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Global leaders are arriving in New Delhi to participate in the Raisina Dialogue 2025, a key conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. The foreign Ministers of the Slovak Republic, Juraj Blanar; the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo; and Antigua and Barbuda, EP Chet Greene, have already arrived in the capital. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X, «Welcoming FM Mr. Juraj Blanar of Slovak Republic, FM Enrique A. Manalo of Philippines & FM E.P. Chet Greene of Antigua & Barbuda, as they arrive in New Delhi for the Raisina Dialogue 2025.» The Raisina Dialogue, India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, will be held in New Delhi from March 17 to 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 10th edition of the event today, with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as the chief guest and delivering the keynote address. Representatives from about 125 countries, including ministers, former Heads of State and heads of government, military commanders, captains of industry, technology leaders, academics, journalists, scholars on strategic affairs, experts from leading think tanks, and youth will participate in the Raisina Dialogue.

It’s a temporary, but prolonged, period of economic decline, marked by a slowdown in industrial production, and a fall in consumer spending, sales, and employment. Technically, this fall in economic activity, or negative growth in gross domestic product, should last at least two consecutive quarters, that is, six months, for it to qualify as a recession. Recession is considered an intrinsic part of an economic or business cycle, starting when the economy reaches a peak and ending when it touches a bottom or trough. There are several triggers or causes for a recession and various indicators that can hint at an impending slowdown. <div data-placement=«Mid Article Thumbn

insurance costs — probably even double what they paid in 2024 — after adverse weather that either washed out or severely curtailed three matches through the last season that coincides with a dry summer in most parts of the country. Last season, a single cancelled match led to claims of around ₹16 crore to ₹17 crore, forcing insurers to revise the pricing of risk. Event cancellation policies, once priced at approximately ₹40 lakh to ₹45 lakh, are now being re-priced to factor in the losses. Franchises, which previously took cover for around ₹2 crore premiums, now face costs of ₹4 crore to ₹5 crore. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which organises the IPL, faces costs of roughly ₹5 crore to ₹6 crore per match.

5,000-year-old civilization buried beneath the world’s largest continuous sand desert.

Technip Energies, a French provider of engineering and technology services to the energy industry, is opening a research and development centre in India besides expanding its workforce in the country which it sees at the forefront of the global shift towards green hydrogen. «India is the country where we are signing the largest projects around green hydrogen and green ammonia. It is the geography and the country where, for us, green ammonia and green hydrogen are taking off,» said Arnaud Pieton, chief executive officer, Technip Energies. «So, we see India clearly as being on the forefront of the green hydrogen economy.» Technip Energies, which has been operational in India for about five decades, said it has accelerated investments in the country in the past four years. He declined to elaborate. During the period, the company doubled its workforce. It is now considering adding 500-1,000 employees to the current 4,600-strong employee base in India in the next year.

Venezuelan gang to be imprisoned in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele said Sunday, after US counterpart Donald Trump invoked wartime authorities to expel migrants. Trump signed an order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Friday, but it was not publicly announced until Saturday. The wartime authority allows a president to detain or deport citizens of an enemy nation, but has been invoked only three times before during major international conflicts. Civil rights groups sued to block the order, with a federal judge Saturday granting a temporary suspension of the order, apparently as planes were already headed to El Salvador. «Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country,» Bukele said on X. Bukele, in a meeting last month with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, had offered to house prisoners from the US in his country. He said in his post that the alleged gang members had been sent to the country's maximum security Terrorism Confinement Center. The detention and expulsion order will apply to all Venezuelan Tren de Aragua members who are over 14 and not naturalized US citizens or lawful permanent residents.

free trade agreement, after it was stalled in 2015 following their failure to narrow differences in sensitive areas including dairy and agriculture. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010 to boost trade in goods, services, and investment but the talks stalled after nine rounds of discussions. The ninth round of negotiation was held in 2013. The two nations announced the launch of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the eve of the bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand. Luxon is here on a four-day visit from March 16.

inflation expectations and easing interest rates. But it's being driven principally by central bank purchases to reduce exposure of reserves to dollar volatility. Investment and institutional demand for gold will remain strong till financial markets stabilise.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. URUMQI, China—About a decade ago, some Western companies answered Beijing’s calls to invest in Xinjiang, an underdeveloped region in the country’s remote west. Some were drawn by the natural resources there.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in late February, an increasingly familiar scene played out: A museum was restituting a work of art, giving back something from its collection to the place where it originated—in this case, Greece. The announcement, however, was more celebratory than sheepish.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Trump administration is seeking to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student arrested last week after his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, under a seldom-used provision of immigration law. Khalil, a 30-year-old lawful permanent resident, is awaiting his fate in a federal Louisiana immigration detention facility after being arrested in New York on Saturday.

