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Joana Cotar, a member of the German Bundestag, federal parliament, on Thursday, slammed the government’s recent mass Bitcoin sell-off, calling it “not sensible” and “counterproductive.”

TUECO, a joint venture of UJVN Limited and THDC India Limited, to set up a coal-based thermal power plant in Uttarakhand, according to an official statement. The Central Electricity Authority had previously recommended the supply of coal to Uttarakhand for the purpose of generating 1,320 MW of thermal power under the SHAKTI policy. While requesting the central government for allocation of coal in April 2024 under the Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India (SHAKTI) policy, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said the state government was willing to set up a coal-based thermal power plant in the state. The central government has given in-principle consent to the establishment of thermal power plant through THDCIL-UJVNL Energy Company Limited (TUECO), an official release here said.

Times of India.This is being considered despite the attractive returns for those who remain invested for 25-30 years, especially for those recruited after 2004, said the report.The NDA government’s move is likely to address the concerns of central government employees about the pension.A panel led by Finance Secretary TV Somanathan has gauged the impact of providing an assured return. The committee, which was formed following an announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has also reviewed global practices and the adjustments implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government, according to the report.“There is growing acknowledgement within the govt of offering a 50 per cent guarantee" and in case of any shortfall, the government will fill the gap, the report added.The Somanathan panel’s recommendations came amid concerns over the pension system for central government employees.The government pension system operates without funding as the Centre does not have a retirement fund.In the Budget 2024, it is anticipated that the NDA government will create a retirement fund.The National Pension System is a voluntary, long-term retirement savings scheme.

food services sector is expected to be worth Rs 7.76 lakh crore by 2028 up from Rs 5.7 lakh crore currently, as per a new food services report released Tuesday by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). As per the India Food Services Report 2024 released by NRAI, the growth of the sector at a CAGR of 8.1% over the next four years will beat the overall GDP growth estimates forecast by RBI. RBI estimates real GDP growth of India at 6.7% in 2024-2025 and 6.5% in 2025-2026. The size of the sector was Rs 4.23 lakh crore in 2019 as per the report and will grow to Rs 6.12 lakh crore in 2025. It is the third largest industry after retail and insurance and will employ about one crore people in the next four years, up from 85.5 lakh currently.

After the SEC took the pivotal first step of approving spot-price Ether ETFs for listing on exchanges, it’s now a matter of when, not if, the crypto fund products will be brought to market. But a new report from Cerulli suggests demand for Ether ETFs, particularly among advisors, is still likely to be disappointed.

Jagannath temple, has decided to recommend the Odisha government to reopen the inner chamber of the treasury on July 14, a panel member said on Tuesday. The decision was taken during a meeting of committee members in Puri. «We have unanimously decided that the committee would request the government to reopen the inner chamber of the 'Ratna Bhandar' on July 14,» said Justice Biswanath Rath, who is the chairman of the panel. The treasury was last opened 46 years ago in 1978.

Opposition BJP demanded a reply from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his wife accepting 14 expensive plots in an upscale locality in Mysuru in return for the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) taking over 3 acre 16 guntas of her land in a village on the city outskirts. Opposition leader R Ashoka, who led protests earlier in the day, accused the CM’s family of accepting pricey plots measuring 38,824 sq. ft in Mysuru, and sought to know from the CM if it was not an act of corruption. He also demanded an answer from the CM as to why his close friend, urban development minister Byrathi Suresh did not act on 15 letters written by the Mysuru deputy commissioner recommending cancellation of plots MUDA allotted to beneficiaries on a 50:50 ratio basis. He wondered how these plots came to be allotted without sanctions from the government. The CM, in a post on X, said he did not accept the MUDA plots when he was in power. The previous BJP regime formulated the land compensation scheme on a 50:50 ratio basis and allotted the plot in a lawful manner. What is wrong with this?, he said.

Birla group firm Kesoram Industries on Tuesday said it remains committed to its loss-making subsidiary, Cygnet Industries Ltd, and will seriously engage in dialogue with its Japanese technical partner, Futamura, as a strategic investor after the demerger of its cement business is completed, a company official said. He was speaking to reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Kesoram's 105th AGM, bustling as usual with shareholders and schoolgirls from Ashok Hall Group attending the meeting, but missing Manjushree Khaitan. She died on May 16. The AGM was chaired by Satish Narain Jajoo, who was elected chairman after the demise of the Birla scion last month. «There is no plan to hive off Cygnet. We are currently focused on the demerger process of the cement business, which is expected by December this year. We continue to believe that Cygnet, which has innovative packaging products in its kitty, can turn around,» Kesoram Industries' whole-time director and CEO, P. Radhakrishnan said.

In its report submitted with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the committee has suggested raising the turnover limit to Rs 75 crore in any of the past three years to maintain and audit cost records. Currently, these turnover limits are fixed at Rs 25 crore for companies in six regulated sectors and at Rs 35 crore for those in 33 unregulated sectors for mandatory cost audits. Moreover, all these companies with a turnover of `35 crore or more are currently required to maintain cost accounts.

index heavyweight HDFC Bank following a likely increase in its MSCI weightage. Sensex jumped over 570 points to cross the 80,000 level for the first time ever. The 50-componenet Nifty was on the verge of breaking above the 24,300 mark.

