In the second quarter, leading private sector banks in India reported a drop in net interest margins. This decline was primarily caused by the costs associated with foreign currency non-resident deposits. Analysts noted that the leveraged nature of these deposits significantly impacted profitability. Additionally, banks faced pressure from faster repricing of assets as interest rates declined. Listen to this article in summarized format Unlock AI Briefing and Premium Content
In the second quarter, leading private sector banks in India reported a drop in net interest margins. This decline was primarily caused by the costs associated with foreign currency non-resident deposits. Analysts noted that the leveraged nature of these deposits significantly impacted profitability. Additionally, banks faced pressure from faster repricing of assets as interest rates declined.
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Six crew members and 51 passengers were on board An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, after the crew received a bomb threat signal during the journey, prompting a security inspection.The Airbus A320, operating as flight OS82, was diverted to Sofia after the threat was reported near the Romanian border, according to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications. Flight-tracking data cited by Sky News showed that the aircraft landed at around 9.25pm UTC.The ministry said initial information indicated that six crew members and 51 passengers were on board. All passengers were evacuated from the aircraft after it landed.“During the flight, on the border with Romania, the crew reported a bomb threat signal and decided to land in Sofia extraordinarily,” the ministry said.It added that a Bulgarian Air Force fighter jet had taken off and escorted the aircraft until it landed at Sofia airport. A crisis management headquarters was established, while the relevant authorities began inspecting the plane. Anonymous bomb report triggers alert According to Israel’s Ynet, passengers said the emergency was triggered by an anonymous report claiming that a bomb was on board. The Times of Israel also reported that security concerns arose after a suspicious object was allegedly spotted on the aircraft’s deck. The plane reportedly transmitted an emergency signal.The aircraft was carrying a delegation of young people who were scheduled to speak at the United Nations, according to The Times of Israel. No further details about the alleged threat or the outcome of the security inspection were immediately available in the reports.The incident comes less than three weeks after a security scare involving a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, in which the captain and several Israeli passengers reportedly thwarted an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to crash the aircraft.
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JAMMU: J&K Police have filed a case and started a probe against a Jammu-based Army officer’s wife for allegedly collecting and sharing sensitive information with foreign intelligence operatives, including those linked to China, sources said Sunday.The woman is from Telangana, works as a freelance researcher and had a UN internship in 2023. She allegedly used AI tools ChatGPT and Claude to write papers on sensitive security issues for Chinese intelligence operatives suspected to have contacted her posing as academicians. The information was allegedly passed on through encrypted communication (online) mediums.The woman married the major-rank officer in 2023, a year after finishing a course in international governance from Geneva. She got a Master’s degree from a Bengaluru university in 2021.A joint team of officers, including some from a central intelligence agency, intercepted the woman at Jammu railway station on Oct 14 when she was reportedly preparing to board a train to Pathankot. She was stopped and taken to a nearby military station for questioning, officials said. This followed a case filed at Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar Police Station under Official Secrets Act, and BNS sections relating to criminal conspiracy and offences against national sovereignty. A DSP assigned to lead the probe has questioned the woman, seizing her phone and extracting data that purportedly showed documents on sensitive subjects. The accused claimed her material was based entirely on open-source research supplemented by the AI platforms.The officials made it clear that despite being booked, the woman has not been arrested yet. Her interrogation indicated that she had interacted with several foreign nationals during her UN internship, including a Chinese national with whom she allegedly maintained contact through WhatsApp, the officials said. In 2024, she was in contact via social media with a Malaysian consultant allegedly working for Chinese intelligence agencies, the officials added.Preliminary investigations indicate the Chinese operatives initially made the woman write articles on environmental and geopolitics issues before gradually goading her to switch to defence matters. Investigators suspect she may have fallen into an “intellectual trap”, not realising that those approaching her as academicians were actually operatives trying to extract sensitive information. Join conversation View All Comments → Share your thoughts in the comments Insightful Agree Disagree Skeptical Concerning Promising Worth Reading Big Development Post Comment Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Investigators are examining whether the woman engaged in systematic information-sharing under the guise of freelance research, adding a comprehensive forensic examination of her digital devices and financial transactions is on to establish the exact nature of the shared material, the officials said.(With inputs from agencies)