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hinder close relationships between the Maldives and international partners," the Maldives government statement added. “The relevant authorities of the government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks," the statement added. 1.

National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Frictions arose between regional rival parties who are allies for the INDIA bloc. The single most significant hurdle in this melee of political parties is the conversation on ‘seat-sharing’.

NEW DELHI : Qualcomm India will invest ₹177.27 crore in setting up a design centre in Chennai, the chipmaker said at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet on Sunday. The centre will focus on innovations in areas that complement wi-fi technologies and contribute to Qualcomm’s global research and development efforts in 5G cellular technology, the company said.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday the Centre was holding talks with militants in the northeast, but treating ordinary civilians in Jammu and Kashmir as militants. «We will not surrender, we will not raise the white flag. If you talk to us with dignity, we will respond with respect.

Narendra Modi government has time and again stressed that fiscal prudence remains a top priority for the dispensation with an eye on FY26 by when it targets to bring the fiscal deficit down to 4.5 per cent. Come February 1, analysts expect Sitharaman to continue the BJP government's focus on infrastructure spending with an aim to lower the fiscal deficit from the target of 5.9 per cent of GDP set for the current financial year. Analysts have said that high hopes of re-election in April-May 2024 has allowed the Modi government to keep a check on populist measures and instead focus on its infrastructure spending like roads, power plants, among other things. The government expects the Indian economy to grow at 7.3 per cent in the ongoing financial year, as per the First Advance Estimates released Friday.

Mukesh Ambani on Sunday said his firm Reliance Industries in partnership with Canada's Brookfield will open a data centre in Chennai next week, marking entry into the fast-growing market. Reliance had in July last year invested about Rs 378 crore to enter an existing joint venture, where Brookfield Infrastructure and US-based realty estate investment trust Digital Realty were already partners.

only she can win. Her government has locked up politicians from the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which plans to boycott the election, silenced journalists and curbed the activities of NGOs. Sheikh Hasina, who heads the Awami League, has ruled repressively since she won back power from her nemesis, Khaleda Zia of the BNP, in an election 15 years ago.

Bangladesh Elections 2024: Bangladesh began voting for its general elections early today January 6, amid pre-poll violence and opposition calls for a boycott of the incumbent government and its candidate, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Notably, however, Hasina looks set to win a fifth term, and fourth consecutive clean sweep in the country, amid a lack of a significant rival option. This election has unfolded against the backdrop of Hasina's government unrelentingly tamping down on protests by opposition party representatives via widespread arrests.

Passenger vehicle sales in India could be weighed down by increase in interest rates for auto loans, if there is no reduction in repo rates going forward as the industry gears up for a single-digit growth this year, according to Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastava. With a high base of record 41.08 lakh units in 2023, passenger vehicle (PV) sales this year could grow in single digit with the overall economic growth of the country being a positive factor, he said. «The auto industry growth is largely dependent on the growth in the overall economy, the GDP per capita growth that's projected 6-6.5 per cent.

Elon Musk arriving in India next week to announce a Tesla manufacturing unit in Gujarat (although no official confirmation has come yet), the focus has once again shifted to ramp up the public infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) in the country in order to meet the ambitious 2030 goal of the government. India needs to have a robust backbone for charging infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country with considerations of traffic and population density, as it aims to break the barriers for large-scale adoption of electric vehicles. India's top nine cities, with a population of over 40 lakh each, would require 18,000 public EV charging stations by 2030, according to the recent government data.

consumption growth as high inflation is impacting people in the lower income bracket, India Ratings and Research Chief Economist Devendra Kumar Pant said on Sunday. He said although the country's economy is now resilient enough to deal with the dual shocks of below-normal monsoon and high global oil prices, the challenge is to bring down inflation so that people can have more disposable income in their hands.

Bangladesh Elections 2024: Bangladesh began voting for its general elections early today January 6, amid pre-poll violence and opposition calls for a boycott of the incumbent government and its candidate, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Notably, however, despite the opposition, protests, and claims of coercion, Hasina looks set for a fifth clean sweep in the country amid a lack of a significant rival option. This election has unfolded against the backdrop of Hasina's government tamping down on the boycotts by opposition party representatives via widespread arrests.

