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Amidst rising global tensions, experts warn that the risk of nuclear conflict is higher than ever due to factors like the breakdown of arms control treaties, Russia's aggressive rhetoric, and China's rapid nuclear expansion.

Typhoon Co-May hit eastern Zhejiang Province. Shanghai evacuated around 283,000 people from vulnerable areas. Almost 640 flights from Shanghai airports got cancelled. The city issued an orange rainstorm alert. Ferry services got suspended and speed limits imposed on highways. There were disruptions to metro and train services. China issued and then lifted a tsunami warning after an earthquake near Russia.

Sridhar Sivaram maintains a cautious view but expresses optimism for the second half of the year. He anticipates a potential shift in market leadership away from financials. Electronic Manufacturing Services is showing strong growth, driven by the Apple ecosystem. Sivaram suggests waiting for dips to enter the EMS sector.

Kotak Securities' Anindya Banerjee suggests silver may outperform gold due to strong base metal fundamentals. He notes that a rebound in the dollar index, supported by recent trade agreements and shifting Federal Reserve rate cut expectations, has pressured gold and silver.

China has initiated construction on a massive $167 billion hydropower dam in Tibet, raising concerns among environmentalists and neighbouring countries. The project, set to be the world's largest power plant, aims to boost China's economy and provide clean energy.

Despite initial fears of economic collapse due to U.S. policy shifts and trade shocks, the IMF projects a stable global growth of around 3.0-3.1%. While acknowledging potential risks from tariffs and policy changes, the IMF highlights offsetting factors like a weaker dollar and fiscal stimuli.

Indiqube Spaces shares experienced a decline after a weak stock market debut, trading below the IPO price due to investor concerns about valuation and profitability. Despite short-term skepticism, the company's business model in flexible workspaces and strong EBITDA margins offer long-term potential. Analysts suggest a neutral stance, closely monitoring performance and expansion strategies.

The Laxmi India Finance IPO, open for bidding from July 29 to 31, is a book-built offering with a price band of Rs 150–158 per share. The issue includes a fresh equity issuance of 1.04 crore shares aggregating Rs 165.17 crore and an OFS of 56.38 lakh shares valued at Rs 89.09 crore by existing shareholders.

Aditya Infotech’s Rs 1,300 crore IPO, a fresh issue of 1.93 crore shares, is open from July 29 to 31 with a price band of Rs 640–675 per share. Strong grey market signals suggest healthy listing gains for the electronic security equipment distributor.

Sri Lotus Developers' IPO opened on July 30, witnessing 3.59 times subscription driven by retail and NII investors. The IPO, priced at Rs 140-150, closes on August 1, with grey market premium indicating potential 29% listing gains. Anand Rathi suggests subscribing for the long term, citing strong fundamentals and Mumbai's luxury housing demand.

The Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone encircling the Pacific Ocean, is home to numerous earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. This region, characterised by plate boundaries and subduction zones, poses significant risks to the hundreds of millions residing along its path.

In northwestern Bangladesh, a mob damaged at least a dozen Hindu homes following allegations that a 17-year-old Hindu youth made derogatory remarks against the Prophet on social media. The teenager has been arrested, and authorities have ordered the repair of the damaged houses.

In an insightful conversation, Gautam Kaul, Senior Fund Manager – Fixed Income at Bandhan AMC, breaks down how duration plays a critical role in enhancing returns during a falling rate environment.

Since October 2024, the Indian stock market has been very volatile, with corrections, global disruptions, and a growing gap between fundamentals and valuations.

The IPO market is bracing for a blockbuster week starting July 29 with 14 new issues lined up across mainboard and SME platforms. The combined fundraising target crosses Rs 7,000 crore, led by marquee names like National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) and Aditya Infotech, while several SME offerings aim to ride the retail frenzy.

India and the UK have formalized a trade agreement, offering immediate duty-free access to a quarter of UK exports while safeguarding sensitive sectors like dairy and strategic industries. Concessions for other products will be phased in over several years, with specific rules of origin to prevent transshipment.

India's apple imports are facing disruption. Geopolitics are influencing prices this harvest season. Traders are avoiding Turkish apples due to political tensions. The Attari-Wagah border closure halts Afghan imports. This may increase prices for Kashmiri and Himachali apples. Iranian apple imports are risky. India's domestic production is less than consumption. Apple imports are rising year-on-year.

The Election Commission's 'Special Intensive Revision' of Bihar's electoral rolls has ignited political debate, differing from past revisions. While intensive revisions aren't new, the timing of Bihar's SIR, months before assembly elections, is unusual. Unlike previous 'de novo' exercises, it builds upon the 2002-03 roll, incorporating new enumeration forms and document submission.

Rural India is experiencing an economic transformation, with a surge in the services sector driving growth. A recent report highlights that 112 rural districts, encompassing 291 million people, have exceeded a $2,000 per capita income. This milestone indicates rising prosperity and significant consumer potential, positioning rural areas as key contributors to India's consumption engine.

Pune's onion prices have surged by approximately 20% in the last two weeks due to crop damage from heavy rains, leading to reduced market arrivals. Despite increased production and storage, onions are becoming more expensive. Trade sources anticipate further price increases, potentially fueled by upcoming government onion procurement.

