Category Archives: Economy Snapshot

General News

• India COVID tally crosses 19.1 million with over 2 million deaths; recovery rate stands at 81.84%.
• Global Coronavirus caseload tops 152 million; US leads the global tally with 33 million cases.
• 15.22 crore vaccine doses administered; more than 1.28 crore doses administered Tika Utsav.
• States to set up Containment & micro Containment Zones; to ramp up tests to break transmission chain.
• Centre says national directives for COVID-19 management will continue throughout country till 31st May.
• Several states impose lockdown, night curfew to curb Covid surge.
• All Centrally protected monuments, sites & museums under ASI closed till May 15.
• Centre imports 20 cryogenic tankers, allocates them to states to address shortage of oxygen tankers.
• India to import 4.50 lakh vials of Remdesivir; first consignment to arrive today.
• Oxygen Expresses delivers cumulative 510 metric tonnes of oxygen to UP, Maharashtra, Delhi and MP.
• Over 40 countries offered assistance to India to fight COVID-19.
• Assembly elections: West Bengal records 81.76% voter turnout; 72.81% in Tamil Nadu; 81.88% in Puducherry, 74.57% in Kerala, 82.04% in Assam.
• Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra set to become the next CEC.
• PM Modi, Seychelles President Ramkalawan jointly inaugurate several Indian projects in Seychelles.
• India, France and Australia hold trilateral talks.
• UK PM Boris Johnson cancels delayed visit to India; Britain adds India to COVID-19 travel ‘red list’.
• S Jaishankar holds delegation-level talks with his Russian and UAE counterparts.
• India urges G20 members to ensure equitable access, widespread distribution of vaccines.
• World Banks approves $32 million project to improve health services in Mizoram.
• IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria flags off four Rafale aircraft for India in France.
• India, China agree to maintain stability on ground; avoid new incidents in eastern Ladakh.
• DRDO develops advanced technology to safeguard Indian Navy ships from enemy missiles.
• ISRO, French space agency to share expertise on human spaceflight.
• Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launches SARTHAQ initiative for implementation of NEP.
• Govt releases ₹4,000 crore for Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes.
• CBSE, ICSE Class 10 board exams cancelled, Class 12 Board exams postponed.
• JEE Main April 2021 postponed, revised dates to be announced later.
• Monsoon rains in India to remain ‘normal’ for third year: IMD.
• Government simplifies process for re-issuance of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.
• Justice NV Ramana formally appointed as next CJI, to assume charge on April 24.
• President Biden unveils $2 trillion package to overhaul American physical infrastructure.
• US announces all US and NATO troops to leave Afghanistan by September 11; begins withdrawal.
• US Presidential Elections: US imposes sanctions on Russia; Moscow vows retaliation.
• US issues Level 4 health alert, asks its citizens to leave India in view of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic.
• China, U.S. agree to tackle climate crisis with urgency.
• Biden, Japan’s Suga commit to work together to meet China challenge.
• Boris Johnson gives go-ahead to next stage of England’s lockdown easing from April 12.
• Twice weekly rapid COVID-19 tests to be rolled out for all in England.
• Japan to expand emergency measures as needed amid fears of new COVID strains.
• Russia’s Putin signs law that could keep him in power until 2036.
• Chinese defence minister calls on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa; discusses steps to boost bilateral ties.
• Blackout hits Natanz Atomic site, Iran describes it as nuclear terrorism.
• Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99.
• Myanmar unity government says it must be part of any ASEAN bid to end crisis.
• Lloyd Austin makes first Israel visit by Joe Biden official, Iran on the agenda.
• Pakistan govt bans Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) amid violent anti-France protests.
• French embassy asks all its nationals, companies to leave Pakistan amid security threats.
• NASA’s Mars helicopter takes flight, first powered flight on another planet.
• IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) strengthened their position at the top spot in points table.
• Pakistan’s Babar Azam dethrones Kohli after over 3-Year-long reign on Top of ODI Rankings for batsmen.
• French Open postponed to May 30 amid COVID-19 crisis.
• Tokyo Olympics: IOC push ahead with plans to open Tokyo Olympics during state of emergency.
• Asian Wrestling Championships 2021: India finishes 3rd with 14 medals including 5 Gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze.

Business News

• RBI keeps repo rate, reverse repo rate unchanged at 4% and 3.35%; projects GDP growth of 10.5% for FY22.
• Paytm, wallet accounts limit raised to ₹2 lakh; opens RTGS, NEFT connectivity with payment operators.
• RBI caps bank CEO tenure at 15 years, policy to be effective Oct 1.
• RBI issues guidelines for appointment of statutory auditors of banks, NBFCs.
• PLI Scheme: Cabinet okays ₹10,900 crore for food processing, ₹6,238 crore for solar modules, white goods.
• Centre releases ₹4,608 crore to States for providing grant-in-aid to local bodies.
• Govt to inject $2 billion capital in four weakened state banks.
• Piyush Goyal launches Startup India Seed Fund Scheme to create a robust startup ecosystem in the country.
• PM Modi meets pharma leaders, urges industry to ensure seamless supply of medicines.
• Govt to provide ₹4,500 crore booster to vaccine manufacturers for ramping up capacity.
• Supreme Court allows Vedanta to produce oxygen at Sterlite plant in Tamil Nadu.
• Centre bans supply of oxygen to industries to meet demand from COVID-19 patients.
• Indian Railways runs Oxygen Express trains to transport oxygen to states facing shortage.
• Major ports waive-off all charges for ships carrying oxygen and oxygen related equipment cargo.
• Railways converts more than 4,000 train coaches as COVID care-cum-isolation facility amid virus surge.
• Centre bans export of Remdesivir & its active ingredients till COVID situation improves in country.
• SII fixes price of covid vaccine Covishield at ₹600 per dose for private hospitals and ₹300 per jab for states.
• Bharat Biotech fixes price of Covaxin at ₹400 per dose for states, ₹1,200 for private hospitals.
• India indefinitely puts on hold AstraZeneca’s vaccine shipment to Canada.
• Panacea Biotec to produce 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine in India.
• US govt lifts export ban on essential raw materials required for manufacturing COVID vaccine in India.
• Sputnik V gets emergency use authorisation in India; to produce 850 million doses annually.
• Govt waives off import duty on Remdesivir to provide affordable medical care to Corona patients.
• Government amends insolvency law; introduces pre-packaged resolution process for MSMEs.
• Direct tax collection up 5% in FY21 at ₹9.45 lakh crore; refunds at ₹2.61 lakh crore.
• CBDT notifies new income tax return forms for AY 2021-22.
• Govt extends deadline for making payment under Vivad Se Vishwas scheme till June 30.
• ICICI Bank, Axis Bank to co-lead New Umbrella Entity (NUE) with Amazon, Visa as partners.
• Axis Bank to sell 100% stake in UK subsidiary to OpenPayd.
• HDFC Bank provides ₹500 crore to refund interest-on-interest on moratorium loans.
• Citi group, South Africa’s second largest bank – FirstRand Bank to exit retail banking business in India.
• IRDAI asks hospitals to provide cashless treatment for COVID-19 to policyholders.
• LIC earns ₹1.84 trillion in new premium in FY21, pays ₹1.34 trillion as claims last fiscal.
• Barbeque Nation, Macrotech Developers debuts in stock market.
• UK Home Minister Priti Patel approves extradition of Nirav Modi to India.
• SC stays further proceedings in Amazon-Future-Reliance case.
• KV Kamath committee clears Future Retail, Future Enterprises debt recast plans.
• PV retail sales rise 28%, two-wheeler registrations dip 35% in March: FADA.
• Mahindra joins hands with CERO to offer vehicle scrapping services for its customers.
• Swift dethrones the Alto as India’s largest selling passenger vehicle in FY21.
• Hyundai India achieves 1-million cumulative SUV sales in domestic, export markets.
• US auto industry calls for government help as it warns of impact of chip shortage.
• Toyota acquires US-based Lyft’s autonomous car division for $550 million.
• Hero MotoCorp ties up with Taiwan’s Gogoro to develop EVs; to establish battery swapping JV.
• Air France gets EU green light for €4 billion aid.
• Airlines ground some 737 Max jets after Boeing discloses electrical problem.
• Airbus and Dassault reach tentative deal on FCAS fighter.
• OPEC and allies agree to gradually boost crude oil output from May to July.
• Saudi Aramco agrees $12.4 billion deal to sell 49% stake in pipelines to U.S’ EIG Global Energy Partners.
• Cairn Energy offers to forego $500 million if India agrees to pay principal due.
• HCL Tech signs a multi-million dollar digital transformation and hybrid cloud contract with UD Trucks.
• Microsoft makes its second biggest acquisition, buys AI speech tech company Nuance for $19.7 billion.
• Dixon, Bharti Enterprises to form JV for manufacturing telecom products.
• Agriculture Ministry signs MoU with Microsoft for a pilot project in 100 villages to raise farmers income.
• LG becomes first major smartphone brand to withdraw from market due to losses.
• China’s Ant to become financial holding firm under enforced revamp.
• Reliance Retail extends deadline to complete ₹24,713 crore deal with Future Group.
• Amazon announces $250 million-fund for small and medium businesses in India.
• Flipkart, Mahindra Logistics join hands to accelerate use of EVs in last mile delivery.
• Softbank Group to invest $450 million in Swiggy at $5.5 billion value.
• Flipkart acquires Covid-hit travel booking portal Cleartrip.
• Byju’s acquires Aakash Educational Services; raises $150 million from UBS.
• Saregama inks global music licensing deal with short video platform Triller.
• Sony Pictures, Netflix sign exclusive streaming deal.
• Tarun Bajaj made new Revenue Secretary, Ajay Seth Economic Affairs Secretary.
• Expenditure secretary T V Somanathan appointed finance secretary in place of Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
• Bajaj Auto names Rahul Bajaj as Chairman Emeritus; Niraj Bajaj to take over as Chairman.
• NASSCOM appoints Accenture’s Rekha Menon as Chairperson.

Q4 Results

• HDFC Bank Q4 profit rises 18% to ₹8,186 crores; NII rose 12% YoY, GNPA rose 1.32%, NNPA stood at 0.40%.
• ICICI Bank Q4 profit spikes 261% YoY to ₹4,403 crore, NII grows 17%, NNPA stood at 1.1%.
• Axis Bank posts Q4 profit at ₹2,677 crore as provisions dip, NII grew 11% YOY to ₹7,555 crore.
• IndusInd Bank Q4 net profit jumps over two-fold to ₹876 crore, provisions fall 24%.
• Yes Bank Q4 net loss widens marginally to 3,788 crore.
• RIL Q4 Consolidated PAT jumps 129% YoY to Rs 14,995 crore; firm to pay ₹7 dividend.
• TCS Q4 net profit jumps 15% to ₹9,246 crore; revenue at ₹ 43,705 crore.
• Infosys net profit rises 17.5% YoY to ₹5,076 crore in Q4, announces ₹9,200 crore buyback.
• Wipro posts 27.7% YoY increase in Q4 net profit to ₹2,972 crore, revenue up at ₹16,245 crore.
• HCL Tech Q4 Net profit down 26% QoQ at ₹2,962 crore, revenue grew 1.8% to ₹19,642 crore.
• Tech Mahindra Q4 profit falls 17.4% QoQ to ₹1,081.4 crore, revenue up 0.9% at ₹9,729.9 crore.
• TVS Motor posts three-fold increase in Q4 net profit at ₹289 crore in Q4 FY21.
• Nestle India reports 14.6% jump in Q4 profit at ₹602 crore, revenue up 8.5% at ₹3610.82 crore.
• HUL Q4 profit up to ₹2,143 crore, revenue rises 35% to ₹12,132 crore; announces dividend of ₹17/ share.

General News

• Second phase COVID-19 vaccination drive begins for people over 60 & above 45 years with co-morbidities.
• Centre asks States, UTs to increase gap between two doses of Covishield vaccine between 4 & 8 weeks.
• PM Modi chairs high-level meeting with all CMs of States & UTs over surge in COVID-19 cases.
• India COVID tally reaches 12.20 million with over 244 million tests done; recovery rate stands at 93.88% .
• Global COVID-19 caseload tops 129 million, death toll surge to 2.82 million.
• Over 6.30 crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country
• President gives assent to bill giving more powers to Delhi Lieutenant Governor.
• More than 67.5 lakh people brought back from around the world under Vande Bharat Mission.
• India supplies over 5.86 crore doses of Made in India COVID vaccines to nearly 71 countries.
• Assembly elections 2021, 1st Phase: 2.14% voter turnout recorded in Assam and 79.79% in Bengal.
• Campaigning for 2nd phase polling in West Bengal, Assam ends today; polling on April 1.
• Election Commission cuts notice period for new political parties from 30 days to 7 days.
• Suvendu Adhikari to contest Bengal election from Nandigram seat against Mamata Banerjee.
• Ex-BJP leader Yashwant Sinha joins Trinamool Congress, appointed as party’s Vice President.
• Congress’s PC Chacko quits party ahead of Kerala polls, joins NCP.
• V K Sasikala quits politics ahead of Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
• CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s govt wins trust vote in Haryana assembly comfortably.
• Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat resigns; BJP MP Tirath Rawat named new CM.
• Quad Meet: Australia, India, Japan and the US stress for a free, open and rule-based Indo-Pacific region.
• India, Sweden hold virtual summit, agree to strengthen bilateral cooperation on digitalization, startups.
• India, Nigeria resolve to step up cooperation in combating terrorism.
• PM Modi virtually inaugurates ‘Maitri Setu’ connecting India-Bangladesh.
• India, Bangladesh ink 5 agreements; agree to expand cooperation across entire gamut of water resources.
• US Defence Secretary Austin visits India; meets PM Modi, Rajanth Singh and NSA Ajit Doval.
• US Defense Chief Lloyd Austin meets Afghan President in Kabul as troop withdrawal deadline nears.
• Govt constitutes 259-member panel headed by PM to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence.
• Digitisation of 4.50 crore pages of Records & Exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated.
• World Water Day: PM Modi virtually launches Jal Shakti Abhiyan : Catch the Rain campaign.
• Delhi gets its own education board as government registers Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE).
• Govt signs ₹1,188 crores deal with Bharat Dynamics to acquire 4,960 Milan-2T missiles.
• After 23 years, Indian Navy deploys women officers on warships.
• INS Karanj, third Scorpene-Class Submarine, commissioned into Indian Navy.
• India to buy 30 US Predator drones for $3 billion to counter China, Pakistan.
• ISRO launches DRDO’s satellite ‘Sindhu Netra’ to monitor activities in Indian Ocean.
• ISRO develops radar for joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.
• China approves building dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet, near Arunachal Pradesh border.
• WHO experts report says it has ‘not yet’ found source of coronavirus; calls for further studies.
• EU states resume AstraZeneca vaccine after EU drug regulator declares shot safe for use.
• US President Biden outlines plan to get US ‘closer to normal’ by July 4.
• French PM announces month-long limited COVID-19 lockdown for Paris, other regions.
• Germany extends lockdown until April 18 as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
• Australia extends international border closure till June in view of COVID crisis.
• China relaxes its border for foreigners inoculated with Chinese vaccines.
• Russia, Iran tried to meddle in 2020 Presidential elections: US intelligence report.
• Pentagon approves extending Guard deployment at US Capitol for 2 more months.
• US President Biden signs $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law on US lockdown anniversary.
• US House passes pair of immigration bills amid influx of migrants crossing US-Mexico border.
• Myanmar coup: Dozens killed as army opens fire on protesters during deadliest day.
• Suez Canal reopens after Ever Given cargo ship successfully refloated.
• Pope Francis visits regions of Iraq once held by Islamic State.
• NASA’s Perseverance rover performs first test drive on Mars.
• IND vs ENG: India managed to win all the series — Test 3-1, ODI 3-2, T20 2-1.
• IPL 2021 to take place from 9 April to 30 May; six Indian cities to host all matches.
• Kieron Pollard becomes third batsman to hit six 6s in an over in international cricket.
• Aaron Finch becomes first Australia batsman to hit 100 Sixes in T20Is.
• Mithali Raj becomes first Indian woman to score 10,000 international runs, second overall.
• Yuzvendra Chahal leapfrogs Jasprit Bumrah, becomes India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is.
• India’s Mithali Raj has become the first women’s cricketer in history to reach 7000 ODI runs.
• Virat Kohli becomes first batsman to complete 3000 runs in T20I cricket.
• Puma signs three-year sponsorship deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
• Sony Pictures Networks signs multi-year agreement to broadcast Ultimate Kho Kho.
• Novak Djokovic sets a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one, surpassing Roger Federer.

Business News

• Govt releases 12th and final monthly instalment of revenue deficit grant of ₹6,194.09 crore to the states.
• Cabinet clears bill for new Development Finance Institution.
• President Kovind Approves Bill to Set up National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development.
• Adityanath, Hardeep Singh flagged off Gorakhpur-Lucknow flight service under RCS-UDAN scheme.
• Rajya Sabha passes Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021; FDI limit increased to 74% from 49%.
• Govt constitutes empowered committee headed by Commerce Minister for high-tech manufacturing.
• Waiver on registration fee, 25% rebate on road tax: Gadkari announces vehicle scrappage policy.
• Govt to levy fine of up to ₹1 crore on auto firms on mandatory vehicle recalls.
• Govt makes passenger side airbag mandatory in new cars from April 1.
• Govt to provide all-India tourist permit to operators in 30 days of online application submission.
• Govt increases lower fare band for flights by 5% on ATF price hike, extends cap on 80% capacity.
• DGCA issues circular for airports, warns passengers to wear masks properly inside aircraft.
• Adityanath, Hardeep Singh flagged off Gorakhpur-Lucknow flight service under RCS-UDAN scheme.
• Govt approves 33 API applications with over ₹5,000 crore committed investment under PLI scheme.
• NITI Aayog submits first list of about 12 PSUs for privatisation.
• BIS license is must for packaged drinking water companies from April 1: FSSAI.
• Easy Trip Planners’ , Kalyan Jewellers, Craftsman Automation, Laxmi Organic Industries’, MTAR Technologies,
  Nazara Technologies, Suryoday Small Finance Bank, Barbeque Nation Hospitality debut in stock market.
• RBI asks banks to implement image-based Cheque Truncation System in all branches by Sep 30.
• No compound, penal interest be charged from borrowers during loan moratorium period: SC.
• Govt amends rules to bring insurance brokers within ombudsman ambit.
• India to manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine as part of Quad initiative.
• Govt signs fresh purchase agreement with Bharat Biotech for 2 crore doses of Covaxin.
• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) brings more than 80 medicines under Price Regulation.
• US to provide financial assistance to Indian vaccine manufacturer Biological E.
• Russia reaches deal with Virchow Biotech to make Sputnik V in India.
• Gland Pharma inks pact to supply 252 million doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
• Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer conduct COVID vaccine trials on children.
• Spectrum auction ends with ₹77,815 crore bids; Reliance Jio top buyer with ₹57,122 crore.
• DoT demands ₹21,919 crore as upfront payment for spectrum from telecom companies.
• SC sets aside NCLAT order restoring Cyrus Mistry as executive chairman of Tata Group.
• Future-RIL deal: Delhi HC halts ₹24,713 crore acquisition; orders attachment of Biyani’s assets.
• India and US agree to revamp India-US Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP).
• US suspends trade deal with Myanmar in aftermath of military coup.
• Bank Of Japan maintains short-term interest rate target at -0.1%.
• UK’s Rishi Sunak hikes corporation tax to 25% , extends job support system until September.
• China sets economic growth target ‘above 6%’ for 2021, defense budget hiked by 6.8% to $209 billion.
• Inflation-stricken Venezuela rolls out new, larger-denomination banknotes.
• Turkish lira falls 16% after President Erdogan sacks central bank chief.
• Sri Lanka signs three-year $1.5 billion currency swap deal with China.
• Infosys announces expansion in Canada, double workforce to 4,000 by 2023.
• HCL Tech opens digital acceleration centre in Canada.
• Tata Consultancy expands strategic partnership with Vodafone Netherlands.
• Tech Mahindra acquires 70% stake in Perigord to augment pharma expertise for €21million.
• OPEC+ decides to extend current production cuts till April; allows Russia, Kazakhstan to raise output.
• Saudi cuts April crude for some Asian refiners, maintains India supply.
• Indian Oil Corporation enters into joint venture with Israeli firm Phinergy.
• Mahindra receives clearance from RBI to reduce stake in SsangYong Motor.
• Jaguar Land Rover to write down £1.5 billion as part of restructuring.
• Piaggio, KTM, Honda, Yamaha sign swappable batteries agreement to increase range and lower cost.
• Boeing unveils new executive performance metrics tied to product safety and quality.
• Boeing wins biggest 737 MAX order since safety-ban lift from Southwest.
• Mahindra Defence wins contract to make armoured vehicles for Indian army.
• India imports Chinese toys worth $600 million every year.
• China asks Alibaba to divest stake in media assets, including South China Morning Post.
• Morgan Stanley becomes first major U.S. bank to offer clients access to bitcoin funds.
• Sri Lanka approves proposal to develop West Container Terminal at Colombo Port with Adani group.
• Facebook resume Political and Social issue Advertisements on its platform.
• News Corp reaches three-year agreement with Facebook in Australia.
• Google  to reduce its Play Store commission to 15% for developers on first $1 million revenue.
• Apple ordered to pay over $300 million for digital rights management patent infringement.
• Amazon Care marks the Company’s entry into Healthcare services in the US.
• Microsoft ends support for original cross-platform Edge browser.
• PhonePe signs up six sponsorship deals for the IPL 2021.
• Amazon infuses ₹225 crore into India payments unit.
• Uber agrees to classify drivers in UK as ‘workers’; to give drivers minimum wage, pension, holiday pay.
• SpaceX successfully tests Starship SN10 rocket after 2 failed attempts.
• Oyo’s Singapore subsidiary secures $200 million term loan from SoftBank.
• Indian Gaming League raises $500,000 from Hungama Digital Media and Hindustan Talkies.
• Vi partners with Disney+ Hotstar to provide year of free content to users.
• Disney+ streaming platform crosses 100 million subscriber milestone.
• Canara Bank’s Executive Director Matam Venkata Rao appointed as new MD & CEO of Central Bank.
• US Senate confirms Katherine Tai as Biden’s chief trade negotiator.
• Ralf Speth to take over as TVS Motor Chairman in 2023 Venu Srinivasan will become Chairman Emeritus.
• Google vice-president Caesar Sengupta steps down.
• Dr Anish Shah to replace Dr Pawan Goenka as Mahindra MD and CEO.

