Country Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : India is one of the youngest countries in the world, with 27.3% of its population aged 15–29 years, which is considered the “youth". The young population is viewed as the key to unlocking a country’s identity, social inclusion and rights, and political activism.

Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, highlighting the significance of the Maha Kumbh. He said the entire world witnessed the grandeur of India during Mahakumbh. «I am here to give statement over Maha Kumbh which was held in Prayagraj. Through this House today, I salute the people of the country because of which the Maha Kumbh was held successfully. Several people had a role to play in the success of Maha Kumbh. I thank all the 'karm yogis' of the government and society.»

Santosh Rao, Head of Research/Partner, Manhattan Venture Partners, says foreign funds flows will ultimately come into India because India is the fastest growing economy in the world but right now, there is much better risk-reward outside India. So, right now, money is getting scattered around other places. But ultimately, it will come back to India. Rao also says that the Fed will probably have one cut this year and more next year when the US economy is expected to slow down. They won’t cut rates now because the prices are still high and there is a greater threat of inflation. US retail sales rose less than forecast in February, and the previous month was revised down to mark the biggest drop since July 2021. Anxiety is building among US consumers about the likely impact from US tariffs on the economy and their pocketbooks. China on the other hand, has announced a «Special Action Plan to Boost Consumption» in a bid to prop up domestic consumption in the world's second largest economy. How do you see these things impacting US consumers? Santosh Rao: Overall, right now, the US consumer is getting cautious. The underlying data right now is kind of soft, but people are really worried about the future, what is coming down the pike? The inflation expectations are high and that kind of feeds into the narrative and that one thing leads to another, so the prices keep going up. So, the big inflation, the resurgence of inflation is a big issue. So, you want to clamp that down. So, let us see.

S Jaishankar on Tuesday stressed the importance of having an international order just like a domestic order. He slammed the United Nations for making the Kashmir invasion a dispute and turning the attacker and victim at par and called for having a «strong and fair» UN. In his remarks at the Session on 'Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations' at Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday, Jaishankar called the occupation of some parts of Kashmir by Pakistan «the longest standing illegal occupation» of territory by another country after the Second World War. Jaishankar said, «Let's give you a second example. We all speak of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For Global companies, there is no place quite like America. As growth in China and Europe has slowed, its economy has continued expanding at a decent clip.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It seems like yesterday that we, as advocates for a sustainable economy, had the wind in our sails. At the 2021 United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow, many of the world’s largest asset managers, banks and insurers pledged to decarbonize their investment portfolios, loans and insurance policies in line with the Paris Agreement.

During junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s recent visit to Moscow, it was announced that Russia had established a joint satellite imagery analysis centre in Myanmar. It was also revealed that Russia had offered to “share information captured by its reconnaissance satellites with the regime for military purposes”. This would boost the junta’s ability to plan military operations against rebel groups, said experts on Myanmar affairs. After the meeting between Min Aung Hlaing and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow—the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday for construction of a small nuclear power plant in Myanmar with Russian support. Rosatom, Russia's state-run nuclear power corporation, said the plant would have a capacity of 100 megawatts with the possibility of trebling it. Russia, which supplied 90% of Myanmar’s energy needs last year, has agreed to step up energy supplies to the Southeast Asian country. The junta chief during the visit also sought Moscow’s support for other projects in Myanmar besides hailing Buddhism links between the two countries, said people familiar with the visit.

The moves come as India Inc faces a severe dearth of C-suite talent in the semiconductor space due to the absence of any fab or a robust semiconductor ecosystem in the country, leaving these companies to rely exclusively on hiring expats for senior roles, the experts said. For instance, Tata Electronics tapped Intel's Foundry Services president Randhir Thakur as its CEO and MD while Murugappa Group's CG Semi roped in Filipino semiconductor industry veteran Jerry Arucan Agnes as CEO. The extended list includes past hires such as Vedanta which hired David Reed as CEO of semiconductor business and YJ Chen as CEO of display business in 2023.

