Country Financial News

Chief economic advisor V Anantha Nageswaran on Thursday voiced concerns against the imposition of tariffs by select advanced economies on high-carbon goods coming from other sources, arguing that developing countries must not be penalised in such a manner when they also contribute to the economic activities in the developed world. He also stressed that the developing countries that are progressing towards renewable energy have become more vulnerable now than before when they were consuming fossil fuels, especially in the wake of geopolitical tension. The CEA highlighted that in a globalised world, developing countries also help preserve the lives and businesses in developed nations.

High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs) in 2024, the significance of diversification through international real estate, and the increasing focus on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliant investments. One of the key trends we have been observing in the HNI landscape is that while clients' needs have not gone up that much, their balance sheets have expanded, meaning their assets have increased. This, in turn, implies that the surplus wealth also has increased and, as a result, there will be a bias toward growth-oriented portfolios, and here we are referring to more allocation into public markets, private markets, and international markets.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted moderate to heavy rainfall in several parts of the country till 21 February. The weather department has predicted isolated/scattered light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning activity in isolated places over West Bengal & Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand on 15th February. Additionally, IMD has issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh on 18th February. «Widespread light/moderate rainfall/snowfall with Isolated Heavy Rainfall/Snowfall very likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh on 18th February, 2024,» the weather department said. In Delhi, RWFC Delhi has predicted mainly clear sky with shallow to moderate fog in the morning. The minimum temperature in the city today is likely to be 9 degrees Celsius and maximum temperature at 25 degrees Celsius. At 6.30 am, the overall air quality in the national capital is recorded at 300 which is in ‘poor' category, the Central Pollution Control Board data states.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, according to a joint statement released in response to reports about Israel's planned military operation in Rafah. «We are gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah. A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic,» the statement by the Prime Ministers of the three countries said.

Demand for spirits across segments slowed to 4% in the last calendar year, a sharp fall from 12% in 2022, after increased taxes, a high base and tipplers seemingly cut back on drinking. Whiskey, which accounts for two-thirds of the segment, grew 5.3% in volume, followed by brandy (2.7%) and rum (1.1%), industry executives said, citing the latest excise department data. Vodka and gin grew 18.8% and 15.3%, respectively, on a lower base. «The demand environment has remained subdued — people are still experimenting,» United Spirits managing director Hina Nagarajan said on an investor call recently. «They are drinking more out of home and out-of-home prices are higher than sort of buying from off-trade and drinking at home. So, there is a little bit of impact on volume there.» United Spirits expects the environment to persist over the next few quarters. «I think the real pressure on the wallet is on the lower side, where we do see upgrades are not happening from country liquor to popular or popular to the lower end of prestige,» she had said.

By Nicoco Chan

By Christian Kraemer and Rene Wagner

By Laila Kearney

Young Sheldon" for its seventh season is set to air on CBS on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Following its television debut, episodes will be available for streaming on Paramount+ the subsequent day. The ensemble cast includes Iain Armitage, Jim Parsons, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, Annie Potts, and Emily Osment.

Explosions have struck a natural gas pipeline in Iran

Mexican regulators have ordered online retailers Amazon and Mercado Libre to reveal their algorithms, and wall off TV streaming to avoid stifling competition

Microsoft says U.S. adversaries — chiefly Iran and North Korea and to a lesser extent Russia and China — are beginning to use generative artificial intelligence in mounting and organizing offensive cyber operations

Poland’s National Security Bureau says the country's president has met the CEO of U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin about strengthening security in the region and continued U.S. investment in Poland’s military weapons and equipment

New Delhi: Just months after raising their bilateral relationship to the level of a strategic partnership, India and Greece are looking to deepen cooperation in defence and shipping, according to persons aware of the matter. The two sides are discussing defence sales by India to Greece, in line with New Delhi’s goal of tripling defence exports to $5 billion over the next few years.

By Leah Douglas

BENGALURU (Reuters) — India's central bank has asked Visa (NYSE:V) and Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to stop card-based business-to-business payments such as rents or money transfer to vendors routed through third party fintech firms, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

TikTok is taking measures to combat misinformation about the upcoming European Union elections, including setting up fact-checking hubs inside the app, the video-sharing platform said Wednesday in a blog post. TikTok plans to launch local language in-app «election centers» next month for each of the 27 EU countries so that «people can easily separate fact from fiction.»

electric vehicles are a hot topic of conversation in Canada.Will Canada be able to meet the 2035 mandate imposed by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for all new car sales to be electric? Will all those Teslas, Chevy Bolts, and Hyundai Ioniqs overwhelm and break the grid, as many fear? And what then of the batteries? Is disposing of them after their useful life is over going to create a landfill nightmare scenario?We look at some of the top questions Canadians have about EVs, and provide some responses.This is a big watercooler conversation in Canada. The concern is that all those EVs coming online in the next decade or so will be too much for provincial power grids to bear.

CRISIL Market Intelligence & Analytics. “Another critical aspect to consider is that procurement is concentrated in only a few states such as Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, so farmers in other states don’t get the benefit of MSP. Guaranteeing an MSP across crops will spread the benefit across the country.

International Energy Agency's member countries have begun talks with India on its application to become a full member of the Paris-based agency of 31 nations, IEA said on Wednesday. In a statement issued after IEA's 2024 ministerial meeting in Paris, the agency said the talks with India are in recognition of the country's "strategic importance" in tackling global energy and climate challenges. «The Ministerial gave the IEA a strong mandate to deepen cooperation with major emerging economies. This includes starting discussions with India on its request for full IEA membership,» it added. India, which joined the IEA as an associate member in 2017, sent a formal request for full membership in October 2023.

Canada’s housing market is “starting to turn a corner,” the country’s national real estate association says.