General News

• Assembly elections to be held between 27th March to 29th April; counting will take place on 2nd May.
• Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry to vote in 1 phase; Assam in 3 phase voting, West Bengal in 8 phase.
• India’s COVID-19 tally reaches 11.11 million with over 216 million tests done; Recovery rate stands at 97.05%.
• Over 14 million administered COVID-19 vaccines in the country so far.
• Global COVID-19 cases tops 114 million with 2.54 million deaths.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan launches Mission Indradhanush 3.0, to focus on children, women’s vaccine doses.
• Made in India COVID vaccines were supplied to 25 nations and 49 countries across the world: S Jaishankar.
• Centre issues fresh guidelines for international travellers as new strains found in India.
• Nepal, India jointly inaugurate road link connecting Indo-Nepal border.
• India, Qatar hold fourth foreign office consultations, exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
• Govt launches pilot survey on drinking water in 10 cities under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• PM Modi, Afghan President hold virtual summit; MoU signed on construction of Shahtoot dam project.
• PM Modi speaks to US President Biden, discuses regional issues, climate change and strategic partnership.
• India signs $50 million defence agreement with Maldives to boost maritime capability.
• Quad’s 3rd ministerial meeting today, to discuss work towards inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• Protesting farmers announce series of events from February 23, to intensify agitation against Farm Laws.
• PM Modi hands over Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to Indian Army at Chennai.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates HAL’s second Light Combat Aircraft production line.
• Govt formally seals ₹48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas LCA from HAL.
• CRPF inducts 34 women commandos in its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit.
• India reserves ₹70,000 crore of the defence budget of ₹1.35 trillion for domestic defence procurements.
• Mallikarjun Kharge to be Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha as Ghulam Nabi Azad’s term ends.
• First phase of Budget Session ends, Lok Sabha adjourned till March 8.
• Rajya Sabha passes J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021; Major Port Authorities Bill 2020.
• PM Modi inaugurates India’s first virtual Toy Fair 2021, pushes for use of less plastic.
• Maharashtra govt imposes fresh lockdowns as daily COVID cases cross 5,000.
• In poll-bound Tamil Nadu, state govt announces ₹12,110 crore farm loan waiver.
• UP Govt presents first paperless Budget of ₹5.5 lakh crore in Assembly to make State “Aatmanirbhar”.
• Ram temple trust deploys `3-tier system` to monitor transparency as donations cross ₹600 crore mark.
• Right to protest cannot be anytime and everywhere: SC on Shaheen Bagh CAA protests.
• National Herald case: Delhi High Court notice to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, seeks reply by April 12.
• CBSE board exams 2021 to be held from May 4 to June 10, results by July 15: Education Minister.
• 4G mobile internet services being restored in entire J&K after 18 months.
• Kiran Bedi relieved as Puducherry Lt Governor; CM Narayanasamy resigns after failing to prove majority.
• Union Cabinet approves President’s Rule in Puducherry as BJP, allies did not stake claim.
• Glacier breaks in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath: Death toll rises to 72, rescue operation underway.
• WHO concludes investigation of origin of COVID-19 virus in Chinese city Wuhan.
• China calls for COVID-19 origin tracing in US after WHO probe in Wuhan.
• WHO authorises AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
• UNICEF, Serum Institute of India enter into long-term supply for COVID-19 vaccines.
• US House passes $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, sends it to Senate.
• US extends new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia for 5 years.
• Joe Biden discusses Coronavirus, Hong Kong, Xinjiang in his first conversation with President Xi Jinping.
• US Senate acquits former President Donald Trump in impeachment trial for Capitol Hill riots.
• Pakistan to remain on FATF ‘grey list’ till June, asked to address ‘strategic deficiencies’.
• Myanmar’s Suu Kyi detained in military coup, 1-year emergency declared.
• Nepal’s Supreme Court reinstates parliament dissolved by PM Oli in December last year.
• More than 2000 Rohingya refugees sent to newly developed Bhashan Char relocation centre in Bangladesh.
• China, Hong Kong ban BBC World News from broadcasting for violating reporting guidelines.
• Japan starts vaccine rollout with healthcare workers as Olympics approach.
• Angela Merkel, German governors to decide on extending COVID-19 lockdown beyond February.
• NASA lands Perseverance rover on the Mars surface, carrying the first helicopter for another planet.
• IND vs ENG: India takes 2-1 lead in 4-Match Test Series.
• NZ vs AUS: New Zealand edge Australia by four runs in second T20, lead 5-Match series 2-0.
• Rishabh Pant, Shabnim Ismail win inaugural ICC Player of the Month Awards for January 2021.
• Australian Open 2021: Novak Djokovic wins his ninth title; Naomi Osaka her Fourth Grand Slam Title.
• IPL Auction: Chris Morris most expensive player ever; sold to Rajasthan Royals for ₹16.25 crore.

Business News

• Nirmala Sitharaman presents first ever Union Budget digitally; Fiscal deficit for FY21 pegged at 9.5% of GDP, 6.8% for FY22.
• Capital expenditure hiked 34.5% to ₹5.54 lakh crore in FY’22 to push growth.
• Health & well-being budget outlay at ₹2.23 lakh crore; ₹64,180 crore Atmanirbhar Health Yojana unveiled.
• FM allocates ₹20,000 crore for bank recapitalisation, proposes AMC-ARC for NPAs.
• Agri credit target raised to ₹16.5 lakh crore for FY22; FM reassures commitment to MSP and APMCs.
• Centre imposes agri infra cess of ₹2.5 on Petrol, ₹4 on Diesel; cuts import tax on gold, silver to 7.5%.
• Defence Ministry allocated ₹4.78 lakh crore; Home gets ₹1.66 lakh crore; ₹1,10,055 crore for Railways.
• Govt announces voluntary vehicle scrapping policy; to phase out old and unfit vehicles.
• Centre announces guidelines & digital media ethics code for digital and social media platforms.
• MCA signs pact with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs for data exchange.
• RBI maintains status quo for fourth time in a row; keeps repo rate static at 4%.
• Embargo lifted on grant of Govt business to private banks. All banks can now participate.
• India’s WPI inflation rises to 2.03% in January – highest in 11 months on the back of higher fuel prices.
• BPCL, Air India share sale by September; LIC IPO-post October: DIPAM Secretary.
• Finance Ministry permits 4 states to borrow additional ₹5,034 crore post ease of doing business reforms.
• Petrol, diesel price at fresh high; oil company says government can cut taxes to ease consumer burden.
• Assam Govt removes COVID cess on petrol & diesel; removes 25% COVID-19 cess on liquor.
• All lanes in fee plazas on National Highways to be declared as FASTag lane from February 15th midnight.
• DGCA allows airlines to charge 10-30% more for domestic flights with immediate effect.
• Government extends ban on commercial international flights till March 31.
• DGCA allows airlines to provide concession in air fares to customers with no baggage.
• Deadline for filing declaration under ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme extended till March 31.
• India’s stock market now 7th biggest in the world as BSE market cap surges to $2.7 trillion.
• Technical glitch halts NSE trading, resumed later in the same day.
• Indigo Paints, Home First Finance Company, Rail Tel debut in stock market.
• Bank of England holds interest rates held at but warns they could go negative.
• Bitcoin hits $1 trillion market cap, surges above $56,000.
• Ether hits $1,800 for first time as market cap crosses $200 billion.
• India, EU talk restarting bilateral trade, investment pact with interim agreement.
• Bharat Biotech inks pact with Ocugen for development, sale of Covaxin in US.
• Biocon Biologics partners with International Diabetes Federation.
• Dr Reddy’s begins process to obtain emergency use authorisation for Sputnik V.
• China approves 16 locally-made COVID-19 vaccines for clinical trials.
• Cabinet approves PLI scheme for telecom sector worth ₹12,195 crore.
• Tata Communications partners Google to ease cloud adoption by enterprises.
• Bharti Airtel ties up with Qualcomm for 5G services in India.
• HCL inks 5-year Digital Workplace Services agreement with Airbus.
• TCS enhances ties with Amazon Web Services, launches new TCS AWS Business Unit (BU).
• Ford, Google join hands to offer cloud-based data services.
• Ashok Leyland buys Nissan’s 38% stake in Hinduja Tech for ₹70 crore.
• Australia passes landmark law requiring Google, Facebook to pay for news.
• Facebook signs preliminary pay deals with three Australian news publishers.
• Apple Pauses Electric Car Talks With Hyundai and Kia.
• Tesla to set up electric car manufacturing plant in Karnataka: CM Yediyurappa.
• Airbus signs MoU with GMR Group to collaborate on aviation services in India.
• HAL, Wipro3D collaborate to manufacture metal 3D printed aircraft engine component.
• Australia lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX, first in Asia-Pacific region.
• Lockheed Martin inks pact with HAL to explore potential industrial collaboration in India.
• SpaceX launches world’s first all-civilian astronaut mission.
• UK revokes license of Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN.
• Tata Group acquires 68% stake in online grocery major BigBasket for ₹9,500 crore.
• Amazon acquires Australia-based Selz, a platform allowing users to launch online stores.
• PayPal to shut shop in India from April 1, focus on global customers.
• Mastercard and Razorpay partner to make digital payments more accessible for MSMEs and startups.
• Haldiram’s partners with Futurelife to bring nutritional product range to India.
• Airtel enters advertising business; launches adtech platform with brand engagement services.
• Apple partners with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to develop micro OLED displays.
• Wikipedia launches first global code of conduct to stem misinformation.
• ixigo acquires train booking app Confirmtkt.
• Sandes, alternative to WhatsApp & other instant messaging apps launched by National Informatics Centre.
• Chanda Kochhar gets bail in PMLA case, asked not to leave country without court’s permission.
• Nirav Modi guilty on all charges, can be extradited to India: UK Court.
• Vijay Mallya allowed some access to UK court-held funds to meet legal, living expenses.
• Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala becomes first woman and first African to lead WTO.
• Jeff Bezos to become executive chairman later this year, Andy Jassy to takeover as Amazon CEO.
• Marc Llistosella appointed as new Tata Motors CEO, MD as Guenter Butschek steps down.
• Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo to step down, be replaced by R&D chief Toshihiro Mibe.
• Hero MotoCorp sets up a new vertical for Harley-Davidson in India; to be headed by Ravi Avalur.