«Production of Airpods is going to start in India at Foxconn's Hyderabad facility. It will begin from April but it will be only for exports as of now,» an industry source told PTI. Foxconn had approved USD 400 million, about Rs 3,500 crore, to set up the factory in August 2023.

extreme poverty. «I learnt a lot from people who came to my father's tea shop while I used to sit there; I applied those learnings in my public life,» said PM Modi. «Every morning, around 4:00 or 4:30 am, he would leave the house, walk long distances, visit several temples, and then reach his shop,» PM Modi said. He described how his father’s traditional leather shoes made a distinct tock, tock, tock sound as he walked through the village. «People in the village used to say that they could tell the time just by hearing his footsteps—‘Oh yes, Mr. Damodar is on his way.’ Such was his discipline,» he recalled.

The Senior Citizens League has proposed that a one-time financial relief payment be issued to eligible recipients, drawing from funds that the government typically receives through overpayments each year. This recommendation aims to provide much-needed support to senior citizens who rely on Social Security benefits for their daily expenses. ALSO READ: Is Elon Musk planning to use AI to run the US government? What you need to know

India and New Zealand on Sunday announced resumption of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement to boost economic ties. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010 to boost trade in goods, services, and investment. However, after nine rounds of discussions, the talks stalled in 2015. «The two nations are pleased to announce the launch of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations,» the commerce ministry said. The announcement was made after the meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay, New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment. Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon is here on a four-day visit from March 16. «The India-New Zealand FTA negotiations aim to achieve balanced outcomes that enhance supply chain integration and improve market access,» it said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sunday began a five-day visit to India with a focus on deepening the bilateral trade and economic ties. On Monday, Luxon will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will attend the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest. Days ahead of the trip, the New Zealand prime minister said he will push for a comprehensive economic partnership with India and explore ways to strengthen bilateral security ties. Luxon is visiting India from March 16 to 20 in his first trip to the country as the prime minister. He is accompanied by one of the largest delegations a New Zealand prime minister has ever travelled with. The visiting leader was received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister SP Singh Baghel. «What I'm looking for is just a much more comprehensive economic partnership and how we'd move that forward, Luxon said last week, adding, „I am determined that we are going to change the trading relationships with India big time.“

Raisina Dialogue on Monday, marking India's premier conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. The Raisina Dialogue is organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). According to the MEA, the conference will host representatives from around 125 countries, encompassing foreign ministers, former heads of state, military leaders, industry executives, technology innovators, academics, journalists, and experts in strategic affairs. Notably, foreign ministers from 20 nations are confirmed to attend. The Ukrainian foreign minister's visit coincides with intensified US efforts to broker a temporary ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia amidst ongoing hostilities. Here's all you need to know

Ministry of Home Affairs has sought an umbrella probe in the cases of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants staying in the country. A senior officer informed that in a recent meeting, instructions have been passed to all states and UTs to investigate the cases of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants as umbrella cases and identify the persons who have helped the illegal immigrants in obtaining documents to generate Aadhar and other documents pertaining to the citizenship of India. The officer added that in some cases, it has been found that the documents were prepared for the purpose of travel to European countries or the Middle East, and the persons didn't stay for long in India. The investigation officers have been instructed to also identify the persons who have helped the illegal immigrant in generating documents and make them accused in the case. During the investigation, it has been instructed to identify the loopholes used to generate documents. All suspicious aadhar cards have been sent for re-verification, which includes scrutiny of the documents submitted for aadhar generation. In a meeting with Aadhar officials, they have been asked to pass instructions to all aadhar centers to inform the police in case they find any person trying to modify or generate aadhar on suspicious documents. In case of confirmation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals, the persons will be kept in the detention centre, and FRRO will be informed to facilitate their safe return as per protocols.

Jagrut Kotecha said. Pepsico will expand its snacks business in India, as consumption is very low vis-a-vis other countries and with growing urbanisation and more money coming in the pockets with a growing economy, Kotecha expects consumption of packed foods to increase. PepsiCo, the makers of Kurkure and Lays, has internally divided India into nine clusters to match the regional taste buds of «multiple Indias», he said, adding «if you say it's just one India, I think we are not doing enough justice to it.» «You need to design your portfolio, keeping those consumers of India like multiple Indias. So that's on being consumer-centric and starting to work and drilling down on that. And then understanding what the trends are in terms of taste, profile, health and wellness,» Kotecha told PTI.

fifth most polluted country, and demanded that all «anti-people» environmental law amendments over the past 10 years be rolled back. In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Swiss air quality technology company IQAIR has just released its 2024 World Air Quality Report which finds that India is the world's fifth most polluted country. The Rajya Sabha MP said in his statement that according to the report, India's population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter is 50.6 g/m3 which is 10 times the WHO's annual guideline level of 5 g/m3. He claimed that according to the report, 74 of the world's 100 most polluted cities are in India, and national capital New Delhi is the second-most polluted city in the world after Brynihat in Meghalaya. «Among the lesser-known tragedies of the non-biological PM's reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally and the inattentiveness and policy chaos that has characterised the government's response to it,» he said in his statement. Ramesh cited several studies in the past about air pollution-linked fatalities in the country.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A prominent economist once told me that macroeconomic policy debates are all about the prime mover, to which other variables respond. The implication, he explained, is that “You can invert policy prescriptions simply by claiming a different forcing variable." A paper by Stephen Miran, published before he was nominated to chair US President Donald Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, does precisely this.