On Thursday, SpaceX's latest Starship prototype experienced a catastrophic failure in space, eight minutes after launching from South Texas. The spacecraft, which was carrying mock satellites as its test payload, lost communication with SpaceX mission control, signaling an anomaly in its upper stage. This led to a total loss of the spacecraft, marking a significant setback for the company's Mars ambitions. The failure had an unexpected impact on air traffic. At least 20 comm

Team India's crushing 3-1 defeat to Australia in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy has triggered intense debate over the future of star players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Their poor performances have left their places in the Test team uncertain, with increasing criticism over their lack of commitment to domestic cricket. A former BCCI official has called for a "strict message" to be sent to underperforming players, urging the selection committee to take stronger action.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made a significant change to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system by enabling UPI payments between verified digital wallets, also known as Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), and third-party UPI applications. This new directive will allow users of digital wallets to make and receive UPI payments via any third-party UPI app, rather than being limited to the wallet’s own mobile application. The move is aimed at enhancing interoperability within t

 A Bengaluru software engineer was defrauded of Rs 11.8 crore over the span of just 18 days in a sophisticated "digital arrest" scam. The victim, a 39-year-old tech professional, filed a complaint with the North-East CEN police station on December 12 after realizing he had been tricked. The scam began when an individual posing as a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) officer contacted the victim, falsely claiming his Aadhaar-linked SIM card was involved in illegal acti

The Indian rupee opened at 84.83 against the US dollar on Monday, a depreciation of 4 paise compared to the previous close of 84.79. The decline in the rupee is largely attributed to the uncertainty following the announcement of a leadership transition at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Shaktikanta Das will be succeeded by Sanjay Malhotra, sparking initial concerns in the market. However, markets quickly adjusted to the news, with experts noting that the RBI is closely monitoring banking sys

On Thursday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) received a bomb threat via email, which was written in Russian. The threat, sent to the RBI's official website, claimed that the bank would be blown up. Following the threat, a case was registered at the Mata Rambai Marg (MRA Marg) police station in Mumbai, and an investigation has been launched. This incident comes after a similar threat was made to the RBI through its customer care number on November 16, with the caller claiming to

The US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has released the Visa Bulletin for January 2025, providing crucial updates for green card applicants, with a notable focus on Indian applicants. This bulletin offers insights into the availability of immigrant visa numbers, which are vital for individuals waiting in the green card queue. The limits for employment-based preference immigrants have been set at 140,000, while family-sponsored category immigrants have a cap of

India's inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), moderated to 5.48% in November, down from 6.21% in October, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. This easing, however, is still above the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) target of 4%, with food prices continuing to drive inflationary pressure. The food inflation rate surged by 9.04%, continuing its trend of high costs. Economists had forecast a median inflation estimate of 5.5% fo

Sanjay Malhotra, a 1990-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, has been appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), succeeding Shaktikanta Das. The government announced that Malhotra will take charge from Wednesday for a term of three years. With a background in computer science from IIT Kanpur and a Master's in Public Policy from Princeton University, Malhotra has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades in various sectors, including finance, taxation, pow

India's foreign exchange reserves saw an increase to $658.1 billion for the week ending November 29, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This rise followed an eight-week decline, with a $1.5 billion increase from the previous week. In comparison, the reserves had dropped by $1.31 billion in the prior week, reaching $656.58 billion. Foreign investors have invested Rs 1.75 lakh crore into India's debt and equity markets in 2024. However, the month of November witness

In November, the median perception of current inflation among households increased to 8.4%, up by 30 basis points from the previous survey round in September, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Households’ Inflation Expectations Survey. Meanwhile, expectations for inflation over the next three months moderated slightly by 10 basis points, reaching 9.1%. However, households' expectations for inflation a year ahead inched up by 10 basis points to 10.1%. The survey

The Indian rupee ended the trading session stronger after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to keep the benchmark interest rates unchanged, while unveiling measures aimed at improving liquidity in the banking system. The domestic currency gained 3 paise, closing at 84.70 against the US dollar, compared to 84.73 in the previous session. As part of the monetary policy changes, the RBI raised the interest rate ceiling on one-year Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) deposits by 200 basis p

On Friday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced it would keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5% for the 11th consecutive time. This decision comes despite the GDP growth rate for the July-September quarter falling to a 7-quarter low of 5.4%, which was below the RBI's earlier projection of 7%. The RBI paused its rate hike cycle in April last year after raising rates by 250 basis points since May 2022. In the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review for the current fiscal year,

In October 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made a significant move by adding 27 tonnes of gold to its reserves, bringing its total gold purchases for the year to 78 tonnes. This marks the highest level of purchases since 2009, when India acquired 200 tonnes from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The RBI's total gold reserves now stand at 882 tonnes. In comparison, India had bought only 16 tonnes of gold in 2023. The RBI's gold purchase comes amid global economic i

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to maintain the status quo on the benchmark repo rate at 6.5% in its upcoming meeting from December 4 to 6. Despite India's GDP growth slowing to 5.4% in the July-September quarter, economists suggest that inflation concerns will likely take precedence, making a rate cut unlikely in December. Retail inflation rose to 6.2% in October, exceeding the RBI’s target range of 2-6%. Though a repo rate cu

Traffic in parts of Delhi and Noida has been significantly affected as farmers march toward the Parliament complex on Monday to demand key changes in land acquisition policies. The farmers, representing at least 20 districts, will be gathering at 12 pm to press for five major demands related to land compensation, employment for landless farmers, and proper settlement of acquired areas. Reports show long traffic queues at the Chilla border and Delhi-Noida direct flyover, with heavy s

RBL Bank and Bajaj Finance Ltd. have mutually decided to stop issuing new co-branded credit cards following discussions that have taken place over the past month. While the change will not affect RBL Bank’s overall credit card business, it marks the end of a significant partnership that previously accounted for a large portion of RBL Bank’s card issuances. As of September 2023, Bajaj Finserv co-branded cards represented 41% of RBL Bank’s total credit card issuances.

On Day 4 of the Parliament Winter Session, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will take the oath as the Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Wayanad at 11 am. She secured a victory in the bypolls with over 6.22 lakh votes, joining her mother, Sonia Gandhi, and brother, Rahul Gandhi, in the Parliament. This is Priyanka Gandhi's first entry into the Lok Sabha. Congress supporters at 10 Janpath celebrated the occasion, distributing sweets ahead of her oath-taking ceremony. The session, which beg

The Indian rupee opened flat at 84.24 against the US dollar on Thursday, following a slight dip of 11 paise to close at 84.45 on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it had closed at 84.34. The minor decline reflects the ongoing volatility in the foreign exchange market. The rupee had also opened weaker by 5 paise at 84.39 on Wednesday morning. Analysts predict that the rupee's range for the day will likely stay between 84.30 and 84.50. Anil Kumar Bhansali, head of treasury and executive dire

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the registration certificates of two non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)—Ulhas Securities Pvt. and Sikar Investment Co.. The registration of Ulhas Securities, based in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, was granted in December 2003, while Sikar Investment, based in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, had been registered in March 1998. The cancellation was carried out under Section 45-IA (6) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, which allows the RBI to