Q3 Results

• SBI Q3 standalone net profit falls 7% to ₹5,196.22 crore, consolidated profit down 6% at ₹6,402.16 crore.
• PNB Q3 net profit declines 18% to ₹506 crore; NII falls marginally to ₹8,313 crore.
• Ashok Leyland reports Q3 net loss of ₹19 crore due to VRS cost of ₹85 crore, revenue at ₹ 4,813.51 crore, .
• Mahindra’s Q3 net profit grows 42% to ₹1,268 crore, revenue up 11% to ₹21,625.95 crore.
• Hero MotoCorp Q3 consolidated PAT up 14% at ₹1,029 crore, revenue rises 39% to ₹9,827 crore.
• Divi’s Labs Q3 net profit rises 31% to ₹471 crore, Total consolidated income stood at ₹1,720.76 crore.
• SpiceJet reports Q3 net loss of ₹57 crore, revenue fell 53.7% to ₹1,691 crore.
• ITC Q3 profit falls 11% YoY to ₹3,587 crore, consolidated revenue rose to ₹14,124 crore.
• Vodafone Idea Q3 loss narrows to ₹4,532 crore, revenue down 2% YoY to ₹10,849.1 crore.

General News

• Global COVID-19 cases top 102.9 million with 2.2 million deaths.
• India’s caseload crosses 10.7 million mark with recovery rate reaching 96.98%.
• India approves Covishield, Covaxin vaccines in fight against COVID-19.
• World’s largest COVID-19 vaccination drive kicks off in India; over 37 lakh vaccinated so far.
• EC allows govt to use voters’ data for vaccination, asks to delete it after drive.
• Vaccine Maitri: India begins supply of indigenous COVID Vaccine to neighbouring and partner countries.
• India showcases military might, cultural heritage at its 72nd Republic Day parade on Rajpath.
• No foreign head of any govt as chief guest on Republic Day due to COVID-19 pandemic.
• Supreme Court stays implementation of farm laws, forms 4-member committee.
• Govt offers to suspend farm laws implementation for up to 1.5 years; farmer unions demand repeal.
• Tractor Parade: Protesting farmers enter Red Fort with Tractors, wave flags from the ramparts of the fort.
• Japanese Pm Shinzo Abe, SPB, Tarun Gogoi, Ram Vilas Paswan among Padma Award winners 2021.
• ECI launches digital voter ID Cards on National Voters Day.
• Construction work of new Parliament building begins after SC gives green signal the project with riders.
• India begins its two-year tenure as a Non-Permanent Member of the UNSC.
• India, China agree to push for early disengagement of frontline troops in Ladakh.
• Govt clears purchase of 83 Tejas aircraft in defence deal worth nearly ₹48,000 crore.
• India, Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear installations and facilities.
• India, Israel successfully test Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile defence system.
• India, EU hold their first maritime security dialogue in virtual format.
• A minor IED blast rocked the high-security zone near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi.
• TN CM inaugurates Jayalalithaa memorial in Chennai; ‘Veda Nilayam’ residence also declared a memorial.
• Avian Influenza confirmed in 5 States for poultry birds and in 10 States for crows, migratory and wild birds.
• India Innovation Index-2020: Karnataka tops in Major States category; Himachal in North East & Hill States.
• UN adopts $3.2 billion budget for 2021 over US and Israel objections.
• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, 1st-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons, entered into force.
• UNGA adopts resolution to safeguard religious sites across the world.
• WHO inks deal for delivery of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in poor countries.
• UK Coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries.
• China denies Coronavirus leaked from Wuhan lab, says global outbreaks caused pandemic.
• WHO expert team arrives in Wuhan to begin investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, UN Chief, Singapore PM, Indonesian President receive COVID vaccinations.
• UK PM Boris Johnson declares new lockdown for England until mid-February.
• Japan declares state of emergency for Tokyo area amid COVID-19 surge.
• Germany to extend COVID-19 related restrictions until Feb 14: Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Brazil approves emergency use of AstraZeneca and Chinese-made Sinovac coronavirus vaccines.
• Pakistan approves Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
• New Zealand lifts all COVID19 restrictions, declaring the nation virus-free.
• Trump supporters storm Capitol Hill amid a key Senate vote; Washington DC placed under lockdown.
• Held responsible for Capitol riot, Trump becomes first President in US history to be impeached twice.
• Donald Trump’s impeachment trial to begin on February 9.
• Joe Biden takes oath as 46th US President, Kamala Harris as Vice-President.
• Biden signs 15 executive orders, reversing Donald Trump’s key policies including Paris accord.
• COVID test, quarantine mandatory for people entering US, Biden launches 100 days mask challenge.
• US withdraws H4 work permit restrictions in relief to spouses of H1-B visa holders.
• North Korea holds huge military parade as Kim vows nuclear might.
• Indonesian plane with 62 people on board crashes after takeoff; Black Box recovered from Java Sea.
• Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli expelled from ruling Nepal Communist Party amid political chaos.
• Saudi Arabia and Qatar agree to reopen airspace and maritime borders.
• Israel opens embassy in United Arab Emirates after normalising ties.
• Bangladesh sends 3rd Batch of Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char Island.
• India claim series win against Australia; becomes first team to beat host at the Gabba since 1988.
• ICC Test rankings: Historic win at The Gabba takes Team India to second place; Kohli loses 2nd spot to Smith, Pujara moves up to 8th.
• Cheteshwar Pujara becomes 11th Indian to cross 6000-run mark in Test cricket.
• T Natarajan made his Test debut becomes first Indian cricketer to debut in all three formats on same tour.
• Chennai Super Kings release Harbhajan Singh ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction.
• Rajasthan Royals trade Robin Uthappa to CSK; appoint Kumar Sangakkara as Director of cricket.
• Thailand Open 2021: Sai Praneeth withdraws after testing COVID-19 positive, Srikanth forced to pull out.

