CORPORATE AFFAIRS, E-COMMERCE, TECHNOLOGY & CARS
1. Dutch beer maker Heineken International is making a determined push to capture majority ownership in Vijay Mallya's United Breweries, six months after petitioning courts against a proposal to freeze the liquor baron's shares in the company. While the Dutch giant owns 43.4%, Mallya holds a little over 30%, most of which is pledged with banks.
2. Two months after under taking a massive cost cutting drive, which saw it lay off significant portions of its workforce across major business units, online marketplace Snapdeal has begun initiating payouts to affected employees.
3. China Development Bank (CDB) has objected to the $6-billion merger of debt-ridden telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel even as regulators including the Competition Commission of India have signed off on the deal.
4. Maruti Suzuki has pipped global car majors Audi, Hyundai, Subaru and Renault to enter the club of top ten auto makers by market capitalisation. The high double-digit volume growth last month catapulted Maruti's m-cap to Rs 2 lakh crore ($31.55 billion) on Tuesday, a first for an Indian auto company.
5. Beverages and snacks major PepsiCo is in the process of rolling out Pepsi Black, a zero-sugar cola in cans, to counter Coke Zero, reflecting the shifting consumer preference towards less sugary drinks in India.
6. In India's mobile-phone advertising sweepstakes, the Chinese seem set to beat their prime rivals based across the East China Sea: Oppo and Vivo, whose billboards lend colour to the Delhi Metro's beige interiors, would spend about `2,200 crore on marketing this year, dwarfing spends by the Koreans and the Japanese.
7. The consumer electronics business of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail has for the first time overtaken the company's grocery business to become the top revenue grosser in financial year 2017, riding on the sales of Lyf devices and new store launches. Reliance Digital makes up 34% of turnover, followed by the grocery arm with 32%.
8. Creativeland Asia head Sajan Raj Kurup has set up an investment firm to back emerging brands and startups. The firm, Ventureland Asia, has set aside about $10 million till date which will be equally distributed between the investment firm's bridge fund and marquee fund.
9. Major apps including Google Maps, Amazon and eBay appear to have ditched their Apple Watch apps and have quietly removed support for watchOS in updates submitted to the App Store. None of them announced they were pulling the apps in their iOS update release notes and the removals have gone largely unnoticed, suggesting they weren't widely used.
10. 20 million PlayStation 4 consoles shipped in the last fiscal, according to Sony.
11. A new virtual currency launched on Tuesday aims to rival bitcoin by pegging its value to hard oil assets. The currency, called “bilur“ and is created by UK-based financial services firm R Fintech, uses the tech pioneered by bitcoin, while trying to offer an alternative for those weary of wild fluctuations that have plagued bitcoin. To start, it has valued 1 bilur as equivalent to 6.5 barrels of brent crude oil, making it an asset worth $356.
12. Amazon India increased the area under its fulfilment centres by 60% to 4 million sq ft in the first quarter of 2017 from a year ago by opening seven new warehouses.
13. Troubled ecommerce marketplace Snapdeal's board meeting on Tuesday ended in a stalemate, with early investor Nexus Venture Partners still to commit to the sale of the company to rival Flipkart.
14. Systematic investment plans (SIPs) in mutual funds, where investors put in small sums of money every month over a period of time, have caught the fancy of retail investors with volumes hitting an all-time high of Rs 4,200 crore a month in April.
15. Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has revived plans to sell its valves making business in a deal which could fetch the company Rs 3,000-4,000 crore and at least three private equity players, including KKR, are in the fray, three people close to the development.
16. A consortium of lenders tossed out Bhushan Steel's Rs 46,000-crore loan revamp plan as `unacceptable' and directed it to redo the math as the current plan was loaded against the lenders even as company's prospect was brightening, said three people familiar with the matter.
17. Promoters of HDFC Life and Max Life have extended the deadline for the merger of the two life insurers by a year to June 2018 because the sector regulator has yet to give its nod for the proposed deal.
18. IRB Infrastructure has raised Rs 2,095 crore by allotting units to 28 anchor investors before the initial public offer (IPO) of its infrastructure investment trust.
19. Private lender RBL Bank's net profit rose 55% year-on year driven by strong loan growth even as provisions increased due to the slippage in a corporate account.Net profit increased to `130 crore in the quarter ended March 2017 from Rs 84 crore a year earlier, beating a Bloomberg poll, which had expected Rs 99 crore in net profit. Total advances increased 39% to Rs 29,449 crore led by a 50% growth in loans to large firms and 32% growth in micro lending within the retail book. Other income increased 66% to Rs 237 crore in the March quarter.
20. DCB Bank raised Rs 379 crore by selling shares to institutional investors. The bank sold 2.17-crore fresh equity shares through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) at Rs 174 each last week. The latest share sale brought down the bank's promoter holding to 15.04% from 16.19%, in line with Reserve Bank of India's guidelines, set in 2013, to issue bank licences.
21. Infosys said it would hire 10,000 American workers over the next two years and create four technology and innovation hubs, as the Indian IT services company looks to mitigate the impact of the tighter work visa rules.
22. Fiat India Automobiles, an equally-owned joint venture between Fiat and Tata Motors, signed fresh agreements with its Indian parent and Maruti Suzuki to supply 2.5 lakh diesel engines over a three-year period, several people in the know said. Maruti Suzuki, which has been sourcing 1.3-litre multijet engines from Fiat India, will buy 1.8 lakh more units of the same engine that powers its popular models such as Swift, Dzire, Ignis, Ciaz and Vitara Brezza. Tata Motors' deal is to source 70,000 units of 2-litre multijet engines for the SUVs it is developing on a Land Rover platform. The company had previously sourced diesel engines from the JV for some vehicles, but now makes its own for the existing models.
23. Widening its India appetite yet again, global cab hailing aggregator, Uber has finally launched its food delivery service UberEATS in India. The service, which was piloted in 2014 in Los Angeles before being officially launched in 2015 globally, has been rolled out in Mumbai -its first stop in the six-city menu it is expected to follow by the end of the year.
