International Financial News

Portugal is no longer a route to a "golden visa" giving residency rights but foreigners who want to secure one can still put their money into investment funds, which now anticipate a boom in inflows. The Portuguese government has tightened the rules after initially saying in February 2023 that it would scrap the golden visa scheme, which has been blamed for exacerbating a housing crisis. It had already sought to redirect property investments from big cities to depopulated areas. The scheme, which offers wealthy non-EU nationals who invest in Portugal the right to live in the country, has attracted 7.3 billion euros ($8 billion) of funds since its 2012 launch. Most participants are from China, Brazil and the United States. Around 90% of that money went into real estate, sparking complaints it was driving up house prices in one of western Europe's poorest nations. The European Commission has meanwhile called for an end to such programmes, citing security risks.

Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.

Tokayev has recently elaborated on the country’s foreign policy approach for 2024, saying that Astana will continue a constructive and balanced foreign policy, taking into account the national interests of the state. He pointed out that the country in 2024 will chair several international organizations at once, most notably the Organization of Turkic States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.

Bharat Forge Ltd.(up 2.54 per cent), Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd.(up 2.17 per cent), Bajaj Auto Ltd.(up 1.96 per cent), Hero MotoCorp Ltd.(up 1.48 per cent) and Tata Motors Ltd.(up 1.31 per cent) were among the top gainers. TVS Motor Company Ltd.(down 0.62 per cent), Eicher Motors Ltd.(down 0.41 per cent) and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.(down 0.16 per cent) were the top losers on the index.

Hub International has expanded in South Florida with the acquisition of the two component firms of BLS Wealth Management.

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are set to report sequential revenue growth in their mobile business in India in the fiscal third quarter, fuelled by strong broadband user growth and a surge in data consumption driven by the recent Cricket World Cup, analysts said. Vodafone Idea's mobile revenue, though, is likely to remain stagnant sequentially in the December quarter, stung by heavy customer losses. Analysts expect Airtel to turn in a stronger average revenue per user (ARPU) than Jio in the three months ended December 31 as the latter's growth on this score is likely to be restricted by wide adoption of unlimited data packs by 5G users. Jio, though, is expected to add more customers overall than Airtel, on the back of strong demand for its affordable internet-enabled feature phone, Jio Bharat. BoFA Securities said its internal checks suggest that the capacity build-up of Jio Bharat phones since the device's launch last July is already at 10 million in trade channels, with 50-60% of these phones activated so far.

North Korea-sponsored hacking syndicate Lazarus Group has transferred $1.2 million worth of cryptocurrency from a mixer, marking their largest transaction in over a month.

Federal officials have ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate 47th International Kolkata Book Fair on January 18 in the presence of Alex Ellis CMG, British High Commissioner to India, Director of British Council-India Alison Barrett and eminent author Bani Basu along with other authors, dignitaries and various ministers of state. «There will be around 1000 stalls and Little Magazines. This year we have allotted stalls to many more small publishers at the Book Fair,» Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, Honorary General Secretary of the Book Fair Guild said. Around 20 Countries across the globe will participate at the International Kolkata Book Fair 2024.

Sri Lanka's navy said Monday it was joining a US-led maritime taskforce to protect international shipping against attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels. «We will be joining 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' led by the US Navy,» naval spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya said, with the deployment of a patrol vessel crewed by more than 100 people. Huthi fighters have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks on targets in Israel and the Red Sea, disrupting traffic in the key shipping route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade. The Iran-backed Huthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been battling Hamas militants since October 7. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that Huthi attacks had raised freight costs and were impacting exports of garments and tea. The South Asian island nation is emerging from its worst economic crisis in 2022, when months of street protests led to the ouster of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The country defaulted on its $46 billion external debt and is now being supported by a $2.9 billion four-year bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund. Wickramasuriya said the move would add no additional cost as the vessel was already patrolling Sri Lanka's vast maritime boundary. The US-led maritime force announced late last month includes Britain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and other nations. Last month neighbouring India deployed several warships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden after a string of shipping attacks, including a drone strike near India's coast that the United States blamed on Iran.

iPhone survived a 16,000-foot drop to the ground from the recent Alaska Airlines ASA 1282 flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, after a window on the Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane shattered, causing phones and other things to be sucked out mid-air. According to the sources, another phone has been found which is also operational following the fall. Although the iPhone's model is still unknown, based on images posted on X, it appears to be either the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone was protected with a hard case. While strolling down Barnes Road, Seanathan Bates came upon the found iPhone, which was activated for in-flight use.

