Country Financial News

Tata Motors on Wednesday said its SUVs Safari and Harrier have become the first recipients of the five-star rating for adult and child occupant protection as per the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat-NCAP). Earlier in August this year, the government had launched the Bharat-NCAP, India's very own and independent safety performance evaluation protocol for automobiles.

Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday expressed confidence that the country's coal production will cross one billion tonnes in the ongoing financial year. The country's production target of the fossil fuel for 2023-24 is 1,012.14 MT.

Investing.com — Oil prices rose Wednesday to two-week highs on increased concerns that geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea will result in disruptions to global crude supply.

Road ministry plans to bid out projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model before the model code of conduct comes into effect while moving to a GPS-based toll collection by March next year, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said. The general elections are likely to be held in April-May 2024.

Motovolt mobility on Thursday announced a strategic partnership with German climate tech firm Swobbee, and will be setting up 200 battery swapping stations across the country in the next two years. The Kolkata based firm, which has already launched two stations in Kolkata and Delhi, plans to set up stations in Bengaluru and Hyderabad next, company CEO Tushar Choudhary told ET.

European leaders are tightening asylum rules and seeking to restrict migration under political pressure from opponents who charge that Europe’s mainstream parties have lost control of the numbers of people who are coming into the bloc. European Union member states and lawmakers agreed on new asylum rules Wednesday after years of failing to rework a system that collapsed during the migration crisis of 2015. Back then, over one million people came to the bloc, swelling support for far-right parties.

Donald Trump Wednesday delivered a chilling message at a 2024 campaign rally in Iowa, cautioning that World War III is imminent, with the possibility of global destruction. The former US president expressed grave concerns about the world teetering on the edge of World War III. He stressed that the danger is not akin to a conventional war but could result in complete extinction due to the destruction potential of modern weaponry.

Lok Sabha passed the three criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill — on Wednesday. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will replace the CrPC of 1973 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill will replace the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.

The finance minister of the United Kingdom has pledged to look into the reported difficulties faced by licensed cryptocurrency firms in opening business accounts in the country. 

₹6,000 and goes up to ₹25 lakh a piece, depending on the size and craftsmanship. “But many artists now use cheaper raw materials to cut costs. There is no monitoring or quality check to tell a fake from an original.

₹1,400 crore in Gurugram and Panchkula, in Haryana, the realty firm said on Wednesday. DLF said that it has launched two projects in Sector 67, Gurugram and Panchkula. “We have launched and completely sold out 75 shop-cum-office (SCO) plots in our new project 'Central 67' Gurugram," DLF Home Developers joint managing director and chief business officer Aakash Ohri told reporters in New Delhi.

Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. «The USBRL project is perhaps the most difficult new railway line project undertaken in the country post-Independence. The terrain passes through young Himalayas, which are full of geological surprises and numerous problems,» Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Tuesday asked universities and colleges across the country to integrate voter education and electoral literacy in their curricular framework, and evolve a robust mechanism to fulfil the aspirational goal of the Election Commission of India (ECI) of handing over voter IDs to every eligible student, organise mock polls and administer a pledge to vote by students. The UGC wrote to the Vice Chancellors of all Universities and principals of all colleges across the country informing them that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Education and Election Commission on November 2, 2023 to incorporate voter education and electoral literacy formally into the University/ and College education system to prepare future and new voters for greater electoral participation under the SVEEP programme.

seventh economic census is yet to receive approval from a majority of states for the ministry to finalise nationwide results, according to the ministry. Of the 35 states and UTs participating in the Census, 22 are yet to grant approval. “As regards to results of the 7th Economic Census, 12 States/UTs have not approved the provisional results, and it is pending in 10 States/UTs for decision on approval. Therefore, the nationwide 7th Economic Census results could not be finalised,” Rao Inderjeet Singh, Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Statistics Planning and Programme Implementation, informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He further pointed out that West Bengal was the only state not participating, despite consultation and communications with state government officials. The government last released the sixth economic census in 2016, based on data collected between 2013-14. The data collection for the seventh economic census began in 2019 and took two years to complete owing to Covid.

reclassified India’s de facto exchange rate regime from “floating" to “stabilised arrangement" for the period from December 2022 to October 2023 after a recent review of the country’s policies. The assessment, published in a country report on 19 December, was contested by executive director for India at the IMF, Krishnamurthy V Subramanian, who was previously chief economic adviser to the Union finance minister.

food assistance programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays a crucial role in supporting low-income families. As we enter 2024, it becomes imperative to comprehend the alterations in eligibility criteria and benefits that can significantly impact households' access to nutritious food.

generative artificial intelligence (genAI). Someone in India enrolled in genAI content roughly every three minutes in 2023, according to a study on learner trends by Coursera, which provides online courses. Searches for GenAI content on the internet grew fourfold in the country compared with the previous year. The study was based on data from more than 22.2 million registered learners, Coursera said. Raghav Gupta, managing director for India and APAC at Coursera, said: “The renewed focus on lifelong learning, tech and, human skills, and blended learning on campuses will be the key to employability in the AI-driven world.” Amid the surge in interest, global universities and industry educators launched more than 35 genAI courses or projects in India. ‘Generative AI for Everyone’, a course authored by AI pioneer Andrew Ng, became the fastest growing course in 2023 and had the second highest enrolment from Indian learners on Coursera. Gupta said: “The interest in genAI, leadership, tech and data skills not only reflects the learners' thirst for cutting-edge knowledge but also their commitment to staying at the forefront of the digital revolution.” The data from the study show that Indian learners are particularly keen on courses that provide high-demand technology and data science skills. The second most popular course in India in 2023 was Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’s ‘Leadership Skills’, which covers topics such as influence, authority, power dynamics, stress management and lessons from the Mahabharata. The study shows that people are opting for courses that are part of entry-level professional certificate programmes.

higher education institutions after the Narendra Modi government assumed office in 2014, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Replying to supplementary queries of MPs during the question hour, he said there has been a 31 per cent growth in enrolment among girls between 2014-15 and 2021-22 and the figure for girls belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) stood at 50 per cent. The enrolment growth rate for SC and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students was 44 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively.

By Natalie Grover

More than 40 countries have made significant strides in advancing crypto-focused regulations and legislation this year, indicating a growing global trend towards wider cryptocurrency adoption.

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