24. First State Investments ICVC-Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders Fund or FSAPLBA, an investment arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), is looking to exit IDFC, where it holds about 5.89% stake, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
25. Tea bar chain operator Chai Point has applied to the government for a foodonly retailing venture to conduct food products business through physical stores as well through ecommerce.
26. National Panasonic, Daikin and Godrej are in the race for commercial production of air conditioners that are at least 40% more efficient than the existing fivestar ones available in the market. All three have submitted quotes in response to bids invited by Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) that intends to tie up with payment companies like Paytm to make them available to consumers at zero upfront cost.
27. Sanjeev Gupta of Liberty House and his family have taken over units of the steel businesses of two of India's top business houses. Liberty House completes £100-million buy of Tatas' speciality business in UK, purchases Essar Steel Minnesota for $550 m with US partners.
28. Private equity major Xander Group is on an acquisition spree in India. After concluding the country's largest private equity buyout in realty space on Monday , Xander Group's retail arm Virtuous Retail South Asia, through a platform with Dutch pension fund asset manager APG, has acquired a 2-million sqft mall for 700 crore.in Mohali. The deal also includes paying down existing debt of the mall owner, a joint venture between Sun Apollo and USbased retail operator Gumberg Retail.
29. China Development Bank (CDB) has objected to the $6-billion merger of debtridden telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel even as regulators including the Competition Commission of India have signed off on the deal. In its National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) filing on Saturday, the bank sought a creditors' meeting with both companies ahead of the merger to discuss loan settlement terms.
30. Reliance Infratel (RITL), the telecom tower unit of Reliance Communications (RCom), received shareholders' approval for the demerger of its towers into Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. This is part of a deal involving the largest overseas investment in India's infrastructure segment that will provide the Anil Ambani-owned RCom Rs 11,000 crore, a sum it plans to use to reduce debt.
31. Bharti Enterprises has appointed Soumen Ghosh as managing director (financial services)
32. Tata Sons will seek the approval of the Competition Commission of India and tax authoriti es to remit $1.18 billion to estranged partner NTT Docomo to settle its long-standing dispute.
33. Tata Teleservices has fired between 500 and 600 employees to tide over difficult times in the hyper-competitive telecom market. As many as 500-600 employees have been impacted by the lay offs in sales and other related functions .
34. The government expects India's handset manufacturing industry to grow to $500 bil `32,50,000 crore) in five to seven years, boosted by the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) under which basic customs duty on mobile phones could be the key to incentivise local production.
35. Telecom minister Manoj Sinha has said that it's time to dispel the “myth“ around the harmful effects of tower radiation, asserting that some people with vested interests are raking up the issue from time to time.
36. Samsung Electronics Co has got permission from South Korean authorities to domestically test a driverless vehicle fitted with its electronic parts and software, as the tech giant aims to muscle into the automotive industry in search of a new growth driver.
37. German insurer Ergo has been looking for a partner to begin life insurance business in India ever since the Thapar group pulled out of a proposed joint venture.
38. Parkway Pantai, part of Malaysian healthcare giant IHH Healthcare Berhad, increased its shareholding in Hyderabad-headquartered Continental Hospitals to 52.3% by acquiring a fresh 1.3% stake through unit Gleneagles Development.
39. Diversified financial services company JM Financial has reported a 32.6% jump in its net profit for the January-March quarter, aided by its lending business. The company's consolidated net profit for the quarter stood at Rs 150.85 crore, against Rs 113.74 crore a year ago.
40. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) appointed entrepreneur and angel investor Somdutta Singh as the cochair of its Product Council for 2017. Singh is the first woman to take up this position.
41. Cidco will float global tenders later this week for three prime plots reserved for five star hotels as part of the much-awaited Navi Mumbai airport-led growth for the expanding city. Cidco looks at raking in at least Rs 200 crore from the land deal.
42. Apple has declared the white plastic Mac Book, perhaps the most loved of its lap tops, dead.
43. Liquor baron Kishore Chhabria-owned Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) has mandated JM Financial and Credit Suisse to manage an initial public offering (IPO) to raise at least Rs 800 crore by selling 10% stake. India's third largest distiller is seeking around Rs 9,000-crore -or $1.5-billion -market valuation. The company , which owns Officer's Choice whisky , is looking to pare debt amassed in recent years to acquire a string of bottling plants.
44. Goldman Sachs is discussing a Rs 300-crore investment in the student living services business of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), as the Wall Street bellwether looks to identify high growth niches in India's rentyielding real estate economy .
45. Audi's sales in India crashed by over 30% in 2016 as the company lost its second ranking in the luxury market to fellow German compatriot BMW , which staged a revival on a 14% growth. Mercedes Benz, however, maintained its top billing in the category .
POLITICS, ECONOMY, CRIMES, SPORTS, NEWS AROUND THE WORLD AND ENTERTAINMENT
1. The number of people who filed tax returns surged by 95 lakh as the government turned the heat on black money with demonetisation and various other measures. The government has been looking to widen the tax net as barely a little over 1% of the population is said to pay income tax. As many as 5.28 crore returns were e-filed in FY16, a rise of 22% over the previous year. Some returns were filed in paper mode as well.
2. The Indian and Pakistani Director General of Military Operations spoke over the hotline on Tuesday, a day after the bodies of two Indian soldiers were mutilated on the Line of Control.
3. The Centre has asked the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir to adopt a development narrative by ensuring proper redressal of civic and power failure issues, and pipe down the rhetoric on stone pelting which, it feels, is now restricted to just five areas of the state.
4. Notwithstanding Pakistan's challenge to Jammu and Kashmir's 330mw Kishanganga hydro-electric project, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has directed the power ministry and the J&K government to expedite work on the two major Kishanganga transmission lines that are to be commissioned along with the first unit of the crucial project.
5. Terming beheading of Indian soldiers as a “barbaric and heinous act“, former defence minister AK Antony has called upon the Centre to give the Army a free hand to retaliate as per its assessment and timing.
6. Various Opposition parties, which are also making moves for a broader unity against BJP in the run-up to the presidential polls, are now planning to host a national meet in the Capital on the deepening crisis in J&K under the NDA government at the Centre and the PDP-BJP government in the state.
7. RLD chief Ajit Singh, who was present at the Opposition unity meet on Madhu Limaye's birth anniversary, left without speaking.
8. The Modi government may have started its third-anniversary celebrations with report cards and press conferences, but Congress has still not decided how it would tackle this offensive. The principal Opposition party, which has usually published booklets to counter government claims, has not yet finalised any plan.
9. Information commissioner DP Sinha has created a new record of sorts within the Central Information Commission. This former Intelligence Bureau officer has disposed of 1,282 cases in a single order, clearing multiple appeals filed by an armed forces veteran. While the information commissioners have been clubbing cases, this is the highest ever disposal in a single instance.
10. SC on Tuesday remembered two doyens of the bar, senior advocates Anil B Divan and TR Andhyarujina, who passed away recently. The court hall of the CJI was crowded with friends, family and colleagues who took the opportunity to share fond memories of the duo.
11. BJP president Amit Shah is on election mode and will be clocking 88,000 km between the national and state capitals in a 5-month whirlwind nation-wide tour, through the summer to the end of monsoons, to strengthen BJP's election machinery for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
12. The government on Tuesday defended in the Supreme Court its decisionto make Aadhaar mandatory for issuing of PAN cards, saying it was done to curb the use of fake PAN cards .
13. The political drama that had ensued within Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the last few days took an emotional turn on Tuesday with a teary-eyed Kumar Vishwas alleging a conspiracy against him and lambasting the party leadership for the treatment meted out to him in the last few days.
14. The Election Commission of India has indefinitely deferred the Lok Sabha bypoll to Anantnag, earlier postponed to May 25, as it feels the atmosphere was unconducive for a free and fair poll.
15. A team of officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) is in London to make a strong pitch for the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing money laundering allegations in India.
16. Union minister and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday took a dig at opposition parties over their at tempts at unity, saying they should not waste their time as there is no vacancy for the prime minister's post till 2024.
17. Around 100 `bahubalis' or gangsters have been shifted to prisons far away from their home districts in Uttar Pradesh in an attempt by the Yogi Adityanath government to smash their local crime network.
18. India is looking forward to a closer cooperation with Israel in all areas of mutual interest, President Pranab Mukherjee said.
19. India will seek to elevate its ties with Palestine that would include a possible securityrelated arrangement during the visit of President Mahmoud Abbas, in what would reflect the Narendra Modi-led government's classic diplomatic balancing act ahead of the prime minister's Israel trip in July.
20. The BJP leadership has made it clear to the Karnataka unit that neither state president BS Yeddyurappa nor legislative council opposition leader KS Eshwarappa will decide on matters related to the party and forthcoming state elections. The BJP leadership cracked the whip after receiving a report on the factional feud from party in-charge of the state, Muralidhar Rao.
21. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala decided to take legal action against the alleged anti-woman remarks in a speech made by state electricity minister MM Mani, a CPM leader.
22. The Prime Minister's Office has advanced the deadline for the Centre's immunisation programme, Mission Indradhanush, by more than a year and asked the health ministry to strive to complete it by December 2018. It has also asked cabinet secretary PK Sinha to monitor the project on a regular basis. Over 2.1 cr children vaccinated, of which 55 lakh have been fully immunised.
23. Smaller and newer banks have taken the lead in pushing the government's digital economy drive, rolling out a slew of innovative digital banking products much faster than traditional banks to expand their footprints.
24. Gold sales during Akshaya Tritiya this year increased by 30.5% from a year ago, according to industry estimates, though consumers largely avoided cash transactions of over Rs 2 lakh to stay out of reach of the tax department. In absolute terms, gold sales have likely touched 23.5 tonnes on April 28, 2017 compared with 18 tonnes on May 9 last year when Akshaya Tritiya was celebrated, jewellers and precious metals analysts said. Sales by value based on the price of 22 carat gold on April 28 (Rs 26,582 per 10 gm (ex-VAT)) touched Rs 6,113.4 crore compared with Rs 4,984.2 crore last time.
25. A good harvest of summer fruits like mangoes, grapes, oranges, pomegranates and watermelons has pushed up the country's fresh fruit exports by 18.5% in value terms from a year ago.
26. Iron ore prices have stabilised over the past week, but if futures markets are anything to go by prices are set to rise again. The fall in the price has been well documented since benchmark 62% fines hit a high of $94.86 per tonne on February 21.That preceded a plunge of more than 30%, before the price finally bottomed out at $61.60 on April 19. Since falling steeply, the prices have found support in the mid$60 range, closing last night at $68 per tonne.
27. A further fall in small cardamom prices to below Rs 1,000 per kg for the first time this season will benefit exporters as India is facing tough competition from Guatemala. Cardamom prices touched a fiveyear high of Rs 1,400 per kg early this year as output fell by 50% from a year ago.
28. Oil prices steadied on Tuesday as lower production by Russia and major OPEC exporters balanced news of higher output in the US, Canada and Libya.Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 was down 10 cents at $51.42 a barrel by 1345 GMT. The futures contract hit a one-month low.
29. Regulator Sebi has set up a high level panel on cyber security to suggest measures to safeguard the capital markets from such attacks. The four-member committee would be chaired by Madhabi Puri Buch, whole time member at Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
30. Banks have sold Rs 2.44 lakh crore bad loans to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) since 2003 as part of resolution of the NPAs, Assocham said. Though there is a huge level of stressed assets, as much as 15% of advances (9.84% NPAs & 4.2% restructured assets) is a matter of concern for economy.
31. The dollar hit a one-month high against the yen on Tuesday, lifted by a surge in US government bond yields after Steven Mnuchin commented on the possibility of ultra long-term bond issuance. The greenback gained around a quarter of a percent to trade as high as 112.18 yen.
32. Benchmark Tokyo rubber fu tures hit their high est in more than two weeks on Tuesday, buoyed by firm Shanghai futures and a weaker yen. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for October delivery finished up 6.1yen at 221.7 yen ($1.98) per kg.
