The country's billionaire count rose 58 per cent over the past five years to 207 in 2026.
Housing sales fell 1 per cent last year to over 3.48 lakh units across eight major cities, with demand stagnating amid an average price rise of up to 19 per cent, according to Knight Frank. In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, real estate consultant Knight Frank India noted that the decline in interest rates on home loans, strong economic growth and lower inflation were some of the key factors that helped in sustaining the housing demand during the 2025 calendar year despite fears of an impending correction.
India's residential real estate market experienced a 4 per cent year-on-year decline in sales during Q1CY26, while office leasing reached a quarterly high, rising 6 per cent year-on-year to 29.9 million square feet, according to Knight Frank India.
Frankly, was it really necessary in the middle of a fratricidal war for External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to travel to Abu Dhabi for a one-on-one with the sheikh on April 12?Or, for National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to follow up on April 26? Or, for PM Narendra Modi to follow through today? There are no easy answers, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Market maven Andrew Holland on why India missed the AI wave, why FIIs are leaving, why he personally invests in cryptocurrencies and why he's still betting big on the country.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) has voiced concerns regarding the high rate of doping cases in India and the alleged practice of athletes receiving advance notice before testing, potentially jeopardising the nation's bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games.
The Gandhis have served both the Congress and India. But it has been 12 years since the 2014 verdict, and the returns have been diminishing. It is time for them to step aside, let the party find its own footing, and allow someone else to make the hard calls. That is what the Congress needs. And frankly, it is what India needs too, points out Harishchandra.
Deferred payment plans may come with a cost, which may not be immediately visible.
Mumbai Indians are struggling in the IPL due to the absence of Hardik Pandya and their inability to perform consistently, according to Corbin Bosch. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings remain focused on cricket despite social media distractions.
'Every year we import approximately $70 billion worth of gold -- closer to $72 billion in 2025-2026, an all-time record.' 'There is no parallel for this anywhere in the world. And this love for gold will not disappear overnight.'
India possesses two months of fuel stockpiles and faces no supply concerns despite global energy disruptions, according to Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. However, state-run fuel retailers are incurring losses of up to Rs 1 lakh crore in a single quarter due to elevated crude prices and unchanged retail fuel prices, raising questions about the sustainability of these losses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed the West Asia crisis and the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure. They also reviewed progress in bilateral ties and anticipated upcoming deals in the energy sector.
With duties at 15%, GST at 3%, and making charges running as high as 20% -- the gap between a smart purchase and a careless one can easily be Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 on every Rs 1 lakh invested. And most of that gap is entirely avoidable. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the math.
The second season of the Russo Brothers' espionage series Citadel, falls short of its global ambitions due to muddled writing and a lack of compelling narrative depth, complains Sukanya Verma.
'We are targeting a 2.5x to 3x increase in valuation by FY31.'
Ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia have slowed deal momentum in Dubai's luxury residential market, but Indian high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) are not exiting their marquee assets, with any 'discounted' resale deals attributed to investor liquidity stress rather than geopolitical flight.
Delhi should keep all its options open in what is essentially a transitional period in the geopolitics of energy rather than remain a gatekeeper serving Trump's 'America First', suggests Ambasssador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Narendra Modi -- a man with deep and vital experience of Indian politics -- has seen the BJP lose many elections between 1975 and 2015, and with every defeat, he learned lessons that made sure he would never allow his party to be defeated so easily again.'
'We were in a heavily nuclearised environment. China had tested for Pakistan in the 1980s and helped their missile programme stay just one step behind us.'
India's handling of the Iran crisis reflects a growing strain between strategic autonomy and geopolitical alignment, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Direct plans of mutual fund schemes added nearly 21 million individual investor folios in FY26 (as of February), surpassing regular plans' 15 million net additions, marking only the second time direct plans have outpaced regular plans in annual folio growth, despite turbulent equity markets.
The US State Department has expressed concerns over India's trade imbalance with Washington and its purchase of Russian oil, emphasizing that President Trump has been clear with New Delhi on these issues.
The inauguration of Noida International Airport (NIA) is set to significantly increase property values in micro-markets along the Yamuna Expressway, with projections indicating a 28 per cent rise for plots and 22 per cent for apartments over the next two years, according to Colliers.
Savin Sa's 'Vaazha 2: Biopic of a Billion Bros' has officially joined the exclusive Rs 200 crore club, becoming the fifth Malayalam film to achieve this milestone and the first with rank newcomers in the lead, while also being ranked among the top five highest-grossing Malayalam films.
China and Bhutan held the 15th Expert Group Meeting to discuss boundary alignment, focusing on areas where there are no disputes, and agreed to maintain the momentum of negotiations.
Platform-style partnerships between global investors and Indian developers are expected to gain further traction over the next few years. This comes as institutional capital increasingly shifts from one-off asset acquisitions to scalable, long-term strategies.
American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has criticised the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for its stringent anti-cheating measures at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus.
Top female executives are calling for corporate India to redesign workplace systems to support women's advancement into leadership roles in the technology sector, particularly in emerging fields like artificial intelligence.
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of aligning with forces that attack minorities, during election rallies in Kerala. He also criticised the CM on other issues including alleged corruption and economic failures.
'American stature has been reduced because they have not been able to achieve their aims.'
'Pakistan's is the only military-controlled nuclear weapons programme in the world.' 'As people get radicalised, the risk of a brigadier or pilot taking matters into their own hands is a real concern.'
'The jail staff told me Kasab was served only jail food and not biryani.' 'They told me that Kasab was beaten regularly after court proceedings.' 'And they filled Kasab's bottle with urine so that whenever he felt thirsty he used to drink urine.'
Mumbai recorded its strongest housing market performance in 14 years in 2025, with property registrations rising to 150,254, amid a sustained end-user demand and supportive supply-side ecosystem, according to Knight Frank India.
Gautam Gambhir receives public backing from Shashi Tharoor ahead of the Nagpur T20I against New Zealand.
Pakistan are avoiding playing against India because they are aware they can't win against them, said 1983 World Cup winning all-rounder Kirti Azad.
In the wake of the FTA between India and the European Union, the United States has described the Europeans as 'very disappointing', saying they were unwilling to join Washington, DC in putting tariffs on New Delhi for its purchases of Russian oil because of this trade deal.
Israel has for more than two decades and several US presidencies worked to draw the United States into a full-scale war with Iran. Having finally achieved that, the last thing it wants is Trump declaring victory and going home, as he is prone to do. Ali Larijani was the figure most capable of handing Trump a negotiated exit with something to show for it. Without Larijani, the road to an exit gets considerably narrower. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Saurabh Netravalkar emphasizes the importance of a strong defensive strategy for the USA against India in the T20 World Cup, highlighting the team's experience and the significance of playing at Wankhede Stadium.
'My colleague Naveen Bamel -- he is an advocate of the Supreme Court -- went to the museum at the Red Fort specifically to look for the cap.' 'He inquired with the ASI officials there, and nobody had a clue.' 'So I thought this is not right. This must be brought to the notice of the prime minister.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances