International Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian budget announcement of a revamped model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) to make it more investor-friendly is a delayed acknowledgement of the framework having failed to achieve its core objectives. Since its adoption in 2015, India has signed agreements with only five countries—Belarus (2018), Kyrgyzstan (2019), Brazil (2020), the UAE (2024) and Uzbekistan (2024), highlighting challenges in securing BITs with key trade partners and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) flows.

exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks a global index. The fund’s net asset value (NAV) is Rs 100, yet the market price is Rs 110. Would you willingly pay a 10% premium? Likely not. However, this is exactly what’s happening with many international ETFs in India. Some are trading at a premium of up to 25%, making it costly for investors seeking global diversification. So, why are these ETFs trading at a premium, how does this impact investor returns, and what alternatives exist to avoid overpaying? Let’s break it down.

high-security registration plates (HSRPs), as per officials. The government has made HSRPs mandatory for vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, to curb vehicle theft and bring uniformity in identification, placing the onus on manufacturers to install them before handing the vehicles to customers. It extended the deadline to fit HSRPs till April 30. The state government has also mandated HSRPs for an estimated 2.10 crore older vehicles registered before April 1, 2019.

The proposal, put forward by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would cover Ramadan, due to end late March, and Passover, lasting through mid-April, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office released just after midnight. The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the weekend without any certainty as to the second phase, which is hoped to bring a more permanent end to the Gaza war.

Study abroad consultants across India are facing a surge in frantic calls. Students braving the end of the student direct stream programme in Canada and caps on the permits to international students — or already studying there — are desperate for clarity as the country's latest immigration regulations take effect. These students and their parents are also seeking help from the consultants to chart their way forward. Sudden permit cancellations, heightened scrutiny of visa applications and stricter enforcement of departure rules have already thrown thousands of the estimated 423,000 Indians in Canada into a tizzy. «We've had multiple clients lose their permits despite perfect academic records. The IRCC (the government department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) projects 7,000 more revocations this year — I think that's conservative,» said Nikhil Jain, founder of ForeignAdmits.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) steps into the new year facing a new set of challenges: Increasing competition, continued macro uncertainty, and an absence of mega deals. However, experts see opportunities for a demand uptick, deal consolidation, digital transformation projects, and artificial intelligence moving into the production stage, indicating that 2025 will be better than the previous year for the Tata Group company with an annual revenue of $29 billion. CEO K Krithivasan has stabilised the ship in a tough market since taking charge more than a year and a half ago, analysts say. He will now need to perform on reversing revenue erosion from account rampdowns, including its 4G network deal with state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) in India, its fastest growing market.

artificial general intelligence (AGI), they'll have to work overtime, as per a report.

DK Shivakumar is facing internal pressure within the party, while the BJP has praised him. Shivakumar has been in the spotlight since his visit to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore on Wednesday, where he shared the stage with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This has raised eyebrows within Congress. Shivakumar clarified that he had no intentions of joining the BJP, asserting that he is a Congressman and a Hindu. He said the visit was based on a personal invitation from Sadhguru and his own beliefs.

U.S.-Ukraine relations, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and America’s role in international diplomacy.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that the state Government will establish a world-class film city in Mysuru with 150 acres of land already allotted for the project. Speaking at the inauguration of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, he emphasised that international film festivals are a reflection of global culture and should be leveraged to create meaningful and impactful cinema. «Karnataka is a land of immense opportunities. To further strengthen our film industry, we are developing a state-of-the-art film city in Mysuru. I hope this facility will encourage the production of world-class films that seamlessly blend human values with advanced technology,» he said. Highlighting the growing disparities in wealth, Siddaramaiah pointed out that 50 per cent of the nation's wealth is concentrated in the hands of just one per cent of the population, leading to widespread social unrest and dissatisfaction.