33. Delayed notification and non-uniformity of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, (RERA) across states is likely to dilute implementation of the law, ratings companies said.
34. In a first for the government's policy think tank, NITI Aayog, its vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya will meet the state authorities of Uttar Pradesh on May 10 to draw up a plan to aid the newly elected Yogi Adityanath government to help boost its economy and transform the face of UP.
35. India plans to auction one of its largest Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects that entails redeveloping 25 of the country's most prominent railway stations at a minimum investment of `30,000 crore, railway minister Suresh Prabhu said.
36. Prime Minister Theresa May warned British voters on Tuesday that the 27 other EU countries were determined to win a divorce deal that “works for them“, using criticism that she had “illusions“ over the talks to bolster her election campaign.
37. Alitalia has decided to ask the government to place it under special administration, starting a process that will lead to the lossmaking Italian airline being overhauled, sold off or wound up altogether.
38. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rebuffed resignation calls for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan over his “architect comments for a 2006 offensive against the Taliban.
39. At least 32 people were killed on Tuesday in an Islamic State group attack near a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Iraq.
40. Ivanka Trump has turned from sassy to serious with her second book, an exploration of women and the workplace.The book, “Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success,“ comes out on Tuesday.
41. President Trump's campaign organisation is launching a $1.5 million run of TV ads touting his accomplishments in his first 100 days. The ads buy is paid for by Donald J.Trump for President, Inc., and will air in major markets throughout the country and will target specific voting groups online.
42. New York is bracing for President Donald Trump's first trip back to his hometown since taking office in January in a Thursday visit that is expected to draw protests and snarl traffic in the United States' most populous city.
43. Bitcoin surged to an all-time high above $1,400 on Tuesday, after more than tripling in value over the past year, with its most recent rise attributed to strong demand in Japan, where the digital currency has been deemed a lega l means of payment.
44. French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a “nod-and-a-wink“ to his voters.
45. The newest RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya is fondly called as chhota “Rajan“ by many in the finance world, not only because his economic research mirrors that of the former RBI chief Raghuram Rajan, but also because he is another economist with a silver tongue.
46. The government has asked states to stop accepting electricity bill payments in cash and move to digital mode, a move that can be a giant leap towards a cashless economy as power worth lakhs of crores is consumed every year.
47. India will unveil a new series of Index of Industrial Production with a base year 201112 on May 9 with an aim to map economic activities more accurately. The new series for Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which captures industrial activities on monthly basis, will be launched by chief statistician TCA Anant
48. In Vivo IPL 2017 Delhi Daredevils Won against Sunrisesrs Hyderabad.
49. The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that citizens could not claim “absolute“ right over their body parts to refuse digital samples of their fingerprints and iris for Aadhaar enrolment.
50. AMumbai-based developer and a Thane builder are probably among the first in the country to register their project under the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), which came into effect on May 1. Nayan Shah of Mayfair Housing was the first to upload his project plans online on the MahaRera website on Monday . He was followed by Rajan Bandelkar of Raunak Group, Thane and 10 property brokers, said Gautam Chatterjee, who holds interim charge of the state regulator.
51.The BCCI has hired a lead ing UK law firm to send a notice to ICC and is all set to face the prospect of India not playing the Champions Trophy , citing the ICC board's decision to dishonour the MPA by allowing changes in the revenue and governance model without its consent.
52. Over $21 billion in black money was taken out of India in 2014, says a report released by international watchdog Global Financial Integrity on Monday . This illegal out flow was nearly 19% over the previous year. India received $101bn in illegal funds in 2014, up 14% from 2013.
53. In a ruling that may force defence equipment manufacturers to improve their safety record, the Delhi high court has held the Centre and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) liable for injuries received by an IAF pilot in an air crash and directed the Centre to pay Rs 5 lakh and the aircraft manufacturer Rs 50 lakh.
54. An 18-month-old Worli boy became the first casualty of the H1N1 virus, previously known as swine flu, in the city in the last two years.
55. In a bid to incentivise excel lence in higher education, the Centre plans to ensure top-ranked colleges enjoy full autonomy in framing curriculum and hiring faculty , HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.
56. Students who wish to change their junior college for Class XII will, apart from the marks, require a “valid reason“ to justify the switch.
57. BJP MLA Raj Purohit wants Marine Lines station to be renamed to Mumbadevi.Purohit met railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday and also CM Devendra Fadnavis last week to put forth his demand.
58. Three CR employees of the commercial branch were suspended for giving out erroneous information under the RTI Act, causing embarrassment to the railway ministry.
59. A 62-year-old woman, Vithabai Shinde, allegedly assaulted Shiv Sena corporator Mohan Ugale with a slipper at Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation headquarters as he had complained against an illegal shed erected on a garage in Kalyan.Ugale in turn allegedly assaulted Shinde's son, Ashok (42). Soon after, Ashok developed chest pain and was admitted to the intensive care of a hospital in Kalyan.
60. A sessions court cannot take a “shortcut“ in allowing an appeal in a domestic violence case, the Bombay high court held recently , quashing a sessions court order that directed aman to pay Rs 20,000 to his estranged wife and child. The relief to the man was partial, though, as after setting aside the order, the high court sent the matter back for a fresh hearing on merit by the sessions court.
61. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who is also a Shiv Sena corporator, has dashed off a letter to H-West ward assistant municipal commissioner Sharad Ughade seeking action against a portable urinal set up in Bandra Bandstand. Sources pointed out that Sena has demanded action against the mobile loo that has been erected from funds received from BJP MP Poonam Mahajan.
62. After a delay in getting permits due to holidays in India and the UAE, Egyptian patient Eman Ahmed will leave Mumbai for Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
63. An animal rights group filed a complaint with the state forest department that an adult elephant was brought in for a religious function at New Panvel on Monday.
64. Almost 14 years after Khwaja Yunus went missing from police custody and eight years after a case of his custodial death reached a sessions court, trial in the case began on Tuesday before a fasttrack court in the city .
65. The state government will desilt 31,459 dams across the state. A proposal to remove the silt and distribute it free to farmers, who can use it as manure, was approved by the state cabinet on Tuesday .
66. A booking clerk assaulted his senior, upset after getting caught for not doing his duty and allowing an outsider into a booking counter office at Kopar railway station.
67. Law colleges in the state will not require `mandatory' sanction from the Bar Council of India (BCI) to admit students in the coming academic session.
68. MLA Ashish Shelar has urged municipal authorities to ascertain if Saturday's demolition of a holy cross in Bandra's Bazar Road was conducted after proper “application of mind.“ He has also requested the BMC to stall further breakage of illegal wayside shrines for a month to allow the claimants to approach the high court for relief.
69. The Maharashtra government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court to challenge a stay by the Bombay high court of its April 27-28 rule and notice making domicile mandatory for admissions to post-graduate medical courses in the state. The high court had, at a special hearing on Sunday , stayed the state's decision that made over 700 medical graduates from colleges in the state, ineligible for PG seats in the state.
70. A four-year-old girl, maimed for life in a road mishap involving a truck, was recently awarded around Rs 6 lakh compensation by the Thane Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT).
71. Representatives of various parents' groups alleged that education minister Vinod Tawde refused to address their problems about illegal fee hikes at schools across the city. The parents said that Tawde instead asked them to just submit a list of errant schools, something the group claims they have done in the past as well.
72. At a special tutorial held for Shiv Sena representatives elected to BMC on Tuesday , party president Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at his former ally in the civic body--BJP--over the draft development plan and plans to cut trees in Aarey .
73. The traffic situation on Western Express Highway (WEH) is expected to worsen as work on the launching of a girder for the Metro VII (Andheri-Dahisar) corridor will begin on Wednesday.
74. In a relief for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) who passed higher and senior secondary examinations in Maharashtra, the state government informed the Bombay HC they would be entitled to both,15% institutional quota and 85% state quota for admissions to undergraduate medical courses in private colleges from 2017-18.
75. A month after the budget session, which was marked by sloganeering and boycott by opposition seeking farm loan waiver, pressure is building on CM Devendra Fadnavis to convene a special session of the legislature to discuss the agrarian crisis.
76. The Dighi Port Ltd on Tuesday sought a hearing before the Bombay high court pointing out that the Raigad collectorate has sealed the port. The HC will hear the matter on Wednesday .
77. Travel time to Ahmedabad may reduce to five hours even before the bullet train project takes off: Spanish firm Talgo has offered its high speed trains to be operated on a lease on this route.
78. The Bombay high court on Tues day directed the state to file an affidavit to clear its stand on handing over additional data to the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes. The data is what the state is relying on in support of its 16% reservation for Marathas as a socially and educationally backward community.
79. The anti-narcotics cell of the Mumbai police arrested two men from Dahisar with LSD worth Rs 2.3 lakh. Acting on a a tip-off, the police arrested Samson Rozario and Rohan Owal, both Mira Road residents.
80. A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old girl in Khar Danda area.The police claimed Khan took the girl to several places on the pretext of getting her a job, but raped her.
81. A 30-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting his wife ablaze outside a church in Kalyan after she objected to his extramarital affair. She suffered 70% burns.
82. SP leader in the BMC Rais Shai kh has written to BMC chief demanding a hike in corporators' salary from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 and in the allowance for attending civic house from Rs 150 to Rs 500.
83. A 60-year-old man was beaten to death by a group of people in UP's Bulandshahr on Tuesday as they suspected him of aiding a couple from different faiths to elope.
84. Saudi Arabia has offered a 90-day amnesty period to Indian migrant workers who want to exit the country . This will enable the return of thousands of Indian nationals who went to Saudi illegally or overstayed their visa and are now stranded there, community welfare counsellor at the Indian embassy in Riyadh Anil Nautiyal said.
85. Objections raised by the Brahman Sabha and Akhil Bharatiya Yuva Tirth Purohit Mahasabha, two organisations of priests in Haridwar, have led to the venue of a meeting by Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) to be shifted to Piran Kaliyar, 20km from the city .
86. The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that despite a multipronged approach to improve income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides were reported in agricultural sector every year since 2013.
87. Despite its strong objection to Australia's decision to scrap the 457 visa facility, which largely affected Indians, India may have to live with the Australian overhaul of its popular temporary work visa programme.
88. The state government issued an order on Tuesday capping the price of movie tickets in all theatres, including multiplexes, at Rs 200. The notification came into immediate effect. However, the state conditionally exempted Gold Class seats -they cannot be more than 10 per cent of the total seating capacity of the movie hall.
89. Faced with increasing incidents of violence by patients and their relatives, resident doctors of AIIMS have decided to take steps to protect themselves. Starting May 15, the doctors will take self-defence classes from black belt champions in martial arts, including taekwondo.
90. Madhya Pradesh is first off the blocks in announcing a merger of the fiscal and calendar years.
91. In a first-of-its kind experiment in the state, the Aurangabad police have decided to acquire drone cameras loaded with highly concentrated chilli and pepper powder.
92. Aam Aadmi Party was left battling an unprecedented crisis on Tuesday night, with senior functionary and political affairs committee member Kumar Vishwas ignoring CM Arvind Kejriwal's direction not to make public statements.
93. A special judge has convicted and sentenced a 37year-old man to10 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing his eight-year-old son over a period of five years, till September 4, 2015, when the matter came to light.
94. A Japanese railway company has launched a new luxury sleeper train with sky views, bathtubs and dark wood interiors, joining the race for well-heeled tourists. The top suite on the 10-car “Train Suite Shiki-shima“ sells for $10,000 per person for a four-day trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido, East Japan Railway Co said.
95. A former FBI interpreter reportedly ran away to marry an IS terrorist before realising her mistake and coming back to the US to turn herself in. Daniela Greene travelled to Syria where she was wed to German national Denis Cuspert, who rapped under the moniker Deso Dog in his homeland, before changing his name to Abu Talha al-Almani in Syria.
1. Dutch beer maker Heineken International is making a determined push to capture majority ownership in Vijay Mallya's United Breweries, six months after petitioning courts against a proposal to freeze the liquor baron's shares in the company. While the Dutch giant owns 43.4%, Mallya holds a little over 30%, most of which is pledged with banks.