Business News

• Budget session begins from January 29, to be held in two phases.
• Economic Survey 2021 tabled in the Parliament; FY21 GDP estimated to contract by 7.7%.
• Nirmala Sitharaman launches the Union Budget Mobile App as India gears up for first paperless budget.
• New Foreign Trade Policy 2021-2026 to be rolled out from April.
• Ease of doing business: Government launches regulatory compliance burden portal.
• PM announces ₹1,000-crore startup India seed fund; Govt holds meeting with 70 global funds.
• PM Modi inaugurates the 306 km Rewari-Madar section of western dedicated freight corridor.
• J&K LG Manoj Sinha launches Industrial development scheme worth ₹24,800 crore for UT.
• Centre approves green tax on old polluting vehicles, tractors to be exempted.
• Cinema halls to be allowed to operate with 100% capacity starting from February: I&B Minister.
• Indian Army signs a pact to procure high-altitude drones from ideaForge for $20 million.
• Karnataka earmarks 520-acres to set up Japanese Industrial Township near Tumakuru.
• CM Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Common Facility Centre for gold and Assamese traditional jewellery.
• Centre lists bill to ban all cryptocurrencies in India, create official digital currency.
• RBI launches Digital payments index to track transactions.
• IRDAI to introduce standard home insurance policy Bharat Griha Raksha for fire, allied peril risks.
• TCS becomes world’s most valued IT company, beats Accenture; surpasses Reliance market capitalisation.
• IRFC, Indigo Paints, Home First Finance and Stove Kraft launch their IPOs.
• KVIC unveils e-commerce portal for khadi, village industry products.
• Govt allows import/export of COVID-19 vaccine without any value limitation.
• Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurates Hisar airport under Udan scheme.
• DGCA extends travel restrictions on scheduled international commercial flights till Feb 28.
• CBI books Cambridge Analytica, Global Science Research for illegal data harvesting.
• World Economic Forum Davos 2021 – PM Modi addresses WEF Davos Summit 2021.
• Serum Institute of India applies for trials of another COVID-19 vaccine; to launch Covavax by June 2021.
• SII to sell Covishield at a special price of ₹200 for govt, to be sold in private markets at ₹1,000 per vial.
• Mahindra, Ford end talks of auto joint venture.
• Hyundai Motor India Ltd ends calendar 2020 with a production of 5.2 lakh units.
• Tesla registers India office in Bangalore, to start operations with R&D unit.
• Hyundai commences export of vehicles via rail, first consignment of 125 cars to reach Nepal.
• Toyota beats Volkswagen to become World’s No.1 car seller in 2020.
• General Motors teams up with Microsoft to accelerate rollout of Electric and self-driving cars.
• Ola, Siemens to build advanced EV hub in Tamil Nadu for ₹2,400 crore.
• DGCA issues guidelines for Airlines to transport COVID-19 vaccines.
• Boeing to pay $2.5 billion to settle US criminal probe into 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
• Total to acquire 20 % stake in Adani Green Energy for $2.5 billion.
• Govt to hold spectrum auctions from March 1; DoT invites applications.
• BSNL to test Indian telecom gears before letting manufacturers bid for 4G network tender.
• Bharti Airtel receives regulatory approval for 100% FDI in subsidiaries.
• Dixon’s subsidiary Padget Electronics ties up with HMD India to manufacture Nokia smartphones.
• TCS partners with UK’s leading mobile network carrier, Three UK to accelerate 5G network rollout.
• SAP invests ₹500 crore to accelerate multi-cloud strategy in India.
• Google Cloud, Nokia partner to accelerate cloud-native 5G readiness for communication service providers.
• US blacklists Xiaomi, CNOOC and 7 other Chinese companies, US investors must pull out by end of year.
• Federal judge blocks Parler’s bid to be restored on Amazon Web Services.
• Health startup Cure.fit acquires US-based digital fitness company Onyx.
• Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit reaches Space for the first time with its Air-Launched Rocket.
• Alphabet shutting down Loon, which used balloon alternative to cell towers.
• Future Retail-Reliance Retail deal receives SEBI, BSE nod with observations.
• Reliance Retail to tie up with Kirana stores as franchise partners, JioMart exits sale of FMCG goods.
• Amazon buys 11 aircraft for the first time to deliver orders faster.
• Google completes its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit amid ongoing review by US Department of Justice.
• PayPal becomes first foreign firm in China with full ownership of payments business.
• Global cryptocurrency market cap hits $1 trillion as Bitcoin hits $37,000.
• Google removes some lending apps in India to protect consumers.
• WhatsApp delays policy update rollout to May 15 amid severe criticism.
• Govt asks WhatsApp to withdraw changes to privacy policy.
• Amazon joins hands with Bharti Airtel for the first roll-out of Prime Video mobile edition.
• Japanese beer maker Kirin to invest $30 million in maker of India’s Bira.
• Janet Yellen becomes America’s first woman treasury secretary.

Q3 Results

• HDFC Bank Q3 net profit rises 18% to ₹8,758 crore YoY, NII up 15% to ₹16,317.6 crore.
• ICICI Bank Q3 net profit rises 19% to ₹4,940 crore, NII grew 16% to ₹9,912 crore.
• Axis Bank Q3 profit plunges 36% to ₹1,117 crore on elevated provisions, NII grows 14.3% ₹7,372.76 crore.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Q3 profit rises 16% to ₹1,853 crore, NII grows 17% to ₹4,007 crore.
• YES Bank Q3 net profit rises to ₹151 crore, NII jumps to ₹2,560 crore; NNPA lower at 4.04%.
• TCS Q3 Net profit rises 7% to ₹8,701 crore, revenue up 5% to ₹42,015 crore; ₹6/share dividend declared.
• Infosys Q3 net profit jumps 16.8% YoY to ₹5,197 crore, revenue came in at ₹25,927 crore, up 12.27% YoY.
• Wipro Q3 profit rises 21% YoY to ₹2,966.70 crore, dollar revenue growth highest in 36 quarters at 3.8%.
• HCL Tech reports 31% jump in Q3 profit at ₹3,982 crore, revenue increased by 6% YoY to ₹19,302 crore.
• Maruti Suzuki Q3 net profit rises 24% to ₹1,941 crore, revenue up 13% to ₹23,458 crore.
• Tata Motors Q3 profit jumps 67% to ₹2,906 crore, revenue grew by 5.5% YoY to ₹75,653.8 crore
• TVS records its highest ever quarterly profit of ₹266 crore, revenue up 31% YoY to ₹5,404 crore.
• Biocon Q3 net profit falls 19% to ₹186.6 crore, revenue from operations rose to ₹1,851 crore.
• Dr Reddy’s posts Q3 profit at ₹20 crore, revenues grew 12% YoY to ₹4,930 crore.
• RIL Q3 net profit rises 12.5% YoY to ₹13,101 crore, consolidated revenue up 21.10% to ₹1.2 lakh crore.
• Reliance Jio net profit rises 15.5% to ₹3,489 crore in Q3; ARPU jumps to ₹151.
• HUL Q3 net profit rises 19% to ₹1,921 crore, revenues climb 20% to ₹11,682 crore.

General News

• Global CIVID-19 cases exceed 83.8 million; US most-affected in world as tally crosses 20.4 million-mark.
• India COVID-19 tally crosses 10.28 million, recovery rate improves to 96.07%.
• India reports 25 cases of new COVID-19 strain as UK returnees test positive.
• Centre issues 113 pages guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination drive; first Phase to include 30 crore people.
• Farmers’ protest: SC adjourns hearing, asks Govt to consider putting farm laws on hold.
• Opposition lead by Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar meets President, seeks repeal of farm laws.
• Farmers’ protest: Centre agrees to 2 of 4 demands of protesting farmers; next round of talks on Jan 4.
• 9 states successfully completes ‘one nation one ration card’ reform.
• Winter Session of Parliament scrapped due to COVID-19, Budget Session to take place in January.
• UK PM Boris Johnson accepts India’s invite, will be Republic Day parade chief guest.
• UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab calls on PM Modi; discuss various facets of strategic partnership.
• India, Nepal discuss trade and investments, propose developing of cross-border economic zone.
• PM Modi speaks to Qatar Amir; task force to be set up to boost Qatari investments into India.
• Rajnath Singh calls for joint efforts against threats of ‘bio-terrorism’ at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meet.
• EAM Jaishankar meets business leaders in Qatar; highlights investment opportunities in India.
• Army chief Gen. Naravane holds talks with UAE and top Saudi Generals.
• Army Chief General MM Naravane meets South Korean top military brass to bolster military ties.
• India and Uzbekistan sign nine agreements to strengthen strategic partnership.
• India and Bangladesh seal 7 pacts to expand cooperation in diverse areas, restore a cross-border rail link.
• PM Modi inaugurates world’s largest renewable energy park at Khavda, meets Farmers in Kutch.
• PM launches Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY SEHAT to ensure universal health coverage to people of J&K.
• PM Modi flags off India’s first ever driverless train, launches National Common Mobility Card.
• Education Ministry sets up task force for preparing roadmap on technical education in mother tongue.
• JEE-Mains to be held four times every year from next year; First exam from 23rd to 26th of Feb.
• PM Modi releases postal stamp to mark centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University.
• Cabinet approves merger of four government-run film and media units with NFDC.
• Amit Shah lays foundation stone of medical college, law colleges in Assam.
• J&K DDC polls: Farooq Abdullah-led Gupkar alliance wins big in Kashmir, BJP in Jammu.
• Suvendu Adhikari, 5 TMC MLAs join BJP at Amit Shah’s rally in Midnapore.
• Maharashtra MLC Election: NCP-Congress coalition wins four seats; BJP bags 1.
• Hyderabad civic polls: Ruling TRS wins 55 seats, followed by BJP with 48 seats and AIMIM by 44 seats.
• MP cabinet gives nod to Religious Freedom Bill, forced conversion will invite 10-year-jail term, penalty.
• Arya Rajendran becomes India’s youngest Mayor from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.
• Tamil Nadu grants permission to hold Jallikattu with COVID-19 restrictions.
• Defence Ministry approves acquisition of military hardware worth ₹28,000 crore.
• Navy test-fires anti-ship version of BrahMos supersonic cruise & Prithvi-2 Nuclear capable ballistic missiles.
• ISRO Successfully Launches India’s 42nd Communication Satellite CMS-01 from Sriharikota.
• PM Modi lays foundation stone for new Parliament building.
• Bombay HC stays transfer of Kanjurmarg land for Mumbai metro car shed.
• Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) unveils design of mosque, hospital to be built in Ayodhya.
• Almost 1 billion vaccine doses secured for low- and middle-income countries: WHO.
• Britain first among countries which have begun vaccinating their people against the COVID.
• 137,000 people in UK receive COVID vaccine in 1st week; 1 million Americans vaccinated in 10 days.
• US Vice President Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris publicly receive COVID-19 vaccine shot.
• New strain of Coronavirus identified in UK triggers series of travel bans ahead of holiday season.
• U.S. Electoral College confirms Joe Biden’s win.
• Biden names Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary and ex-general Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense.
• U.S. House approves $2,000 Coronavirus aid checks sought by Trump.
• US Senate passes bill eliminating per-country cap for employment immigrant visas.
• UK PM Boris Johnson signs EU-UK trade deal after MPs vote to pass agreement.
• UN Chief Antonio Guterres urges global summit to declare ‘climate emergency’.
• UN backs Afghan peace talks in resolution, Russia votes `no’.
• Nepal PM Oli dissolves Parliament amidst power tussle.
• Israeli parliament moves to dissolve government; to hold snap election in March, fourth in two years.
• China 2nd nation to plant flag on the Moon; Chang’e 5 capsule brings 1st new moon samples in 44 years.
• Lebanon PM, former ministers charged over Beirut port blast.
• Bangladesh ships Rohingya refugees to remote island despite outcry.
• Govt to include Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba in Khelo India Youth Games 2021.
• BCCI approves 10 teams from 2022 IPL; calls for cricket’s inclusion in 2028 Olympics.
• Chetan Sharma is BCCI’s new chairman of selectors; Abey Kuruvilla, Debashish Mohanty included in panel.
• India vs Australia: Aus win ODI series 2-1, India wins T20 series 2-1, 4 – match Test series levelled at 1-1.
• Virat Kohli becomes fastest cricketer to score 12000 ODI runs, beats Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
• ICC ODI rankings: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma retain top two spots; Bumrah sits on 3rd spot.
• Virat Kohli named ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, honoured with Sir Garfield Sobers Award.
• Cristiano Ronaldo wins Player of the year and ‘Gives’ it to Robert Lewandowski in remarkable gesture.

