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Indian passport holders starting January 1, 2025, while the existing 60-day visa exemption for Indian travellers will remain in effect. Applicants, non-Thai nationals, must apply for all types of visas at the website https://www.thaievisa.go.th. Each application can be applied by (1) the applicants themselves or (2) other representatives. ALSO READ: Simplest hack for a cheap New Year's trip-go abroad

knowledge workers are racing against the clock to wrap up unfinished projects. A new report from Atlassian, a collaboration and productivity software company, revealed that 76% of Indian professionals face a pileup of incomplete tasks by year-end. The phenomenon, reflective of a global trend, emanates from unexpected hurdles, overcommitment and shifting priorities, it said. “While the end of the year often brings pressure to wrap up projects, it’s also a chance to reassess your priorities,” said Molly Sands, head of teamwork lab at Atlassian.

Reserve Bank of India governor during his first press conference on Wednesday emphasized the need to remain alert and agile in a constantly changing world marked by geopolitical tensions. Malhotra assumed office as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India earlier today, succeeding his role as the former Revenue Secretary. He will serve a three-year term as the head of India's central bank. Malhotra succeeds Shaktikanta Das who completed his term as the RBI chief on Tuesday.

Narendra Modi on Wednesday released the compendium of complete works of great Tamil poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharati and hailed his contributions, saying a personality like him comes once in centuries. Modi said Bharati's thoughts and intellectual brilliance continue to inspire people even today. The prime minister released the compendium at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. The 23-volume set has been compiled and edited by Seeni Viswanathan and published by Alliance Publishers. It contains details of the editions, explanations, documents, background information and philosophical presentation, among others, of the writings of Bharati.

Delhi High Court on Wednesday posted on January 17, 2025, the enforcement directorate's plea against the bail granted to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the 2021-22 excise policy-linked money laundering case. The ED counsel urged Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri to defer the hearing in the matter on account of the unavailability of additional solicitor general S V Raju. The request was opposed by senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary, representing the AAP leader, citing «pressing urgency» in the matter. Chaudhary said the agency should withdraw its plea and the court should vacate its stay on the operation of the trial court's order granting bail.

«But now, for the first half of this year, earning growth has been slightly muted in mid-single digit and that is expected to remain that way at least for the next one to two quarters. So, to that extent, one has to moderate the return expectations going into next year,» says Dikshit Mittal, Senior Fund Manager-Equity, LIC MF. What do you make of the markets right now and there is debate which is underway whether 2025 is going to be a great year for the Indian equities or is it going to be a year of trimmed in very moderate single digit kind of gains? What is your estimate? Dikshit Mittal: Last two-three years returns have been very, very strong. In fact, compounded returns have been in high teens. So, to that extent, coming into next year, one has to moderate the return expectation. So, we cannot expect the same kind of returns we have generated last year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Amid the recent maelstrom of political news was an important development for the future of technology-enabled public money.

Donald Trump is promising expedited federal permits for energy projects and other construction worth more than $1 billion. But like other Trump plans, the idea is likely to run into regulatory and legislative hurdles, including a landmark law that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impact before deciding on major projects. In a post on his Truth Social site Tuesday, Trump said anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States «will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.» «GET READY TO ROCK!!!» he added.

Greater Coochbehar People's Association (GCPA) at Jorai railway station in Alipurduar division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) started at 6.45 am, and was withdrawn around 11.45 am, following which normal train movement was restored, he said. The agitators said they were holding the «indefinite» rail blockade to press for their demand for the creation of 'Greater Coochbehar'. Thousands of protesters had assembled at the station in the morning and blocked tracks, prompting the deployment of a large number of RPF, GRP and local police personnel to prevent any untoward incident, the NFR official said.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday lowered India's economic growth forecast to 6.5 per cent for the current financial year from its earlier estimate of 7 per cent due to lower-than-expected growth in private investment and housing demand. The multilateral development bank has also lowered India's growth forecast for 2025-26 financial year. Changes in US trade, fiscal, and immigration policies could dent growth and add to inflation in developing Asia and the Pacific, according to the latest edition of Asian Development Outlook (ADO). The report also said Asia and the Pacific's economies are projected to grow 4.9 per cent in 2024, slightly below ADB's September forecast of 5 per cent.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has published the finer details of the Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme 2024. In comparison to the 2022 scheme, the amount given has been increased this year by up to 100% in some cases. Moreover, in the 2024 scholarship scheme some new categories like medical courses, engineering courses, and other categories have been introduced. Overall, the scope of this scholarship has been increased. But, before taking a final call, you must know that if you are pursuing a course through correspondence or part time (evening or night classes) and/or through Open Universities then you are not eligible for this Scholarship. Read below to find out the details of the scholarship amount and who is eligible and under what category.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. If technology is the new oil, who should steer the oil-tankers? Can India afford to drift without an artificial intelligence (AI) captain in the age of AI? Incoming US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of former Paypal executive David Sacks as a “crypto and AI czar" to guide policy. The message is clear: governing AI and generating commercial value from AI innovations is an urgent need for global supremacy.

