Country Financial News

Twelve schoolchildren and two teachers died when their boat capsized in a lake during a picnic in Vadodara. The boat reportedly was overloaded and had no life jackets. A travelling ticket examiner (TTE) of the Indian Railways was suspended by authorities after a video of him repeatedly slapping a passenger went viral on social media.

Mamata Banerjee slammed BJP for resorting to vote bank politics ahead of elections and dividing votes on the basis of religion, hinting at Ram Temple consecration ceremony on Monday. Banerjee condemned the Babri Masjid demolition and divisive politics and spoke about religious inclusiveness.

New Delhi is eager that more manufacturing companies choose India as a production hub, and has offered investment sweeteners. The wait is on for the trickle of FDI to turn into a flood. Marquee names, such as Tesla, are being courted.

businesses took place at Davos. As has been the norm, India had strong representation, with multiple states putting up lounges to attract global investor attention. In fact, some lounges on the promenade gave one the impression of walking in Delhi on a chilly morning.

Canada has finally announced its much-anticipated plans to restrict international students moving into the country. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has unveiled a temporary cap on the issuance of study visas for international students. According to the information released by IRCC, the cap for the year 2024 is anticipated to lead to approximately 360,000 approved study permits, marking a 35% decrease from the figures recorded in 2023. Think you check all the immigration boxes? Find out “International students are vital to Canada and enrich our communities. As such, we have an obligation to ensure that they have access to the resources they need for an enriching academic experience. In Canada, today, this isn’t always the case. Today, we are announcing additional measures to protect a system that has become so lucrative that it has opened a path for its abuse. Enough is enough. Through the decisive measures announced today, we are striking the right balance for Canada and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system while setting students up for the success they hope for,” Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said. IRCC is set to implement caps for each province and territory, with these limits being proportionate to the respective populations. This strategic move aims to address the substantial growth of the international student population in provinces where the surge has been deemed unsustainable. These caps will not affect existing study permit holders or those seeking permit renewals. Masters and doctoral degree pursuits are also exempt from these limitations.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani; Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises; Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group; Hero Enterprise chairman Sunil Munjal; Zee CEO Punit Goenka; Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal; Niranjan Hiranandani, MD of the Hiranandani Group, and Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal were among those who attended the event. «Lord Ram is arriving today. January 22 will be Ram Diwali for the entire country going ahead,» said Mukesh Ambani as he arrived in Ayodhya with his family including wife Nita Ambani, daughter Isha Ambani, sons Akash and Anant Ambani, daughter-in-law Shloka Mehta and Anant Ambani's fiancee Radhika Merchant. Mittal said he was feeling «blessed» to be in Ayodhya.

World Trade Organization (WTO), focused on consensus-based decision-making and its nature of a member-driven organisation with special and differential treatment (S&DT) for developing countries, at the upcoming ministerial conference of the trade body, said people familiar with the matter. S&DT allows developing and poor countries benefits such as longer time to implement agreements and binding commitments. India's stance on WTO reforms comes at a time when developed countries are trying to dismantle the existing arrangement of consensus-based decision-making and replace it with a voting structure, besides involving the private sector in the functioning of the global trade watchdog. «Developing countries don't want to give up consensus-based approach and member-driven nature of the organisation,» said an official, who did not wish to be identified. At present, the private sector can give consultation to the WTO but not set the terms on which the members would deliberate, according to the official. «Some countries also want structural changes to be made in the secretariat but we will insist on retaining the core principles of WTO at the upcoming ministerial ,» the official said. The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the WTO will take place from February 26-29 in the UAE. India also wants the Appellate Body vacancies to be filled soon given the lack of agreement among the WTO members on the issue for many years. In the run-up to the ministerial, India has also proposed around 30 reforms to improve the functioning of the WTO committees. As part of its «30 for 30» proposal, India has suggested 34 operational changes to the body such as putting in place a 12-month cooling-off period before hiring any ambassador

European Free Trade Association (EFTA)—the four-nation trading block comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland—are close to signing a trade agreement after both sides have reached an understanding on key issues, news agency PTI reported citing a senior official on Monday. "Following extensive negotiations, a shared understanding has been achieved on key issues during the ministerial meeting. Ongoing efforts are now focused on shaping the convergence that has emerged," the news agency quoted the official as saying Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting recently with Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in Mumbai.

