Country Financial News

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday took a dig at the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging that the latter «made fun» of the public over the reported inflation in the country. In a post on X, Kharge wrote, «The crying voice of the people, who have been burdened under the burden of BJP's inflation in the last nine and a half years,… Every time on the issue of inflation, Modi government made fun of the public, teased like this — »Inflation is not visible", «I don't eat onions», «It is better than other countries».

Rahul Gandhi, who is currently in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Sunday announced free treatment facilities up to ₹10 lakh for the poor if the party retains power in the state. Addressing an election rally in Rajnandgaon, the Congress MP from Wayanad constituency in Kerala promised to provide ₹10,000 per year to landless rural labourers if the party retains power. Gandhi said the Congress government is the government of the poor, labourers, farmers, backward classes, tribals and Dalits and it listens to the voice of their hearts.

fire that is closest to us. But it is equally crucial to understand and address the root causes so that we have fewer fires to fight. As populist forces have polarized electorates and deepening social divides worldwide, the global political climate has grown increasingly volatile.

Reliance Jio sees global foray as an option which is continuously under evaluation at the company, a senior company official said. While speaking to the media at India Mobile Congress, Reliance Jio President Mathew Oommen said that India is now a tier 1 plus country and there should be no apprehension in framing policies that are right for the nation. “We think the opportunity for India to go global is big. Reliance will continue to review options to see how best to represent India globally and offer value to customers leveraging the technology capabilities that we have already operationalized in India,” Oommen said. He said that to truly drive the Digital India vision, the government should start leveraging Rs 75,700 crore Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) not just for mobile tower deployment but to make devices and services affordable and accessible for individuals. He said Jio Bharat Phone ecosystem is an enabler to 2G mukt Bharat and AI Yukt Bharat. He said that the underutilised USO fund should be leveraged for not just telecom infrastructure but also giving help to individuals for devices and services for those who cannot afford the transition. «Anyone who cannot afford connectivity or monthly rent should be given a device and service model by leveraging the fund,” Oommen said. The government at present charges 8 per cent of telecom companies' revenue as licence fee.

Donald Trump pledged to restore the “travel ban" that targeted seven Muslim-majority countries, if he is re-elected to the White House next year. “You remember the travel ban? On day one I will restore our travel ban," Donald Trump said on October 28, while addressing a Republican Jewish Convention in Las Vegas. Donald Trump was referring to the 2017 order issued by his administration, that imposed a blanket ban on the entry of travellers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan.

FM Radio network Radio Mirchi, a part of Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) and Radio Orange have bid Rs 251 crore to acquire BIG FM Radio network, sources said. Haryana-based Sapphire FM is the other bidder in the race for BIG FM, which is undergoing an insolvency process. Incidentally, Sapphire FM has also made a bid of Rs 251 crore for Big FM.

India has asked the WTO members to work on a clear definition of e-commerce trade in goods and services as it would help provide developing countries a policy space to make decisions on the fast-growing sector, an official said. At present, there is a difference of understanding about the subject between developed and developing member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The issue came up for discussion during a recent meeting of senior officials of WTO members in Geneva last week.

₹1.5 crore) were sold between January and September in seven metropolitan cities in the country in 2023, against 39,300 (Approx) units sold in the same period in 2022. Also read: Mumbai’s real estate registrations surge during festive season According to the data, out of the approximately 3.49 lakh units sold in eight cities (Delhi-NCR, Mumbai region, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata) in the first nine months of 2023, about 24% or roughly 84,400 units were luxury homes priced above ₹1.5 crore. Among the eight Indian cities, luxury housing sales rose by 260% in Hyderabad between January-September in FY 2024.

The real estate sector has strengthened across the country over the past few years as a result of enhanced buying capacity, stable repo rates, the inclination of buyers towards owning comfortable living spaces, and, most importantly, the availability of promising projects for investment. Delhi-NCR, and particularly Noida, holds remarkable growth opportunities and economic efficiency in terms of commercial real estate developments. With the increasing demand for flexible spaces, co-working environments, and high-street retail, the commercial real estate sector in NCR is experiencing a surge like never before.

Axis Bank is well capitalised with a self-sustaining capital structure for funding organic growth, its managing director and CEO Amitabh Chaudhry has said. He said the bank expects to grow higher than the industry average on the credit side. It would be 400-600 basis points higher than the industry in the MSME segment this fiscal. To fund business growth, he said, the bank has adequate capital to take care of its needs during the current financial year.