A day after recording 'moderate' AQI, Delhi's air quality slipped into 'poor' category on Tuesday, with forecast suggesting it will remain the same for the next couple of days. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 234 at 4 pm on Tuesday, marking a drop from Monday's 'moderate' reading of 186. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as 'good', between 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', between 101 and 200 as 'moderate', between 201 and 300 as 'poor', between 301 and 400 as 'very poor', and above 400 as 'severe'.

The chipmaking icon's revenue for the first nine months of this year, which was roughly flat year-on-year at $38.84 billion, was below the ratings agency's expectations, S&P Global said. The departure of CEO Pat Gelsinger, who was critical to the Intel's integrated manufacturing strategy, also adds uncertainty to the execution of the company's turnaround plan, S&P Global said.

Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association and the America's Motion Picture Association, which has an office in India, to present their views on the issue of over-the-top (OTT) content on December 20. The committee, chaired by Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey, will deliberate on the topic, "Emergence of OTT Platforms and Related Issues," with representatives from these associations. This development follows Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's request for the parliamentary standing committee to take up the issue of strengthening existing laws governing social media and OTT platforms on a priority basis.

Chinese military activity around the island on Wednesday, including 53 military aircraft, with Taiwan on high alert over Beijing's latest pressure campaign. China's military has yet to comment and has not confirmed it is carrying out any military exercises. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, had been expected to launch drills to express its anger at President Lai Ching-te's tour of the Pacific that ended on Friday, which included stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI), its outgoing governor Shaktikanta Das said Tuesday, while underscoring the 'excellent' rapport between the Centre and its money manager and alignment of objectives. Sanjay Malhotra, revenue secretary in the finance ministry, takes charge as the 26th governor Wednesday. «Restoring the inflation-growth (balance) is the most important task ahead for the RBI,» Das said in his last interaction with the media as the 25th governor of the nine-decade-old central bank. «I am sure Team RBI, under the leadership of the new governor, will take it forward,» said Das, who has had the longest tenure as Mint Road boss after India began unshackling its economy in 1991. As Das completes his second three-year term, India's consumer inflation gauge has touched a 14-month high of 6.2% in October. Murmurs are increasingly audible within the all-powerful rate-setting panel, too, for a cut in policy rates after the pace of economic growth unexpectedly slumped to a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the three months to September.

equity mutual funds in November, reflecting the impact of fewer thematic or sector-specific new offerings through the month that also coincided with sustained exits from local risk assets by overseas investors. Systematic investment plans (SIP) stayed stable even as total flows to growth-oriented funds shrank 14%, to ₹35,943 crore, from October's ₹41,887 crore. Monthly net subscriptions to thematic funds fell to this fiscal year's second-lowest level, at ₹7,658 crore. This marks the lowest inflows into the category since April. Net inflows into the category, which peaked at ₹22,352 crore in June, never declined below ₹12,000 crore between May and October, on multiple new fund offerings by the industry.

Cleopatra’s presumed burial site in Egypt has sparked debates among experts. A statue found there is believed to depict the true face of the famous queen, but its identity remains contested.

Gold, often used as a safe store of value during times of political and financial uncertainty, tends to appreciate on expectations of lower interest rates, which reduce the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset. «If the Chinese government's economic stimulus measures boost the economy, China and India could provide a solid basis for gold demand in 2025,» the company said in a report. China's central bank resumed buying gold for its reserves in November after a six-month pause, official data by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) showed on Saturday.

US Vice President Kamala Harris has been nominated for Time Magazine Person of the Year 2024 while sparking significant online mockery and skepticism due to her recent defeat in the US Presidential Election against Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, reported The US Sun. According to The US Sun, the shortlist which eventually includes notable figures such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kate Middleton will see the winner announced on December 12. Several critics on social media have eventually questioned the rationale behind the nomination of Kamala Harris while pointing out that she lost the election and suggesting that the award should go to Donald Trump instead who made a remarkable political comeback. Also Read: Is true face of Cleopatra found? Here’s what an archaeologist claims to have unearthed about famous queen