Country Financial News

Investing.com -- U.S. stock futures point lower on Wednesday after a mostly downbeat start to 2024 in the prior session. Markets are now awaiting the publication of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's December policy meeting and, with it, potential clues into the central bank's interest rate path in the coming months. Elsewhere, sales of Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) China-made cars soar in December, but Elon Musk's electric vehicle giant is still grappling with fierce competition in the country.

As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, net financial savings of households fell to a nearly five-decade low of 5.1% of GDP in FY23, down from 7.2% in FY22. For India, which has been known as a country with good savings habit, this news is worrisome.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) — The European Union has added Russia's Alrosa, the world's biggest diamond producer, as well as its CEO Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev to its sanctions list, it said on Wednesday.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Paris based Team Vitality, an internationally acclaimed esports organisation, have announced a long-term union to boost the esports ecosystem in India. With this collaboration, the two brands aim to create opportunities and exposures to esports fans and gaming enthusiasts.

The global landscape of REITs has undergone a transformation since the listing of first REIT in the US in 1961. As of December 2022, there are 893 listed REITs, globally, and a combined equity market capitalization of approximately $1.9 trillion. This class of investments has grown in the last 30 years, from 120 REITs in two countries to 893 in 41 countries and regions. Asia, especially, has played a big role in this growth, with the number of REITs in the region going up by a huge 58% since 2015.

OMCs) have not been in talks with the Centre on possible fuel price cuts, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday. “First of all, all these media reports were not only speculative, but I would also turn around and say, slightly mischievous. I have clarified there has been no discussion with OMCs on any such issues. We are in a very highly turbulent situation.

A team of 13-member Indian wrestlers will represent the country in the upcoming Zagreb Open ranking series, the first world ranking tournament in Croatia. The announcement was made by the new Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, who was recently appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to oversee the day-to-day conduct of wrestling affairs in the country. The wrestling competition is scheduled between January 10-14. 

Finland will have to show more funds in thei bank accouts to be eligible for a Schengen visa. Effective from the new year, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland has implemented new regulations impacting short-stay travelers requiring Schengen visas. Travelers will now have to show a minimum of 50 euros for each day spent in Finland, marking an increase of 20 euros from the previous requirement. This 66% hike comes in response to escalating living costs, the ministry said. A Schengen visa serves as an entry permit for short-term or temporary visits, granting individuals access to travel within the Schengen area, encompassing multiple European countries. Along with the increased financial requirement, Finland has introduced a new proof of sponsorship or accommodation scheme. This initiative allows visa applicants to use the financial resources of their hosts in Finland to meet the stipulated funds requirement. Under this arrangement, hosts are required to complete the sponsorship form, which the visa applicant must include along with the rest of the application. This provision aims to enhance the transparency and accountability of financial arrangements for those seeking short-term stays in Finland.

Ola recently announcing its record-breaking monthly sales in December 2023, reaching 30,219 units. In December, the sales volume of electric two-wheelers (E2W) in India witnessed a 17% year-on-year increase. According to data from the Vahan portal, the sales of electric two-wheelers in India surged to 728,054 units in the fiscal year 2022-23, more than double the figures from the previous year, which recorded 252,641 units. It's important to note that these figures exclude low-speed sales.

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India registered about 12 lakh new cancer cases and 9.3 lakh deaths in 2019, becoming the second highest contributor to the disease burden in Asia for that year, according to a new study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. Researchers found that India, along with China and Japan, were the three leading countries in Asia in terms of number of new cases and deaths, where they say cancer has become a more significant public health threat with 94 lakh new cases and 56 lakh deaths in 2019. Of these, while China contributed the most with 48 lakh new cases and 27 lakh deaths, Japan recorded about 9 lakh new cases and 4.4 lakh deaths, the international team of researchers including those from the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur and Bathinda, said. «We examined the temporal patterns of 29 cancers in 49 Asian countries between 1990 and 2019 using estimates from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors 2019 Study (GBD 2019),» they wrote in their study. They found that in Asia, the leading cancer was that of tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL), resulting in an estimated 13 lakh cases and 12 lakh deaths. It was also found to be most frequent in men and third most frequent in women. Specifically among women, cervical cancer is ranked second or among top-5 cancers in several Asian countries.

Itamar Ben Gvir, dismissed the US State Department's condemnation of his statement for urging Palestinians in Gaza to be resettled outside the strip on Tuesday, The Times of Israel reported. «I really admire the United States of America but with all due respect, we are not another star in the American flag,» Ben Gvir, who heads the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, said in a statement.

stricter guidelines during the upcoming tests. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that frisking and biometric attendance will be mandatory, even after a toilet break.

Indonesia has launched a new five-year multiple-entry visa for tourists and visitors on business. The Directorate General of Immigration announcing the launch, said that the extended validity will make travel to Indonesia more affordable. Under the new visa, holders can stay in Indonesia for up to 60 days per visit. However, the announcement did not specify the time frame within which the 60 days must be used. The visa fee for this five-year multiple-entry option is set at $972 (IDR 15,000,000), and payment is required to be made online. Holders of this visa will have the flexibility to explore the country, visit family and friends, and participate in events and meetings. The Immigration department of Indonesia has underscored that the new visa is explicitly intended for tourism and business purposes, and holders are not permitted to work for local employers while in Indonesia. Those seeking to work or stay for an extended period must apply for an alternative visa category. Authorities have also warned that failure to adhere to the visa rules may result in fines, deportation, or legal charges.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) — Chinese money managers are rushing to create funds tracking the newly-launched CSI A50 Index, which analysts say is a better reflection of China's economic landscape and government priorities than the country's stock benchmarks.

By Kaori Kaneko, Lisa Barrington and Daniel Leussink

Investing.com-- Shares of Apple Inc's (NASDAQ:AAPL) biggest Asian suppliers sank on Wednesday, tracking an overnight decline in the iPhone maker after Barclays downgraded the stock citing cooling demand for its flagship product.

IN OCTOBER CYBER-CRIMINALS hacked into the British Library, a storied institution in the heart of London, encrypted its data and demanded money in exchange for the key. Months later the library and its catalogue of 14m books remain offline, with no end in sight. Similar ransomware attacks—in which criminals encrypt or steal data and demand a ransom to decrypt or refrain from leaking it—are not only undermining business and sapping prosperity across North America and Europe.

An Oregon weekly newspaper has had to lay off its entire staff and halt print because its funds were embezzled

U.S. officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes

The top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East says Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are showing no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea