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financial inclusion through better coordination with government and NGOs in credit planning and promoting digital financial literacy. Observing that the role of SLBCs in fostering inclusive and sustainable growth is crucial and multifaceted, he said, it can drive significant progress in bridging the gap between financial services and the underserved populations. «By focusing on effective coordination with government and NGOs, adopting a scientific approach to credit planning, and emphasising digital financial literacy, SLBCs can create a more inclusive financial ecosystem,» he said at the Conference of Convenors of SLBCs at Pune on June 19. «As we move forward, it is essential to monitor and measure the tangible outcomes of our efforts, ensuring that the benefits of financial inclusion reach every corner of our country,» he said.

In modern workspaces, organisations are going the extra mile to promote diversity and inclusion. There is an immediate need for those who are equipped with diversity skills to collaborate with people from distinct backgrounds in order to bolster a culture of inclusivity. Therefore, freshers must learn how to cultivate and leverage diversity skills.

Jaishankar has reviewed with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan the multi-faceted India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership and discussed new areas with «untapped potential» to enhance collaboration, an official statement said on Monday. Jaishankar, who was in the UAE on Sunday, also exchanged views with Al Nahyan on regional and global issues. He visited the iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi and participated in the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations before meeting Al Nahyan.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council under the chairpersonship of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, after its first meeting on Saturday since the new government assumed office, has announced many changes to make compliance easier. Among them are a waiver of interest and penalty on certain past tax demands, tweaks in monetary limits to reduce litigation, reduction in the pre-deposit amount needed for filing appeals and exemption of railway platform tickets, among other items. These are welcome moves that will ease GST’s burden for some.

will take cues from trading activity of foreign investors and global trends this week with benchmark equity indices likely to face volatility amid the scheduled monthly derivatives expiry, analysts said. Moreover, factors such as the progress of monsoon and Brent crude oil would also dictate investors' sentiment during the week. «This week, sector-specific movements are anticipated amid budget-related buzz. Key factors to watch include the progress of monsoon, which will be closely monitored for its near-term impact on investors' confidence.

Police in Fredericton, N.B., say they have arrested three teenage suspects in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 71-year-old man on Friday night.

Also Read: GST Council Meeting: FM-led panel approves biometric authentication, 12% rate on milk cans; 10 key highlightsOn the weekly front, the BSE benchmark climbed 217.13 points or 0.28 per cent, while the Nifty went up by 35.5 points or 0.15 per cent. The Nifty Bank index, in particular, stood out with its largest weekly gain of 2024, surging by more than three per cent.

Tobi Bamtefa, known for his role as Bunny in Paramount+’s original series Mayor of Kingstown, recently talked of his character’s growth and potential future. Reflecting on Bunny’s journey, Bamtefa highlighted the complexity and development of Bunny as a persona over the series. He expressed a desire for Bunny to continue evolving and facing new challenges as the show progresses into Season 4 and beyond.

price stabilisation and it expects retail prices to ease with the progress of monsoon over most parts of the country. According to data compiled by the department of consumer affairs, the all-India average onion retail prices stood at Rs 38.67 per kg on Friday, while the modal price was Rs 40 per kg. Till June 20th, the Centre has procured 70,987 tonnes of onion, as against 74,071 tonnes procured in the same period last year, a senior official in the department of consumer affairs said. «The pace of onion procurement for price stabilisation buffer this year is largely comparable with last year, despite about 20 per cent decline in estimated rabi production,» the official said, adding that the government is on course to achieve targeted procurement of 5 lakh tonnes for price stabilisation.

Elon Musk has clarified his previous comments at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, addressing concerns about his remarks aimed at advertisers leaving his X social media platform. Musk explained that his comment was meant as a general point on free speech rather than a direct attack on advertisers.

Dell has implemented a color-coded system to monitor office attendance and ensure compliance with its policies. Despite the restrictions on career progression, about 50 per cent of Dell's workforce has opted for the full-time remote option.

Bandhan Bank, which finished with a gain of 7.6%, while IDFC Bank also ended the week with a 7.10% gain.Also Read: HDFC Bank shares snap a 7-day winning streak; time to book profit?Heavyweights including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and IndusInd Bank all concluded the week with gains ranging between 1.50% and 4.8%. Additionally, Federal Bank ended the week with a gain of 2.5%.Analysts attributed the strong rebound in shares of private banks to robust foreign portfolio investor (FPI) inflows during the week, coupled with profit booking in sectors like auto and FMCG, which had experienced substantial gains in recent weeks."The domestic market witnessed minor profit booking amid concerns over the slow progress of the monsoon, resulting in underperformance in the FMCG sector.

"Banyan," could feature a superior version available for a monthly fee of around $5."Banyan," named after the expansive ficus trees, represents the first major update to the voice assistant since its 2014 launch alongside the Echo speaker line, adds the report. The new iteration, dubbed "Remarkable Alexa," is expected to significantly enhance the assistant's capabilities.

heatwave to severe heatwave conditions have recently affected parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, and isolated areas of Uttarakhand and East Uttar Pradesh. Delhi and many parts of West Uttar Pradesh, as well as some parts of Punjab, have also experienced heatwave conditions, with temperatures soaring between 43-45°C. These temperatures were significantly above normal by 4-7°C in many parts of Northwest and East India, and north Madhya Pradesh. Warm night conditions were noted in isolated pockets of East Madhya Pradesh and North Rajasthan. The highest temperature recorded was 45.1°C in Kanpur (east Uttar Pradesh) on Wednesday.

“We expect the NDA government to sustain focus on capex-led growth around PLI, Roads, Ports, Aviation, Defence, Railways, and Green energy, given a 20 bps lower fiscal deficit in FY24 (Than RE), normal monsoons, and Rs 2.1 lakh crore dividend from RBI,” says Amnish Aggarwal, Director — Institutional Research, Prabhudas Lilladher. In an interview with ETMarkets, Aggarwal said: “We believe a progressive budget, normal monsoons, and strong inflows will further re-rate markets,” Edited excerpts:

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son said on Friday that the group's mission was to help in humanity's progress by realising artificial super intelligence, which he said would exceed human capabilities by a factor of 10,000. «SoftBank Group has done many things until now that have all been a warm up for my great dream to realise artificial intelligence,» Son told shareholders at the group's annual general meeting.

a government plan to overhaul the country’s public broadcasting services, a move that critics say would result in the government taking full control of the media. The coalition government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico agreed on the measure on April 24. Fico, who is recovering at home from multiple wounds he suffered in an assassination attempt on May 15, said that the changes are needed, because the services are politically biased and “in conflict with the Slovak government." Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital, Bratislava, in protest rallies organized by the major opposition Progressive Slovakia party and others against the plan, which has been widely criticized by local journalists, the opposition, international media organizations and the European Union.

MUMBAI : With the Union Budget expected in the second half of July, mutual fund executives are hoping for measures in four key areas that can boost their sector and invigorate the economy. From 1 April 2023, debt mutual funds have not got the benefit of indexation on long-term capital gains. Such gains are taxed at the slab rate of the investor.

Tata Communications on Thursday announced that it had secured its first sustainability-linked loan of $250 million from ANZ, DBS Bank and Export Development Canada. The three lenders are set to jointly finance the five-year loan, with ANZ taking point as the lead sustainability coordinator. «The transaction is the first SLL for Tata Communications under the company’s new SLL framework. Through the framework, a first of its kind in the sector in India, Tata Communications intends to link its funding with key objectives such as carbon emission reduction targets (non-financial covenants) that are core and material for the company’s long-term sustainability performance,» the Indian communications company said in a release. Tata's $250 million loan is linked to its progress on its carbon emission reduction, with the interest rate margin of the loan set to be adjusted based on these targets and the company's performance.

Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs). In the 2021-22 budget, the government announced plans to monetize potential core assets of the central government and PSEs. The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), developed by Niti Aayog in consultation with concerned ministries, aims to monetize assets over a four-year period starting from FY22, with assets tottaling Rs 6 lakh crore earmarked for monetization.

OpenAI's co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said on Wednesday that he was starting a new artificial intelligence company. The company is focused on creating a safe AI environment at a time when some of the biggest tech companies are looking to dominate the generative AI boom.