Economists anticipate Reserve Bank of India will reduce interest rates this week. This decision comes amid decreasing inflation. Experts await the central bank's insights on inflation and economic growth. These insights will help determine the duration of the easing cycle. The goal is to stimulate demand in India's growing economy. The focus remains on consumption, investment, and global uncertainties.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized the government's focus on promoting lower denomination currency and increasing digital transaction awareness. With the Rs 2000 note nearly out of circulation, efforts are underway to encourage digital transfers, highlighted by UPI's record 16.73 billion transactions in December 2024, reflecting India's move towards a cashless economy.

BJP has accused Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating hoax calls to mislead voters, alleging that the AAP is claiming votes are being cut by the BJP to support AAP. They also allege distribution of money in slum areas and raised concerns about voter data confidentiality, demanding an investigation.

Lok Sabha election 2024: ​​The BJP-Shiv Sena won 41 of the 48 seats in the 2019 polls, but the Sena has split since and a vast majority of the Bal Thackeray-founded party is now allied with the BJP. The Nationalist Congress Party also split as well with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance in the state, led by Eknath Shinde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged the top party with 23 seats, followed by the undivided Sena with 18.

Gujarat's upcoming Lok Sabha elections are influenced by PM Narendra Modi's charisma, anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education, healthcare challenges, and BJP's endeavor to secure all 26 seats. ​​Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education and healthcare facilities are some of the other important issues in the election, where the ruling BJP in Gujarat will attempt to retain all the 26 Lok Sabha seats it won in 2019.

The BJP, riding high on its growing voter base in Telangana, is now aiming to win over 12 out of the total 17 seats and 35 per cent vote share, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party doubled its vote share to nearly 14 per cent resulting in eight seats in the assembly elections held on November 30, last year. BRS, which ruled the state for about a decade since its emergence, is low on morale following the defeat, even as its founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha was arrested on the eve of poll dates announcement, adding insult to the injury.

Kavitha's arrest before Lok Sabha elections may psychologically impact BRS party. Meanwhile, fomer minister Harish Rao announced protests in the state. Moreover, desertion of MPs and leaders who are not contesting polls adds to party's troubles. Nagesh Kumar predictsed that more desertions could happen due to Kavitha's arrest.

Anita Nariani Schulze is part of the Sindhi minority. Her complaint alleges that her senior and direct managers, both male, consistently excluded her from meetings while inviting her male counterparts, criticised her, micromanaged her work and deprived her of bonuses, despite positive performance evaluations and significant team contributions.

But two senior envoys who attended said there was no direct response from the ministers gathered in Brussels when Blinken said: "We must push back on China together and show strength in unity."

This comes as the San-Francisco based firm is at the receiving end of the Indian government over an issue of blocking and unblocking certain handles tweeting about farmer protests.

Foreign companies looking for incentives under the scheme may have to invest Rs 500 crore over four years, while the threshold for domestic firms is likely to be around Rs 20 crore for five years, the source who did not wish to be named said.

Growth More than in MetrosAccording to companies like Aisle and Truly Madly, which have millions of users and position themselves as “serious” dating apps, and bespoke high-end dating services like Sirf Coffee, a lot more users from such places are not only keen on using these apps, but also willing to pay for it.

“Indian companies need to re-skill, train, and acquire more relevant talent, if they are to successfully integrate AI technologies. Most importantly, they should be willing to make the continued investment. It is an uphill race in which there will be winners and losers,” said Deloitte India CEO N Venkatram.

Ambassador Joao Cravinho, head of the EU delegation, led Ambassadors of various European countries to a quiet lunch with Modi at the capital last year.

"It is the collective wisdom of the marketplace that there is action and we will move with speed. That improves the confidence level of industry."

Directives from the Centre have to be executed at the state level. So, there are many things that are not in Modi’s hands, says Raamdeo Agrawal.

"The fact that we are the world’s largest democracy and we are all aware that power and a role in global affairs for a nation comes from economic strength."

"Now there is a stage three and stage four of digitisation, we will take a call on this only after taking all things into account."

"There is a leadership vacuum in the company, because they made the wrong choice of CEO three years ago and that is playing out right now."

Rupee#CAD#Economic crisis#Food Bill

The team behind The Artist will have spent the first day of the rest of their lives conforming to the grandest, and most lucrative, of Hollywood traditions.

It's the World Book fair, which comes around once every two years sprawling across the giant halls of Pragati Maidan. This is the fair's 20th edition.

An elephant figurine gifted by the then HM LK Advani to US Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002, has made its way to the State Department hall.

Statistical models used by IMD will still be used for monsoon forecast, but the ministry of earth sciences is putting more emphasis on dynamic models.

Newly discovered documents have revealed the first telegraph messages and joy when England was linked for the first time with India on 23 June, 1870.

Hundreds of worried fans of ailing Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan today performed a yagna here to pray for his speedy recovery.

Alfa Laval (India) today said its parent firm has raised the delisting offer price to Rs 2,850 a share.