Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to launch attacks against its electricity infrastructure and civilian facilities, presenting what officials described as technical evidence linking strikes across several states to Ethiopian territory. The allegations, renewed on Thursday, follow a series of drone attacks that have disabled power stations, damaged fuel installations and disrupted electricity supplies across army-controlled areas of Sudan. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Muawiya Osman Khalid said […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai More than 250 senior maritime executives are expected in Dubai on 12 November for the inaugural Seatrade Maritime UAE Summit, where shipping disruption, supply chain resilience and changes in global trade will dominate discussions. Seatrade Maritime is organising the gathering with DP World as host partner at Madinat Jumeirah. The programme will include the unveiling of the 2026 Leading Maritime Cities report prepared […]
DoorDash has agreed to acquire Instacart for approximately $17 billion, combining the largest US restaurant delivery platform with a leading online grocery marketplace in one of the sector’s biggest transactions. The companies announced the cash-and-share agreement on Thursday, valuing Instacart, formally Maplebear Inc, at $65 a share. That represents a 26% premium to its closing share price on 22 October, before speculation about a possible sale emerged. […]
By Nitya Chakraborty In just ten days between October 25 and November 3 this year, four national elections were scheduled. Out of these, elections were held in Brazil and Serbia on October 25 and in Israel on October 27. Only on November 3, the midterm elections will be held in the United States. The bitter […]
The article Four Elections In Ten Days: Authoritarianism Is Finally Getting A Backlash appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Alipay has rejected claims that its payment network supports cryptocurrency trading after decentralised marketplace Peer introduced a service allowing customers to exchange Chinese yuan for the dollar-linked stablecoin USDC. The Chinese payments company said on 28 October that it neither supports virtual currency transactions nor authorises third-party platforms to offer cryptocurrency purchases through its services. It warned customers to safeguard their money and accounts when encountering such […]
Sharjah has temporarily closed beaches across the city after an offshore tanker oil spill raised concerns that marine pollution could reach its coastline. The Sharjah Government Media Bureau announced the precautionary measure on Wednesday, October 28, saying specialist teams and relevant authorities were taking steps to protect the shoreline and ensure public safety. The decision extends restrictions imposed earlier on Al Hamriyah Beach as authorities respond to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s financial regulator has imposed a $585,825 (Dh2.15 million) penalty on Moody’s Investors Service Middle East Limited after finding failures in its protection of confidential information, including disclosures to recipients outside the company. The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) announced the action on Wednesday, saying the credit rating agency had breached rules requiring adequate systems and controls to protect sensitive data and prevent […]
By K Raveendran The greatest mistake Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party can make is to mistake the silence of the streets for the consent of the people. The government may have succeeded in shrinking the space for organised resistance, intimidating critics and making dissent increasingly costly. But political resentment does not disappear simply […]
The article Modi Govt’s Undeclared Emergency Will Have Its Inevitable Outcome appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Once upon a time people in India exercised their “right to protest” in front of the ruling establishment in New Delhi free of cost, though they still needed government permissions for assembly of people for protest. However, under PM Narendra Modi, it has been abolished altogether with denotification of designated protest […]
The article India’s National Capital Being Turned Into No Protest Zone appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
OpenAI has announced three artificial intelligence-generated research results spanning mathematics, computer science and physics, including a claimed disproof of the Exponential Time Hypothesis, a longstanding assumption about computational difficulty. Outside specialists will examine the findings before they can be treated as established scientific advances. The company said on Monday that its systems had produced mathematical arguments challenging problems that have resisted researchers for decades. Two results have […]
The proposed overhaul would expand investment opportunities for pension funds while maintaining safeguards for retirement savings. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is examining changes to the framework that determines how contributions are allocated across government securities, corporate bonds, equities and alternative investments.
The exercise comes as the regulator reassesses investment restrictions that have traditionally favoured highly rated debt and relatively conservative portfolios. Greater flexibility could channel additional institutional capital towards companies, infrastructure projects and investment vehicles that currently face restrictions on accessing pension money.
No final decision has been announced on the proposed changes, and the precise investment limits, eligibility requirements and implementation timetable remain subject to regulatory consideration.
The authority established a Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance committee in January to undertake a comprehensive examination of investment guidelines. Its mandate includes reviewing permissible asset classes, portfolio diversification, valuation practices, liquidity management and safeguards against excessive risk concentration.