Nepal's Madhesh province on Monday celebrated with enthusiasm and joy the consecration of 'Ram Lalla' in Ayodhya. Nepal's Janakpurdham, the birthplace of goddess Sita, on Monday, decked up for the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, with temple authorities decorating the Janaki temple with garlands and flowers. Hindus in Janakpurdham, who joined the celebrations with multiple cultural and religious festivities, wrote «Jai Siyaram» with flowers.

Kejriwal, Cabinet ministers and AAP MLAs took part in various events across the national capital as part of the party's plan to mark the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The AAP organised 'shobha yatras' and 'bhandaras' (community kitchens) in different parts of the city to celebrate the 'Pran Pratistha (consecration)' ceremony. In a post in Hindi on X, Kejriwal said he participated in bhandaras organised in different areas of Delhi.

free trade agreement between India and the four-nation EFTA bloc are at an advanced stage as both sides have reached a shared understanding on key issues, a senior official has said. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. India and the EFTA have been negotiating the pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), since January 2008 to boost economic ties.

BBC, the visa scheme was severely criticised in the country for increasing corruption and allowing wealthy foreign nationals to park illegal funds in Australia. Moreover, the dominance of Chinese investors was visible on the list of successful applicants as the Australian government data revealed that 85% of the SIVs were granted to people from China.

Dennis Francis on Monday began a five-day visit to India to discuss with his Indian interlocutors various key issues including geopolitical tensions and New Delhi's engagement with the global body. «Delighted to arrive in New Delhi on an auspicious day when the country is celebrating its 'Second Diwali',» Francis posted on 'X' referring to the inauguration of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. «Looking forward to fruitful discussions over the next few days on Peace, Progress, Prosperity and Sustainability!» he said.

Ram Temple consecration ceremony at Ayodhya but faith remained on the agenda for many of them on Monday with Rahul Gandhi protesting after he was stopped from visiting a temple in Assam and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee holding an all-faith rally. As BJP leaders went all out to project the event as a moment of national pride, some leaders were directly critical of the ceremony with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, belonging to the CPI(M), slamming the state's role in the Ram Temple consecration, saying the line that demarcates religion and state seems to be «getting thinner and thinner.»

Pran Pratishtha" ceremony at the "historic" Ayodhya Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday announced the government's decision to start 'Pradhanmantri Surydaya Yojana', an initiative to generate electricity through solar energy. "All the devotees of the world always get energy from the light of Suryavanshi Lord Shri Ram.

DMK and BJP cadres on Monday after the Supreme Court allowed live telecast of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP State President K Annamalai had accused the MK Stalin administration of trying to scuttle the live screening of the rituals as well as poojas at local temples.

Ram temple ceremony in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a scheme to install rooftop solar systems in 1 crore homes. This is his first scheme after the consecretion ceremony.

Ram Lalla took place today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saints, and a host of distinguished guests. Meanwhile, neighbouring Pakistan in its first reaction to the event the country's foreign office said in a statement that the consecration ceremony is "indicative of India's growing majoritarianism.' “Deplorably, India’s superior judiciary not only acquitted the criminals responsible for this despicable act but also allowed the construction of a temple on the site of the demolished mosque," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

who spearheaded the TMC’s ‘Sanhati Rally’ on the day of Ram temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony, said, “They (BJP) talk about Lord Ram, but what about Goddess Sita? She was all along with Lord Ram during his exile. They don't speak about her as they are anti-women." Tap here to follow Ayodhya Ram Mandir Inauguration Live Updates "We are worshippers of Goddess Durga, so they should not try to lecture us about religion," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief was quoted by PTI as saying in Kolkata on Monday. ALSO READ: 'History unfolds' at Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration — 10 highlights from Pran Pratishtha led by PM Modi As the grand consecration ceremony took place at Ayodhya Ram temple, Mamata Banerjee began the all-faith harmony rally in Kolkata on Monday.

BEIJING (Reuters) — China will take more forceful and effective measures to support market confidence, state media CCTV reported on Monday, citing a cabinet meeting, following a plunge in Chinese shares.

Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister also sprinkled flowers on the idol of Jatayu at the Ram Temple premises and also offered prayers to Lord Shiva in Ayodhya Dham. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited the Kuber Tila on the Ram temple premises in Ayodhya and offered worship to Lord Shiva there.