CATEGORIES

MFI portfolio declines, bad assets spike in Sep quarter

Microlending outstanding in the system reduced 4.3% to ₹4.14 lakh crore in the September quarter as lenders adopted a cautious stance amid deteriorating asset quality, a report said on Wednesday.

BP Wins Bid to Operate ONGC's Mumbai High Fields

UK's BP Plc won a bid for ONGC's giant Mumbai High oil and gas field, offering to raise crude oil production by 44% and natural gas by a staggering 89% over a 10-year period, potentially changing the fortunes of the vintage field.

Govt To Simplify Decades-Old Income Tax Filing Rules In Budget

India's government plans to simplify its income tax filing rules to make it less tedious for taxpayers to comply with the law and help cut down on disputes that have ballooned to more than $120 billion over the past decade.

Vedanta chairman acquires London's Riverside studio

The founder and chairman of Vedanta Group Anil Agarwal is the new owner of the iconic Riverside Studio in London, announced a press release on Wednesday.

GDP growth likely to be 6.3% in FY25: SBI report

The GDP growth is expected to be about 6.3% in the current fiscal year, a tad lower than the government's estimates of 6.4%, owing to several factors such as weak demand, SBI research report said on Wednesday.

India Must Get Into Frontier Work in AI, Says Nadella

India currently relies on AI engines or foundational models from OpenAI, Google

All hell will break out if hostages are not freed: Trump to Hamas

US President-elect Donald Trump has warned that \"all hell will break out in the Middle East\" if the hostages being held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day.

Thousands flee as wildfires sweep through Los Angeles

More than 30,000 people evacuated their homes as a wildfire tore through a coastal area of Los Angeles in just a few hours, and a second blaze some 50 kilometers inland was rapidly spreading on Wednesday.

Dangerous times ahead after Meta ends US fact-checking

Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa warned on Wednesday of \"extremely dangerous times ahead\" in an interview with AFP after social media giant Meta ended its US fact-checking programme on Facebook and Instagram.

S Korea's Yoon faces new arrest attempt in fortified compound

South Korea's impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol faces a new and potentially more robust attempt to arrest him for insurrection after a top investigator vowed to do whatever it takes to break a security blockade and take in the impeached leader.

Altman Denies Sister's Sexual Abuse Accusations

Open AI CEO Sam Altman denied on Tuesday allegations from his sister Annie Altman, who has filed a complaint accusing him of childhood sexual abuse.

Trudeau rejects Trump's call for Canada-US merger

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has, for the first time, publicly rebuffed US President-elect Donald Trump's assertion that it should become America's 51st state.

18 Govt Officials Among 40 Summoned by SIT

The Bombay high court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged manipulation of property records to convert coastal regulation zone (CRZ) and no development zone (NDZ) land into developable plots in the Madh area in Malad West has summoned over 40 people including 18 government officials and home-owners.

Rekindle the animal spirits

Creating mass demand, leading to a boom in investment, is necessary; encouraging consuming classes to spend will help

Expansionist twist in Trump's MAGA pitch

Make America Great Again (MAGA) always had a revanchist ring to it, but its face and voice, Donald Trump has just revealed that territorial expansion is a part of its agenda.

Draft Data Protection Rules Can Be Improved

Issues around overbreadth, clarity, and discretionary power being placed in the hands of State agencies call for wider discussion

Post 370 Kashmir has no place for UN office

Recent strikes by Pakistan Air Force in Afghanistan, the last was on Christmas Eve, are a grandchild of the Cold War triggered by American diplomat George Kennan's 8,000-word telegram from Moscow in 1946 that was realpolitik in its most clinical form; he scorned democracy and saw no American interest in defending American values far from home.

How Indian Diaspora Can Contribute to Viksit Bharat

This year, Odisha is hosting the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Over the years, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has enhanced not only the Indian diaspora's participation in the event but also their sense of community, pride, and purpose among millions of non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Env ministry eases afforestation process for the coal blocks

EXPERTS HAVE SAID RAISING PLANTATIONS ON DEGRADED FOREST LAND DOES NOT COMPENSATE FOR LOSS OF FORESTS

HC Upholds SC Student's Access to Scholarship

The Bombay high court on Monday upheld the eligibility of a Scheduled Caste (SC) student for a scholarship to study in the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU).

Restore 4 Bhiwandi wetlands that are dumps: NGT to Thane collector

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Thane collectorate to clean up four wetlands in Anjur Dive village in Bhiwandi, which were turned into a dumping ground over the last one year.

3 School Students Among 4 Killed in Road Accident in Jharkhand: Cops

Officials Said the Students Were on Their Way to School Despite a Govt Order Directing Schools to be Shut in View of the Severe Cold

Lapses in security under lens after strike by insurgents

A number of security lapses, ranging from inadequate combing operations to breach of norms, may have led to the killing of nine people in an IED blast by Maoists in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, officers aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Parl Panel On Simultaneous Polls Holds Its First Meeting

The parliamentary panel constituted to scrutinise the two bills on simultaneous elections held its first meeting on Wednesday.

Jammu-Kashmir train aims to tackle sub-zero temps

The tailor-made Vande Bharat Express, which will be the first ever train to link Jammu with Kashmir, is ready and has been brought to Delhi, said officials aware of the matter.

Data localisation only for specific purposes

The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules will take a targeted approach to data localisation, affecting only specific categories of personal data and for specific purposes, information technology (IT) secretary S Krishnan said, adding that there are no easy solutions to verifying children's age online.

Formula E Race Case: Senior IAS Officer Appears Before ACB

Senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar, one of the accused in the first information report (FIR) registered in Formula E race case, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

IED Was Likely Planted a Month Before Detonation

The high-intensity IED (improvised explosive device) used by Maoists in an attack in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, in which eight police personnel and a civilian driver were killed, was likely planted at least a month before the incident, officials aware of the matter said, adding that Bijapur continues to be a hot spot for Left-wing extremism (LWE), with IEDs planted by the Maoists being recovered frequently.

Tech solutions can help verify kids' age: Minister

IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that the country has technological solutions to verify children's age online, leveraging its digital infrastructure to implement the new draft data protection rules' parental consent requirements even as he conceded that verifiable parental consent is a global problem.

Will Reclaim Land Taken Under Pretext of Waqf

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the state government will reclaim every inch of land that has been taken under the pretext of waqf.