The committee has also been tasked with comparing the pension system’s investment architecture with international practices and recommending adjustments that reflect changing domestic financial markets.
One area under examination concerns the credit quality of debt securities eligible for pension investment. Existing regulations impose rating requirements designed to protect subscribers against defaults and deterioration in the financial condition of borrowers.
Relaxing some restrictions could expand demand for corporate bonds beyond the highest-rated issuers, potentially improving financing opportunities for companies that struggle to attract long-term institutional investors.
Such changes would nevertheless expose pension portfolios to additional credit risks. Lower-rated securities generally offer higher yields to compensate investors for greater uncertainty over repayment, making effective credit assessment and portfolio supervision particularly important.
Alternative investments represent another area of potential expansion. These can include infrastructure investment trusts, real estate investment trusts, securitised instruments and regulated alternative investment funds, subject to the applicable scheme guidelines.
The existing framework already permits limited exposure to several such instruments. For certain subscriber investment choices, alternative assets are restricted to 5% of the portfolio, illustrating the cautious approach adopted towards less conventional investments.
An expansion would require careful consideration of liquidity, valuation transparency and the ability of pension managers to exit investments when necessary.
The regulator’s review specifically addresses valuation standards for alternative investment funds and strategies for managing assets that cannot readily be sold. These questions are significant because retirement funds must balance long investment horizons against subscribers’ withdrawal requirements.
The possible changes could also affect the corporate bond market, where greater participation by pension funds would provide an additional source of long-term financing.
However, the eventual market impact would depend on the permitted allocations, the credit standards adopted and investment decisions made by individual fund managers. Regulatory permission would not necessarily translate into immediate purchases of newly eligible securities.
The pension system has accumulated substantial assets as contributions from government employees, corporate workers and individual subscribers have increased.
Government figures put National Pension System assets under management at approximately ₹15.95 lakh crore at the end of March 2026. The separately administered Atal Pension Yojana held approximately ₹51,400 crore.
The scale of these savings makes investment policy an important consideration for both financial market development and retirement security.
Existing guidelines distinguish between government and non-government subscribers, with different investment patterns and restrictions applying to particular schemes.
Non-government subscribers can exercise greater control over their portfolios through available investment choices, while default arrangements for government employees operate under prescribed allocation rules.
The authority has already demonstrated its willingness to broaden eligible investments within established safeguards.
A regulatory circular issued in May permitted pension funds to purchase rupee-denominated bonds issued by the New Development Bank, adding the institution to an existing list of eligible multilateral lenders.
That amendment retained the applicable minimum AA credit rating requirement and maturity conditions, underscoring the distinction between expanding eligible securities and lowering credit standards.
The regulator’s broader review also covers performance benchmarks, accountability mechanisms and asset-liability management practices. These determine how investment results are assessed and whether portfolio risks remain compatible with long-term pension obligations.
The committee’s mandate further includes examining concentration limits, operational risks and sustainability considerations within pension investment decisions, alongside measures intended to strengthen oversight of participating fund managers.
Dubai’s flexible office market has substantial capacity for expansion, but a shortage of suitable buildings is preventing operators from fully meeting growing demand for furnished workplaces and shorter lease commitments. Flexible offices represent only 2.6 per cent of Dubai’s total office stock, according to Cushman & Wakefield Core’s UAE Trends in Flexible Office 2026 study, published on 22 October. The proportion is considerably lower than in several […]
Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States after losing the presidential election and failing to surrender his passports under a Supreme Court order linked to a money-laundering investigation. The US State Department confirmed on Tuesday that Bolsonaro and his family would receive visas permitting their entry into the United States. His departure followed Sunday’s unexpected electoral defeat by President Luiz Inácio Lula […]
Kylian Mbappe has apologised for remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong that provoked widespread criticism in China, cost the Real Madrid forward major sponsorship agreements and prompted an extraordinary intervention by Spanish football authorities. The France captain issued his apology on Tuesday after several Chinese companies terminated commercial partnerships following the circulation of a video in which he appeared to describe Mao as a dictator while […]
China’s state television network CCTV has suspended broadcasts of Spain’s La Liga football competition following controversial remarks attributed to Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, escalating a dispute that has also cost the French international several commercial partnerships. The suspension took effect on Monday night, with television coverage involving Mbappé and promotional material featuring the player also withdrawn. The development prompted an […]
