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Crisil's chief executive Amish Mehta said that the rating firm's work depends on the findings of the auditor, who has greater access to information and the disclosures made by rated companies. Speaking to ET, he also pointed out, without naming any borrower, that a sharp stock price movement does not mean they have to put out statements on the rated issue, but if a 'material event' is triggered, Crisil has consistently issued statements in seven days. Edited excerpts: What are the additional steps Crisil has taken to ensure the data provided by rated companies are genuine and authentic? First and foremost, we are not forensic accountants. The way we carry out our business is, we have a contractual arrangement with the issuer to rate based on the information they have furnished to us, which is essentially audited, and management interaction. Separately, we try to triangulate that with publicly available information, benchmarks with peers, talk to bankers, and look at GST data.

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, has taken a bizarre turn. A Santa Fe doctor has come forward with a shocking claim that Arakawa called his clinic a full 24 hours after authorities claimed she had died—throwing the official timeline into question and adding another layer of mystery to the unfolding saga. Dr. Josiah Child, a physician at Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, has contradicted the medical examiner’s report, which stated that 65-year-old Arakawa died on February 11 from hantavirus, a rare respiratory disease transmitted by rodents. But according to Dr. Child, she was very much alive the next morning. “She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors,” Dr. Child revealed. “She was supposed to come in that afternoon for an appointment. But she never showed up.”

China's State Council unveiled on Sunday a 'special action plan' to boost domestic consumption, featuring measures including raising residents' income and setting up a childcare subsidy scheme. The plan comes as levels of consumer demand have suffered various setbacks in recent years, due to factors like COVID-19 disruptions and a long property slump, chilling the propensity of households to spend and adding to deflationary trends. Expanding domestic demand It was issued to all regions and departments to «vigorously boost consumption, expand domestic demand in all directions, improve consumption capacity by increasing income and reducing burdens,» a report from the Council said. The plan comes a week after Chinese Premier Li Qiang's work report to the National People's Congress which focused on boosting household spending to cushion the impact of weak external demand. Pressure has been building on Chinese officials for consumer-focused stimulus measures to fend off deflationary pressures and reduce reliance on exports and investment.

CBI court has set a fresh eight-day deadline for the accused, booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the IRCTC hotels case, to conclude their counter arguments on framing of charges against them. Last month, the court had set a six-day deadline to conclude arguments on framing of charges against former Union railways minister Lalu Prasad, wife Rabri Devi, son and Bihar's former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and others booked by CBI in the IRCTC hotels case. However, the same could not be concluded.

The popular HBO series, known for its intricate storytelling and dynamic characters, has captured audiences once again as the new ensemble navigates tensions and revelations against the backdrop of luxury and danger.

US stock market and Wall Street investors look for hints about further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts that could restore some calm to S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq Composite, as per a report. A weeks-long slide in stocks accelerated in recent days with the benchmark S&P 500 on Thursday confirming it was in a correction, ending down over 10 per cent from its February 19 record high. While stocks ended the week on a positive note, with the S&P 500 rebounding sharply on Friday, the decline had wiped off more than $4 trillion in market value, with some of Wall Street's highest fliers such as Nvidia and Tesla getting pummeled, Reuters reported. Some prominent strategists have become more downbeat on the outlook for the economy and for U.S. stocks. Goldman Sachs dropped its 2025 year-end target for the S&P 500 to 6,200 from 6,500, while Yardeni Research lowered its «best-case» target for the index to 6,400 from 7,000. The S&P 500 ended on Friday at 5,638.94, as per the report on Reuters. Volatility has been rising with the Cboe Volatility index this week hitting its highest level since August before receding somewhat. Tariff news is still likely to be at the forefront for markets in the coming week, with analysts saying the levies could bite into corporate profits and drive up consumer prices.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India's electrification push in public transportation is slowing, with electric bus sales in FY25 set to show only a nominal increase compared with the year before. Electric bus sales have failed to make significant inroads into the tradition diesel-powered bus market over the past few years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. URUMQI, China—About a decade ago, some Western companies answered Beijing’s calls to invest in Xinjiang, an underdeveloped region in the country’s remote west. Some were drawn by the natural resources there.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bengaluru: On 16 January, Refex Industries Ltd, a manufacturer of refrigerant gases, informed the stock exchanges that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Refex Green Mobility, had agreed to buy 2,997 electric cars from Gensol Engineering Ltd. Refex Green Mobility would take over Gensol’s existing loan of ₹315 crore as part of this transaction.