Buddha, tears pouring down his cheeks. He takes out his phone and captures the massive sculpture, the Bodhisattvas flanking it and the small cells carved into the cave where his religious forbears must have lived. This is sanctum and sanctuary for him. About 100 km away, a group of Japanese tourists are gingerly making their way through a narrow, semi-circular path that is cut into the middle of a rocky cliff in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. They gaze—in the light of a torch and the night settings of their phone—at the eloquent arch of Bodhisattva Padmapani’s torso and his halfclosed eyes painted on Cave No. 1 of Ajanta. People who follow the Buddha’s Middle Path, or those who are enamoured of this apostle of compassion, or are simply enchanted by the historical spots, some of them dating back to before the Common Era, travel to the places that dot what is called the Buddhist circuit. It stretches from Bodh Gaya in Bihar to Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh.

ISRO has always been an internal responsibility, driven by our own scientists and engineers across domains from environmental science to physics, computer scienceand more, the space agency's former chief S Somanath said. «We don't outsource these critical software systems because the deep integration between science, technology, and applications requires intimate domain understanding» he said at Software Product Management (SPM) Summit held by IIMB. The two day summit was held on February 28 and March 1, celebrating its 7th edition around the theme 'Software Product Management Excellence at Scale'. Somanath elucidated the evolution of software product management and development for space programs, emphasising the shift from environmentally focused missions to commercially operated systems.

Qatar Airways has responded to a distressing incident aboard a flight from Melbourne to Doha, where a deceased woman’s body was placed next to an Australian couple for several hours. The airline conducted an internal review and stated that its crew «acted quickly, appropriately and professionally» in handling the situation. The incident gained attention after Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who were traveling to Venice, shared their experience with Channel Nine in Australia.

Zelensky planned to sign a minerals deal with the United States during the visit, but it ended in disaster when Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being «disrespectful» and admonished him in front of US and international media. Kyiv had hoped the agreement would pave the way for security guarantees from Washington, as it fights the full-scale offensive Russia launched in 2022.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A few weeks before he was to receive the National Award for Empowerment of Divyangjan from President Droupadi Murmu in December 2023, Sai Kaustuv Dashgupta got into a serious discussion with his mother. “Receiving the award was one of my biggest accomplishments and since the event would be live on channels, I had to look my best.

Concerns over high valuations continued to weigh on small and midcap stocks and there were signs of panic selling. Consider this: About 95% or 892 smallcaps failed to deliver a return excess of 1%. Meanwhile, as many as 685 stocks saw double-digit declines.

European Union (EU) on Friday decided to forge a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of the year. Following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the preparation of a «blueprint for collaboration in the areas of trade, technology, investment, innovation, green growth, security, skilling and mobility» was announced. «We have directed our teams to conclude a mutually beneficial bilateral FTA by the end of this year,» the PM said in a press statement in the presence of von der Leyen. Later, officials from both sides told the media they had been given a clear mandate and political direction on the FTA.

Trump administration has cancelled several international aid projects, including contracts supporting HIV, polio, and malaria programmes in some of the world’s most impoverished communities. Earlier this week, the administration officially terminated these contracts through brief, direct emails. Around 5,800 contracts under USAID have been revoked. These included vital projects such as refugee aid, tuberculosis clinics, and polio vaccination initiatives, according to The New York Times.

Citigroup Inc. credited a client’s account with US$81 trillion when it meant to send only US$280, an error that could hinder the bank’s attempt to persuade regulators that it has fixed long-standing operational issues.

In the trust's half-year results to 30 November 2024 released today (28 February), the private equity-focused vehicle's NAV per share grew 2.3% while its share price rose by just 0.2%.  Despite investing £12.7m in share buybacks, which were accretive to NAV, this was offset by «unfavourable currency movements» according to PIP, with the majority of the portfolio dominated by the US dollar.  Former 3i investment director joins Pantheon International board Over the 12 months to 30 November 2024, PIP's NAV increased by 5.3%, below the FTSE All-Share's return of 11.1% during the same p...