Gaza residents in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has killed over 1,400 Israelis, and nearly 8,000 people in Gaza. “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. 1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass’," Netanyahu said.

State Bank of India on Sunday announced its collaboration with cricketing legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as the bank’s official Brand Ambassador. As the brand ambassador of SBI, MS Dhoni, will play a pivotal role in various marketing and promotional campaigns, said the bank in a statement. “His remarkable capacity to maintain composure in stressful situations and his renowned ability for clear thinking and rapid decision-making under duress makes him the ideal choice that resonates with SBI, to connect with its customers and stakeholders across the country.

Marico Group Chairman Harsh Mariwala has shared his views on the X platform. According to Mariwala, it is an undeniable fact that hard work is the backbone of success but, "It is not about the hours clocked in. It's about the quality and passion one brings to those hours".

US Federal Reserve may once again choose to hold it at the 5.25-5.5% range for the second successive time in its upcoming decision on 1 November. While inflation has nearly halved since October last year, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said it is still “too high" and the aim is to bring it down to the 2% target level. Since its last meeting in September, Fed officials have indicated a policy of ‘higher-for-longer’ interest rate regime, which means a cut is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Narendra Modi, while addressing the 106th episode of the Mann Ki Baat radio program on Sunday, said that Khadi Mahotsav has broken all records this month. "Earlier this month, Khadi witnessed record sales in Delhi...This month's ongoing Khadi Mahotsav has once again broken all records. On Gandhi Jayanti, Khadi witnessed record sales," said PM Modi.

Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday said 'Mera Yuva Bharat' will be launched on October 31 to commemorate Sardar Patel's birth anniversary. Commenting on the launch, PM Modi said that the country's youth can actively participate in different nation-building projects through 'Mera Yuva Bharat' (MYBharat).

"Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been picked up by officers of the law enforcing agency," the Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement. «He has been detained by police officers,» Shamaruh Mirza, Alamgir's daughter who lives in Australia, told AFP. Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain said he was not aware of his arrest. Alamgir, 75, the BNP's secretary-general, has been leading the party since BNP chairwoman and two times former premier Khaleda Zia was arrested and jailed, and her son went into exile in Britain. Zia has been living under effective house arrest since her release from a 17-year prison sentence in 2020. The protests on Saturday by the BNP and the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, were the biggest so far this year, AFP journalists on site said, and marked a new phase in their protests with a general election due before the end of January. More than 100,000 supporters of two major Bangladesh opposition parties rallied to demand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down to allow a free and fair vote under a neutral government. Hasina — daughter of the country's founding leader — has been in power for 15 years and has overseen rapid economic growth with Bangladesh overtaking neighbouring India in GDP per capita, but inflation has risen and her government is accused of corruption and human rights abuses. Both BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami called for a nationwide strike on Sunday to protest the violence. Security on Sunday was tight in the capital with thousands of police and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh patrolling the streets.

Gujarat BJP President CR Patil, on Sunday, flagged off the 'Kalash Yatra' from Gujarat's Gandhinagar during which 75 'Kalash' (earthen pots) with soil collected from different villages of the state, left for the national capital on electric vehicles, as part of the 'Meri Mati Mera Desh' programme. «For the conclusion ceremony of the Amrit Mahotsav, PM Modi gave the 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign to the country. A pinch of soil or rice was collected from the homes of the Bravehearts in every village of Gujarat and those 'Khumbh' were brought to Ahmedabad», said CR Patil while speaking to reporters.

pro-Palestine rally in Kerala, saying it was time to add Hamas to India's terror list. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli envoy wrote, “Unbelievable! #HamasTerrorist Khaled Mashal speaks from Qatar in a #Kerala event under the slogan ‘Uproot bulldozer Hindutva & Apartheid Zionism’." "Mashal calls participants to: Take the streets and show anger, prepare for jihad (on Israel), support Hamas financially, promote Palestinian narrative on social media, it's time to add #HamasISIS also to #India's terror list," he further said. Mashal virtually attended the event which was organized by Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala.

China has stepped up efforts to pitch itself as a neutral broker for Mideast peace. China's top diplomat called his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts Monday, urging restraint. A Chinese envoy is traveling in the Middle East, pledging to help avert a wider war. At the United Nations on Wednesday, China vetoed a resolution on the war that did not call for a cease-fire.

Narendra Modi has spoken with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and exchanged views on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in West Asia. After his telephonic conversation with Sisi, Modi said that «we share concerns regarding terrorism, violence and loss of civilian lives».