Business News

• All 28 states and 3 Union Territories choose Option-1 to meet GST implementation shortfall.
• Govt releases 9th instalment of ₹6,000 crore loan to states to meet GST shortfall.
• Cabinet approves ₹3,500 crore subsidy for sugar farmers, 5 crore sugarcane farmers to benefit.
• Cabinet gives nod to next round of spectrum auction.
• Commerce Ministry and AYUSH Ministry decide to set up an AYUSH Export Promotion Council.
• Cabinet approves setting up of public WiFi networks under ‘PM-WiFi Access Network Interface’.
• I&B Ministry issues an advisory on advertisements on Online gaming, Fantasy sports.
• Nitin Gadkari inaugurates National Highway projects in Nagaland, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Assam.
• World Bank approves four India projects worth over $800 million.
• Centre and West Bengal sign $500 million project to build Green National Highway Corridors.
• Centre proposes mandatory airbag for front passenger on all cars.
• FASTag mandatory from February 15, toll collection through FASTag crosses ₹80 crore per day for first time.
• Centre proposes mandatory airbag for front passenger on all cars.
• India’s first indigenously developed 100 Octane premium petrol launched.
• Nitin Gadkari unveils Vedic Paint made from cow dung, says ‘will boost rural economy’.
• Govt shells out ₹22,087 crore as interest towards recap bonds for banks.
• Government issues zero-coupon bonds worth ₹5,500 to recapitalise Punjab and Sind Bank.
• RBI leaves the repo rate unchanged at 4%, maintains status quo.
• RTGS to be made available 24X7 in next few days: RBI Governor.
• RBI asks banks to not declare dividend for FY21; retain profit made in FY20.
• ₹200 crore Lucknow Municipal Corporation Bonds list successfully on the BSE.
• Quick restaurant chain Burger King India, Mrs Bectors Food Specialities make their stock market debut.
• Kotak Mutual Fund launches India’s first international REIT fund of funds.
• Pfizer/BioNTech wins the global COVID vaccine race, vaccine rolled out first in UK.
• Aurobindo Pharma to make COVAXX’s potential COVID-19 vaccine for India, UNICEF.
• India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate receives approval to initiate human clinical trials.
• India to produce 300 million doses of Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in 2021
• UK, EU finalise post-Brexit trade deal after 10 months of negotiation; set to enter force on January 1.
• Bangladesh signs Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Bhutan, its first since independence.
• Cuba to devaluate currency from January; peg exchange rate at 24 pesos per US dollar.
• Iraq’s Central Bank devalues Dinar by 22% to push Economy forward ahead of deficit.
• Bitcoin on a record breaking spree, breaches $27,000 to set all-time record high.
• OPEC+ agrees to increase output by 500,000 barrels a day in Jan 2021.
• Airtel, Nokia ink pact for 5G network rollout in Kenya.
• Nokia starts production of next generation 5G equipment at Chennai facility.
• US FCC orders carriers to remove Huawei equipment, starts proceeding to revoke China Telecom’s permit.
• Germany gives nod to Huawei to build 5G networks with security regulations.
• Audi begins manufacturing of A4 facelift in India; launch in early 2021.
• Fiat Chrysler to invest $150 million to set up Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad.
• Bajaj Auto signs MoU with Maharashtra govt to set up new manufacturing unit in Chakan.
• Amazon, Blackberry team up to create cloud-based vehicle software platform IVY.
• Infosys announces long-term strategic partnership with Daimler AG.
• Wipro inks $700 million digital & IT deal with German company METRO AG.
• Salesforce acquires Slack for $27.7 billion in its largest acquisition ever.
• Boeing’s updated 737 MAX completes first flight with media onboard.
• Ryanair buys 75 Boeing MAX jets in largest order since grounding.
• US lawmakers back $15 billion in airline payroll assistance.
• Lockheed Martin inks $4.4 billion deal to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne.
• Boeing 737 MAX deemed safe to fly by European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
• Infosys, Rolls-Royce ink strategic partnership for aerospace engineering in India.
• Reliance to buy out IMG Worldwide from sports management joint venture for ₹52.08 crore.
• Alibaba hikes share buyback plan to $10 billion from $6 billion.
• Amazon, Amex, Daimler AG and Stripe join to Fund Software Developers in New GitHub Program.
• Sony to buy anime streaming service Crunchyroll from AT&T for $1.175 billion.
• Swiggy partners with PM’s AtmaNibhar Nidhi to bring over 36,000 street food vendors online.
• Reddit buys TikTok rival Dubsmash, to allow users to upload and stream short-form videos.
• Facebook launches collaborative music video app Collab for iOS users.
• Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo collaborate on shared safety standards for online gaming.
• CCI initiates investigation against cement companies over alleged anti-competitive behaviour.
• SC rejects Vedanta’s interim plea to inspect, operate closed Sterlite copper unit at Tuticorin.
• Nirav Modi’s remand extended by London court; final hearings in 2021.
• Vijay Mallya’s assets in France worth €1.6 million seized by ED.
• Delhi High Court dismisses Future Group plea against Amazon in $3.4 billion asset sale.
• French watchdog fines Google €100 million and Amazon €35 million over cookies law breach.
• Cairn wins arbitration in tax dispute; India asked to pay $1.2 billion in damages.
• China launches antitrust probe into tech giant Alibaba.
• IBM agrees to pay $24.25 million to resolve FCC probes over subsidies.
• UAE’s Lulu group to set up food processing centre in Jammu and Kashmir.
• SBI along with NPCI, Japan’s JCB launch contactless debit card.
• GoDaddy acquires US-based payment processor Poynt for $365 million.
• Ola to invest ₹2,400 crores to set up ‘the world’s largest scooter factory’ in Tamil Nadu.
• Star and Disney India’s Uday Shankar to take over as FICCI President for 2020-21.
• Uday Kotak to head Kotak Mahindra Bank for another 3 years.
• Flipkart board rejig: CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, HDFC’s Keki Mistry to join; Steuart Walton, 3 others exit.
• United Spirits names Hina Nagarajan as MD and CEO.

General News

• Global COVID-19 cases cross 63.5 million mark with 1.4 million deaths; US cases pass 13.9 million.
• India’s caseload crosses 9 million mark with recovery rate reaching 93.94%.
• Centre rushes high level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Manipur to contain spread of COVID-19.
• MHA issues new COVID-19 guidelines from Dec 1, gives nod to states and UTs to impose local restrictions.
• Delhi gets its first vaccine storage facility at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality hospital.
• PM Modi announces $1 million aid to COVID-19 response fund at ASEAN summit.
• PM Modi urges respect for others’ sovereignty, territorial integrity at virtual SCO summit.
• East Asia Summit 2020: India expresses concern over actions that erode trust in South China Sea.
• PM Modi addresses G-20 summit; calls for new Global Index for post-Corona world.
• BRICS nations adopt new counter-terrorism strategy to effectively deal with the menace.
• India, Luxembourg ink 3 pacts to push investment ties in their maiden summit in two decades.
• India and Italy ink 15 agreements, unveil action plan to further strengthen defence ties.
• S Jaishankar meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, discusses the strategic cooperation between India and UAE.
• NSA Ajit Doval participates in trilateral talks with Sri Lanka and Maldives.
• Centre releases ₹2,200 crore as first instalment to 15 states for improvement of air quality.
• Centre approves ₹4,382 crore as calamity assistance to six states.
• Nitish Kumar becomes Bihar’s CM for 4th straight term; BJP’s Tarkishore Prasad, Renu Devi as Deputy CMs.
• BJP sweeps Assembly bypolls; BJP wins 41 out of 59 bypoll seats.
• Madhya Pradesh govt announces formation of ‘Cow Cabinet’ for protection of cows.
• CM Yogi Adityanath dedicates power projects worth ₹216 crore to Gorakhpur.
• Punjab CM virtually inaugurates 1467 smart schools, distributes 2625 tablets in govt primary schools.
• General Naravane conferred with the honorary rank of ‘General of the Nepal Army’ by Nepal President.
• Second batch of three Rafale fighter jets arrive in India after flying non-stop from France.
• Indian and Chinese armies conclude 8th round of military talks.
• India successfully test-fires Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile system in Odisha’s Chandipur.
• Land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully testfired.
• PSLV-C49, carrying India’s earth observation satellite EOS-01 and 9 others, lifts off from Sriharikota.
• Farmers from Punjab, Haryana protest in Delhi against the Centre’s new farm laws.
• UGC issues guidelines for reopening of Universities & Colleges across country.
• Congress veterans Ahmed Patel, Tarun Gogoi, TCS founder FC Kohli and Diego Maradona passed away.
• Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami arrested in 2018 suicide abetment case, SC grants interim bail.
• VK Sasikala pays ₹10 crore fine in disproportionate assets case.
• US polls 2020 generated highest voter turnout of 66.9%, the highest turnout rate since 1900.
• Joe Biden elected as 46th president of United States with Kamala Harris as his deputy.
• US President-elect Joe Biden unveils economic plan; formal transition of power to Biden begins.
• US officially ends participation in Open Skies Treaty; formally exits global climate pact.
• Trump bans US investment in Chinese military-linked firms.
• Mike Pompeo meets Afghan government officials, Taliban representatives in Doha.
• US approves $600 million sale of armed MQ-9 Reaper drones to Taiwan.
• Barack Obama memoir ‘A Promised Land’ sells more than 887,000 copies on first day.
• England enters into new month-long lockdown as UK virus cases pass 1 million.
• House of Lords rejects Boris Johnson’s treaty-breaking Brexit laws.
• UK announces biggest military investment since Cold War.
• Jacinda Ardern sworn in for second term as New Zealand Prime Minister.
• Australia and Japan agree ‘in principle’ to historic defence pact.
• Aung San Suu Kyi’s party wins absolute majority in Myanmar polls.
• 1 million Chinese injected with Sinopharm vaccine under emergency use scheme.
• Anti-French protests erupts worldwide following President Macron’s recent comments about Islam.
• Chinese Communist Party unveils plan to make PLA on par with US military by 2027.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping orders advancing construction of rail line in Tibet, close to Arunachal Pradesh.
• Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia sign Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal.
• Bahrain’s long-serving PM Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa dies, Crown Prince named new PM.
• Pakistan parliamentary committee passes China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Bill.
• IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians beats Delhi Capitals to win 5th title, Rahul takes home Orange Cap, Kagiso Rabada ends with Purple Cap.
• AUS vs IND : Australia take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
• BCCI announces MPL as the new apparel sponsor for Indian cricket team for three years.
• Jio named title sponsor of BCCI’s Women’s T20 Challenge.
• Shane Watson formally announces retirement from all forms of cricket.
• Australia replace India at the top spot in World Test Championship after ICC’s altered point system.
• Rafael Nadal wins 1,000th ATP Tour match with Paris Masters victory.
• Daniil Medvedev beat Dominic Thiem to win ATP Tour Finals in London.
• Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona dies at 60 after suffering heart failure.

