The Fortune Hotel, inspired by The Traitors, has captivated audiences with its mix of strategy, suspense, and opulence. The upcoming season will see contestants continue their high-stakes game in a luxurious Caribbean resort.
Indian corporates found raising funds through offshore syndicated loans more affordable in 2024 due to increased global investor interest. The volume remained stable at $13.3 billion. HSBC emerged as the top bookrunner, followed by DBS Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank. Firms like Union Bank, JSW Steel, and Hero Fincorp have utilized this route.
Private life insurers in India have strategized to adhere to new IRDAI regulations requiring surrender value from the first year on non-participating policies. Companies like HDFC Life, ICICI Prudential Life, and SBI Life are adjusting their commission structures and product mixes to protect margins and maintain growth despite the regulatory changes.
Net issuances of the sovereign gold bonds (after factoring in redemption) are now pegged at ₹15,000 crore in this fiscal, against ₹26,138 crore in the interim budget and ₹25,352 crore in 2023-24 (revised estimate). Harish Galipelli, director at ILA Commodities India, said a growing number of retail investors are now parking their investible surplus in equities, anticipating better returns.
The hijacking of Bangladesh's student protests by the opposition BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami was speculated to originate from concerns over BNP leader Tarique Rahman's possible extradition from the UK. The Awami League government had held preliminary discussions with the UK to bring Rahman back to Bangladesh to face charges of corruption and terrorism during BNP's rule from 2001-2006. Rahman, who has been in self-exile since 2008, was reportedly involved in orchestrating plans to target political opponents and support insurgent activities.
Maria Corina Machado chose former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez to take on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. It is believed that she selected the unknown and nonpolitical diplomat for the highest office so that she could keep the real power in her hands and rule by proxy if he won the polls.
YSRCP chief, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, faced criticism from Andhra Pradesh's chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, who presented a white paper on law and order, highlighting the state's drug issues under Jagan's term. Naidu likened Jagan to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, claiming that his policies contributed to Andhra Pradesh becoming India's 'drug capital.' The document compared crime rates under Naidu's tenure (2014-19) and Jagan's administration (2019-24), accusing Jagan of political targeting and filing false cases against opponents. Читать дальше...
The Union home ministry restored the FCRA licence of the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) after it was initially denied earlier this year. The licence, approved on July 19, will be valid for five years.
The 2023–2024 report of the Duchy of Cornwall showcases the Duchy's performance as well as Prince William's salary. A trust fund belonging to Queen Mother will be given to Prince Harry. Repaying the price of the renovation has made Harry and Meghan financially independent.
Analysis by the IMF has shown that globally, including in India, productivity gains are needed to sustain the economic growth, which has been slowing down. The government clearly recognises this and has rightly placed emphasis in the budget on leveraging the emerging technology, trade agreements, labour market flexibilities. Accordingly, the budget's emphasis on next-generation reforms, focussing on land administration, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship, are hugely welcome.
Parliament's updated security protocol now restricts journalists to carrying only one pen into press galleries, citing security concerns for additional pens. Meanwhile, Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu used live TV to highlight cases against TDP MLAs during the previous YSRCP government by making affected MLAs stand up in the assembly.
The BJP is planning to highlight former President and space scientist APJ Abdul Kalam on the occasion of his death anniversary. The party's minority Morcha will kick off a nationwide campaign on July 27 to commemorate Kalam’s ninth death anniversary.
OpenAI on Thursday said it is selectively rolling out SearchGPT, an artificial intelligence-powered search engine with real time access to the information from the Internet.
While the United States has had a head start on AI development, China is catching up. In recent weeks, several Chinese companies have unveiled AI technologies that rival leading American systems. And these technologies are already in the hands of consumers, businesses and independent software developers across the globe.
Reliance Retail’s ethnic handicrafts initiative, Swadesh, has launched its first partnership with luxury designer label Falguni Shane Peacock. This collaboration, which may expand into a deeper strategic alliance, aims to enhance Swadesh's ethnic handicrafts offerings.
General Atlantic and KKR are among several private equity firms vying for a majority stake in Faridabad-based Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), valued at approximately ₹1,500 crore. Other interested parties include Growtheum Capital and Everstone Capital, while IndiaRF has withdrawn from the bidding.
Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges and near physical clashes during the budget discussion. Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi's remarks led to a confrontation with Ravneet Singh Bittu. Tensions escalated further involving Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee and parliamentary affairs minister Kiran Rijiju. Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House multiple times to restore order.
Emami Ltd considered acquiring the remaining 49.6% stake in Helios Lifestyle, which owns The Man Company brand. Emami already had a 50.4% stake after previous investments. Analysts noted The Man Company boosted Emami's earnings, becoming EBITDA positive and growing by 86% last fiscal year. Don't miss full details on Emami's potential complete acquisition and its impact on their portfolio.
A new report by Kantar reveals that the demand for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in rural India has been primarily driven by population growth rather than increased consumption. From 2004 to 2023, rural FMCG growth averaged 3.4% annually, surpassing urban growth of 2.8%.
Congress criticized the budget as an attempt by the BJP-led coalition to save itself, terming it anti-farmer and lacking crucial sector allocations. Opposition members from AAP, TMC, AIADMK, RJD, BJD, and YSRCP echoed similar grievances. BJP countered, highlighting benefits for small entrepreneurs and youth internship schemes.
The Paris Olympics 2024 is currently in full swing with the opening ceremony scheduled to begin on July 26. with the athletes already settled in their respective Olympic Village accommodations. There are a lot of room tour videos circulating on the Internet where players are showing the amenities and merchandise made available to them. However, the more interesting factors are the surprising rules in place at the Olympic Village.
The tribunal directed Vantage Point Asset Management to furnish the updated bank guarantee, which should remain valid till the implementation of the resolution plan. The resolution professional had received claims of about Rs 1,293 crore and admitted claims of about Rs 947 crore.
The merger will make HLF an NBFC, said KM Balaji, chief financial officer, Ashok Leyland. The current book value of HLF is Rs 3,200 crore-based on Ashok Leyland's holding rate of Rs 60 per share in the balance sheet but when it gets listed, it could be much higher, he said.
Hindustan Zinc is controlled by natural resources major Vedanta, whose chairman Anil Agarwal has been quite vocal about local manufacturing to cut dependence on imports.
Reliance Retail's Swadesh brand signed its first partnership with luxury designer Falguni Shane Peacock. Reliance plans to scale Swadesh with additional stores, selling ethnic handicrafts, clothing, jewellery, and home decor. The company has existing tie-ups with several prominent designers and international luxury labels. Swadesh has stores in Mumbai and Hyderabad.
