CATEGORIES

Meta's revised paid ad-free service may breach EU privacy regulations

META PLATFORMS' REVISED no-ads subscription service may still breach EU consumer and privacy laws in addition to antitrust rules, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said on Thursday as it urged regulators to act against the U.S. tech giant.

It's raining handouts

Political parties must avoid reducing elections to one-upmanship on freebies

Invest in stocks: China to insurers

CHINA IS GUIDING local mutual funds and insurers to boost their stock purchases in the government's latest initiative to shore up its ailing equity market as it confronts the threat of higher tariffs.

Emilia Perez Leads Oscars Race With 13 Nominations

NETFLIX'S SPANISH-LANGUAGE musical Emilia Perez topped the list of movies nominated on Thursday for Academy Awards, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked.

In the grey zone

Meta's fact-check roll-back can upend contextual ads

CCPA Notices to Ola, Uber Over Price Disparity Complaints

The Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued notices to tech giant Apple and cab aggregators Ola and Uber following consumer complaints about software performance and pricing disparities, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday.

In hiding, Awami League leaders connect with Hasina

THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS FROZEN, MANY RELATIVES ARRESTED

Trump Urges Lower Oil Prices, Rate Cuts

Reiterates tariff threat to bring manufacturing back to the US

Deposits lag credit growth in fortnight to January 10

Banks’ deposits lagged credit growth for the fortnight ended January 10, according to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India.

HDFC Bank expects improved CASA ratio with easing in rates

HDFC BANK EXPECTS its current account savings account (CASA) ratio to improve as interest rates are likely to soften, Sashidhar Jagdishan, managing director and CEO, said in an analyst call on Thursday.

AWS to expand data centre in Telangana, invest ₹60,000 cr

AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS) will invest ₹60,000 crore to expand its data centre infrastructure in Telangana, state government said.

Special fund for MFIs in the works

IN A MOVE aimed at stimulating the growth of microfinance and populating the sector with hundreds of more players, the government may unveil a special fund to give equity support to the sector in the Budget for FY26.

Mphasis posts modest Q3 revenue growth

MPHASIS REPORTED A sequential revenue growth of 0.8% to ₹3,561.3 crore and a net profit of ₹427.9 crore, up 1.1%, for the quarter ended December.

Govt seeks app store presence

Apple, Google requested to pre-install welfare scheme apps on mobiles

Time for India to break Out Of AI slumber

The US-led restrictions on AI technology access should serve India a wake-up call to prioritise the technology as a national security imperative

Ujjivan SFB Q3 profit slumps 64% to ₹109 cr

UJJIVAN SMALL FINANCE Bank on Thursday reported a 64% decline in its net profit to ₹109 crore for the third quarter amid a spike in bad loan provisions and higher interest expenses.

HUL to give beauty business a glow-up with new strategy

THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST consumer goods company, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), has put in place a four-pronged strategy to grow its beauty and wellbeing business, created in April last year.

Kotak Bank Acquires StanChart's ₹3,330-Cr Personal Loan Portfolio

KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK on Thursday said it has completed the acquisition of the ₹3,300-crore personal loan book of Standard Chartered Bank India following regulatory approvals.

Maruti Suzuki cars to cost more from Feb 1

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA on Thursday said it will hike prices by up to ₹32,500 across various models from February 1 to partially offset the rise in input costs.

LNG imports to fall in 2025 as demand moderates: IEA

INDIA'S IMPORT OF LNG (liquified natural gas) is expected to decline in 2025 on the back of moderating demand and continued competition for LNG cargoes internationally, as per the International Energy Agency.

Call Grows for Action on AI, Reforms

LEADERS FROM VARIOUS countries called for action on artificial intelligence and reforms at the WEF meeting.

Cloud, GCCs key digital economy drivers: MeitY report

THE CLOUD MARKET and global capability centres (GCCs) are among the fast-growing segments of India's digital economy which is expected to drive a fifth of national GDP by 2030, a report by MeitY has said.

After NSA, foreign secretary to visit China on January 26-27

MOVING TO RESUME bilateral engagements after the disengagement at the India-China border, foreign secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Beijing on January 26-27 for a meeting of the \"foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism between India and China\".

Musk, Altman spar over $100-bn AI venture hyped by Prez Trump

ELON MUSK OPENLY questioned whether companies that joined President Donald Trump's announcement promising hundreds of billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure could follow through on their promises, exposing an early internal rift within the White House.

West Asia and North Africa Top Market for Engineering Exports

WEST ASIA AND North Africa (WANA) emerged as the biggest buyer of engineering products from India for the first time ever in December, pushing North America to the second slot, the commerce ministry data showed.

Small tea growers for curbs on substandard imports

SMALL TEA GROWERS (STGs) have urged the Union commerce ministry to take steps to curb import of substandard crop from countries like Kenya and Nepal and protect the domestic industry.

Economic fragmentation: Global GDP could drop by up to $5.7 trn

GROWING GEO-ECONOMIC FRAGMENTATION can decrease global GDP by up to $5.7 trillion, giving it a bigger blow than the financial crisis of 2008 or the Covid pandemic, the Navigating Global Financial System Fragmentation report showed on Thursday.

$100-bn court challenge for Goldman and friends

Banks are used to fending off litigation. Goldman Sachs Group's most recent annual report includes 14 pages of fine print detailing all the proceedings it faces. But the defendant has turned plaintiff.

Rising competition from global banks may lower pricing on loans: Barclays

A RENEWED PUSH by Japan's major banks and other global lenders in India is driving down loan prices with the new players having more appetite for riskier credit, according to the country head for Barclays Plc.

57% Taxpayers Seek I-T Rate Cuts

Around 57% of the taxpayers in a recent survey want lower tax rates and higher exemptions in the coming Budget.