 2023, with each having a net worth of over Rs 25 crore and their aggregate wealth was pegged at Rs 2.83 lakh crore. The same is expected to grow to 4.3 lakh individuals possessing a wealth of Rs 359 lakh crore by 2028, as per the survey. Kotak Mahindra Bank's president Gautami Gavankar, however, said the decision to migrate should not be seen as a flight of capital out of the country, pointing out that the caps on such activities ensure that the money does not flow out even if a person changes residency.

This marks legendary player Messi's return to subcontinent after 14 years. Notably, in November last year, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman had announced the news of Argentina visiting the southern state and playing two friendly matches in Kochi. The visit comes as part of a newly announced partnership between the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and HSBC, covering India and Singapore. The one-year agreement, signed ahead of Argentina’s 2026 World Cup qualification final matches, makes HSBC the official banking partner of the Argentina National Team in both countries. As part of the deal, HSBC will hold branding and activation rights while offering its customers exclusive benefits such as match tickets, fan experiences, and meet-and-greet opportunities with Argentine football stars.

Atithi Devo Bhava’—which translates to ‘Guest is God.’ However, a recent viral video suggests that not all foreign visitors feel this sentiment in practice. Canadian traveller and vlogger Nolan Saumure has sparked controversy with his candid comparison of hospitality in India and Pakistan. In a short interview with Instagram user @officialnamour, Saumure was asked which country offers better hospitality. Without hesitation, he replied, «Pakistan, obviously.» His remark has set social media ablaze, drawing both agreement and criticism from viewers.

super rich Indians wish to leave the country due to factors like living conditions here, better standard of life abroad and also easier business environment in other countries, a survey said on Wednesday. The survey of 150 ultra high networth individuals said that the US, UK, Australia, Canada and even UAE due to its golden visa scheme are the favourite destinations where the rich prefer to settle down. Kotak Private, a leading wealth manager in the country which undertook the survey in association with consultancy EY, said 25 lakh Indians migrate to other countries every year as per the foreign ministry. «One in five ultra HNIs surveyed are currently in the process of or plan to migrate,» the survey findings said, adding most of them intend to reside in their host country of choice permanently while retaining their Indian citizenship.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Whether giving up the Google Tax will get India reprieve in the tariff war that US President Donald Trump has promised to unleash on the world at large remains to be seen. The Google Tax, officially, an equalization levy on foreign service firms, does not generate much revenue.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ahead of implementing reciprocal tariffs on major trading partners, US President Donald Trump announced another trade offensive: countries buying Venezuelan oil and gas would have to pay a 25% tariff on goods exported into the US. India is one of the buyers of Venezuelan oil but its purchases are tiny compared to those of the US and China.

Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi said that exporters should tread the path pragmatically and wisely to navigate the current global trade contours. He also said that the current scenario presents a «golden» opportunity for India to do a variety of things which will propel exports and increase manufacturing competitiveness. Despite the «uncertainties relating to trade and tariff, our exports are bound to grow in future years,» he said at the Sourcex India 2025 show. It was organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). US President Donald Trump has imposed reciprocal tariffs or import duties on countries like China and has pledged to impose these levies on India also on April 2. Certain exporters have raised concerns that imposition of duties by the US on sectors like engineering and pharma will hurt shipments to America, which is the largest trading partner of India.

Reliance Industries Ltd. has paused further purchases of Venezuelan crude after US President Donald Trump authorized a 25% tariff on countries buying the South American country’s oil. India’s largest privately owned refiner is expected to take delivery of a cargo of Merey crude that’s currently en route from Venezuela, but additional buying has been put on hold, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because the matter is sensitive. Reliance secured waivers from the US last year to resume importing crude from Venezuela, and Kpler estimates the refiner has taken 6.5 million barrels since the start of the year. Trump’s executive order on Monday, however, will target any nation taking Venezuelan oil with “secondary” tariffs, with effect from April 2.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s policymakers should be drawing up strategies to deal with the new age of trade barriers. Instead, they seem to be looking forward to it with a certain confidence, even optimism.

She is expected to reveal a «significant step» towards spending 2.5% of GDP on defence with a £2.2bn funding boost from April to help the country «move quickly in a changing world». The plans will include putting advanced weaponry in the hands of British troops, providing better homes for military families and kickstarting economic growth via the government's Plan for Change. Tough fiscal measures 'in the offing' as investors expect Reeves to cut spending in Spring Forecast During the Spring Forecast, Reeves is expected to say that since Labour's general election win, the governmen...

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump’s trade war is forcing America’s closest allies to choose between fighting back, or acquiescing. The trouble is, nobody has figured out which is the best way to get Trump to do what they want.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The growing consumption of ultra-processed food and aggressive marketing techniques by brands, such as pushing them to shelves labelled as healthy, have caught the government's eye. The Economic Survey 2024-25 highlighted the issue and suggested several corrective steps from awareness campaigns and stricter labelling to a ‘health tax’ to curb the excessive consumption of ultra-processed food.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Despite the growing wave of nationalistic cinema in India, overseas audiences remain largely unmoved by its fervour. While films like Chhaava, Sky Force, and The Kashmir Files have struck a chord domestically, their overseas performance tells a different story.