Page 135 - India

China-US superpower rivalry grows after war sweeps away multipolar world

The world order that seems to be emerging out of the Ukrainian rubble looks an awful lot like that of the Cold War

Indian plate moving 5 cm yearly, raising possibility of earthquakes: NGRI

Weather scientist warned that the Indian tectonic plate is moving about 5 cm every year, leading to accumulation of stress along the Himalayas and increasing the possibility of major seismic events

India reports 125 new Covid cases, one death; active tally rises to 1,935

India recorded 125 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 1,935, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll stands at 5,30,762 with one death reported by Chandigarh, the data updated at 8 am stated. The virus case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,85,257) while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.81 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,52,560, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.63 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Visa issue priority, people-to-people ties bedrock of India-US relations

People-to-people ties form the bedrock of the India-US relationship and addressing the visa wait time issue is critical to maintaining them, senior administration officials said here. Reducing the visa wait time is a top priority for Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nancy Jackson told Indian reporters at a roundtable organised on Tuesday by the State Department, along with the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS). "As I look at the relationship, it strikes me that people-to-people ties between our two nations are really the bedrock of what is one of our most consequential relationships in the world and that's the US-India relationship. We can't underscore that enough. So addressing the visa wait times that we've been facing is critical not only to maintaining those people-to-people ties, but to expand them," Jackson said. FIIDS has been working with the Biden Administration for the past several months

Peacekeeping missions should not exist in perpetuity: India to UN

Observing that the security landscape of the UN peacekeeping missions today is more complex, violent and riskier, India has told the United Nations that such missions should not exist in perpetuity. Exit strategies should be part of the plans from the very beginning, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj told the UN General Assembly's Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on Tuesday. "India believes that UN peacekeeping missions should not exist in perpetuity. Exit strategies should be part of the mission planning process from inception," Kamboj said at the UN headquarters in New York. Maintaining redundant missions for political expediency diverts essential resources from other crucial missions, she said, asserting, "It is high time we reviewed the need for continuing such missions." India has been at the forefront of UN peacekeeping missions for seven decades now. More than 2,60,000 Indians have worn the 'Blue Helmet' in 49 missions across t

Adani Group isn't India, but its troubles mirror the nation's woes

The target of Hindenburg Research's attack is the Adani Group, which aggressively marshaled capital from around the world into India's unmet aspirations

Trade in local currency: India may ink pacts with UAE, Nigeria, Malaysia

The move is aimed at reducing transaction costs for exporters and importers, a source said

HSBC's pre-tax profit jumps 15.04% to $1.277 bn in India for 2022

Foreign lender HSBC on Tuesday reported a 15.04 per cent jump in its pre-tax profit from operations in India at USD 1.277 billion for 2022. The bank had reported a pre-tax profit of USD 1.11 billion from its operations in India, which continues to be fourth largest contributor for group profits, in 2021. It has added 1,000 people to its India headcount in 2022, to take the total employee strength to 39,000, its biggest in any market. The bank, like many peers in the foreign lenders space, has huge back office operations in India. In a statement, the bank said it has become the largest foreign lender in the country by both advances and deposits as of March 2022. It also handles 9 per cent of traded forex and 15 per cent of foreign investor custody assets. Among its business lines, the largest segment of global banking and markets saw an uptick in profit before tax at USD 622 million in 2022 up from USD 593 million, while the commercial banking segment delivered profit before tax of

Semiconductor manufacturing to start very soon in India: IT secretary

Electronics and IT secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma on Tuesday said that the production of semiconductors in the country will start very soon. He was responding to a query around plan of action of the Ministry of Electronics and IT after state-owned company Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) raised the issue of shortage of electronic chip and printed circuit board (PCB or motherboard) hindering domestic production of electric meters. "India will be one of those top 6-7 partners which will have semiconductor manufacturing. It will happen very soon," Sharma said. Speaking at a conference on technology transfer by C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram for local manufacturing of smart meters and electric chargers, Sharma said Meity has taken lead in technology development, be it electronic or automotive sector, artificial intelligence. "We have taken a lead when it comes to the climate change initiative. One big component is the shift towards green technology, and EV is an important mission in

Private sector will propel country to a different level: Sajjan Jindal

Says public sector has failed worldwide and that he strongly advocates that govt should not do business