2. Two months after under taking a massive cost cutting drive, which saw it lay off significant portions of its workforce across major business units, online marketplace Snapdeal has begun initiating payouts to affected employees.
3. China Development Bank (CDB) has objected to the $6-billion merger of debt-ridden telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel even as regulators including the Competition Commission of India have signed off on the deal.
4. Maruti Suzuki has pipped global car majors Audi, Hyundai, Subaru and Renault to enter the club of top ten auto makers by market capitalisation. The high double-digit volume growth last month catapulted Maruti's m-cap to Rs 2 lakh crore ($31.55 billion) on Tuesday, a first for an Indian auto company.
5. Beverages and snacks major PepsiCo is in the process of rolling out Pepsi Black, a zero-sugar cola in cans, to counter Coke Zero, reflecting the shifting consumer preference towards less sugary drinks in India.
6. In India's mobile-phone advertising sweepstakes, the Chinese seem set to beat their prime rivals based across the East China Sea: Oppo and Vivo, whose billboards lend colour to the Delhi Metro's beige interiors, would spend about `2,200 crore on marketing this year, dwarfing spends by the Koreans and the Japanese.
7. The consumer electronics business of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail has for the first time overtaken the company's grocery business to become the top revenue grosser in financial year 2017, riding on the sales of Lyf devices and new store launches. Reliance Digital makes up 34% of turnover, followed by the grocery arm with 32%.
8. Creativeland Asia head Sajan Raj Kurup has set up an investment firm to back emerging brands and startups. The firm, Ventureland Asia, has set aside about $10 million till date which will be equally distributed between the investment firm's bridge fund and marquee fund.
9. Major apps including Google Maps, Amazon and eBay appear to have ditched their Apple Watch apps and have quietly removed support for watchOS in updates submitted to the App Store. None of them announced they were pulling the apps in their iOS update release notes and the removals have gone largely unnoticed, suggesting they weren't widely used.
10. 20 million PlayStation 4 consoles shipped in the last fiscal, according to Sony.
11. A new virtual currency launched on Tuesday aims to rival bitcoin by pegging its value to hard oil assets. The currency, called “bilur“ and is created by UK-based financial services firm R Fintech, uses the tech pioneered by bitcoin, while trying to offer an alternative for those weary of wild fluctuations that have plagued bitcoin. To start, it has valued 1 bilur as equivalent to 6.5 barrels of brent crude oil, making it an asset worth $356.
12. Amazon India increased the area under its fulfilment centres by 60% to 4 million sq ft in the first quarter of 2017 from a year ago by opening seven new warehouses.
13. Troubled ecommerce marketplace Snapdeal's board meeting on Tuesday ended in a stalemate, with early investor Nexus Venture Partners still to commit to the sale of the company to rival Flipkart.
14. Systematic investment plans (SIPs) in mutual funds, where investors put in small sums of money every month over a period of time, have caught the fancy of retail investors with volumes hitting an all-time high of Rs 4,200 crore a month in April.
15. Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has revived plans to sell its valves making business in a deal which could fetch the company Rs 3,000-4,000 crore and at least three private equity players, including KKR, are in the fray, three people close to the development.
16. A consortium of lenders tossed out Bhushan Steel's Rs 46,000-crore loan revamp plan as `unacceptable' and directed it to redo the math as the current plan was loaded against the lenders even as company's prospect was brightening, said three people familiar with the matter.
17. Promoters of HDFC Life and Max Life have extended the deadline for the merger of the two life insurers by a year to June 2018 because the sector regulator has yet to give its nod for the proposed deal.
18. IRB Infrastructure has raised Rs 2,095 crore by allotting units to 28 anchor investors before the initial public offer (IPO) of its infrastructure investment trust.
19. Private lender RBL Bank's net profit rose 55% year-on year driven by strong loan growth even as provisions increased due to the slippage in a corporate account.Net profit increased to `130 crore in the quarter ended March 2017 from Rs 84 crore a year earlier, beating a Bloomberg poll, which had expected Rs 99 crore in net profit. Total advances increased 39% to Rs 29,449 crore led by a 50% growth in loans to large firms and 32% growth in micro lending within the retail book. Other income increased 66% to Rs 237 crore in the March quarter.
20. DCB Bank raised Rs 379 crore by selling shares to institutional investors. The bank sold 2.17-crore fresh equity shares through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) at Rs 174 each last week. The latest share sale brought down the bank's promoter holding to 15.04% from 16.19%, in line with Reserve Bank of India's guidelines, set in 2013, to issue bank licences.
21. Infosys said it would hire 10,000 American workers over the next two years and create four technology and innovation hubs, as the Indian IT services company looks to mitigate the impact of the tighter work visa rules.
22. Fiat India Automobiles, an equally-owned joint venture between Fiat and Tata Motors, signed fresh agreements with its Indian parent and Maruti Suzuki to supply 2.5 lakh diesel engines over a three-year period, several people in the know said. Maruti Suzuki, which has been sourcing 1.3-litre multijet engines from Fiat India, will buy 1.8 lakh more units of the same engine that powers its popular models such as Swift, Dzire, Ignis, Ciaz and Vitara Brezza. Tata Motors' deal is to source 70,000 units of 2-litre multijet engines for the SUVs it is developing on a Land Rover platform. The company had previously sourced diesel engines from the JV for some vehicles, but now makes its own for the existing models.
23. Widening its India appetite yet again, global cab hailing aggregator, Uber has finally launched its food delivery service UberEATS in India. The service, which was piloted in 2014 in Los Angeles before being officially launched in 2015 globally, has been rolled out in Mumbai -its first stop in the six-city menu it is expected to follow by the end of the year.
24. First State Investments ICVC-Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders Fund or FSAPLBA, an investment arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), is looking to exit IDFC, where it holds about 5.89% stake, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
25. Tea bar chain operator Chai Point has applied to the government for a foodonly retailing venture to conduct food products business through physical stores as well through ecommerce.