First Abu Dhabi Bank on Thursday clarified that it was not evaluating any possible offer for a stake in Indian private lender Yes Bank, as per news agency Reuters. The Middle Eastern lender was apparently among those evaluating a $5 billion stake in Yes Bank for around 51 per cent, news agency Bloomberg reported on Wednesday citing sources. The other suitors included Japan-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. Following this news, shares of Yes Bank jumped as much as 8.5 per cent. The stock has climbed around 25 per cent this year so far. State Bank of India has reduced its stake in Yes Bank, which it rescued four years ago from a crisis of bad loans. Despite the reduction, SBI remains the largest shareholder with a 24 per cent stake. The impending end of SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara’s tenure in August could potentially delay any deals involving Yes Bank. A government-appointed panel has recommended Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as his successor.

HIV infection. The trial tested whether the six-month injection of lenacapavir would provide better protection against HIV infection than two other drugs, both daily pills. All three medications are pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs. Physician-scientist Linda-Gail Bekker, principal investigator for the South African part of the study, tells Nadine Dreyer what makes this breakthough so significant and what to expect next.

Stocks that were in focus include names like YES Bank, which rose 0.34%, DMart, which gained 0.5%, and L&T, whose shares declined 0.32% on Wednesday.

Also read: Understanding metabolic syndrome, which affects 1 in 3 Indians In 2002, WHI released preliminary findings from a study undertaken to determine whether HRT protected women from heart disease and whether it increased the risk of breast cancer. The findings indicated that combined oestrogen and progestogen therapy showed elevated risks of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots among the participating women, and the study was halted. Later, meta-studies and clarifications repudiated many of the WHI findings, but a culture of over-cautiousness had set in—and continues to be an influential factor in the clinical treatment of menopause.

Nirmala Sitharaman has wrapped up consultations with industry and social sector representatives ahead of presenting her seventh Union Budget on July 23, the Finance Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The pre-budget consultations for Union Budget 2024-25 began on June 19 and concluded on July 5, 2024, the ministry said. This marks the first full budget of Modi 3.0, aimed at charting the course for a developed India by 2047.

title deeds of the plots on which their apartments stand be transferred to their association by executing a registered conveyance deed. This move comes in response to the alleged reluctance of many builders in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka to comply with this legal requirement, allowing some promoters to mortgage the land or initiate new construction projects even years after the apartments have been sold. According to Sections 11 and 17 of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act, promoters or builders are mandated to execute a registered conveyance deed of the undivided proportionate title in common areas to the association of allottees within three months of obtaining the occupation certificate or the completion certificate. Despite this legal obligation, many builders have failed to comply, leaving apartment owners in a precarious position regarding their ownership rights. This issue was a focal point during a session organized by the Bangalore City Flat Owners’ Association (BCFOWA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about the ownership, management, and maintenance of apartments and properties. Over 30 members from various apartment associations attended the session, highlighting the widespread concern among flat owners.

A monthly SIP of Rs 10,000 in ICICI Prudential BSE Sensex ETF since its inception would have been Rs 1.55 crore now. The scheme was launched in January 2003 and has given an XIRR of 14.62% since inception.

Stocks that were in focus include names like KIMS, which rose 3%, Nykaa, which gained 0.11%, and M&M, whose shares declined 6.69% on Wednesday.

interoperability is not feasible in the Indian market as the existing STBs deployed by the distribution platform operators (DPOs) are non-interoperable, and deploying new interoperable STBs will be a costly affair, say industry experts. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), in its recent recommendations to the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), reiterated that all STBs in India must, in principle, support technical interoperability. STB interoperability is the ability to change a service provider without changing the STB. Currently, customers have to purchase a new STB every time they want to shift to a new service provider. «There are two types of interoperability: technical and commercial. Technical interoperability without commercial interoperability is not feasible because the STBs remain the property of the DPOs,» said a top official with a TV distribution company, on condition of anonymity. This is not the first time Trai has made a recommendation in favour of STB interoperability. The discussion on STB interoperability has been going on since 2010, when the regulator first floated a consultation paper on the issue. «STB interoperability is a dead horse that the regulator keeps flogging. At a time when consumers have the option of moving to internet-enabled content delivery, the regulator is talking about a legacy issue that has not been implemented to this day,» said the India head of an international content security firm.

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday claimed that the Centre bypassed the Law Commission in enacting the three new criminal laws that came into effect from July 1. The Law Commission, comprising of retired judges, legal experts, professors, and permanent legal staff, would normally hold consultations with bar council members, and advocate associations and prepare a draft to be presented in the Parliament, he said. But the Law Commission was bypassed and five or six «part-timers» were appointed for a panel, he said on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act. «The laws were not referred to the Law Commission nor was it consulted. This is wrong,» Chidambaram said while speaking at a protest organised here by the DMK advocate wing against the new laws.

Karnataka Infrastructure Minister MB Patil recently announced plans to convene a meeting soon to determine the location of Bengaluru’s proposed second airport. The decision will primarily consider two key factors: passenger load and connectivity to the existing Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The exclusivity clause with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which restricts the establishment of another airport within a 150-kilometer radius, ends in 2032. This clause will allow the potential development of a new airport by 2033. Considering the time required for land acquisition and compensation for landowners, the government has initiated the planning process early. Patil also addressed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to build an airport in Hosur, stating that it needs to be examined whether the exclusivity clause with BIAL applies to it.