India's HPCL to start Barmer oil refinery and petchem complex in January

The Barmer refinery and petrochemical project will produce gasoline and gasoil for retail sales and will use naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas and kerosene as feedstock to make petrochemicals

People in S'pore, India can make faster transfers with UPI-PayNow: PM Lee

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday said the linkage between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow will allow people in the two countries to undertake faster and cost-efficient digital transfers, and exuded hope that this "strong partnership" will continue to spawn innovative technology solutions. Prime Minister Lee and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed the launch of the cross-border connectivity of real-time digital payment systems via video conferencing. "I am very happy to join you (Narendra Modi) virtually for the launch of the real-time retail payment systems linkage between Singapore's PayNow and India's UPI (Unified Payments Interface)," Lee said. The launch was attended by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon. Das and Menon carried out the first transaction of the cross-border system as well. "The PayNow-UPI linkage will offer cheape

India to see Rs 1.5 trn worth investment in data centres in next 6 years

Mumbai and Chennai have maximum landing stations, with the former being the preferred location for a data centre operator

Ed-tech company NxtWave raises $33 million to upskill Indian youth

Edtech company NxtWave on Tuesday said it has raised $33 million in its latest fundraising round, led by Greater Pacific Capital (GPC), in its bid to upskill more youth in the country.

G20 finance chiefs to discuss debt, crypto, inflation, says Indian official

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will discuss debt troubles in developing economies, crypto currencies and global inflationary pressures at a meeting later this week

Mobilisation of hospital in short time shows India's preparedness: Army Gen

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Tuesday said the force is proud of its medical team for rendering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to quake-hit Turkiye, and asserted that the mobilisation of a field hospital in short time indicates the team's operational preparedness. He said this after interacting with members of the Indian Army's medical team that has returned to the country after rendering extensive services to a large number of earthquake-hit people in Turkiye's Iskenderun region. The event was hosted at Nalanda Auditorium in the premises of the Army Base Hospital at Delhi Cantonment. "We are proud of our medical team for rendering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to quake-hit people in Turkiye," Gen Pande said. India launched 'Operation Dost' to extend assistance to Turkiye as well as Syria after various parts of the two countries were hit by a devastating earthquake on February 6 that has killed over 30,000 people. "#IndianArmy Medical Facility at Iskende

Impossible to beat India on their own soil: Former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja

The former PCB chairman also made a mention of all-rounder Axar Patel, whose priceless innings of 74 helped India recover from a precarious position in their first innings

India-US ties key for strong world economy, outcompete China: Schumer

A strong India-US relationship is a must for democracy, advancement in technology and a robust world economy, a top American senator has said, emphasising that close bilateral ties will be a crucial counterweight to outcompete China. Describing India as one of the "leading powers" of the world, Senator Chuck Schumer said close India-US ties would also be key to responding to China's authoritarianism. The Senate Majority Leader is leading a high-powered Congressional delegation of senators to India. The delegation, led by Schumer, called on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on Monday They discussed new opportunities for consolidating the India-US ties in critical technologies, clean energy transition, joint development and production, and trusted and resilient supply chains. The prime minister welcomed the Congressional delegation to India and appreciated the consistent and bipartisan support of the US Congress for deepening India-US bilateral ties, his office said in a statement. W

UN appoints Indo-Canadian coordinator for Scaling Up Nutrition Movement

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres has announced the appointment of Indo-Canadian Afshan Khan as the coordinator of the 'Scaling Up Nutrition Movement'. The Scaling Up Nutrition or SUN Movement is a country-driven initiative led by 65 nations and four Indian states united in their mission to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030, Stphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. "Afshan Khan will succeed Gerda Verburg of the Netherlands, to whom the secretary-general expresses his gratitude for her efforts and dedication in leading the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement," he said. Born in India, Khan will lead the SUN Movement Secretariat, as well as coordinate the network of SUN Government Focal Points, the movement's stakeholders, and supporters, Dujarric said. She has both Canadian and United Kingdom citizenship. Khan holds a master's degree in public policy from the , and a bachelor's degree in political science

India, China to contribute more than half of global growth this year: IMF

IMF added that the central banks across Asia need to stay 'alert' as the core inflation is still high, and the re-opening of China's economy may push inflation up due to higher demand