26. National Panasonic, Daikin and Godrej are in the race for commercial production of air conditioners that are at least 40% more efficient than the existing fivestar ones available in the market. All three have submitted quotes in response to bids invited by Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) that intends to tie up with payment companies like Paytm to make them available to consumers at zero upfront cost.
27. Sanjeev Gupta of Liberty House and his family have taken over units of the steel businesses of two of India's top business houses. Liberty House completes £100-million buy of Tatas' speciality business in UK, purchases Essar Steel Minnesota for $550 m with US partners.
28. Private equity major Xander Group is on an acquisition spree in India. After concluding the country's largest private equity buyout in realty space on Monday , Xander Group's retail arm Virtuous Retail South Asia, through a platform with Dutch pension fund asset manager APG, has acquired a 2-million sqft mall for 700 crore.in Mohali. The deal also includes paying down existing debt of the mall owner, a joint venture between Sun Apollo and USbased retail operator Gumberg Retail.
29. China Development Bank (CDB) has objected to the $6-billion merger of debtridden telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel even as regulators including the Competition Commission of India have signed off on the deal. In its National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) filing on Saturday, the bank sought a creditors' meeting with both companies ahead of the merger to discuss loan settlement terms.
30. Reliance Infratel (RITL), the telecom tower unit of Reliance Communications (RCom), received shareholders' approval for the demerger of its towers into Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. This is part of a deal involving the largest overseas investment in India's infrastructure segment that will provide the Anil Ambani-owned RCom Rs 11,000 crore, a sum it plans to use to reduce debt.
31. Bharti Enterprises has appointed Soumen Ghosh as managing director (financial services)
32. Tata Sons will seek the approval of the Competition Commission of India and tax authoriti es to remit $1.18 billion to estranged partner NTT Docomo to settle its long-standing dispute.
33. Tata Teleservices has fired between 500 and 600 employees to tide over difficult times in the hyper-competitive telecom market. As many as 500-600 employees have been impacted by the lay offs in sales and other related functions .
34. The government expects India's handset manufacturing industry to grow to $500 bil `32,50,000 crore) in five to seven years, boosted by the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) under which basic customs duty on mobile phones could be the key to incentivise local production.
35. Telecom minister Manoj Sinha has said that it's time to dispel the “myth“ around the harmful effects of tower radiation, asserting that some people with vested interests are raking up the issue from time to time.
36. Samsung Electronics Co has got permission from South Korean authorities to domestically test a driverless vehicle fitted with its electronic parts and software, as the tech giant aims to muscle into the automotive industry in search of a new growth driver.
37. German insurer Ergo has been looking for a partner to begin life insurance business in India ever since the Thapar group pulled out of a proposed joint venture.
38. Parkway Pantai, part of Malaysian healthcare giant IHH Healthcare Berhad, increased its shareholding in Hyderabad-headquartered Continental Hospitals to 52.3% by acquiring a fresh 1.3% stake through unit Gleneagles Development.
39. Diversified financial services company JM Financial has reported a 32.6% jump in its net profit for the January-March quarter, aided by its lending business. The company's consolidated net profit for the quarter stood at Rs 150.85 crore, against Rs 113.74 crore a year ago.
40. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) appointed entrepreneur and angel investor Somdutta Singh as the cochair of its Product Council for 2017. Singh is the first woman to take up this position.
41. Cidco will float global tenders later this week for three prime plots reserved for five star hotels as part of the much-awaited Navi Mumbai airport-led growth for the expanding city. Cidco looks at raking in at least Rs 200 crore from the land deal.
42. Apple has declared the white plastic Mac Book, perhaps the most loved of its lap tops, dead.
43. Liquor baron Kishore Chhabria-owned Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) has mandated JM Financial and Credit Suisse to manage an initial public offering (IPO) to raise at least Rs 800 crore by selling 10% stake. India's third largest distiller is seeking around Rs 9,000-crore -or $1.5-billion -market valuation. The company , which owns Officer's Choice whisky , is looking to pare debt amassed in recent years to acquire a string of bottling plants.
44. Goldman Sachs is discussing a Rs 300-crore investment in the student living services business of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), as the Wall Street bellwether looks to identify high growth niches in India's rentyielding real estate economy .
45. Audi's sales in India crashed by over 30% in 2016 as the company lost its second ranking in the luxury market to fellow German compatriot BMW , which staged a revival on a 14% growth. Mercedes Benz, however, maintained its top billing in the category .
POLITICS, ECONOMY, CRIMES, SPORTS, NEWS AROUND THE WORLD AND ENTERTAINMENT
1. The number of people who filed tax returns surged by 95 lakh as the government turned the heat on black money with demonetisation and various other measures. The government has been looking to widen the tax net as barely a little over 1% of the population is said to pay income tax. As many as 5.28 crore returns were e-filed in FY16, a rise of 22% over the previous year. Some returns were filed in paper mode as well.
2. The Indian and Pakistani Director General of Military Operations spoke over the hotline on Tuesday, a day after the bodies of two Indian soldiers were mutilated on the Line of Control.
3. The Centre has asked the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir to adopt a development narrative by ensuring proper redressal of civic and power failure issues, and pipe down the rhetoric on stone pelting which, it feels, is now restricted to just five areas of the state.
4. Notwithstanding Pakistan's challenge to Jammu and Kashmir's 330mw Kishanganga hydro-electric project, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has directed the power ministry and the J&K government to expedite work on the two major Kishanganga transmission lines that are to be commissioned along with the first unit of the crucial project.
5. Terming beheading of Indian soldiers as a “barbaric and heinous act“, former defence minister AK Antony has called upon the Centre to give the Army a free hand to retaliate as per its assessment and timing.
6. Various Opposition parties, which are also making moves for a broader unity against BJP in the run-up to the presidential polls, are now planning to host a national meet in the Capital on the deepening crisis in J&K under the NDA government at the Centre and the PDP-BJP government in the state.
7. RLD chief Ajit Singh, who was present at the Opposition unity meet on Madhu Limaye's birth anniversary, left without speaking.
