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Sudan, traders and industry sources say, complicating Western companies' efforts to insulate their supply chains from the conflict. Sudan produces around 80% of the world's gum arabic, a natural substance harvested from acacia trees that's widely used to mix, stabilise and thicken ingredients in mass-market products including L'Oreal lipsticks and Nestle petfood. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war since April 2023 with Sudan's national army, seized control late last year of the main gum-harvesting regions of Kordofan and Darfur in western Sudan.

Sona BLW fell by up to 3% on the BSE on March 4, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, «there is no room left for Mexico or Canada,» confirming that a 25% tariff on imports will take effect from Tuesday. The shares of Sona BLW Precision Forgings fell by 2.7% to a low of Rs 472.80 in early trade, while Samvardhana Motherson International shares slipped 2.4% to their day's low of Rs 116.55.

RISC-V chips nationwide for the first time, two sources briefed on the matter said, as Beijing accelerates efforts to curb the country's dependence on Western-owned technology. The policy guidance on boosting the use of RISC-V chips could be released as soon as this month, although the final date could change, the sources said. It is being drafted jointly by eight government bodies, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the China National Intellectual Property Administration, they added.

BEIJING — China «firmly rejects» additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and will take countermeasures, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.

Chakri Lokapriya, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) for Equities at LGT Wealth India , says most defence stocks have corrected 40-50%. In Europe, NATO is in a flux and with Trump threatening to pull out, major European powers are increasing their defence Budget. This should help the exporting Indian defence companies and Lokapriya is ready to buy Bharat Electronics (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Lokapriya also says among banks, he would go first into the PSU banks, SBI, Canara Bank and then into large private banks like ICICI and Axis. What is your take on the defence pack because we are seeing a lot of these stocks participating and globally we are getting to hear that European markets are definitely looking to up their game with respect to defence spending. Within the Indian markets, some of these companies have exposure to the European markets, a case in point being BEL, which is one of the top gainers. After the correction, are you spotting any opportunities there? Chakri Lokapriya: Basically the defence stocks have all corrected a good 40-50% on the back of lower Indian government spending and there was some amount of re-rating downwards of earnings expectations for the stocks. Fast forward to a few months later, the world is a slightly different place with NATO itself is in a major flux and that is leading to a number of individual European countries increasing their percentage of GDP budget on defence, the UK is a case in point and that will be followed by other countries.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Last month, Apple announced that starting April, its iPhones will support 10 Indian languages.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India’s goal of becoming a high-income, developed nation by 2047 is realistic but requires overcoming challenges, Auguste Tano Kouamé, the World Bank's Country Director for India, told Mint. While the target may seem ambitious, historical trends and planned structural reforms make it achievable, Kouamé said.

Dalmia Bharat, the country's second-oldest cement manufacturer that began its industrial journey in pre-independent India, is investing significantly to build fresh nationwide capacity to meet surging demand from industries as diverse as housing, public infrastructure, and commercial assets. Puneet Dalmia, MD and CEO, announced a capital expenditure of ₹3,520 crore to take Dalmia Bharat's capacity to 55.5 million tonnes a year, cementing its leadership credentials in the rapidly consolidating home market. «India is one of the fastest growing economies, and it is a large economy. So, it offers the benefit of scale,» Puneet Dalmia told ET. «Average per capita consumption is 280 kg, while the global average is 550 kg. In high growth phases, economies have seen cement consumption grow to 750-800 kg per capita. So, there is potential to go 3x from here.» Dalmia acknowledged that short-term headwinds existed in the form of a price war that was driving down margins of players but believes that doesn't change the long-term view. He attributed the price war to a phenomenon where players were prioritising market share over margins in the backdrop of consolidation in the sector.

Sudarshan Chemical Industries (SCIL) is expanding its international footprint as part of its growth strategy, with an aim to strengthen its position in the global pigment industry, managing director Rajesh Rathi told ET. «Europe and Americas are going to be our areas where we would like to grow more,» Rathi said. «If you look at legacy of Sudarshan, our largest market was India, but as now our largest market would be Europe,» Rathi added.

Manoj Sinha on Monday said his government remains steadfast in its commitment to address the legitimate desire of restoration of full statehood. The 40-day budget session started in the winter capital of Jammu with Sinha's address who reiterated his commitment to holding panchayat and urban local bodies elections in the Union Territory. «One of the foremost aspirations of the people of J&K is the restoration of full statehood. My government remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing this legitimate desire of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir,» said Sinha. The LG said his government recognises the 'emotional and political significance of statehood' for the people of J&K. «We are actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process in a manner that ensures peace, stability and progress,» said Sinha.

