Country Financial News

'Kudlow' panelists Russ Vought and Michael Faulkender discuss the Trump administration's tax code.

Greek farmers have ridden some 200 tractors to the capital, Athens, demanding financial help from the government as cost of living spiked in the Mediterranean country

Estonia’s domestic security agency says it has detained 10 people on suspicion of sabotage, spreading fear and creating tension as part of a coordinated “hybrid operation” by Russia’s special services

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Russian-made luxury limousine for his personal use in a sign of their special relationship

An Amsterdam court has rejected Russia’s final argument in a years-long legal battle over a $50 billion arbitration award

Japan has pledged long-term commitment to Ukraine’s reconstruction, calling it a future investment, while stressing support for the war-torn country about to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion

U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America’s failure to compete with China in biotechnology

Polish farmers have blocked border crossings with Ukraine as they intensify nationwide protest against the import of Ukrainian foods and European Union environmental policies

Home Depot’s sales continued to weaken in its fiscal fourth quarter, as the country’s largest home improvement retailer deals with Americans who remain concerned about high mortgage rates and inflation

France's highest civilian honour «Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur» at a ceremony on Tuesday. Author of several books and the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor was conferred the prestigious award at the French Embassy by French Senate President Gerard Larcher. The French government had announced the award for Tharoor, a former Union minister, in August 2022 but was conferred on him on Tuesday. «The highest French civilian award came in recognition of Dr Tharoor's tireless efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France,» a statement issued by the French Embassy said. Conferring the honour on Tharoor, Chairman of the French Senate Larcher said, «Through his outstanding career as a diplomat, author and politician, Shashi Tharoor has embraced the world with a thirst for knowledge and an intelligence that has led him to live several lifetimes in one, and all of them in service to India and a better world.»

RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, with revenue exceeding USD 4 billion, has expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in the Northeast, including renewable energy. The group officials had a preliminary one-on-one meeting with the Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), B L Verma. He was in Kolkata for an investment roadshow for the northeast and met a few business houses from the region to understand the sectors and how the government can assist in taking forward the projects. According to sources, the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group has expressed willingness to explore hydropower opportunities besides evaluating other sectors.

NEW DELHI : India’s economy is performing well, with risks evenly balanced, to achieve 7% growth in FY25, but geopolitical tensions and geo-economic fragmentation pose risks to the country’s growth, the finance ministry said in its latest monthly economic review. In its economic review for January, the ministry said risks to global trade, including a spike in commodity prices due to the Houthi militant group’s attacks on important trade routes in the Red Sea region, have resulted in supply chain disruptions.

India will not support further continuation of prohibition of imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions at the World Trade Organization (WTO), meeting in Abu Dhabi next week, an official said Tuesday, as besides loss of revenue for developing countries, it also constrains their policy space. New Delhi is of the view that e-commerce needs to be looked at from a development dimension and not from the “eyes of big tech companies”.

By Kopano Gumbi and Anait Miridzhanian

Russia has never hurt India’s interests and everyone conducts a relationship based on their past experiences, was External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s straight reply to German economic daily, Handelsblatt. “…The relations of powers like Europe, the US, China or Japan with Russia, they have all seen ups and downs. We have had a stable and always very friendly relationship with Russia. And our relationship with Russia today is based on this experience. For others, things were different, and conflicts may have shaped the relationship. We, on the other hand, had a politically and militarily much more difficult relationship with China, for example,” Jaishankar said, adding,” My point is: just as I do not expect Europe to have a view of China that is identical to mine, Europe should understand that I cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one. Let us accept that there are natural differences in relationships.” The interview was conducted during Jaishankar’s recent visit to Munich.

India’s AI market is growing at a CAGR of 25-35% and is projected to reach around $17 billion by 2027, according to a new report by BCG and IT industry apex body Nasscom. As the investments in AI continue to increase, the demand for AI talent in India is also expected to grow at 15% CAGR by 2027, the report, titled «AI Powered Tech Services: A Roadmap for Future Ready Firms; AI & GenAI's Role in Turbocharging the Industry” launched on the sidelines of the Nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum 2024 said.

Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal lauded the Supreme Court's decision on Chandigarh mayoral polls at a press conference on Tuesday. He said, «I think this has happened for the first time in India's history. We thank the Supreme Court. The situation in the country is such that a dictatorship is going on. Democracy is being trampled. All institutions are being trampled. At such a time, this decision of the Supreme Court holds a lot of significance for democracy...This is the major victory of the INDIA Alliance — the first and massive.» Kejriwal further stated," We have snatched away victory from them (BJP). They had 'stolen' the election, the votes. But we fought till the end and ultimately won...Those who say that BJP can't be defeated — BJP can be defeated with unity, with good planning and strategy and hard work. These results prove the same."

exports to achieve a 10% growth rate for the economy, said Arvind Panagariya, chairman of the Sixteenth Finance Commission. “I’ve looked at successful countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and India – these are the six high-growth examples. My conclusion is very clear – countries that have been open are the ones that have grown rapidly,” Panagariya said. The former vice chairman of Niti Aayog further highlighted that the country needed to follow China’s strategy to increase its per-capita income and wean away from idea of import substitution.

Vedanta and Taiwan-based Innolux can begin mass production of LCD displays in India in 18-24 months after receiving government approval, a senior official of Innolux said. Vedanta has formed a joint venture with Innolux as a technology partner to set up a display screen manufacturing unit at an estimated cost of USD 3-4 billion in the country. The JV has submitted the proposal with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) under the programme for semiconductor and display fab ecosystem for incentives. Innolux President and COO, James Yang, who has an experience of project rollout, told PTI in an interview that the JV can begin the first phase of mass production of LCD displays within 24 months.

green card backlogs. The Bill, if implemented, would have particularly helped Indians on K-1 fiancé/e and K-3 spouse visas, H-4 spouses and children of H1-B visa holders, individuals awaiting employment-based green cards, and those sponsored for family-based green cards waiting outside the US. For H-1B visa holders with approved I-140 petitions, the Bill aimed to simplify the employment authorization process for their spouses. Traditionally, H-4 visa holders undergo a cumbersome process to obtain an employment authorization document (EAD). The proposed Bill sought to eliminate this requirement, allowing H-4 spouses to work 'incident to status,' streamlining the process and removing bureaucratic hurdles.

By Daniel Tichenor, University of Oregon Immigration is already a major polarizing issue in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico reached an all-time high in December 2023, and cities like New York and Chicago are struggling to provide housing and basic services for tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Texas. In early February 2024, a group of senators proposed new immigration legislation that would have slowed the migrant influx at the border. The bill would have made it harder for migrants to both apply for and receive asylum, which is the legal right to stay in the U.S. because of fear of persecution if they return back home. But the bill, like others proposed in recent years, quickly faltered after Republicans opposed it.