MUMBAI: RBI sold a net $11.9 billion in Oct 2025 to support the rupee, reinforcing its role as the stabilising force in the currency market. Data from RBI’s Dec bulletin shows that the central bank stayed active across both spot and forward markets through FY25 to reduce volatility and keep market conditions orderly.In the spot, or OTC, market, the RBI sold more dollars than it bought to provide liquidity. Gross dollar purchases jumped sharply by 704% to $17.7 billion in Oct from $2.2 billion in Sept. At the same time, gross dollar sales rose 192% to $29.6 billion. This led to net dollar sales of $11.9 billion in Oct, a 50% increase from $7.9 billion in Sept, showing stronger intervention to counter pressure on the rupee. Taken together, RBI’s cumulative net dollar sales in FY25 up to Oct stood at $34.5 billion, or Rs 2,91,233 crore at contract rates.

Alongside spot market action, RBI relied more on forward contracts to influence future expectations without immediately using up reserves. By end-Oct, outstanding net forward sales increased 7.1% to $63.6 billion from $59.4 billion at end-Sept. This larger forward position acts as a buffer, reassuring markets that dollars will be supplied in the future if needed.In the exchange-traded currency futures market, RBI kept its net position neutral. In Oct, it bought and sold $2.3 billion each, resulting in no net purchase or sale. Even so, trading activity rose sharply, with total volumes up 73.5% from Sep. Outstanding net futures sales declined 9.8% to $1.4 billion by end-Oct.The data also suggest RBI was defending the rupee from dropping to 89 levels. The effective intervention price in Oct worked out to around Rs 88.25 per dollar, only slightly lower than Rs 88.35 in Sept, despite the large rise in the amount of dollars sold. This points to efforts to keep the rupee from weakening beyond the Rs 89 mark during a volatile period. For comparison, the average intervention rate for FY25 up to Oct was lower, at about Rs 84.39/$, reflecting the rupee’s broader depreciation in late 2025 amid trade tensions and capital outflows.

American company FedEx has come under fire after a multibillion-dollar federal delivery contract coincided with a sharp increase in the company’s hiring of foreign workers, even as it cut hundreds of US jobs across multiple states.In December 2022, the US Transportation Command awarded FedEx a contract worth $2.24 billion for the Next Generation Delivery Service-2 programme. The base period runs from April 2023 to September 2026, with options that could extend the work through 2030.According to the Dallas Express, data shows that at the time of the contract award, FedEx had roughly two dozen approved H-1B visa workers. By 2025, that number had risen to about 500. Some of the visa positions were listed with salaries ranging from $100,000 and $115,000.However, the surge in foreign hiring occurred alongside layoffs of US employees. In November 2025, FedEx announced plans to eliminate 856 jobs at one of its warehouses. Earlier in the year, 305 positions were cut in Fort Worth and 131 more in Garland and Plano. Across the country, layoffs also hit Memphis, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania.A company spokesperson told Dallas Express: “FedEx is committed to offering employees the opportunity to grow and advance in their careers. Doing so helps our team members thrive, and FedEx prosper. Our strategy is centred around recruiting a skilled workforce that meets our unique business needs and hiring the most qualified candidates.”Sources familiar with the company said much of the H-1B growth is because of corporate entities joining hands and does not have any direct relation to the eliminated positions, which are not roles eligible for H-1B visas.H-1B visas are typically reserved for jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, but the program has become a political flashpoint recently. US vice president JD Vance urged companies: “You Might Try Hiring Americans.”Meanwhile, most MAGA commentators and GOP supporters want a total ban on the H-1B system, saying that the program steals jobs and opportunities from native Americans and hands them cheaply to immigrant workers. Most workers coming on H-1B are ready to work for lower salaries than US labour, automatically making them a more efficient option for American employers. However, right-wing media cited how American employees were forced to train their foreign replacements before getting the boot.Business leaders such as ex-DOGE lead Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have said foreign labour is necessary and that America needs that global talent to run its crucial tech and IT sectors.FedEx said that it complies with all laws and employs a variety of workers irrespective of their ethnicity. “Across our business, we employ a wide range of roles, requiring a variety of skillsets and are committed to complying with all applicable federal immigration laws,” the spokesperson said. The company has not directly linked its federal contract to its H-1B hiring or domestic layoffs.