Business News

• Centre transfers ₹6,000 crore as 2nd tranche to 16 States, 3 UTs for meeting GST Compensation shortfall.
• GST e-invoicing mandatory from January 1, 2021 if turnover exceeds ₹100 crore.
• PM Modi renames Shipping Ministry to ‘Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’.
• Govt makes use of FASTag mandatory for all four wheelers from Jan 1, 2021.
• Cabinet gives in-principle nod to Production Linked Incentives (PLI) in 10 sectors.
• Govt launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana to incentivise job creation during Covid recovery phase.
• Centre okays ₹107.42 crore grant for 28 food processing projects in 10 states.
• India set to become global powerhouse: PM Modi chairs virtual global investor roundtable.
• Tamil Nadu bans online gaming, ₹5,000 fine, imprisonment for violators.
• 50% subsidy on air transportation for fruits & vegetables from North-Eastern & Himalayan states.
• PM Modi & his Bhutanese counterpart jointly launches RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan.
• Centre brings Digital news portals, OTT platforms under govt regulation.
• Govt blocks 43 more mobile apps, including AliExpress, Alipay Cashier and CamCard.
• All fixed to mobile calls to be dialled with prefix ‘0’ from Jan 15, 2021.
• Govt provides ₹670 crore support to Regional Rural Banks to meet regulatory capital.
• RBI lifts restriction on Equitas Small Finance Bank for opening of new branches.
• ICICI Bank first private lender to surpass ₹2 trillion in mortgage loan portfolio.
• Cabinet approves Lakshmi Vilas Bank & DBS India merger.
• IRDAI approves HDFC ERGO Health-HDFC ERGO General Insurance and Bharti AXA-ICICI Lombard mergers.
• Markets soar to record high; Sensex tops 44,000 and Nifty crosses 13,000 level.
• Equitas Small Finance Bank and Gland Pharma make their stock market debut.
• Bharat Biotech starts Phase III trials of COVAXIN.
• Pfizer ends vaccine trial with 95% success rate, to apply for approval soon.
• AstraZeneca’s phase 3 interim data shows vaccine 90% effective at lower dose.
• Hetero to manufacture 100 million doses of Sputnik V for India.
• Will work in a public-private partnership to ensure availability of COVID healthcare: Piyush Goyal.
• Regeneron, given to Trump, gets emergency US clearance for COVID-19 therapy.
• Nirav Modi extradition case: UK judge admits CBI, ED evidence.
• TRP scam: Centre forms 4-member committee to review guidelines on television ratings.
• 15 Asian nations sign huge China-backed RCEP trade pact, excluding India and US.
• Britain and Canada agree post-Brexit rollover trade deal.
• Bank Of England keeps interest rate unchanged at 0.1%; injects extra £150 billion into economy.
• US Fed keeps its interest rate unchanged 0.25%, says economy is still well below pre-pandemic levels.
• US Senate unveils $1.4 trillion spending bill amid post-election turmoil.
• EU parliament, govts finalise 2021-2027 budget, £1.6 trillion recovery package.
• Japan’s economy exits recession as GDP grows 5.0% in Q3.
• China publishes draft competition rules for online platforms.
• Ant Group’s record $37-billion IPO suspended in Shanghai, Hong Kong citing ‘major issues’.
• Bitcoin climbs towards all-time high after topping the $19,000 mark.
• Wipro announces collaboration with Cisco.
• Infosys, ATP extend digital innovation partnership for 3 years.
• Qualcomm receives US permission to sell 4G chips to Huawei in exception to ban.
• Huawei sells its Honor smartphone division for $15-billion to Shenzhen govt, Digital China, others.
• iPhone maker Pegatron approves ₹1,110 crore initial investment for a new factory in India.
• MediaTek acquires Intel’s power-management chip business for $85 million.
• Ashok Leyland floats new subsidiary Vishwa Buses and Coaches.
• Fiat Chrysler, PSA win Brazil antitrust approval for merger.
• Porsche and Embraer team up for world’s first matching set of a Jet and Supercar called ‘The Duet’.
• UK to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
• Harley-Davidson to continue India operations January 2021 onwards.
• Boeing’s 737 Max allowed to fly two years after deadly crashes.
• Korean Air to buy indebted Asiana, emerging as world’s 10th-largest airline.
• SpaceX Crew Dragon launches 4 astronauts to space station in 1st operational flight for NASA.
• Virgin Hyperloop hosts first human ride on new transport system at over 160 kmph for the first time ever.
• Google enters air terminal retail through tie up with startup Airbuy.
• Amazon launches Amazon Pharmacy, a delivery service for prescription medications.
• Amazon Web Services to invest $2.77 billion in Telangana for data centres.
• Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia to invest $1.3 billion in Reliance Retail for 2.04% stake.
• ADIA, PIF to pump in $1.01 billion in RIL’s fiber assets business.
• Jio Platforms gets ₹33,737 crore from Google for a 7.73% stake.
• Reliance Retail picks up 96% stake in Furniture Retailer Urban Ladder for ₹182.12 crore.
• Western Union buys 15% stake for $200 million in Saudi Telecom’s STC Pay unit.
• WhatsApp payments service gets NPCI nod for roll out in India for upto 20 million users.
• TikTok signs deal with Sony Music to expand music library.
• TikTok sell-by date extended to December 4 by the US Treasury.
• CCI clears Reliance-Future Retail deal despite Amazon’s objections.
• PUBG parent Krafton signs deal to host the game on Microsoft Azure.

Q1 Results

• ICICI Bank Q2 net profit rises over 6-folds to ₹4,251 crore, total income stood at ₹23,650.77 crore.
• HDFC’s Q2 net profit falls 27% YoY to ₹2,870 crore; revenue rose to ₹13,017.68 crore.
• SBI Q2 profit surges 52% to ₹4,574 crore, NII increases 14.6% to ₹28,181 crore.
• Sun Pharma Q2 net profit up 70% at ₹1,813 crore revenue from operations stood at ₹8,553.13 crore.
• Ashok Leyland posts ₹147 crore loss in Q2, revenue down 28% YoY at ₹2,837 crore.
• ITC Q2 PAT declines 20% to ₹3,232 crore, revenue from operations rose a mere 0.1% to ₹11,976.75 crore.
• M&M Q2 Profit dips 3% YoY to ₹1,311 crore, revenue increases 6% to ₹11,590 crore.

General News

• Global COVID-19 cases cross 46 million with over 1.2 million fatalities and more than 33 million recoveries.
• India’s COVID-19 caseload goes past 81 lakh with 10.8 crore tests conducted; recovery rate reaches 91.5%.
• PM Modi launches ‘Jan Andolan’ campaign on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.
• MHA allows gatherings of over 100 persons in election-bound areas but with strict conditions.
• Centre eases visa restrictions, allows OCI, PIO, foreigners to visit India for any purpose, except for tourism.
• First phase of Bihar poll passes off peacefully with 54.26% voter turnout.
• EC reduces notice period from 30 days to seven days for registration of political parties.
• Rajya Sabha Election For 11 Seats in UP, Uttarakhand to be held on November 9; results on same day.
• NDA reaches seat-sharing deal, JD(U) allotted 122 seats, BJP one less.
• Tejashwi Yadav to lead Grand Alliance; RJD to contest from 144 seats, Congress on 70.
• Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper arrives in India for third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue.
• Basic Exchange & Co-operation Agreement(BECA) signed between India & US to deepen military ties.
• Quad foreign ministers of India, USA, Japan, Australia meet in Tokyo amid post-pandemic concerns.
• India, Japan hold strategic dialogue; focus on expanding collaboration in third countries.
• Centre notifies land laws, paving the way for any Indian citizen to buy land in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh.
• Ladakh standoff: India-China to hold 8th round of military-level talks next month.
• PM Modi inaugurates Atal Tunnel, longest highway tunnel in the world at 3,000-meter altitude.
• India successfully test-fires Brahmos supersonic cruise missile; INS Kavaratti commissioned into Navy.
• Rajnath Singh approves new DRDO procurement manual to facilitate indigenous defence industry.
• Rajnath Singh inaugurates BRO-built 44 major bridges across 7 states/UTs.
• Air India receives 2 Boeing 777 aircrafts, to fly President, Vice-President & PM on international visits.
• Groundwork for new Parliament building begins; to be completed in 22 months.
• Punjab govt introduces 4 Bills in Assembly to negate Centre’s farm reform laws.
• PDP chief & former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti released from detention after 14 months.
• Widespread power outage brings Mumbai to a halt; supply being restored in a phased manner.
• Goa becomes first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ state to provide tap water connections to every rural household.
• President signs ordinance to constitute Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & adjoining areas.
• Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passes away; Piyush Goyal assigned Consumer Affairs ministry.
• Fodder scam: Jharkhand HC grants bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav in Chaibasa Treasury case.
• UN food agency World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize 2020 for its efforts to combat hunger.
• With 50 signatories, nuclear weapons ban treaty to enter into force: UN.
• Donald Trump signs bill to keep the government running into December after funding briefly lapsed.
• US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania test COVID-19 positive after top aide contracts virus.
• US President Trump’s pick Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as the 115th Supreme Court justice.
• Early U.S. vote surpasses 85 million , including 9 million in Texas.
• Twitter, Google, Facebook CEOs rebuff political ‘bias’ claims, vow to defend polls.
• Trump administration proposes to scrap computerised lottery system to select H-1B visas.
• Japan’s Cabinet approves measure to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to public.
• China, Pakistan and Russia win seats on UN human rights council, Saudi Arabia lose.
• China joins WHO-backed global vaccine alliance COVAX.
• British PM announces 3-tier local lockdown system amid rising coronavirus concerns.
• France and Germany Announce New Restrictions as Cases Surge in Europe.
• Spain enters six-month state of emergency to tackle pandemic.
• Russia begins production of second COVID-19 vaccine despite pending Phase 3 trials.
• Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party wins New Zealand’s general election by landslide.
• Lebanon, Israel announce US-mediated talks over sea border.
• Pakistan to remain in FATF ‘grey’ list till Feb 2021 as nation fails to fulfil six key obligations.
• French Open: Rafael Nadal clinches 20th Grand Slam title, Iga Swiatek first Pole to win Grand Slam title.
• Honda to quit Formula 1 after end of the 2021 season.
• Lewis Hamilton wins Eifel GP to equal Michael Schumacher’s F1 win record.
• IPL: Mumabi Indians lead the table, CSK becomes first team to bow out from IPL 2020.
• Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje clocks over 156 kmph, bowls fastest ball in IPL.
• Pakistan pacer Umar Gul announces retirement from all forms of cricket.

