Progressive Financial News

In an update today (3 December), the ONS stated that its sample size of individual responses had reached 42,398 from July to September 2024, up from 29,220 for the same period last year. UK's national statistics agency added it expects the dataset to further increase in size in coming periods but warned of «more instability in LFS estimates» since «the changes take time to progress through waves of data collection into outputs». Last month, Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury Committee, wrote a public letter to the UK Statistics Authority raising concerns about the accuracy of the ONS ...

BJP has flayed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on GDP growth rate decline and said his attempt to paint a picture of economic doom, with selective data and «half-truths», is not just misleading but reeks of a «childish» oversimplification of complex realities. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had on Sunday expressed concern over India's GDP growth rate declining to its lowest in two years and said the country's economy cannot progress as long as a handful of billionaires accrue its benefits. He stressed that new thinking is required for India's economy and a new deal for businesses should be an important part of it. Reacting sharply, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya wrote on X, «Your attempt to paint a picture of economic doom, with selective data and half-truths is not just misleading but reeks of 'Balak Buddhi' — a childish oversimplification of complex realities». He said crying foul over a 5.4 per cent GDP growth rate by the Congress leader is «laughable when it is one of the highest globally».

University of Oxford «From Gridlock to Growth How Leadership Enables India's PRAGATI Ecosystem to Power Progress» illustrates how Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Initiatives has transformed the problems, its monitoring and resolution of various projects of the government. The report says India's PRAGATI platform offers a compelling case study of how digital governance can drive progress. Pragati was launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has become an acronym for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation of projects. It has transformed the way India manages its large-scale infrastructure projects and social sector programs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Poll managers in the BJP must be heaving a sigh of relief: the underwhelming gross domestic product (GDP) data for the July-September 2024 quarter has been released well after the Maharashtra assembly polls were done and dusted. Logging disappointing year-on-year growth of 5.4%, the GDP data print for the second quarter of 2024-25 is not only much below consensus estimates from leading economists and analysts, but also offers a contrast from the economic narrative presented by top bureaucrats and economic administrators.

Delta Force Open Beta is set to release in December 2024. The beta will offer exclusive gameplay modes and regular updates until its full launch.

Following the decision of the state government, police have intensified surveillance at inter-state borders to prevent the transportation of potatoes out of the state. This has led to several trucks being stranded at border crossings. «We will go on strike from Tuesday if the government does not lift the restrictions,» Progressive Potato Traders' Association secretary Lalu Mukherjee told PTI.

Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma proposed a series of initiatives aimed at capitalizing on Assam’s strategic location in alignment with India’s Act East Policy. These initiatives include establishing bio-foundries and bio-manufacturing hubs to enhance local industries and stimulate innovation, particularly within the bio-resources sector. Sarma participated in the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2024 at IIT Guwahati.Sarma emphasized the IISF as a testament to India's steadfast commitment to innovation, excellence, and the crucial role that science and technology play in driving national development and prosperity. He noted that this event embodies the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose leadership has been instrumental in the development of the Northeast, particularly through the transformative influence of scientific progress. He contended that in our contemporary landscape, a nation's progress is intricately linked to the harmonious integration of technology, resources, and capital, highlighting technology as the primary catalyst for transformation. Such advancements, he posited, are crucial for achieving social equity, reducing poverty, and improving living standards. He noted that from agriculture to healthcare, environmental science, energy production, and communication, science acts as the engine of innovation, significantly enhancing human existence and paving the way for a sustainable future.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), a Democratic Congresswoman from New York, is being discussed as a potential leader for the party in 2028. Her strong connection with voters through social media and grassroots campaigns has made her a prominent figure in U.S. politics. Monica Crowley, a former Trump Treasury official, recently acknowledged AOC’s influence on Fox News, warning Republicans not to underestimate her. Crowley noted, “She’s young, vibrant, attractive… and has real grassroots support.” AOC's ability to directly engage with voters has positioned her as a key figure in shaping the future of the Democratic Party.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. One of the things that has surprised Viswanathan Anand about young chess players now is they order everything, including food, online. As a touring chess pro for about four decades, he looked forward to going out at meal times during competitions, which provided a relief from the intensity of being bent over a chess board for hours.

space station is unpacked. When a Russian spacecraft docked at the International Space Station over the weekend, astronauts noticed a strange odour emanating from the spacecraft and immediately closed the hatch, only to open it again on Monday, as quoted in a report by Fox Weather. On November 21, the Progress supply mission, which brought supplies for the crew of the space station, took off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. At 9:31 a.m. ET on Saturday, the spacecraft docked at the Russian Poisk module, according to NASA. NASA claims that after opening the Progress hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts detected an unexpected odour and observed small droplets. The remainder of the Russian segment was sealed off, and the hatch was closed.

immuno-oncology drug Toripalimab in India. Toripalimab is approved by various regulatory authorities around the world including USFDA, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and others for the treatment of adults with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC). Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare, aggressive form of head and neck cancer that originates in the upper part of the throat.

