Valuation boost: India’s top firms add over Rs 2 lakh crore in market value; Airtel, Reliance lead while Bajaj Finance slips

Eight of India’s ten most valuable companies together added more than Rs 2.05 lakh crore in market capitalisation last week, with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Industries leading the upswing. The positive movement came alongside a steady recovery in the broader market, where the BSE Sensex rose 1.62 per cent and the NSE Nifty gained 1.64…

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India’s retail sector: Market to hit $1 trillion by 2030; digital and D2C formats set to reshape traditional shopping

India’s consumption landscape is gearing up for a major shift over the coming decade, with the country’s retail market expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. A new report by venture capital firm Fireside Ventures says this surge will be fuelled by rising disposable incomes, faster digital adoption and the growth of a large aspirational…

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Luxury sector: Galeries Lafayette targets booming Indian market – why experts warn sales may stay subdued

French department store Galeries Lafayette has officially entered India with a large five-floor store opened in Mumbai, hoping to tap into the country’s massive consumer base—but the road ahead is far from simple.Backed locally by the fashion division of the Aditya Birla Group, the retailer’s debut marks another attempt by global luxury brands to establish…

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Ethics scandal: Ex-Fed governor Adriana Kugler broke trading rules; disclosures show repeated policy violations

File photo: Ex-Fed governor Adriana Kugler (Picture credit: AP) Former Federal Reserve governor Adriana Kugler, who resigned abruptly in August, repeatedly broke the central bank’s strict trading rules before stepping down, according to new disclosures released by US ethics authorities.A report by the US Office of Government Ethics, reviewed after the Federal Reserve referred the…

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Trouble for toy sector? Trump’s tariffs hit US orders by 50%; here’s how Indian exporters are fighting the impact

Toy exporters, who began the financial year with strong dispatches due to early festive shipments and advance buying from US customers, are now having to cut prices and change packaging to cope with the slowdown. The slump comes after American buyers shifted to other sourcing markets following the United States’ decision to impose a 50%…

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USPS financial loss: Postal Service flags $9 bn deficit; agency pushes price hikes and policy fixes

The US Postal Service (USPS) has sought sweeping administrative and legislative changes after reporting a $9 billion annual loss, a marginal improvement from the $9.5 billion deficit posted last year, Reuters reported.New Postmaster General David Steiner said the agency continues to face a “significant systemic annual revenue and cost imbalance” and must accelerate efficiency measures,…

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Railways revises catering policy, popular food chains could soon open at railway stations

Rajahmundry Railway station (File photo) New Delhi: Passengers may soon find popular food chains such as KFC, McDonald’s, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, Haldiram’s and Bikanerwala at railway stations. The railway board has revised its catering policy to allow premium brand catering outlets to operate at stations across the country.The proposal to issue guidelines for premium…

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Energy standoff: US tells Serbia to remove Russian ownership from NIS entirely; Belgrade warns of ‘historic’ decisions ahead

The United States has told Serbia it will not lift sanctions on the country’s largest oil company, NIS, unless Belgrade ensures a complete withdrawal of Russian ownership, Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Saturday, calling the weeks ahead “some of the most difficult decisions in our history”.NIS — the Petroleum Industry of Serbia…

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AI on the streets: US cities turn to AI for safer streets; new tools track hazards in real time

America’s ageing and under-maintained roads are pushing cities and states to adopt artificial intelligence tools that can spot hazards, flag repairs and prioritise fixes in real time — a shift gaining pace amid rising traffic deaths and stretched public works budgets.From Hawaii and Texas to San Jose, local governments are deploying AI-powered dashcams, vehicle-mounted cameras…

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