Gold Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) investors will continue to be the key drivers of gold demand in 2025, as per a report. Geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties are expected to push gold prices higher, while central banks' actions will play a significant role in shaping the precious metal market, IANS reported. According to the Motilal Oswal Private Wealth report, gold emerged as one of the top-performing asset classes in India in 2024, with a remarkable 21 per cent return year-on-year (YoY). While high prices affected jewellery demand, the investment demand for physical gold, especially bars and coins, remained strong. Motilal Oswal reports that although the demand was subdued in 2024 due to high prices, it was expected to recover gradually in mid-January, driven by wedding season purchases. However, price stability will remain a key factor in this recovery.

Zydus Pharmaceuticals are recalling products in the US market due to manufacturing issues, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). The New Jersey-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc is recalling 9,840 bottles of Morphine Sulfate extended-release tablets for «Failed Dissolution Specifications», the US health regulator stated in its latest Enforcement Report. The company initiated the Class II nationwide (US) recall on February 6, 2025. USFDA stated that Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc is recalling a lot of Nelarabine Injection, used in the treatment of certain cancers, in the US.

India and New Zealand on Sunday announced resumption of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement to boost economic ties. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010 to boost trade in goods, services, and investment. However, after nine rounds of discussions, the talks stalled in 2015. «The two nations are pleased to announce the launch of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations,» the commerce ministry said. The announcement was made after the meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay, New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment. Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon is here on a four-day visit from March 16. «The India-New Zealand FTA negotiations aim to achieve balanced outcomes that enhance supply chain integration and improve market access,» it said.

Bhagwant Mann would complete his five-year term as the chief minister of Punjab, trashing opposition parties' claims that he would be removed from the post. However, Kejriwal also said drugs and corruption were the biggest problems in Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under Mann has been in power for the last three years. Kejriwal and Mann offered prayers at the Golden Temple on the completion of three years of the party's government in the state on Sunday. Kejriwal, the former Delhi chief minister, arrived in Amritsar on Saturday after completing a 10-day Vipassana meditation session in Punjab's Hoshiarpur. During the Golden Temple visit, Kejriwal was accompanied by his wife Sunita Kejriwal, and AAP leaders, including minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the government in Punjab in 2022 after winning 92 of the total 117 assembly seats.

Barron Trump, the youngest son of Donald Trump and Melania Trump, proved crucial to US President's 2024 election campaign, offering insight to the Republican nominee to gain the youth vote. He notably suggested podcast media appearances for his father and helped him with his stage presence and manners, although the two are said to have had quite an interesting relationship. The forthcoming book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power by Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt reveals how co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita dedicated extensive efforts to securing Trump's strong debate performance. ALSO READ: 'The hardest thing has been...': NASA's Sunita Williams reveals what she’ll miss about space after returning to Earth

fifth most polluted country, and demanded that all «anti-people» environmental law amendments over the past 10 years be rolled back. In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Swiss air quality technology company IQAIR has just released its 2024 World Air Quality Report which finds that India is the world's fifth most polluted country. The Rajya Sabha MP said in his statement that according to the report, India's population-weighted average concentration of fine particulate matter is 50.6 g/m3 which is 10 times the WHO's annual guideline level of 5 g/m3. He claimed that according to the report, 74 of the world's 100 most polluted cities are in India, and national capital New Delhi is the second-most polluted city in the world after Brynihat in Meghalaya. «Among the lesser-known tragedies of the non-biological PM's reign is the rapidly deteriorating air quality nationally and the inattentiveness and policy chaos that has characterised the government's response to it,» he said in his statement. Ramesh cited several studies in the past about air pollution-linked fatalities in the country.

