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Microsoft will invest an additional 5.4 billion rand ($296.81 million) by the end of 2027 to expand its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in South Africa to meet the growing demand for the company's Azure services in the region. Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday that the world's biggest software maker would pay for technical certification exams for 50,000 individuals in high-demand digital skills. The certification will be for cloud architecture, AI and cybersecurity, he added.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Donald Trump appears determined to end the war in Ukraine—and on terms that are strongly in Russia’s favour. He and his vice-president have harangued Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office, warning him that he has no leverage and that he needs a ceasefire or he will have no country left.

China unlocked more stimulus on Wednesday and promised greater efforts to cushion the impact of an escalating U.S. trade war. Hours earlier, Germany's likely next government agreed on the biggest overhaul to fiscal policy since the country's reunification.

NATO allies, saying he would not do so if they are not paying enough for their own defense. «It's common sense, right,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. «If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them. No, I'm not going to defend them.» Trump said he has been of this view for years and shared it with NATO allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term. Those efforts prompted more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance, he said, but «even now, it's not enough.»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A real estate investment trust sponsored by asset manager Blackstone Group and Bengaluru developer Sattva Group filed its draft papers with the market regulator for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise around ₹7,000 crore. The Knowledge Realty Trust has a portfolio of 30 Grade A office assets across 48 million sq.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, which has so far limited its exposure to the Middle East due to unfavourable contract terms, is looking to increase its business there as the region witnesses a construction boom to diversify from oil money. The company will work in the region in collaboration with local partners who are familiar with domestic conditions to reduce the execution risk, as per top company executives.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Trump, while addressing a joint session of the US Congress, labelled tariffs, or import duties, imposed by various nations on goods exported by the US as “very unfair". He also singled out “higher than 100%" tariffs that he said India currently imposes on automotive imports from the US.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The rollback of pledges by a major economy can lead to missed global climate mitigation targets, but state- and municipal-level policies can still bear positive impacts, said Jim Skea, chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Skea said that withdrawing from an agreement may not mean the country will stop all climate change mitigation activities.

income tax department to encourage taxpayers to declare foreign assets and income has resulted in taxpayers disclosing foreign assets worth ₹29,208 crore, said people familiar with the matter. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched the compliance-cum-awareness campaign in November 2024, leveraging data from more than 125 countries to nudge taxpayers to come clean about their overseas holdings. The four-month drive resulted in 30,161 taxpayers declaring foreign assets, with 24,678 reviewing their income tax returns (ITRs) and 5,483 filing belated returns, said the people. «The campaign yielded significant results, with 24,678 taxpayers reviewing their ITRs and 5,483 taxpayers filing belated returns for AY (assessment year) 2024-25, declaring foreign assets worth ₹29,208 crore and additional foreign income of ₹1,089.88 crore,» said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become the leader of the day in his country, facing the challenges of the moment. His wife Olena gives him constant support as he is in the limelight during the tough times that Ukraine goes through. In addition, she has assumed an important role as First Lady of Ukraine by giving both marital aid to her husband and state aid to her country during these difficult times.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : A compliance drive launched in November 2024 by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), based on financial information received from foreign tax authorities, has led to more than 30,000 persons declaring previously unreported foreign assets worth ₹29,208 crore and additional foreign income of ₹1,090 crore, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Lavrov also reaffirmed his country's opposition to European forces being deployed in Ukraine if an accord was made to halt the conflict. Macron on Wednesday called Russia a «threat to France and Europe» and said France was «legitimately worried» about the United States shifting its position on the Ukraine conflict under US President Donald Trump.

This is the second one-month postponement Trump has announced since first unveiling the import taxes in early February.

Combination of trade and strategic dominance makes China an unlikely counterweight to a protectionist US. Trade and geopolitical risks have escalated since Trump assumed office, and the second-order outcome of reciprocal US tariffs is Chinese overproduction. US tariffs on Chinese goods will rise further and China's exports will be diverted to Europe and Asia.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. China’s finance minister said Thursday that the government has ample policy tools and flexibility to address both internal and external uncertainties, amid escalating trade tensions with the U.S. The remarks come after Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S.

Sun Country Airlines. The airline said that Flight SY593, which was headed for the Mazatlan International Airport in Mexico from MSP, was diverted «out of an abundance of caution in response to a security concern», according to CBS News.

Kashmir dispute would be solved after the «return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation,» External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. Jaishankar was speaking at a session at the Chatham House think tank in London on Wednesday, prompting Pakistan on Thursday to reject as «baseless» his remarks regarding Kashmir, while making counter demands to address the issue. Responding to an audience question on «solving» issues in Kashmir, Jaishankar stated, «On Kashmir, actually we have done, I think, a good job solving most of it.» «Removing Article 370 was step number one, restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir was step number two, and holding elections with a very high turnout was step number three.

NATO member states’ troops being deployed and have stated that such a move will result in catastrophic losses for European forces.

Donald Trump's Presidency, he has been talking about China's involvement in the Panama Canal and how he would like to reclaim the Panama Canal from the grips of the Asian country. However, it now looks like these talks and pressurizing are yielding some fruit as Asian investors are now agreeing to sell off their stakeholding to American and Swiss investors amid the ongoing controversy, according to an NBC News report.

However, buying a life insurance plan could all be in vain, if you your insurer does not honor the claims made by policyholders. How can you figure out if your life insurance company makes timely payouts on claims made by its policyholders? What percentage of the total claims received by the insurer during the year does it pay and how much is delayed? To understand how effective your life insurer is in claim settlement, you can take help of the claim settlement ratio. Insurance watchdog IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) annually releases a handbook of Indian Insurance Statistics detailing the claim settlement ratios of all life insurers in the country.

CRISIL. The forecast rests on two key assumptions: the continuation of normal monsoon patterns and soft commodity prices. CRISIL expects that these factors, coupled with cooling food inflation, tax benefits outlined in the Union Budget 2025-2026, and lower borrowing costs, will stimulate discretionary consumption. «India’s resilience is being tested again. Over the past few years, we have built a few safe harbours against exogenous shocks — healthy economic growth, low current account deficit and external public debt, and adequate forex reserves — which provide ample policy latitude. So, while the waters can turn choppy, consumption-led rural and urban demand will be crucial to short-term growth. On the other hand, continuing investments and efficiency gains will aid in the medium term. We foresee both manufacturing and services supporting growth through fiscal 2031,» said Amish Mehta, Managing Director and CEO of CRISIL.