IPO, which will be launched later this month. The SME IPO will include a fresh equity issue of 41 lakh shares. Beeline Capital Advisors is the book-running lead manager, and Skyline Financial Services is the registrar of the issue. The Mumbai-headquartered EPC contractor specialises in delivering full-scale project management, procurement support and comprehensive engineering services for various electrical infrastructure, instrumentation, and automation projects across India and abroad. Its services are applicable in several manufacturing industries, such as oil & gas, refinery, steel, cement, pharmaceuticals, textiles, hospitals, and health care, both domestically and internationally. Konstelec Engineers has a strong order book of over 50 major projects worth around Rs 565 crore in order value that are in various phases of implementation. The company’s ongoing projects include electrical, construction power work and instrumentation work for leading corporates such as JSW Vijayanagar Metallics Ltd, Rajasthan Refinery Project, HRRL Pachpadra, Mangalore Terminal Expansion Project, Karnataka State and Benue Cement Plant in Nigeria. The company counts leading corporate conglomerates, including Reliance Industries, Engineers India, JSW Steel, Indian Oil, BPCL, among others as its clientele. Majority of the funds raised will be used to meet the working capital expenses for procuring high-quality products for its long-term projects and to provide collateral security to various clients. «Our robust order book and long-standing client relationships demonstrate our dedication to delivering high-quality, safe and innovative solutions,» said Biharilal Ravilal Shah, chairman and managing director of Konstelec Engineers. In

diesel subsidies and train drivers planning several days of strikes over wage disputes. The economy, Europe's biggest, was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year, as high energy costs, feeble global orders and record-high interest rates took their toll.

Farm Equipment manufacturer TAFE Ltd on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs 500 crore in the state. The investments would be utilised for taking up expansion of the Chennai-headquartered company's farm equipment division besides enhancing its manufacturing facility for the assembly and exports of 'Silent Generators', the company said.

Jack Draper showcased an impressive performance with a straight-set victory over Sebastian Baez at the Adelaide International, gearing up for the Australian Open. The 22-year-old defeated the 26th-ranked Baez 6-1, 6-3, solidifying his preparations for the upcoming Grand Slam event. On the other hand, British number one Katie Boulter faced a setback as she suffered a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against Romania's Anna Bogdan in the women's event. The Australian Open qualifying matches, initially scheduled to begin on Monday, were hampered by rain, delaying the start of the tournament.

(Government of India’s flagship public health insurance scheme), the Global Learning Collaborative for Health Systems Resilience and the Asia Pacific Cardiovascular Disease Alliance. Through efforts such as the India Health Systems Collaborative, ACCESS Health promotes knowledge sharing and seeks to enhance healthcare systems globally.

Noida Expressway has evolved into a thriving commercial, IT, and ITES hub, redefining the real estate landscape in the region, over the past few years. The connectivity between Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway has played a pivotal role in transforming this corridor into an efficient real estate hub. The stretch has witnessed a remarkable surge in both commercial and residential projects, making it a haven for investors and homebuyers.

Hundreds of master kite makers, teams of pilots and contestants coming from all over the world including a team from South American nation Peru participated in the inauguration of the Ahmedabad International Kite Festival, the most important cultural event in the State of Gujarat.

Dilip Buildcon, PNC Infratech and KNR Constructions. However, NCC is estimated to report a higher 37% YoY sales growth, driven by its strong order book, which is highest among peers. For toll-based assets, the brokerage firm forecast 5% sequential rise in revenue.

Financial Times columnist Stephen Foley wrote recently that one response from business has been to outsource more accounting work, particularly to India. Another response has been to raise salaries and hasten promotions. However, the demand for accountants continues to rise in the tech and financial sectors, and is bound to grow in the area of carbon accounting as well.

Project managers initiate, execute, and complete projects across various industries using their project management expertise. From mobile apps to the grandiose architecture of international cities, they are the innovators behind some of the most brilliant products, services, and processes that exist today.