Chinese economy, some migrant workers, labour brokers and shop owners have started moving out of the coastal cities and returning home as jobs in the country's coastal cities face a reduction in job opportunities, the Voice of America (VOA) reported. In its report on Thursday, it said that in China, January is typically a time when many migrant workers begin an annual trip home to celebrate the Lunar New Year. However, this year, the massive exodus from coastal cities to provinces across the country began much earlier.

Ram Ghar Aaye," dedicated to Lord Ram and Ayodhya. The praise comes as the country eagerly anticipates the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, scheduled for January 22. Expressing his excitement, PM Modi shared, «The wait for the arrival of Ram Lala in the divine grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya is about to end.

Maldives was unreachable on January 6 night. The official websites of the President, Foreign Ministry, and Tourism Ministry of Maldives were down and unreachable. The reasons behind top government websites' not working are yet to be ascertained.

Boeing 737 Max 9 jet in Portland, Oregon, led the Federal Aviation Administration to order some U.S. airlines to stop using some Max 9 planes until they are inspected. The order will affect about 171 planes owned by Alaska, United and other airlines. The episode also raised troubling new questions about the safety of a workhorse aircraft design dogged by years of problems and multiple deadly crashes. No one was seriously injured in Friday's incident. The jetliner returned to the airport shortly after the plane's fuselage broke open in midair, leaving a door-size hole in the side of the aircraft. Within hours of the episode, Alaska Airlines said it would ground all 65 of the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet until mechanics could carefully inspect each plane. Later on Saturday, the FAA ordered the temporary grounding of planes in some other airlines' fleets. The National Transportation Safety Board also said it was investigating the cause of the incident. Jessica Kowal, a spokesperson for Boeing, said in a statement, «We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane.» And although the particular technical issue that led to Friday's scare appeared unique, Boeing's 737 Max airliners have perhaps the most worrisome history of any modern jetliner currently in service.

Bangladesh will vote to elect 299 lawmakers during the 12th national election on Sunday amid a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, after PM Sheikh Hasina denied its demand to resign and let a caretaker government run the election, Al Jazeera reported. More than 42,000 polling stations are set for Sunday's elections, where a total of 119.6 million registered voters are eligible to cast their votes, as reported by the country's Election Commission.

Bangladesh Prime Minister on Sunday emphasised the importance of democracy for the development of the country as the Asian nation goes to the polls for the 2024 general elections today. «Our country is sovereign and independent...We have a big population. We have established people's democratic rights...I want to make sure that democracy should continue in this country and without democracy, you can't make any development. As we are a long-term democratic system from 2009 to 2023, that is why Bangladesh made this much of an achievement,» she said.

Putin vowed on the eve of Orthodox Christmas to back soldiers who «with arms in hands» defend Russia's interests, ordering his government greater support of those who fight and calling on his people to be merciful and just. «Many of our men, our courageous, heroic guys, Russian warriors, even now, on this holiday, defend the interests of our country with arms in hand,» Putin said at a late Saturday meeting with families of Russian soldiers who have died in Ukraine.

DGCA) on Saturday asked Indian carriers to immediately inspect the emergency exits of their B737-8 Max aircraft as a precautionary measure following the Alaska Airlines incident on Friday. An emergency exit door of Alaska Airlines's B737-9 Max aircraft – which was en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California – blew out soon after takeoff, forcing the plane to conduct an emergency landing back in Portland on Friday evening. Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have B737-8 Max aircraft in their fleet in the country. In total, the three airlines have 43 737 Max aircraft in their fleet.

Made-in-India cars are finding increased global acceptance with top carmakers pushing exports to make the most of the strong cost and talent advantage available in the country. Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Mahindra, Tata Motors, Honda and Skoda have all reported significant jumps in exports in 2023 even as market leader Maruti Suzuki hit a new high by exporting 261,700 passenger vehicles including cars and SUVs, data by Jato Dynamics show. With the Indian regulatory norms moving towards global standards, vehicles being developed and sold here need minimum adaptation for export markets, industry officials said. India's low-cost manufacturing, arbitrage in labour costs, availability of skilled manpower, and a well-developed supplier base offer carmakers a competitive cost advantage, they said. «With increasingly stringent regulations focusing on safety, emissions, and technological advancements, car manufacturers are investing in research, development, and innovation,» said Piyush Arora, managing director and CEO of Škoda Auto Volkswagen India.