Starlink may offer massive satellite connectivity — a few terabytes per second of data throughput — in India, with a large amount of it already in place and can be provided immediately to customers once all the necessary approvals are obtained, people aware of the details told ET. The Starlink capacity is expected to be 80-90 times more than that of rivals Eutelsat OneWeb or Reliance Jio-SES, which could offer only 30-50 gigabits per second (Gbps), the people said. The Elon Musk-owned satellite communication company plans to set up three gateways — in Mumbai, Pune and Indore — and one point of presence in Mumbai to cater to the India market, they said. While gateways act as a bridge between a satellite and the terrestrial communication network, transmitting data between the two, the point of presence is also a key pillar for the network, though much smaller in size and scale.

The recent stock market slump in the US has raised concerns about President Donald Trump's economic policies such as tariffs, immigration crackdowns and federal budget cuts. Will these policies eventually benefit the market and investors?

Audi said Monday it will cut 7,500 jobs by 2029 in Germany, citing «immense challenges» as the country's auto industry battles slowing electric vehicle demand and rising Chinese competition. The cuts — amounting to about eight percent of Audi's global workforce — were aimed at boosting «productivity, speed and flexibility» at its factories in its home market, the manufacturer said. «The economic conditions are becoming increasingly tougher, competitive pressure and political uncertainties are presenting the company with immense challenges,» Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, said in a statement. It is the latest bad news from the ailing auto sector in Europe's biggest economy, which has been hit hard by a stuttering shift to electric cars, fierce competition in key market China from local rivals and weak demand. Audi, headquartered in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, said the cuts would be in areas like administration and development and be carried out in a «socially responsible» manner, meaning there would be no compulsory redundancies.

Ford is understood to have finalised plans to use its mothballed factory near Chennai to manufacture and export engines and related components, people aware of the development told ET. Details of the plan will be announced in the second quarter of this year, they said. Vehicle manufacturing is not part of the India strategy. “Ford is going to be making engines at the Chennai plant,” one of the people said. “It (the facility) will be repurposed for export-focused production. This decision is part of Ford's broader global strategy.”

Raphaël Glucksmann, a French lawmaker, has called on the United States to return the Statue of Liberty, claiming the country has abandoned its ideals of freedom and democracy. His fiery speech sparked debate on both sides of the Atlantic. His comments, fueled by concerns about political shifts and scientific suppression, sparked debate and elicited mixed reactions in France and America.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India is focusing its US engagement on a trade deal rather than Washington's contentious plans to impose reciprocal tariffs. According to three senior government officials, India is not engaging with the US on reciprocal tariffs; instead, discussions remain centered on shaping a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

Chittagong port, Bangladesh Food Ministry said in a statement on Monday. "MV Tanais Dream carrying 22,500 tonnes of parboiled rice from India through an open tender and MV Hong Linh 1 carrying 12,500 tonnes of parboiled rice from Vietnam under the (Government-to-Government) G-to-G agreement executed on February 3, 2025 (2nd shipment) have arrived at Chittagong port", the statement said. It is to be noted that an agreement has been signed to import a total of 100,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam on a G-to-G basis.

Salesforce and initial public offering (IPO)-bound electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy on Monday announced an automotive dealer management system using autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The mobile app-based solution will allow dealers to make decisions in real time and improve customer satisfaction, the two companies said. The Ather dealership platform aims to reduce customer turnaround time which usually takes about four weeks to address. Through the collaboration, the two partners are also exploring how a shortage of skilled workforce in certain domains can be resolved. Ather Energy currently has 350 dealers across the country and will be looking to expand its footprint in the coming months, the firm said. The interface will also track the operational efficiency of different functions using AI-powered platforms.

