The flow of bank credit to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that took a hit in the aftermath of demonetisation seems to have picked up again, a study by officials at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed. Growth of bank credit to the MSME sector, which had started …

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attacked “hostile forces” over “brigandish” sanctions, state media reported on Friday, as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear programme. According to a report by the Korean Central News Agency, Mr. Kim did not name the U.S. but rebuked what he called …

Nepal introduced a new criminal code on Friday that makes sharing confidential information a jailable offence, sparking concerns among journalists that the laws could be used to muzzle the press. Media have warned that the Communist-led government, which has shown an increasing intolerance for dissent, could use the vaguely worded …

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was hearing a petition filed by Russel Joy, a resident of Idukki district where the dam is located. Mr. Joy, represented by advocate Manoj George, highlighted that the water level in the dam was dangerously high and …

The Department of Revenue has received a reference from the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) unit of the Central government, seeking a probe to determine whether the Indian entities linked to Amnesty International-UK violated foreign exchange rules. The Enforcement Directorate is looking into the issue that pertains to the FCRA …

Tamil Nadu has “dissented” from an advisory issued by a Supreme Court-nominated expert committee to reduce water storage in the Mullaperiyar dam by two to three feet. As of Friday morning, water in the dam had risen to 141.2 feet, just a few inches short of the 142-feet ceiling mandated …

Over the last few years, ‘Durga Puja diplomacy’ has been gaining importance in Kolkata, with countries that have consulates here making it a point to participate in the celebrations. This year, China has decided to take a big step forward by actively collaborating with the BJ Block Durga Puja Committee …

Six Prime Ministers have visited Nagaland. But none of them, including Narendra Modi, has found as much space in the heart of the Nagas as Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was not just because Vajpayee was the first Prime Minister to recognise the “unique history of the Nagas” and provide a …

With urban India responsible for an increasingly large share of the national GDP, the Centre now hopes to bring out city-level GDP data. This could help both cities and investors make wise decisions, and also help municipal bodies raise funds for their own infrastructure needs, according to a senior official …

The West Bengal government on Friday told the Supreme Court that the row over the recently-concluded panchayat polls in the State has led to a “constitutional crisis” since the tenure of several panchayats was over and new bodies have not been made functional. The apex court had earlier stayed the …

City-level GDP data, he said, could help municipal bodies make better decisions on needed infrastructure and investment, and also leverage their economic strength to raise funds to finance their needs. Mr. Kumar pointed out that the Pune municipal corporation — which he headed till recently — had been able to …

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi to make a collaborative effort with the help of civil society and resident welfare associations to clear Delhi of its garbage. A three-judge Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur turned to L-G Anil Baijal after, in a previous hearing, …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to aerially survey flood-hit Kerala on Saturday. More than 160 people have been killed and over 1.5 lakh moved to relief camps in the State. Mr. Modi also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday and offered him all assistance. A high …

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order allowing mining major Vedanta access to the administrative unit of the Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. A Bench of Justices Rohinton Nariman and Indu Malhotra disposed of a petition filed by the …

Hundreds of volunteers and fishworkers joined hands with teams of the armed forces, National Disaster Response Force, and State government agencies in a massive operation to rescue over 82,000 citizens from flooded locations in four districts on Friday. The rescue efforts which commenced at daybreak continued into the night. Helicopters …

Points to headwinds from elevated global crude prices and minimum support prices for kharif crops as reason. India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised its FY19 economic growth forecast down to 7.2% from 7.4% earlier. It cited the headwinds emanating from elevated global crude oil prices and the government’s decision …

Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group’s flagship company, unveiled Innoline, a BS IV engine driven by an in-line fuel pump. “This is the latest innovation from Ashok Leyland for commercial vehicles,” said Vinod K. Dasari, managing director, Ashok Leyland. “This technology can be upgraded and used for BS VI engines as …

Tea growers see an opportunity to boost the competitiveness of Indian tea in the global market, riding on the rupee’s recent weakness. India’s tea exports remained flat at 46.8 million kg between April and June compared to a year earlier although prices increased marginally. Arijit Raha, secretary general, ITA concurred …

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has upgraded the unified payments interface (UPI) with enhanced security features and overdraft facilities. Unveiling the UPI 2.0 on Thursday, RBI Governor Urjit Patel said that the upgraded UPI was the result of the calibrated approach adopted by RBI in the initial years …

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel sees domestic growth impulses continuing to remain reasonably strong as the monsoon, which has been normal ‘so far’, augurs well for the farm sector, according to the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s meeting earlier this month. “The manufacturing sector has continued …