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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The success of European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to India must not be measured merely in terms of the progress made on free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. The new ground covered by our bilateral ties should also be considered.

Waqf Act are not good and it wants to set a "Hindu-Muslim narrative" in the country through it, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant has claimed. In an interview to PTI, Sawant, who was a member of the Joint Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, also accused the parliamentary panel chief, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, of adopting «deceptive practices» and not holding a clause-by-clause discussion on the proposed law as mentioned in its agenda. He also dubbed the functioning of the panel dictatorial. The bill aims to streamline the registration of Waqf properties, besides preventing their misuse. The bill is likely to come up before Parliament during the second part of the session — scheduled to be held from March 10 to April 4.

PepsiCo aims to double its revenue in India over the next five years, viewing the country as a 'key anchor market' where it is making «aggressive» investments to expand its capacity, its India & South Asia CEO Jagrut Kotecha said. India will be the «engine of growth for PepsiCo» in driving its global revenue, as it ranks among the top three markets for the food, snack, and beverage multinational, where the company is experiencing double-digit growth, Kotecha shared in an exclusive interview with PTI. PepsiCo has invested in greenfield plants in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, focusing on staying ahead of the demand curve, Kotecha said, adding the company will not be «investment shy» in India and plans to open two more facilities, including one in the southern region. «We believe India will be the engine of growth for PepsiCo to drive the top line. Yes, it's not as big as North America because it is a lot more evolved category. Our per capita consumption in India is still very low, not only for us on beverage and food, but we would expect one of PepsiCo's fastest growing economies to do that,» Kotecha said.

France has urged the country's research institutions to consider how to welcome scientists abandoning the United States in response to President Donald Trump's policies, AFP learned on Sunday. Since Trump returned to the White House, his government has cut federal funding for life-saving research and moved to dismiss hundreds of federal workers working on health and climate. «Many well-known researchers are already questioning their future in the United States,» France's minister for higher education and research Philippe Baptiste wrote in a letter to the country's institutions.

Rapido is in the midst of a 500-city expansion this year in India, a market where «vastness and depth» of mobility opportunity offers a high-growth upside, according to cofounder Pavan Guntupalli. On whether the company is eyeing an IPO in the near term, Guntupalli told PTI that Rapido is clocking healthy growth, is well capitalised and «will take a call depending on situation». The focus, for now, is on growth, he asserts. The commute app, which offers about 33 lakh rides every single day on its auto, bike taxi, and cab services expects to grow «sustainably».

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Trump administration’s $1 billion plan to combat avian flu won’t solve soaring egg prices overnight, experts say. The spread of avian flu has killed millions of chickens across the nation, shrinking the supply of eggs and driving prices higher.

Shah Rukh Khan secured a major win as the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) ruled in his favor, overturning the reassessment proceedings and order initiated by the tax authorities for the 2011-12 financial year. Against an income of Rs 83.42 crore declared by the actor in his income-tax (I-T) return, the tax officer denied his claims for foreign tax credit (for taxes paid in the UK) and reassessed the income as Rs 84.17 crore. Such reassessment was done beyond four years from the end of the relevant assessment year (2012-13). The ITAT bench held that reassessment of the case by the income-tax department was not legally justified, marking a crucial win for the actor in his prolonged battle over foreign tax credit claims.

Ranjana Chaudhary, a 28-year-old ASHA worker in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar visits six to seven houses in Madhubeniya village every day with the aim to eradicate the stigma behind Tuberculosis and encourage villagers to get screened for the disease. Social stigma is still a major impediment due to which people do not readily come forward for testing for the deadly contagious air-borne disease. Displaying the characteristic reluctance, 70-year-old Vimala Devi (name changed) who had come to a health camp for various ailments immediately gets defensive when asked if she had come for a TB check-up. «No no, why should I have TB?» she said irritatingly.

Ujammiugaq Engell, like many Greenlanders, flaunts her rediscovered cultural identity, which US President Donald Trump's expansionist ambitions have only spurred further. «I'm a whole lot of person. I carry my Greenlandic and Danish sides with pride,» said the smiling 30-some-year-old, the daughter of a mixed Danish and Greenlandic couple. After moving to Copenhagen for university, she returned to live in Nuuk, the capital of the vast Arctic island, where she now works as a museum curator.

Climate change is growing stronger and more robust, and the cooling, counter effects of La Nina may not be effective in a warmer future, climate scientists said, assessing current heat trends seen in large parts of the country. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted an early summer this year, with above normal temperatures and intense, long heatwave spells. The country experienced its warmest February since 1901, with the fifth lowest rainfall since 2001, it said. While human-caused climate change is increasingly driving a 'new normal' marked by a warmer winter and shorter spring, scientists also draw attention to the yearly changes in weather patterns, termed 'year-to-year variability'.