Sherrone Moore case takes new turn as women describe unsettling Instagram messages publicly (Image Via Getty)

Sherrone Moore became the focus of fresh questions this week after a detailed report described a pattern of uncomfortable social media messages sent to women over several years. The report, published by The Athletic on Monday, linked those messages to wider concerns about his judgment while he was leading the Michigan Wolverines football program.The report came after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause by the University of Michigan following an off-field incident involving a female staff member. While the Instagram messages were not described as criminal, they added context to concerns raised inside the program months earlier.

According to The Athletic, five women said they had strange or uncomfortable exchanges with Sherrone Moore on Instagram between 2020 and October 2024. The women told the outlet that Moore often started conversations by liking their stories or sending direct messages, even though they had no professional link to Michigan football.Two people briefed on the situation said these interactions were reported to university officials by fall 2024, during Moore’s first season as head coach in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Officials reportedly reviewed the behavior but did not view it as criminal or as involving university employees.One official told The Athletic, “It was not sexual harassment. It was propriety, ‘Are you an idiot?’ kind of stuff.” Moore, who is married and a father of three, allegedly asked one woman if he could fly her to Michigan. When she asked what that would involve, Moore replied, “I guess we will have to see! I would say yes but you would also have a driver haha.”The social media revelations surfaced after a serious incident earlier this fall. Sherrone Moore was arrested after allegedly entering the home of a female football staff member in Michigan and threatening to harm himself while holding butter knives and scissors. The incident led the university to fire him for what it described as an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” In one of the most recent reported Instagram interactions, Moore contacted a woman shortly before Michigan defeated Purdue on November 1. The woman, who had no connection to the football program, said she replied only after Moore sent a hand-waving emoji.The Athletic reported that while the Instagram messages did not break the law, they were seen by some inside the university as early warning signs of deeper issues that later became public.Also Read: Travis Kelce And Taylor Swift Vs Stefon Diggs And Cardi B Combined Net Worth In 2025: Who Is Richer, Nfl Power Couples, Music Fame, Earnings And More

Savannah James and LeBron James. Image via: Getty Images

While the Los Angeles Lakers star is a basketball legend, it is quite obvious why Savannah James has always been in the spotlight. The Lakers’ wife, now, no longer needs her husband to shine bright and make her name in the news headlines. This is because Savannah James is emerging as a powerful businesswoman and an extraordinary entrepreneur, and her husband, LeBron James, couldn’t be prouder. The Lakers legend is extremely supportive of the fact that his wife is trying to grab the spotlight without James’ help. While Savannah James’ son and husband are both prominent NBA players, one might think that it’s obvious for the wife to steal the spotlight every time LeBron and Bronny James’ names come forward. However, things are quite the opposite, and tables are gradually turning around. Here is everything you need to know about Savannah James and her career milestone.

LeBron James reacts as Savannah James is emerging independently in the public spotlight

The 4-time NBA Champion is always making headlines in the basketball world, and why wouldn’t he? He has all it takes to become a prominent NBA player. Speaking about his wife, Savannah James, who was previously identified only because her husband is a star player, she is no longer reliant on LeBron James, as she is emerging as a successful businesswoman. James is a proud husband, and his cheers say it all. In a recent interview after the Lakers vs Clippers matchup earlier on Saturday, James praised his wife and said, “She’s tapped into herself and the things she wants to create. It’s amazing to watch; she does everything so organically”. James’ statement is true from the very core, and his support means a lot for Savannah James and her career milestone. Savannah James, a mother of three children, Bronny James, Bryce James, and their youngest daughter, Zhuri Nova James, is now creating the life that she has always wanted to become. Apart from building her own territory, she is also a terrific mother and a lovely wife and is surrounded by a supportive family.

Savannah James is emerging as a diverse entrepreneurial businesswoman

Savannah James is now shaping her future with her brilliant business ideas, and she is also the co-owner of the “Lebron James Family Foundation”. She created the “Reframed Beauty”, a growing cosmetic brand, and also co-hosts the “Everyday’s Crazy” podcast. She previously ran the Juice Spot and now leads the “Women of Our Future” mentorship program. All in all, she is earning the evergreen fame that she truly deserves. Also read: “I wasn’t always in love with myself”: LeBron James’ wife Savannah James admits struggling to love herself despite fame and wealth

NEW DELHI: The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is set to ease mobility for Indian students and skilled professionals, while opening up fresh opportunities for exporters, manufacturers and service providers in a deal that is expected to widen New Delhi’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. .The agreement removes numerical caps on Indian students in New Zealand and allows a minimum of 20 hours of work per week during study. Post-study work visas will be extended to up to 3 years for STEM graduates and 4 years for PhD holders.

