International Financial News

DUBAI—The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are pushing Israel and Hamas to join a phased diplomatic process that would start with a release of hostages and, eventually, lead to a withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the war in Gaza, diplomats involved in mediating the talks said. Neither side in the conflict has agreed to the terms of the new proposal—which includes steps at odds with the stated positions of Israel and Hamas. Taher Al-Nono, a media adviser to Hamas, said there was no real progress, and Israeli officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Global shipping prices are continuing to rise as Houthi rebels keep up attacks on cargo vessels in and around the Red Sea. The disruptions are at a key point for ships passing through the Suez Canal and are creating ripples across supply chains in Europe and the U.S., delaying shipments and raising transportation costs. Average worldwide costs of shipping a 40-foot container rose 23% in the week through Jan.

India is striving to establish reliable lithium supply to bolster its growing electric vehicle (EV) industry with its recent INR 200 crore investment in lithium exploration in Argentina by the Ministry of Mines. Despite these efforts, industry experts caution that the nation's lithium mining and processing sector is essentially starting from scratch, with limited immediate impact expected from the latest developments. Currently, India imports 100% of its lithium, with a significant portion (over 95%) sourced from China and Hong Kong.

Tata Motors, a key player in the electric passenger vehicle market, is set to strengthen its position with the launch of the Punch EV. This new model, which directly competes with the Citroen eC3, recently made its debut, making it the smallest electric SUV in India. Let's compare these two rivals and see how they stack up against each other. In terms of design, both cars are electric versions of their existing internal combustion engine counterparts. The Punch EV, however, comes with significant upgrades over its ICE sibling. It features a refreshed design, including a LED light bar inspired by the Nexon, split LED headlights, and a silver faux skid plate. Additionally, it is equipped with Y-shaped brake lights, a roof spoiler, and a uniquely redesigned bumper at the rear. On the other hand, the eC3 remains almost identical to the Citroen C3, with the only noticeable difference being the 'EV' badge and green number plate. Moving on to features and interiors, the Punch EV outshines the Citroen eC3. While the eC3 offers limited features like a 10.2-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the Punch EV boasts an array of impressive features. These include ventilated seats, a new steering wheel from the Nexon with an illuminated logo, auto headlights and wipers, TPMS, an air purifier, and a 360-degree camera with blindspot monitoring. It also comes with full-width LED DRLs like the Nexon and a fully configurable TFT instrument screen.

Ayodhya from Lord Ram long-awaited return to his birthplace, a heavy security cordon has been thrown around the city, the state police informed on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the rituals around the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, which are to be officiated by a select complement of seers on Monday. Even as the city exuded a festive ambience ahead of the big day, Rapid Action Force (RPF) personnel were deployed at Lata Mangeshkar Chowk ahead of the January 22 ceremony. The police were conducting patrols by boat on Sarayu River at frequent intervals, officers said. Anti-bomb squad and dog squad teams were also deployed at Ayodhya's Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, as devotees and dignitaries started pouring into the temple town. Vehicles reaching and leaving the airport were being thoroughly checked and no one was being allowed to enter the airport without a pass, the officials said. According to officials, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has set up a camp near the shrine in Ayodhya to respond to contingencies, if any. «Three NDRF teams have been deployed here ahead of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony on January 22. The deployment has been done in coordination with the local administration and police,» Manoj Kumar Sharma, the deputy inspector general of police, NDRF told ANI. «One of our teams has been deployed at the ghats.

cricket team. Rohit Sharma leads the squad as captain, and Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain. The batting lineup includes Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.

As the world devolves from the unipolar world led by the US in the immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War to an international order more in flux–not yet multipolar and not quite bipolar either–small states are gaining outsize ability to shape their own destinies. Long used to being ignored, many small countries are increasingly capable of playing rival states against each other and expanding their diplomatic space. Maldives is a classic case in point.

crime. Not because it is the bloodiest: Stalin and Mao killed many more people in gulags and famines than the nearly 6m Jews murdered by the Nazis. But the Holocaust was seen as so monstrous that the UN adopted the Genocide Convention, promising never again to allow an attempt to wipe out a group of people, or part of one, simply because of their nationality, race, religion or ethnicity.

Japan has landed a spacecraft on the moon, an attempt at the world’s first “pinpoint lunar landing.”

On the surface, the platform beneath a new generation of automobiles has little to do with politics and elections

A witness saw sparks shooting from a cargo plane as it made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport shortly after takeoff

Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has highlighted that millions of dollars have been transported to Afghanistan in different shipments over the previous three months. SIGAR stated that each cargo was worth an average of USD 80 million and was delivered to Kabul within 10 to 14 days, with the proceeds kept in private banks in the UN's accounts, reported TOLOnews.

Gaza, has reportedly damaged at least 16 cemeteries, destroying gravestones, overturning soil, and, in some instances, exposing buried bodies. According to a CNN report, one incident in Khan Younis involved the destruction of a cemetery.

Q3 results this week: The usual trading session for the domestic benchmark equity indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex, will resume on January 23, as the markets are closed on Monday, January 22. Investors will be watching a slew of banks' Q3 earnings throughout today's session, as well as the stock reactions of firms like KFin Technologies Ltd, L&T Finance, Pidilite Ind, REC Ltd, IIFL Securities, Zensar Technologies, Axis Bank, JSW Steel Ltd, Indian Energy Exchange Ltd, SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd, Shriram Finance Ltd, Yes Bank and more.

Kazakhstan has 15 rare earth deposits, strategically important components of electronics and clean energy technology, and eyes for closer cooperation with international partners in harnessing the ample opportunities for these deposits, according to Chairman of the National Geological Service Yerlan Galiyev. This can meet India’s growing demands for rare earth deposits from a source which is situated closer home. India has recently entered into a deal with Argentina for sourcing rare earth metals.

North Korea said Sunday it has agreed to further strategic and tactical cooperation with Russia to establish a «new multi-polarised international order,» as the two countries work to build a united front in the face of their separate, intensifying tensions with the United States. In describing North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last week, the North's Foreign Ministry said Putin also reaffirmed his willingness to visit Pyongyang and said that could come at an «early date.» North Korea has been actively strengthening its ties with Russia, highlighted by leader Kim Jong Un's September visit to Russia for a summit with Putin.

India Sotheby’s International Realty (ISIR) unveiled a robust economic optimism among High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) and Ultra High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNIs), with a staggering 79% expressing confidence in the Indian economy's positive trajectory for 2023-24, compared to 59% last year.

Global South. Echoing India's thought Russia wants to project BRICS as non-Western and not anti-Western concept. “BRICS is not targeted against anyone…it offers alternative instruments, which are supposed to be safe from the politicised Western architecture, including in the context of de-dollarisation.

Delhi reeled under dense fog conditions causing low visibility. The IMD has also said that cold wave conditions are likely to prevail over Bihar and north Madhya Pradesh and expand to more parts of north India during 21-22 January.

Weather Update: Dense fog, cold wave to continue for next 5 days; flight delays at IGI airport | Check IMD forecast here “No dense fog is reported during the night at IGI," the IMD said. As per the IMD, Ambala in Haryana reported 200 meters of visibility, Hissar 500 meters, Delhi's Safdarjung 500 meters, and Palam 1100 meters.

middle class is its future.” That seems to be coming true, if not fully, at least partially. India’s growing middle class is set to be in the pilot’s seat, steering change in the way it travels.