China's leaders say they are open to talks, but they also made preparations for the higher US tariffs, which have risen 20 per cent since Trump took office seven weeks ago. Intent on not being caught off guard as they were during Trump's first term, the Chinese were ready with retaliatory measures — imposing their own taxes this past week on key US farm imports and more.

Bank of Baroda has launched a specialised savings account for women NRIs, becoming the first Indian public sector bank to offer such a product. The BoB Global Women NRE & NRO Savings Account provides benefits including concessional rates on home and auto loans, reduced processing fees, full waivers on locker rent, and a customised debit card with complimentary airport lounge access. The account also comes with free personal and air accident insurance coverage. Beena Vaheed, executive director at Bank of Baroda, said the bank aims to cater to the changing needs of global Indian women. «The bob Global Women NRE & NRO Savings Account recognises the changing dynamics of today’s global Indian women and is designed to empower them,» she said. In addition to the women-centric offering, the bank has upgraded its bob Premium NRE & NRO Savings Account. The enhanced account features a debit card with higher transaction limits, free airport lounge access, free safe deposit locker, and concessional loan rates.

Danish constitution with legislation already in place outlining how to make it happen. All of Greenland's main political parties back independence, so debate has largely centred on when — not if — to cut ties with Denmark. The roadmap is already laid out.

export prices from India extended declines this week to their lowest level since June 2023 due to weak demand and abundant supplies, while Vietnam rice saw increased demand. India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $409-$415 per tonne, down from last week's $413-$420. Indian 5% broken white rice was priced at $390-$400 per ton this week. Vietnam has been aggressively selling rice in the world market, which has put pressure on prices in other countries, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ahead of the summer season, India's two leading airlines are ramping up their international presence. IndiGo, the market leader in the Indian international segment, has announced four new destinations—Mauritius, Langkawi, Penang and Medinah.

India is examining its import basket to finalise the list of items for which it could build a bespoke — and lower — tariff structure for the US, while it also explores areas where further levy reductions are possible through an extension of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) approach. The Centre has discussed the minute details of preferential tariff reductions for the US through both a trade pact and on an MFN basis for sectors including agriculture and automobiles — areas that would benefit US exporters were India to reduce tariffs further. To be sure, countries can grant duty cuts to one another’s imports on a preferential basis in a free trade agreement (FTA). “There have been discussions on giving concessions on the MFN and FTA basis,” said an official, as India and the US aim to conclude the first tranche of their Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall this year.

But it has also led to concerned conversations in numerous circles about job losses and a drop in employment opportunities. From its theoretical roots to modern-day applications, AI has transformed from a distant dream into a transformative reality. It will deliver a unique and beneficial value proposition for the world, particularly India. Agents and automation

Nirmala Sitharaman said India is close to taking a final call on reducing goods and services tax (GST) rates further and reviewing the levy’s slabs. The revenue neutral rate had dropped from 15.8% when GST was introduced in 2017, to 11.4% by 2023, she said at the 25th ET Awards for Corporate Excellence on Saturday. “Let me dispel any (notion) that GST has made life costlier. Item by item, I would challenge anyone to tell me if there is any one item for which tax rate has gone up after introduction of GST… So, the clue is, it will come down even further,” she told an audience that represented the best of India Inc at the stately National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. A group of ministers on GST rationalisation has been set up under Bihar deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary.

That was the reaction of many who witnessed the televised spat between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval Office last week. Beyond the memes and the jokes, it was the clearest sign that there is a new world order in the making. Of new friendships being forged, old ones being discarded. Some existing alliances slayed it for eight decades after World War II. But it is in the nature of relationships that things turn. The Soviet Union and the US had fought as allies against Germany, Japan and Italy up until 1945. It didn’t take long for that relationship to become salty, resulting in the Cold War.

Donald Trump took office, the country is already grappling with increasing challenges, as per a report.

Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of «lying» to the country, alleging that he has told eleven significant lies during his eleven years in power. Speaking at an event to launch the Kalyana Patha project in Jewargi, aimed at laying 1,166 km of roads across 38 rural constituencies in Kalyan Karnataka, Kharge criticised Modi's promises. The project, which is modeled after the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, will be implemented at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. «In eleven years Modi has said eleven big lies, not small ones. First lie is to bring black money from abroad and put Rs 15 lakh each to the bank accounts of the people. Second lie is creating 2 crore jobs every year. Did you get it, no. But I still don't know why our youths support him? Do they do it on the basis of caste, religion, conduct, I don't understand,» Kharge said. Addressing the gathering, he wondered why people don't support those from the Congress party, whose leaders have dedicated their lives serving the poor, sacrificed their lives, and fought for the freedom of the country.