The Hindu National
์ค๋ ์ฑํฅ
๊ธฐํ
13 foreigners among dead in Delhi hotel fire, in touch with embassies: MEA
About 20-22 foreign nationals have sustained injuries in the fire incident, according to MEA.
๐ฎ๐ณ ์ธ๋ ยท "TOUCH" ยท ์ด 35๊ฑด
ํํฐ ๋ณด๊ธฐํ์ฌ ์ง์
50.0
0 = ๋ถ์ ์ฐ์ธ
50 = ์ค๋ฆฝ
100 = ๊ธ์ ์ฐ์ธ
์ต๊ทผ 7์ผ ๊ธฐ์ค 5,676๊ฑด์ ๋ถ์ํ ๊ฒฐ๊ณผ, ๋ด์ค ์ฌ๋ฆฌ์ง์๋ 50.0(๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค. ๊ธ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)ยท์ค๋ฆฝ 5,676๊ฑด(100.0%)ยท๋ถ์ 0๊ฑด(0.0%)์ด๋ฉฐ, ์ค๋ฆฝ ๋น์ค์ด ๋๋ ทํ๊ฒ ๋์ต๋๋ค. ์ฑํฅ ์ง์๋ ์ข ํฉ 0.0(์ค๋ ๊ท ํ)์ ๋๋ค.
About 20-22 foreign nationals have sustained injuries in the fire incident, according to MEA.
23 Trinamool Congress MPs in touch with rebel camp: Sources
Trouble mounts for Mamata as 23 TMC MPs in touch with rebel MLAs camp: Sources
Ritabrata Banerjee said he has not been in touch with any parliamentarians in the last seven days.
The rupee appreciated 50 paise to 95.24 against the US dollar on Friday after the RBI liberalised norms for FPI investment in government securities. Forex traders said the announcements in the RBI policy boosted investor sentiments after the apex bank asserted that the country's forex reserves provide sufficient buffer against external shocks. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.72, then touched 95.24 in intraday trade, registering a rise of 50 paise from its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee rose 2 paise to settle at 95.74 against the US dollar. The Reserve Bank on Friday expectedly kept interest rates unchanged for the second time in a row as it weighed the impact of rising energy prices and supply disruptions caused by the West Asia crisis. Announcing the second bi-monthly monetary policy for the current fiscal, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has unanimously decided to retain short-term lending rate or repo rate at 5.25 per cent with a neutral stance. Moreover, the RBI raised limit for investments by Non-Resident Indians, Overseas Citizens of India in equity instruments. Malhotra also said that the central bank's policy on exchange rate remains unchanged and it does not target any specific rate/band for the rupee. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 99.40, higher by 0.01 per cent. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading up 0.36 per cent at USD 95.37 per barrel in futures trade. On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 142.06 points or 0.19 per cent to 74,217.95, while the Nifty was down 38.75 points or 0.17 per cent at 23,377.80. Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 4,447.06 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data. Meanwhile, RBI has lowered GDP growth projection to 6.6 per cent from 6.9 per cent earlier for the current fiscal and raised CPI inflation projection to 5.1 per cent for FY27, higher from earlier estimate of 4.6 per cent. PTI
The US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security has quietly closed a year-old loophole that let Nvidia's most advanced Blackwell AI chips reach overseas subsidiaries of Chinese companies without an export licence. Industry sources estimate hundreds of thousands of chips may have already shipped through the gap. The new guidance still leaves data centre servicing and TSMC foundry due diligence untouched, raising fresh enforcement questions.
He says Satheesan had repeatedly claimed that the State's public debt had touched โน6 lakh crore, despite the clarification by the then govt. But the White Paper estimates Keralaโs outstanding liabilities at โน5.07 lakh crore, debunking Satheesanโs claim
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.70 against the U.S. dollar, then touched an intra-day low of 95.85 and a high of 95.59 before closing at 95.83 (provisional), down 7 paise from its previous close
The Indian rupee is trading around Rs. 95-96 to the dollar in late May 2026, setting fresh record lows. Markets are openly discussing the Rs. 100 threshold. The rupee has weakened in almost every year since 2014 and has lost approximately half its value against the dollar over that period. The end of this currency depreciation is not in sight. The factors that would stop it are not yet visible.The government is acting. State run oil companies have implemented four fuel price hikes in ten days as of May 25, taking petrol in Delhi past Rs. 102 per litre. This is the right and necessary response to the energy cost reality created by the Iran war. Crucially, the Modi government has also done its part on the macroeconomic front, consistently and aggressively reducing the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP to maintain structural stability.Yet, the currency pressure persists. The energy price impact has not yet fully reached Indian consumers and supply chains. It is coming.Uday Kotak said it plainly at the CII Annual Business Summit on May 12: "Be ready for tough times rather than waiting for the shock to hit us." He was right.Also read | Manufactured monopoly: How industrial policy is structuring monopolies in IndiaThis is not a time to panic. But it is a time to act. The leaders who move now will have options. Those who wait will not.The Overriding Factor: The Psychology of the PlayersWhy is the currency declining despite strong domestic fiscal discipline? Because exchange rates are not driven by mathematical models alone. The currency decline is highly affectedโand acceleratedโby the psychology of all players engaged in this endeavor.Currency movements are deeply behavioral. When a currency visualizes a downward trend, psychology shifts from calculation to self-protection and speculation. Every player in the ecosystem operates under this psychological weight:Corporate CFOs and Treasurers: Instead of hedging normally, they rush to cover future dollar liabilities early, hoarding hard currency and inadvertently worsening the scarcity.Foreign Investors: They begin to judge their returns not by the quality of Indian business operations, but by the eroding value of the conversion rate.Importers and Exporters: Importers advance their payments to avoid paying more tomorrow; exporters delay converting their dollar earnings back into rupees, waiting for a "better" rate. This collective psychology creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.Investors, CFOs, and FDI decision makers extrapolate what is happening now into the future. When they see a currency that has lost approximately half its value since 2014 with no clear floor in sight, their psychological pivot alters market realities.Also read | India tightens checks on overseas flows as currency pressure mounts, sources sayThe cascading timeline of Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) equity behavior perfectly mirrors this psychological shift from rational evaluation to systemic risk aversion:2024 (The Calculation Phase): Rupee averages Rs. 83-84. FPI flows remain positive (+$12 billion) as investors trade on strong domestic corporate earnings.2025 (The Self-Protection Phase): Rupee slides past Rs. 89. Collective psychology shifts to risk mitigation. FPIs withdraw a record $18.4 billion from Indian equitiesโthe largest annual equity outflow on record.Early 2026 (The Capitulation Phase): Rupee breaks past Rs. 95. Sentiment turns into an outright exit strategy. In the first four months of 2026 alone, outflows have already reached $19.1 billion, completely bypassing the entire previous year's record loss in a fraction of the time.FDI agreements are being signed, but capital is delayed because players are psychologically hesitant to deploy funds into a depreciating asset.The Trap of Hard Currency Debt: A Broken Business Model There is a highly significant and dangerous phenomenon unfolding in India today that requires immediate exposure. For years, a specific class of Indian corporates adopted a regular strategy of borrowing heavily in hard currency (External Commercial Borrowings, or ECBs). Lured by low nominal global interest rates, several of these companies over borrowed, treating cheap dollar debt as a permanent structural advantage.Today, that strategy has become a trap. The compounding effect of a depreciating rupee, skyrocketing hedging costs, and brutal refinancing realities is fundamentally breaking their business models.Consider the mechanics of this crisis:The Hedging Penalty: Leaving dollar debt unhedged is now corporate roulette. However, buying hedges at current rupee levels has become structurally prohibitive. The cost of protection completely wipes out any interest rate advantage.The Refinancing Wall: Billions in foreign debt are coming due. These over-borrowed companies must now refinance their liabilities at a time when the rupee value has materially deteriorated. They are effectively forced to borrow far more rupees just to pay back the same amount of original dollars.The Crushing Cost of Rupee Capital: As these companies try to pivot back to domestic lenders, they face a severe escalation in their rupee cost of capital.The Growth Verdict: When your cost of capital spikes and your cash flows are consumed by servicing legacy dollar debt, future growth stops. Capital expenditure (CapEx) plans are being frozen. These companies can no longer invest in innovation, capacity, or market expansion. Their business model shifts overnight from aggressive value creation to basic survival. Boards must realize that this is not a temporary treasury headache; it is a structural threat to the companyโs future viability.India's forex reserves stand at approximately 10 to 11 months of import cover. Substantial, but being actively deployed to defend the currency. Some imports are non-negotiable: oil, critical inputs, components. These will now cost more. That cost passes through every supply chain.Six Actions for Business Leaders1. Protect your cash and liquidity first. This is the most immediate priority. Map your cash position today. Identify every source of liquidity across the next twelve months. Stress-test it at Rs. 100 and beyond. Which receivables are at risk? Which credit lines are rupee-denominated and which are not? Companies that run into a cash crisis during a currency depreciation cycle lose their options entirely. The CFO must own this analysis and present it to the board within days, not weeks.2. Act now on your foreign currency borrowings, hedging, and refinancing. Do not assume the rupee will recover to Rs. 80. Analyse your full foreign currency exposure across the next three years: every loan, every refinancing date, every hedging contract, every procurement price denominated in foreign currency. Hard currency loans now face refinancing at rupee values that have materially deteriorated. Model every scenario at Rs. 100 and beyond. Your CFO, treasury, and procurement team must be aligned on one instruction: do not run into a liquidity crisis. This analysis must happen now, not at the next quarterly review.3. Build a war room. Most companies have begun thinking about war rooms for supply chain disruptions. Expand the mandate. Currency exposure belongs in the same room. Which of your costs are dollar or euro denominated? Which of your revenues are rupee denominated? Where is the mismatch? What is your break-even exchange rate? If you do not have clear answers today, you are exposed. The war room is not a committee. It is a real-time decision environment with live data, a clear owner, and the authority to act.4. Use the currency depreciation advantage: double your export salesforce. A weaker rupee makes Indian exports more competitive. This window will not stay open indefinitely. Double the salesforce in your export markets now. Use this period to upgrade quality, improve service delivery, and build customer relationships that will last beyond the currency advantage. Indian exporters who invest in capability during this period will emerge stronger regardless of what the rupee does next. Those who simply ride the price advantage without building the underlying business will lose when conditions change.5. Watch your stock and your sector. Banks and financial institutions should already be on high alert. Companies with large foreign currency exposure will see pressure on their financials. Some stock prices are already reflecting this. Go through your sector company by company. Identify who is most exposed. If you are an investor or a lender, this analysis is not optional. The combination of currency depreciation, rising oil prices, and FPI outflows creates a compounding pressure that will surface in earnings before it surfaces in headlines.6. Cut costs aggressively. AI will help. There has never been more urgency to reduce costs than now. And there has never been a better tool to do it. AI can cut most operational costs by as much as 30% across functions: procurement, finance, customer service, logistics, and compliance. McKinsey data confirms companies adopting AI and automation reduce operational costs by 20 to 30 percent. This is not a future opportunity. It is a present imperative. Every rupee of cost removed through AI is a rupee that does not need to be recovered through revenue in a deteriorating currency environment. Start now with your highest-cost functions.The CFO as CaptainCurrency risk is a cash flow risk. Every function that touches foreign currencyโprocurement, treasury, sales, capex planningโ must now report into a single coordinating authority. That authority is the CFO. This is not about hierarchy. It is about clarity. In a currency crisis, fragmented decision-making is as dangerous as wrong decision making. One captain. One consolidated view. Weekly reviews minimum.The Bigger PictureThis currency depreciation is a structural signal, not a cyclical one. India's economy must move from a cheap labour advantage to genuine global value creation.The companies that will survive and thrive are those building products and services that command premium prices in global markets. The rupee's weakness is a reminder that competing on cost alone has limits.The recently concluded trade agreements are a genuine opportunity. Execute them with full force. Build the export pipelines. Add the sales capacity.The businesses that move now, with discipline and clarity, will manage market psychology, navigate the debt trap, and define the next chapter of Indian industry.The shock is coming. Prepare before it arrives.Ram Charan is the author of Chinaโs 90% model. It is restricting Indiaโs industrial progress. Former Director of Hindalco and Muyuan (China).