Narendra Modi on Monday announced the Asiatic lion population estimation exercise in May and unveiled conservation plans for tigers, gharials and a critically endangered bird while pushing for using AI to combat forest fires and human-animal conflicts. He made a slew of announcements while chairing the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), in his capacity as ex-officio chairperson, at Sasan in Gujarat's Junagadh district.

trans-Atlantic security. As evident, the Trump administration is unlikely to commit to a security framework in Europe where it pits Washington against Moscow. In fact, Washington is demonstrably against security commitments abroad, to the extent that its age-old commitments under Nato now hang in the balance. What is certain, though, is that any road to getting Washington's security commitments is likely to involve a large economic component. As such, the semblance of an offer that the US has put on the table for Ukraine as a guarantee against Moscow is a mineral deal without any explicit security guarantees. Clearly, this approach may not be acceptable to most countries, certainly not to Ukraine. An immediate repercussion of Washington's security recoil has been the beginning of an almost pan-European consensus on the need to step up and fill potential gaps that could emerge as a result. Most European leaders appeared bound in a consensus to carve a new security assurance for Ukraine, except this time without the US. France, Germany and Britain, along with the EU as a bloc, depicted existential urgency at Sunday's leaders' European security summit in London, knowing that the block may have to take charge of not just its own security but also negotiations on part of Ukraine.

All that changed last Friday, when fresh estimates for GDP growth in 2024-25 and Q3 estimates for the current fiscal suddenly showed growth in a new, much brighter light. Not only is growth in Q3 (6.2%) a marked improvement over the previous quarter's upwardly revised 5.8%, but growth for FY25 has also been revised upward. From 6.4% in FAE released on Jan 7, growth in 2024-25 is now pegged higher at 6.5%. Even better, across-the-board upward revisions in growth estimates for the previous two fiscals — from 8.2% to 9.2% in 2023-24 (the highest in the previous 12 years, except for 2021-22, when GDP grew 9.7% on account of rebound from Covid), and from 7% to 7.6% in 2022-23 — along with upward revisions for Q1 and Q2 of FY25 show the economy in fine fettle.

Veera, India’s homegrown mobile-only internet browser, said it has expanded to 108 countries, bringing its suite of Web3 features to a global audience. The company was developed to address the complexities associated with Web3, aiming to simplify user interactions with decentralised technologies. Since its launch, Veera has scaled to 4 million users in less than a year, with a monthly active user base of one million. The ⁠⁠overall Web3 user base expected to be between 100-200 million globally and this market is projected to grow to $104.04 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 45.47% over the forecast period of 2024-2032.

The New York Times is a non-negotiable ritual. Whether it's Wordle, Connections, or the newly introduced Strands, these games provide a mental challenge that kicks off the day on a high note. Among them, The Mini Crossword holds a special place—offering a compact yet engaging puzzle that tests one's vocabulary and quick thinking.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai has become a backdrop to some interesting juxtapositions. In different corners and rooms, museum objects can be seen interacting with contemporary works by artist Reena Saini Kallat in a solo show, Cartographies of the Unseen, which is on view till 6 April.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. An unexpected dish was placed on the table: parmesan jalebi with saffron aioli, a savory take on the zulbia, a Middle Eastern dessert that became jalebi in India. This delightfully innovative appetizer was served at Farro, a new restaurant in Pune that opened in January.

Pope Francis to visit the homeland he left in 2013 to become the head of the Roman Catholic Church. With his health delicate as he battles double pneumonia, the return seems increasingly unlikely now to happen. Pope Francis, 88, has been in a critical condition due to a lung infection. His two weeks in Rome's Gemelli hospital is the longest stay of his papacy and underscores his frailty. Francis has made more than 45 international trips during his papacy, including the first by any pope to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, North Macedonia, Bahrain and Mongolia.

The February figure marks a 19.5% uptick from $1.38 billion in total funding in January 2025. On a year-on-year basis, the total amount of fundraise was down from $2.06 billion secured in February 2024.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Being ‘not China’ may have been the easy part. A big manufacturing pitch in several Asian economies was that they enjoyed cordial relations with Beijing and solid historical ties to the US.