Fresh Lead

China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific as well as along the LAC and ways to combat the threat of terrorism are also likely to figure in the discussions between Singh and Austin. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III arrives, in New Delhi, Sunday, June 4, 2023. NEW DELHI: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on Sunday on a two-day visit to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, especially in areas of transfer of critical technologies for co-development of military hardware. Secretary Austin’s trip comes over two weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington during which the two sides are expected to unveil initiatives to expand the India-US global strategic partnership. “I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US defence secretary tweeted shortl...

Tata Agaratas Energy Storage Solutions Pvt., a subsidiary of Tata Group, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish an electric-vehicle battery plant that will have a production capacity of 20 gigawatt hours.  The Tata plant would make Gujarat a leader in lithium-battery manufacturing. (Representational) Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group signed an agreement with the Gujarat government to set up a giga-factory for manufacturing lithium-ion cells, with an estimated initial investment of around ₹ 13,000 crore. Tata Agaratas Energy Storage Solutions Pvt., a subsidiary of Tata Group, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish an electric-vehicle battery plant that will have a production capacity of 20 gigawatt hours, generating direct and indirect employment for more than 13,000 people, according to a state government document posted on its website. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working toward making the world’s most-populous nation carbon n...

The procession was passing through Chitnis community hall when the accused demanded money from the three victims to buy liquor, but they refused, he said.                            The fight began over money to buy liquor, police said. (Representational) Indore: Three persons were stabbed and injured in a brawl that broke out during a wedding procession in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city, police said on Sunday. The incident took place in Palasiya area when a wedding procession was passing from Clerk Colony square to Badi Gwaltoli area on Saturday night, Palasiya police station in-charge Sanjay Bais said. The procession was passing through Chitnis community hall when the accused identified as Keshav Silawat, Abhishek Dhiman and Lucky Borasi demanded money from the three victims to buy liquor, but they refused, he said. The accused and their aides started beating up the victims and one of them took out a knife and stabb...

The edtech firm expects to pay on Monday to meet the June 5 deadline, the people said, asking not to be named because the information isn't public.  The $1.2 billion debt is the largest unrated loan by a startup ever. Byju’s, one of the most valuable startup, plans to make a quarterly interest payment of about $40 million on a loan that has been at the center of the beleaguered firm’s financial troubles, according to people familiar with the matter. The edtech firm expects to pay on Monday to meet the June 5 deadline, the people said, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public. The situation is still fluid and plans could change. Failure to pay on that date means the $1.2 billion loan will default. Byju’s didn’t respond to requests for comment about the coupon payment. Representatives for Houlihan Lokey Inc., which was hired by creditors to advise them on the loan, declined to comment. The $1.2 billion debt is the largest unrated loan by a startup ever. The once ...

The wrestlers put forward their demands before Amit Shah who assured them that the probe will be impartial, a source told TNIE. Wrestlers (from L) Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik. NEW DELHI: India’s top wrestlers, who are protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the sidelined chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, met Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday night. It is learnt that Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik along with two-time World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat had a meeting with Home Minister Shah at his residence in New Delhi. The meeting lasted for more than an hour, sources told TNIE. “The meeting started at around 11 PM. It continued till midnight. The wrestlers put forward their demands before Shah who assured them that the probe will be impartial,” a source in the know things told TNIE. Notably, the wrestlers met Shah in the past as well. A day before their march towards the new Parliament on May 28, Sakshi, along wit...

Biden has been dogged by questions about his age and his fitness to serve, and his missteps have become fodder for political rivals as he campaigns for a second term in 2024. President Joe Biden falls on stage during the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony at Falcon Stadium. COLORADO SPRINGS: President Joe Biden quipped that he got “sandbagged” Thursday after he tripped and fell — but was uninjured — while onstage at the US Air Force Academy graduation. Biden had been greeting the graduates in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the front of the stage with salutes and handshakes, and turned to jog back toward his seat when he fell. He was helped up by an Air Force officer as well as two members of his US Secret Service detail. Onlookers, including some members of the official delegation onstage, watched in concern before Biden, who at age 80 is the oldest president in US history, returned to his seat to view the end of the ceremony. “I got sandbagged,” the president ...

Banga has become the first-ever Indian-American to head the World Bank. He replaces David Malpass, who announced his decision to step down in February. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets with World Bank President Ajay Banga at the Treasury Department, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Washington.   WASHINGTON: Indian American Ajay Banga on Friday took over as the President of the World Bank, making him the first person of colour to head either of the two global financial institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. On May 3, the Executive Directors of the World Bank selected Banga, 63, as the 14th President of the World Bank for a five-year term. In February, President Joe Biden announced that the US would nominate Banga to lead the World Bank. "Join us in welcoming Ajay Banga as the new President of the World Bank Group. We are committed to creating a world free from poverty on a livable planet," the World Bank said in a tweet with a picture of Banga ent...