Catch all PM Modi Podcast Live Updates here Reportedly, Lex Fridman, known for his long-form discussions, prepared for the interview by fasting for 48 to 72 hours, as he noted that Prime Minister Modi observes multi-day fasts.Fridman had announced the interview with PM Modi on January 19, saying he planned to visit India for the first time.Narendra Modi's conversation with Lex Fridman marks the second time that the Indian PM has appeared in podcasts, since his last appearance with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.PM Modi Podcast Live: Lex Fridman and PM Modi's podcast is likely to be released around 5:30 pm IST, Sunday, March 16.PM Modi Podcast Live Updates: PM Modi said Fridman and he discussed about a wide range of topics, including his childhood, years in the Himalayas, and the PM's journey in public life.PM Modi Podcast Live Updates: Lex Fridman is a US podcaster and a computer scientist, who has previously done interviews with several notable politicians and leaders, including Ukraine President Zelensky and others.PM Modi Podcast Live:PM Modi last appeared in Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath's podcast.PM Modi Podcast Live: PM Modi wrote that his conversation with Lex Fridman was indeed a fascinating one, “covering diverse topics including reminiscing about my childhood, the years in the Himalayas and the journey in public life."

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Less than two months after LTIMindtree Ltd named Venu Lambu as its chief executive-designate, Nachiket Deshpande, the company’s chief operating officer who was a frontrunner in the CEO race, has stepped down from his role. Deshpande, who joined India’s sixth-largest information technology (IT) services company in November 2022 after the merger of Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI) and Mindtree, will be take charge as LTIMindtree’s president of global AI services, strategic deals and partnerships, Lambu said in a letter to associates, which Mint has seen.

Xi Jinping has declined an invitation to visit Brussels for an summit to mark the 50th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic ties, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Beijing told EU officials that Premier Li Qiang would meet the presidents of the European Council and Commission instead of Xi, the FT said, citing two people familiar with the matter whom it did not identify. The Chinese premier usually attends the summit when it is held in Brussels, while the president hosts it in Beijing, but the EU wants Xi to attend to commemorate half a century of relations between Beijing and the bloc, the newspaper said. Tensions between Brussels and Beijing have grown since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the EU accusing China of backing the Kremlin, the FT said. Last year, the European Union also imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. «Informal discussions are ongoing, both about setting the date for the EU-China summit this year and the level of representation,» an EU official told the newspaper, while the Chinese ministry was quoted as saying it did not have any information to provide on the matter.

Dominican Republic beach where she disappeared more than a week ago. The items, a white netted sarong draped over a lounge chair and beige flip-flops covered in sand, closely match the outfit Konanki was seen wearing in surveillance footage the night of her disappearance. Investigators have noted that the clothing appeared undisturbed.

Nairobi international airport's departures area. They huddle for selfies in matching T-shirts, discussing how they'll spend the money from their new jobs in Saudi Arabia. Lured by company recruiters and encouraged by Kenya's government, the women have reason for optimism. Spend two years in Saudi Arabia as a housekeeper or nanny, the pitch goes, and you can earn enough to build a house, educate your children and save for the future. While the departure terminal hums with anticipation, the arrivals area is where hope meets grim reality. Hollow-cheeked women return, often ground down by unpaid wages, beatings, starvation and sexual assault. Some are broke. Others are in coffins. At least 274 Kenyan workers, mostly women, have died in Saudi Arabia in the past five years — an extraordinary figure for a young workforce doing jobs that, in most countries, are considered extremely safe. At least 55 Kenyan workers died last year, twice as many as the previous year. Autopsy reports are vague and contradictory. They describe women with evidence of trauma, including burns and electric shocks, all labeled natural deaths. One woman's cause of death was simply «brain dead.» An untold number of Ugandans have died, too, but their government releases no data.