In touch with embassies of foreigners killed in Delhi hotel fire: S Jaishankar
Many of the foreign victims were reportedly staying at the hotel to attend to relatives admitted in a nearby private hospital.
ISI-underworld terror case: Huzaifa arrested, was in touch with Pak-based handler
Governor welcomes proposed Disease Modelling and Decision Intelligence Centre as Dr. NTRUHS honours meritorious students and eminent cardiologists
If the Strait of Hormuz is Iran's Trump card, then the Caspian Sea in its north is the 'war machine' helping Iran play its cards well.
Shah, the rapper-turned-politician, said that apart from discussions with India on the border dispute, Nepal was in touch with China and Britain as well.
While there has been no official confirmation, speculations suggest the number of legislators in touch with the rebel camp could range between 20 and 50
The peak power demand touched an all-time record high for four days in a row in May 2026
The U.S. is drawing heavily from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, releasing approximately 50 million barrels since the conflict with Iran began. These withdrawals are pushing emergency oil stockpiles to multi-decade lows, with significant amounts being exported. Analysts warn this depletion necessitates future replacements, potentially leading to higher prices globally.
New Delhi: Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing's ongoing India trip could open a major opportunity for New Delhi to harness rare earths from the neighbouring Southeast Asian country which to date are being extracted by China.Myanmar's Kachin and Shan states have massive deposits of rare earth elements including dysprosium and terbium used for permanent magnets for EVs, wind turbines, and defence items. The issue of India harnessing rare earths from Myanmar will figure prominently on the agenda of the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and the visiting President here on Monday. The visiting leader will also address a business forum here.Also Read: NSA Ajit Doval calls on Myanmar President on his maiden visitCurrently, Myanmar's northern neighbour China has been extracting rare earths from the Kachin state, but the visit has provided an opportunity to push its initiative, according to a person familiar with the issue. The Myanmar Army has stepped up its offensive in the border areas which have rare earth deposits, but rebel groups have major influence there.India-Myanmar bilateral trade has expanded over the years, with annual trade growing 23% to touch $2.15 billion in FY25-Myanmar exports totalled $1.53 billion and Indian exports were at $614.3 million. In particular, pulses exports, comprising about 77% of Myanmar's exports to India, increased by 29% in FY25. India is the fourth-largest trading partner of Myanmar.Also Read: Myanmar President Aung Hlaing begins India visitThe rupee-kyat settlement has also been functional since January 2024. The scope for further expanding bilateral trade is significant, particularly if Myanmar could increase fuel and pharmaceutical imports from India under the rupee-kyat mechanism and against its beans and pulses exports in rupees. Indian-made medicines are widely used in Myanmar due to their affordability and quality.As per the Government of Myanmar's statistics, India is presently the eleventh-largest investor with an approved investment of US$782.821 million by 39 Indian enterprises, out of the total estimated investments of US$96.05 billion from 53 countries (as on 31st March, 2025).
Besides discussions with India, Nepal was also in touch with China and Britain regarding the border issue, Shah said