Jaishankar commences trip to Ukraine, Poland

In a diplomatic tightrope walk, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is headed to Ukraine on a bilateral visit on Thursday even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues his engagements with Russia. "...EAM will hold bilateral consultations with his counterparts, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski of Poland," the spokesperson said. "The visit will focus on enhancing bilateral relations and also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest," the spokesperson.

Mountains bind India, China, and Nepal to a shared destiny. They need to honour it 

It is a bitter irony that Nepal, whose greenhouse gas emissions are virtually negligible, bears the most brutal, immediate consequences of global climate change.

Controversy over GDP numbers is unwarranted 

India's first-quarter GDP numbers have been caught in a crossfire, with a slugfest of unending salvos between die-hard supporters and opponents on issues such as the interpretation of the base year. Globally, GDP revisions typically occur for two major reasons: Periodic baselinechanges

to reflect modern economic structures, and retrospective data updates after economic events. While developed economies generally experience minor routine adjustments, emerging markets frequently witness dramatic revisions due to the inclusion of informal or rapidly expanding techno-digital sectors and ever-changing consumer preferences.

Why India is enforcing a uniform time framework 

A unified time source helps to coordinate systems across multiple sectors from banks to telcos to defence. Financial markets already operate under precise clock synchronisation requirements. 

Fragile ecology, competing interests: The red flags in building Himalayan dams 

The glacier collapse near the China-Tibet border has triggered devastating floods in Nepal that have killed over 1,100 people, with thousands still missing. This has led experts to reiterate concerns about recent human-made changes amid quickly changing climatic conditions.

Private players seek 'green energy' status for N-power to raise funds 

Private players are seeking green energy status for nuclear power to enable access to green bonds, green loans and blended financing for nuclear projects. During a recent stakeholder consultation by NITI Aayog, they sought review of existing green finance frameworks, including the Ministry of Finance's Sovereign Green Bond Framework, the RBI's framework for acceptance of green deposits and SEBI's framework for green debt securities.

At $127 bn, FCNR(B) deposits push RBI's forex drive beyond $136 bn 

Far exceeding the expectations of bankers and policymakers, the Reserve Bank of India's special US dollar-rupee forex swap facility has drawn provisional foreign exchange inflows of $136.377 billion through August 31.

Gor calls for friction-less trade between India & US 

US ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday said that as both countries work through the details of their trade relationship, they should aim to create an environment where American suppliers and technology can freely access the Indian market and Indian firms can compete fairly in the US market.

Japan agency upgrades India's rating to 'A-'; FinMin says reflects solid growth

Noting steady implementation of policies for productivity growth and economic development and India's maintenance of 7% growth, the Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCRA) upgraded India's sovereign rating from 'BBB+' to 'A-' with stable outlook on Wednesday.