Business News

• RBI monetary policy: MSF, Repo and Reverse Repo Rates remain unchanged, stance to be accommodative.
• RTGS system for real time fund transfer to become 24×7 from December: RBI.
• Centre waives interest on interest during moratorium for loans upto ₹2 crore.
• Indian economy to contract by 10.3% in 2020; to bounce back with 8.8% growth in 2021: IMF.
• World Bank ups FY21 GDP contraction forecast for India to 9.6%.
• 42nd GST Council meet: Centre to help 21 states borrow ₹1.1 lakh crore.
• Nirmala Sitharaman announces major schemes to boost demand in country by ₹73,000 crore.
• Govt to give ₹12,000 crore interest-free 50-year loan to states for capital projects.
• FM announces ₹37,000 crore additional capital expenditure for infrastructure.
• Government extends LTC cash voucher scheme to non-central government employees.
• Cabinet approves ₹3,737 crore bonus for 30 lakh central government employees.
• Finance Ministry kick-starts budget-making exercise for FY22.
• Last date for filing of Income Tax and GST returns extended till 31st of December.
• Govt extends bid deadline for Air India to Dec 14; revises bid criteria to enterprise value.
• Ministry of Urban Affairs-Swiggy partner to take street food vendors’ businesses online.
• FSSAI’s new food safety compliance platform to become operational across India from Nov 01.
• Govt kickstarts market borrowing, transfers ₹6,000 crore to 16 states, 2 UTs.
• Centre mandates all ministries, public departments, CPSUs to use BSNL, MTNL services.
• Govt clears 16 proposals under PLI scheme to manufacture mobile phones.
• 7,000 tonnes of onions imported, 25,000 tonnes expected before Diwali: Piyush Goyal.
• Kasturi Cotton: Smriti Irani launches first ever Brand & Logo for Indian Cotton on 2nd World Cotton Day.
• CAMS, UTI AMC, Angel Broking make their debut in the market.
• TCS surpasses Accenture to become the world’s most valuable IT company by market cap.
• IRDAI allows renewal, migration and porting of COVID specific policies.
• India’s first COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for phase III trials.
• USFDA approves use of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals.
• Dr Reddy’s receives DCGI’s approval to conduct clinical trial for Sputnik V vaccine in India.
• Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to be tested on 100 Indian volunteers.
• IAVI, Merck KGaA, Serum Institute join hands to develop monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19.
• Passenger Vehicle sales rise 17% in Jul-Sept, Car sales up 16%, commercial vehicles sale falls 20% : SIAM.
• Vehicle registration across India decline 10.24% YoY in Sept, Passenger vehicle retail sales rise 10%: FADA.
• Supreme Court approves DGCA’s proposal on refund on air tickets booked prior and during lockdown.
• Indian Railways approves Alstom’s e-locos to run freight trains at maximum speed of 120 kmph.
• US proposes $1.5 trillion stimulus, $20 billion aid extension for Airlines.
• China’s economy grows 4.9% in Q3, extending Coronavirus recovery.
• UK budget deficit climbed to an unprecedented £208.5 billion in H1FY21 amid calls for more aid.
• COVID relief pushes US budget deficit to a record $3.1 trillion, largest since World War II.
• World Bank approves $12 billion to help developing countries finance Coronavirus vaccines.
• Britain signs first major post-Brexit trade agreement with Japan.
• Bharti Airtel rolls out cloud-based communications platform for business; tunes into $1-billion market.
• Vodafone Idea gets shareholders’ nod for increasing borrowing limit, issuance of securities.
• Reliance’s Jio Platforms receives ₹2,624 crore from Intel Capital, Qualcomm Ventures.
• Verizon signs up Microsoft, Nokia to help clients build private 5G networks.
• Sweden bans Huawei, ZTE from upcoming 5G networks.
• Nokia picked by NASA to build first cellular network on the Moon.
• Reliance Jio, Qualcomm collaborate to expand 5G trials in India, achieve over 1Gbps speeds.
• IBM to break up 109-year old company to focus on cloud growth.
• South Korea’s SK Hynix buys Intel’s NAND business for $9 billion.
• Wipro, SAP collaborate to offer advanced customer-specific content and boost productivity.
• Microsoft, AICTE collaborate to skill students and educators in next-gen technologies.
• Microsoft partners with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service for Azure Space cloud platform.
• Paytm launches its own ‘Mini App Store’, over 300 apps join it.
• Reliance Retail gets investments from Silver Lake co-investors, GIC, TPG Capital and KKR.
• Amazon sends legal notice to Future Group for alleged breach of RoFL rights in Reliance deal.
• Digital media, news aggregators, agencies need to comply with 26% FDI cap: Govt.
• TRP scam: BARC temporarily suspends weekly ratings of news channels.
• ₹3,600 crore recovered from Vijay Mallya, SBI-led consortium of banks tells Supreme Court.
• SC junks United Breweries Holdings Ltd plea against HC order to wind up Vijay Mallya’s firm.
• Tata Group to invest ₹5,000 crore to set up phone component plant for Apple in Hosur.
• Govt appoints Ashima Goyal, Shashanka Bhide and Jayant Varma as new MPC members.
• Dinesh Kumar Khara appointed new SBI Chairman for 3 years.
• M Rajeshwar Rao appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI.
• Aditya Puri retires; Sashidhar Jagdishan takes over as HDFC Bank MD and CEO.
• Hyundai Motor Group heir apparent Euisun Chung appointed as Chairman.

Business News

• HDFC Bank reports 18.4% jump in Q2 profit at ₹7,513 crore, NII rises 16.7% to ₹15,776.4 crore.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Q2 net profit jumps 26% YoY to ₹2,184 crore, NII rose 17% to ₹3,913 crore.
• Yes Bank posts ₹129 crore net profit in Q2, NII fell by 9.7% YoY to ₹1,973.4 crore, provisions down 11%.
• TCS Q2 net profit rises 6.6% QoQ to ₹7,475 crore, revenue rose 4.73% to ₹40,135 crore, declares ₹12
• interim dividend; approves buyback of over 5.33 crore equity shares for up to ₹16,000 crore.
• Infosys Q2 reports rises in net profit of 20.5% to ₹4,845 crore; revenue grows 8.6% YoY to ₹24,570 crore.
• HCL Tech Q2 net profit rises 7% QoQ at ₹3,142 crore, announces interim dividend of ₹4 per share.
• Wipro Q2 profit slips 3.4% to ₹2,466 crore; approves ₹9,500 crore buyback plan.
• Tech Mahindra sees 9.5% QoQ jump in Q2 net profit at ₹1,064 crore, announces special dividend of ₹15.
• Maruti Suzuki Q2 profit rises 1% YoY to ₹1,372 crore, revenue jumped 10.4% to ₹18,744.5 crore.
• Tata Motors Q2 Net loss widens to ₹307 crore; revenue drops 18% YoY to ₹53,530 crore.
• RIL reports 15% YoY drop in consolidated net profit at ₹9,567 crore, revenue fell 24% to ₹1.16 lakh crore.
• Reliance Retail Q2 EBITDA falls 14% to ₹2,009 crore, revenue down 5% at ₹39,199 crore.
• Jio Q2 net profit jumps 3-times to ₹2,844 crore; revenue zooms 33% to ₹17,481 crore.
• IOC Q2 profit up 11-fold at ₹6,227 crore, revenue from operations rose 30% QoQ to ₹1,15,749.43 crore.
• HUL Q2 profit rises 9% to ₹2,009 crore, revenue up 16% to ₹11,442 crore; announces ₹14 interim dividend.
• Britannia Q2 net profit up 23% YoY to ₹495 crore, revenue grew 12.1% to ₹3,419.11 crore.
• Biocon Q2 net profit drops 22% to ₹169 crore on higher R&D cost; revenue jumps 10% to ₹1,760 crore.
• Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Q2 net profit dips 30% YoY to ₹762.3 crore; revenue rises 2% to ₹4,897 crore.
• Vodafone Idea Q2 loss narrows to ₹7,218 crore, total income declined by about to ₹10,791 crore

Dear Colleagues

I am pleased to attach the Economy / Market Snapshot covering all the major events in September, 2020

Indian Markets lost about 1.50% last month. Despite the drop, Sensex is holding on to 38,000 levels. On the sectoral indices, Bank Nifty lost about 10%, FMCG by 2.50% while IT went up by 11%, Pharma by 6% and Auto by 1%. FII’s sold 4,250 crores in the equity market and Domestic Institutions sold about 3,450 crores in the equity market. Indian Rupee closed at Rs.73.77 for 1 US $.

Dear Colleagues

I am pleased to attach the Economy / Market Snapshot covering all the major events in August, 2020.

Indian Markets gained 3% last month. Sensex touched the 38,000 mark and holding on to the levels. On the sectoral indices, Bank Nifty gained about 10%, Auto by 8% while IT, Pharma and FMCG lost around 1%. FII’s invested 40,200 crores in the equity market while Domestic Institutions sold about 6,800 crores in the equity market. Indian Rupee closed at Rs.73.61 for 1 US $.

Dear Colleagues

I am pleased to attach the Economy / Market Snapshot covering all the major events in July, 2020

Indian Markets gained another 7.50% last month. Nifty has crossed the 11,000 mark and has been able to hold at that levels. On the sectoral indices, IT went up by 22%, Pharma gained 12%, Auto gained 8%, FMCG gained 3% and Bank Nifty gained 1%, FII’s invested 8,200 crores in the equity market while Domestic Institutions sold about 5,000 crores in the equity market. Indian Rupee closed at Rs.74.81 for 1 US $.