A new temporary employment entry visa will permit up to 5,000 Indian professionals at any given time to work in New Zealand for up to three years across sectors, such as IT, engineering, healthcare, education, and construction. The arrangement also covers Indian chefs, yoga instructors, AYUSH practitioners, and music teachers. In addition, 1,000 multiple-entry working holiday visas will be issued every year, allowing young Indians to travel and take up short-term employment.Agricultural and processed food exports will benefit from tariff removal by New Zealand on fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals, coffee, and cocoa. Organic products, such as basmati rice, tea, psyllium husk and flax seeds will gain from mutual recognition arrangements based on Australian standards. New Zealand will also support productivity plans for apples, kiwifruit and honey in India through centres of excellence, improved planting material, joint research and post-harvest support.New Zealand will provide 100% duty-free market access to all of India’s current exports and has committed market access across about 118 services sectors, including IT, professional services, education, telecom, construction, finance, tourism, and distribution. “We have also been able to open up 118 sectors, which will also give us an opportunity to participate in tourism, IT, telecom, audio, visual, etc. We are very happy to report back to the nation that there will be a fast track mechanism for approval of Indian pharmaceutical products, which will open up doors to the New Zealand market and help us capture a larger share of their current imports of pharmaceuticals and medicines,” said commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal. Manufacturing and labour-intensive sectors are expected to see immediate gains. Textiles, apparel, and clothing will get duty-free access, supporting exports of garments, home textiles, and handlooms. Leather and footwear tariffs will be cut to zero from peaks of up to 10%. Engineering goods, chemicals, electronics, machinery, automotive products, plastics, and rubber items will see tariffs reduced or eliminated over time. In return, India has agreed to cut or eliminate duties covering 95% of current bilateral trade value. New Zealand will get immediate access for products such as wood, wool, sheep meat and raw hides, with phased access for petroleum products, malt extracts, vegetable oils, and selected electrical and mechanical machinery in 3 to 10 years, and access to India for apples, kiwifruit, Manuka honey, and milk albumins limited through quotas and price safeguards.

Uorfi Javed sparked concern after sharing images from a Mumbai police station in the early hours of Monday. Taking to Instagram Stories, she revealed that she and her sisters had gone through a deeply unsettling night, calling it the scariest experience of her life. While she did not initially disclose details, Uorfi later spoke to us exclusively about the incident that took place at her residence in the early hours and led her to seek police intervention. Recalling what happened around 3.30 am, she says, “Someone kept ringing my doorbell for about 10 minutes. When I went out to check, a man was standing outside asking me to open the door and insisting on being let in, while another was standing at the corner. I told him to stop the nonsense and leave, but he refused to go. It was only when I warned him that I would call the police that he finally left.”

At the time of the incident, Uorfi was at home with her sisters, Dolly and Asfi. Speaking about what followed, she alleges that the men involved were residents of the same building. She says, “They were from the 13th floor. These men claimed they were politically connected and behaved as if they could do anything.” According to her, the situation escalated even after the police arrived. “We called the police, but they misbehaved with us and with the police. They were rude and kept saying ‘nikal nikal’. They denied everything,” she adds. Uorfi further claims that she overheard them attempting to tamper with evidence. “When we were leaving for the police station, we heard them asking the security guard to delete the CCTV footage, saying that they were related to a politician,” she says. Talking about the official action taken so far, she shares, “An NC has been registered. Now we will have to wait and see what happens next.” Describing the emotional toll of the episode, Uorfi admits the experience left her shaken. She says, “When someone comes at 3 am and asks a girl to open the door and then refuses to leave, it is scary. Especially when girls are living alone, situations like this can be terrifying.” She has also approached her housing society regarding the safety lapse. “I have submitted a written complaint because I do not feel safe. I want to know what action will be taken against them,” she says, adding that the society committee is likely to hold a meeting to decide the next steps.