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Power shifts in China were always high on intrigue, but its foreign ministry has developed what looks distinctly like cloak-and-dagger characteristics. The country’s December-appointed foreign minister Qin Gang first vanished from public view.

₹1,665 crore in the June quarter, primarily driven by motorcycle sales in the domestic market, which managed to offset the impact of challenging conditions in the export markets. The firm posted domestic volume growth of 73% from a year ago in April-June, while exports fell 35%. Overall sales rose 10% over a year earlier.

₹10.2 trillion bad loans, showed data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In its Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India in December, RBI said the reduction in non-performing assets of state-owned banks in FY22 was primarily due to loans being written off. However, industry officials said that while written-off assets present opportunities, they are likely to adopt a pick-and-choose approach for technical write-offs, or loans where banks are still actively seeking recovery avenues.

Unilever global chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly said it can see reason for positivity in India, including recovery in villages over the past quarter, while signalling possible price cuts in the core categories of soaps and detergents to accelerate growth. «The market in India continues to grow in value, and volumes are also now recovering with rural volumes moderately positive over the last three months,» Pitkethly told analysts during first-quarter earnings call at the parent of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), India's biggest consumer goods company.

jobs increased, official data released on Tuesday showed. New subscriptions to the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme declined 1% sequentially in May, while the Employees' State Insurance Corporation, which applies to smaller establishments and less remunerative jobs, showed 11% rise in new subscribers month on month.

By Lucia Mutikani

The S&P 500 appears set to rise for its fifth consecutive month, and that's exciting news. Looking back at the last 28 times this happened, it performed remarkably well:

airlines stocks tumbled on Tuesday as investors were spooked by downbeat forecasts from Alaska Air Group and a warning on jet engines by aerospace giant RTX. Investors have been on the guard after U.S. inflation data in July showed a third consecutive monthly decline in fares, with prices dropping at their fastest pace since February 2021.

Kumkum star took to Instagram with a lengthy note on Monday, calling out the ‘inappropriate’ film for its seemingly adult themes. The well known TV actor said that she had walked out of the theatre within mere minutes after going to watch the movie with her 10-year-old daughter. While Parmar acknowledged that she had not noticed the film was rated PG-13, she added that "the language and content is inappropriate even for children 13 and above".

Nifty ended below 19,700 levels after inching very close to 20,000 levels last week. Sectorally, PSU Bank pack emerged as the top laggard. From the Nifty pack, top gainers in a range-bound trade were stocks like Hindalco, Tata Steel, JSW Steel and UltraTech Cement.

Christopher Nolan has directed a biopic on the physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer to worldwide acclaim. Oppenheimer led the famous Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb during World War II, though he was later hounded for his political views.

My previous column (bit.ly/3O1XGqi) had presented empirical evidence on the political business cycle to show how economic life vibrates to the rhythms and rituals of politics. That policymaking is influenced by the forces of realpolitik is clear. To truly understand this, we require a model of the political economy where policy takes shape.

Nifty was under pressure for the third day in a row and moved sideways throughout the session, finishing with small gains at 19,681 levels. Auto stocks were also in the spotlight, thanks to good results from TVS, Bajaj Auto, and Tata motors. Profit booking occurred on the Nifty as a result of mixed corporate earnings and poor global indications.

A head constable of Border Security Force, caught sexually assaulting a woman on camera inside a grocery store in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, has been suspended by the paramilitary force, news agency PTI reported. The alleged molestation footage from a CCTV camera inside a grocery store in the Imphal West district, shared widely on social media, showed a man in uniform and carrying an INSAS rifle - later identified as Head Constable Satish Prasad --groping the woman. A case has been filed against Prasad.

Home Minister Amit Shah has written to the leaders of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over the Parliament impasse, seeking cooperation to discuss the Manipur issue. In his letter to Opposition leaders of both houses, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Lok Sabha and Mallikarjun Kharge of Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah said that the government is ready for discussion on the Manipur issue for as long as they want.

Bajaj Auto reported better-than-expected earnings in the quarter ended June led by robust sales of motorcycles and commercial vehicles in the domestic market, a healthy model mix and better exchange realisation. Net profit at the Pune-based company rose 42% over the corresponding period last year while revenue from operations touched a record high of 29% over the year ago period. Profit after tax at the firm increased to Rs1165 crore over Rs1173 crore in the same period last year while revenue from operations advanced Rs10,310 crore from Rs8005 crore, the company said in a filing to the stock exchanges.

pharmaceutical exports this fiscal year are set to grow nearly twice as fast as last year to hit sales of $27 billion, driven by strong U.S. buying, a government-backed trade body told Reuters, despite deaths linked to Indian-made cough syrups. The robust forecast comes against the backdrop of earlier concerns from the government that last year's deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, which the World Health Organization (WHO) linked to drugs made in India, had «adversely impacted the image of India's pharmaceutical products across the globe». Two other cough syrups made in India killed 19 children in Uzbekistan around December, according to the Uzbekistan government. India is the world's third largest maker of drugs by volume after the United States and China, and senior pharma trade official Udaya Bhaskar said the country was too big a player for buyers to move away because of «these aberrations» in Gambia and Uzbekistan. «As far as the Gambia and Uzbekistan incidents are concerned, if you see in terms of the image of the country, there is a dent,» Bhaskar, director general of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), told Reuters on Tuesday.

Dave Chappelle has announced the dates for his stand-up comedy tour this fall. Chicago and New York are two of the major cities in his 12-city tour in the US. He will present his stand-up act in the ‘Dave Chappelle Live’ tour on October 4, 2023, at the United Center in Chicago.

Gladiators' beloved Jet, Diane Youdale, has taken a significant step in her love life, marrying her fiancée Zoe Gilbert in a discreet and hushed ceremony. The 53-year-old TV legend, who captured hearts in the 90s show, shared the news of her nuptials, revealing that the wedding took place last week, culminating their year-and-a-half-long courtship. In an interview with Closer magazine, Diane joyfully exclaimed, «We're married! We kept it very, very quiet.» Only a select few were privy to the happy occasion, with a mere nine individuals knowing about the couple's special day.

By Fergal Smith

₹6,445 per bbl, having swung between ₹6,416 and ₹6,475 per bbl during the session so far, against a previous close of ₹6,461 per barrel. The crude benchmarks have already chalked up four weekly gains in a row, with supplies expected to tighten due to output cuts from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies. Earlier-loading Brent contracts are selling above later loadings, a price structure known as backwardation indicating traders see tight supply, with the six-month spread near a two-and-a-half month high.