Addressing the issue, Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar in a special briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs stated, «About Khalistan, this was an issue that came up… We do alert our friends to the activities of anti-India elements in their countries and their abuse of freedom of speech and other democratic freedoms to glorify terrorism and to threaten attacks against our diplomats, our parliament or our events in India. So these were also conveyed. The government of New Zealand has been receptive and has taken our concerns on board in the past as well.» India has been vocal about its stance against separatist movements operating from foreign soil. The meeting with Luxon comes at a time when the Indian government has been urging international partners to take stronger action against individuals and groups involved in extremist activities. New Zealand has previously acknowledged such concerns, and India expects continued cooperation in addressing these threats. Meanwhile, India's concerns over Khalistani separatist activities are not limited to New Zealand. Recently, India formally raised the issue with the United Kingdom following a security breach during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to London. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, «We have conveyed our deep concern to the UK authorities about the breach of security arrangements by UK-based separatist and extremist elements during EAM's visit.»

While The Crossword remains the paper's iconic puzzle for subscribers, The Mini appeals to those seeking a fast-paced word game that can be completed in just a few minutes. For many, including seasoned solvers and newcomers, the NYT Mini Crossword March 17 puzzle presents an engaging start to the day, as per a report by USA Today. But if you find yourself stumped on today’s clues, we’ve compiled hints and answers to help you through it — just in case you need a nudge to complete your streak.

National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has been extended to December this year. It was initiated in April 2015 by the Government of India with a budget outlay of Rs. 4,500 crore for seven years initially. Supercomputing systems under NSM have supported research in critical domains such as drug discovery, disaster management, energy security, climate modelling, astronomical research, computational chemistry, fluid dynamics, and material research. NSM has created opportunities for researchers from tier II and tier III cities to conduct research by providing access to supercomputing facilities.

A whole lot of chutzpah, leaps of faith, and a dash of putting yourself out there. You wouldn’t know from Manoj Pipersania’s demeanour that he’s painfully shy. Over a virtual call from Jaipur, the 46-year-old Founder and CEO of Softserv Solutions talks animatedly about everything from being visible for the sake of his employees (more on that later) to his penchant for shooting and getting a pilot’s licence. Softserv Solutions is more than a template IT firm specialising in business automation. Established as a private limited company in 2012, the company also offers tailored barcode solutions for use cases such as warehousing, clinical research, and RFID tagging for jewellery and other products. Its 20,000 sq ft headquarters in Jaipur belies the fact that Softserv is a micro enterprise employing just over 60 people. As Pipersania puts it, “We are the richest company in the world.” And scale has little to do with it. Pipersania started out in the early aughts as a CCNA (short for Cisco Certified Network Associate) IT specialist who configured ATMs for state-run Bank of Baroda before moving to Nepal to automate financial processes for a cooperative bank in the country. Running on just three hours of sleep a night, he’d write programmes and shop them to local businesses that needed to automate their processes. Thereon, he hopscotched from one job to another across countries — in India for Electronic Data Systems, now an HP subsidiary, then the US’ largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group.

green card holders are increasingly facing secondary inspections and overnight detentions by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at American airports. According to TOI's Lubna Kably, immigration attorneys have reported a growing trend of CBP officials questioning elderly Indians who spend winter months in India and pressuring them to voluntarily surrender their green cards by signing Form I-407. Under the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a lawful permanent resident (LPR), or green card holder, returning to the US after an absence of more than 180 days is treated as seeking «re-admission» and becomes subject to grounds of inadmissibility. Although green card abandonment is typically considered when someone stays outside the US for more than a year, attorneys are now seeing increased scrutiny even for shorter absences. Ashwin Sharma, an immigration attorney based in Florida, said, “I have personally handled cases recently where the CBP has targeted elderly Indian green card holders, particularly grandparents who happen to have spent a bit longer outside the US, and pressured them to sign Form I-407 to ‘voluntarily’ surrender their lawful permanent resident status (green card). And the moment they have tried to push back, they have been met with threats of detention or ‘removal’ by the CBP officers who have been emboldened by Trump to see themselves as judge, jury, and executioner.”