Wendy Williams‘ health appears to be in steep decline, with her guardian claiming the former TV host is “permanently incapacitated” following her diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

Arunachal Frontier Highway connecting 12 districts of the state along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the India-China international border, a top official said. The ambitious project to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore is seen as a move to counter China's aggression in Arunachal Pradesh, besides contributing to the socio-economic development of the border state. The highway is being constructed along the 'India-Tibet-China-Myanmar' border and the road project will be as close as 20 km from the LAC and international borders. It will start from Bomdila and pass through Nafra, Huri and Monigong towns, which are closer to the LAC or the McMahon Line, and conclude in Vijaynagar near the India-Myanmar border.

International Space Station (ISS) reported a rancid odor when they opened the hatch of Russia's Progress cargo ship, which had just eventually docked, reported Futurism. Kelly O. Humphries from NASA stated that inquiries about the smell should be directed to Roscosmos which is the Russian space agency, though; Roscosmos has not commented anything on the issue. According to Futurism, several initial assessments suggested that the odor might be due to ‘outgassing’ from the cargo, while, on the other hand, Russian sources pointed to potential contamination from the Poisk docking mechanism. Also Read: Queer on streaming: Is the Daniel Craig movie available to watch on OTT?

Gaza, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel in October last year, and later pulled in Hezbollah too. The ceasefire does not extend to Gaza, where Israel’s military continues to fight Hamas as there is no progress on the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Yet, the ceasefire is a definite turning point in the conflict and raises hope for final resolution. The ceasefire comes as a good news for India not just because India has trade and business interests in the Middle East which will be harmed if a wider war breaks out, but also because a highly ambitious project, which was deferred due to the conflict, can be back on track. The most consequential announcement at last year's G20 Summit in Delhi was the commitment to build a rail-and-port network that will connect India to the Middle-East and the Middle-East to Europe and the US. It has been named the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). Though no leader from the participating countries mentioned China, it is an obvious alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that aims to connect the whole world to China through shipping, rail and road networks.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. ONE OF THE early uses of the word was by Lead Belly, who sang about the Scottsboro boys, nine young African-Americans in Scottsboro, Alabama, who were wrongly accused in 1931 of raping two white women. They got an unfair trial; all nine later had their convictions overturned or were pardoned.

Ashwini Vaishnaw has flagged land acquisition delays in Kerala, which are affecting the development of railway projects in the state. According to Vaishnaw's letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, just 64 hectares (Ha) of land could be acquired by the state against a requirement of 470 Ha. This is despite the centre making a payment of over Rs 2,100 crore to the state for land acquisition needed to complete crucial rail projects. According to Vaishnaw, railway infrastructure projects worth Rs 12,350 crore are progressing in Kerala. «The highest ever budget outlay of Rs 3,011 crore has been allotted for the financial year 2024-25. However, most of the railway projects in Kerala are not progressing due to the non-availability of requisite land,» his letter said, adding that the Indian Railways has initiated efforts for the acquisition of land for most of the sanctioned railway projects but could not succeed.

COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan at the weekend as a sort of diplomatic echo of the US election result three weeks earlier. In the US, progressives found themselves blocked by a surprisingly strong coalition of both traditional Republicans, and a faction of working class and non-White supporters whom they’d regarded, perhaps naively, as their natural allies. At the United Nations climate conference in Baku, rich nations found that efforts to reduce their own emissions and fund climate programs elsewhere in the world bought them little favor with developing countries most at risk of global warming. Both situations are powerful examples of aspirational politics. Since the 19th century, conservatives have marketed themselves to the electorate by arguing that their policies were the best way to achieve the wealth and independence sought by working-class voters.

A nationwide shutdown of Canada Post is set to have major implications for the biggest shopping weekend of the year, experts warn.