As the world watched India’s bold military action under ‘Operation Sindoor’, the country made an equally calculated and impactful move on the global economic stage. India and the UK have finally sealed their long-awaited ‘Free Trade Agreement’. Watch the video to know all about it.

As the world watched India's bold military action under 'Operation Sindoor', the country made an equally calculated and impactful move on the global economic stage.

India-UK FTA highlights: Whiskey, luxury cars set to get cheaper

The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) turned profitable in financial year 2024-25, earning a profit of Rs 315 crore, an official statement said.
Until March 31, 2024, HPSEBL had accumulated losses amounting to Rs 3,742 crore.
"After facing losses for many years, this is the highest profit ever recorded by the board. This milestone is not just a number, but a reflection of the commitment of the present state government to its vision of a 'Nai Soch, Naya Himachal'," a government spokesperson said in the statement.
The present Himachal government, through its reforms, transparent administrative policies and financial discipline helped the board recover from losses and turn profitable, he said.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the success was the result of a clear policy, honest governance and a welfare-oriented approach.
As per the statement, for 2024-25, an amount of Rs 368.89 crore was approved for gratuity, medical reimbursement, revised pension .

The present Himachal government, through its reforms, transparent administrative policies and financial discipline helped the board recover from losses and turn profitable

Brookfield India Real Estate Trust has posted 13 per cent increase in its net operating income to Rs 498.6 crore for the first quarter of this fiscal year and announced plans to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through issue of preferential units to investors.
Its Net Operating Income (NOI), which is revenue from operation minus direct operating expenses, stood at Rs 439.9 crore in the year-ago period, according to a regulatory filing on Friday.
The company,  an institutionally managed real estate investment trust (REIT) backed by rent-yielding office assets, announced distribution of Rs 319 crore to unitholders (Rs 5.25 per unit) for June quarter of 2025-26 fiscal.
Brookfield India REIT also plans to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through issue of preferential units to investors. It will issue up to 3.23 crore units at Rs 310 per unit.
"The fiscal year began on a strong note with healthy leasing momentum, robust occupancy levels, and continued growth in distributions," said Alok Aggarwal, .

The REIT, backed by rent-yielding office assets, announced a ₹319 crore distribution (₹5.25/unit) to unitholders for Q1 of FY26

Tim Cook's hourlong meet covered Jeff Williams' retirement, Apple TV+ growth, and new health features like AirPods Pro's hearing-aid tech

Fortnite to return on Android. DJI launches Osmo 360. Samsung confirms tri-fold smartphone. Reddit search engine. Samsung confirms Galaxy S25 FE. Vivo V60 5G launching August 12. Google Pixel Watch 4

British families, waiting for the remains of relatives aboard the London-bound Air India 171 plane that crashed soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, are expecting confirmation on DNA matches after high-level India-UK government talks, their legal team has said.
Keystone Law, which has been working with aviation experts to assist many of the families who lost loved ones in the June 12 crash, called for urgency in the process this week.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit last week, Downing Street had confirmed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had discussed the Air India plane crash during their bilateral talks against the backdrop of UK media reports of mislabelling of some remains repatriated to Britain.
The UK and Indian governments have held high-level talks, as a result of the international media coverage of this problem, said James Healy-Pratt, Aviation Partner at Keystone Law.
It is believed that some matched DNA remains may now have been located in India. ...

Keystone Law, which has been working with aviation experts to assist many of the families who lost loved ones in the June 12 crash, called for urgency in the process this week

Unions say rail zones are manipulating CMS data to conceal overutilisation of loco pilots amid staff crunch

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday presented a Rs 40,187 crore-budget for the megapolis.
Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement. The revenues have been estimated at Rs 36,939 crore, and the body chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be borrowing Rs 22,000 crore.
This will result in a budget deficit of Rs 3,249 crore, which the body plans to bridge through land sales, issuance of bonds, financial assistance from the government, and loans from financial institutions, the statement said.
The ongoing metro line projects have been earmarked Rs 10,969 crore of expenditure in the new fiscal, which is a fourth of the overall expenditure..
Over Rs 5,697 crore have been allotted for multiple tunnel projects which are going across the megapolis, with Rs 2,684 crore earmarked for the four-lane road running under the Sanjay Gandhi National 

Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1.
The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21.
Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues.
"But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 trillion, an increase of 7.4 per cent over the current fiscal

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

&amp;nbsp;

After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
						&amp;nbsp;

India-UK FTA highlights: Whiskey, luxury cars set to get cheaper

As the world watched India’s bold military action under ‘Operation Sindoor’, the country made an equally calculated and impactful move on the global economic stage. India and the UK have finally sealed their long-awaited ‘Free Trade Agreement’. Watch the video to know all about it.

Other Videos

Explore News