8. The Modi government may have started its third-anniversary celebrations with report cards and press conferences, but Congress has still not decided how it would tackle this offensive. The principal Opposition party, which has usually published booklets to counter government claims, has not yet finalised any plan.
9. Information commissioner DP Sinha has created a new record of sorts within the Central Information Commission. This former Intelligence Bureau officer has disposed of 1,282 cases in a single order, clearing multiple appeals filed by an armed forces veteran. While the information commissioners have been clubbing cases, this is the highest ever disposal in a single instance.
10. SC on Tuesday remembered two doyens of the bar, senior advocates Anil B Divan and TR Andhyarujina, who passed away recently. The court hall of the CJI was crowded with friends, family and colleagues who took the opportunity to share fond memories of the duo.
11. BJP president Amit Shah is on election mode and will be clocking 88,000 km between the national and state capitals in a 5-month whirlwind nation-wide tour, through the summer to the end of monsoons, to strengthen BJP's election machinery for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
12. The government on Tuesday defended in the Supreme Court its decisionto make Aadhaar mandatory for issuing of PAN cards, saying it was done to curb the use of fake PAN cards .
13. The political drama that had ensued within Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the last few days took an emotional turn on Tuesday with a teary-eyed Kumar Vishwas alleging a conspiracy against him and lambasting the party leadership for the treatment meted out to him in the last few days.
14. The Election Commission of India has indefinitely deferred the Lok Sabha bypoll to Anantnag, earlier postponed to May 25, as it feels the atmosphere was unconducive for a free and fair poll.
15. A team of officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) is in London to make a strong pitch for the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing money laundering allegations in India.
16. Union minister and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday took a dig at opposition parties over their at tempts at unity, saying they should not waste their time as there is no vacancy for the prime minister's post till 2024.
17. Around 100 `bahubalis' or gangsters have been shifted to prisons far away from their home districts in Uttar Pradesh in an attempt by the Yogi Adityanath government to smash their local crime network.
18. India is looking forward to a closer cooperation with Israel in all areas of mutual interest, President Pranab Mukherjee said.
19. India will seek to elevate its ties with Palestine that would include a possible securityrelated arrangement during the visit of President Mahmoud Abbas, in what would reflect the Narendra Modi-led government's classic diplomatic balancing act ahead of the prime minister's Israel trip in July.
20. The BJP leadership has made it clear to the Karnataka unit that neither state president BS Yeddyurappa nor legislative council opposition leader KS Eshwarappa will decide on matters related to the party and forthcoming state elections. The BJP leadership cracked the whip after receiving a report on the factional feud from party in-charge of the state, Muralidhar Rao.
21. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala decided to take legal action against the alleged anti-woman remarks in a speech made by state electricity minister MM Mani, a CPM leader.
22. The Prime Minister's Office has advanced the deadline for the Centre's immunisation programme, Mission Indradhanush, by more than a year and asked the health ministry to strive to complete it by December 2018. It has also asked cabinet secretary PK Sinha to monitor the project on a regular basis. Over 2.1 cr children vaccinated, of which 55 lakh have been fully immunised.
23. Smaller and newer banks have taken the lead in pushing the government's digital economy drive, rolling out a slew of innovative digital banking products much faster than traditional banks to expand their footprints.
24. Gold sales during Akshaya Tritiya this year increased by 30.5% from a year ago, according to industry estimates, though consumers largely avoided cash transactions of over Rs 2 lakh to stay out of reach of the tax department. In absolute terms, gold sales have likely touched 23.5 tonnes on April 28, 2017 compared with 18 tonnes on May 9 last year when Akshaya Tritiya was celebrated, jewellers and precious metals analysts said. Sales by value based on the price of 22 carat gold on April 28 (Rs 26,582 per 10 gm (ex-VAT)) touched Rs 6,113.4 crore compared with Rs 4,984.2 crore last time.
25. A good harvest of summer fruits like mangoes, grapes, oranges, pomegranates and watermelons has pushed up the country's fresh fruit exports by 18.5% in value terms from a year ago.
26. Iron ore prices have stabilised over the past week, but if futures markets are anything to go by prices are set to rise again. The fall in the price has been well documented since benchmark 62% fines hit a high of $94.86 per tonne on February 21.That preceded a plunge of more than 30%, before the price finally bottomed out at $61.60 on April 19. Since falling steeply, the prices have found support in the mid$60 range, closing last night at $68 per tonne.
27. A further fall in small cardamom prices to below Rs 1,000 per kg for the first time this season will benefit exporters as India is facing tough competition from Guatemala. Cardamom prices touched a fiveyear high of Rs 1,400 per kg early this year as output fell by 50% from a year ago.
28. Oil prices steadied on Tuesday as lower production by Russia and major OPEC exporters balanced news of higher output in the US, Canada and Libya.Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 was down 10 cents at $51.42 a barrel by 1345 GMT. The futures contract hit a one-month low.
29. Regulator Sebi has set up a high level panel on cyber security to suggest measures to safeguard the capital markets from such attacks. The four-member committee would be chaired by Madhabi Puri Buch, whole time member at Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
30. Banks have sold Rs 2.44 lakh crore bad loans to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) since 2003 as part of resolution of the NPAs, Assocham said. Though there is a huge level of stressed assets, as much as 15% of advances (9.84% NPAs & 4.2% restructured assets) is a matter of concern for economy.
31. The dollar hit a one-month high against the yen on Tuesday, lifted by a surge in US government bond yields after Steven Mnuchin commented on the possibility of ultra long-term bond issuance. The greenback gained around a quarter of a percent to trade as high as 112.18 yen.
32. Benchmark Tokyo rubber fu tures hit their high est in more than two weeks on Tuesday, buoyed by firm Shanghai futures and a weaker yen. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for October delivery finished up 6.1yen at 221.7 yen ($1.98) per kg.
33. Delayed notification and non-uniformity of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, (RERA) across states is likely to dilute implementation of the law, ratings companies said.
34. In a first for the government's policy think tank, NITI Aayog, its vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya will meet the state authorities of Uttar Pradesh on May 10 to draw up a plan to aid the newly elected Yogi Adityanath government to help boost its economy and transform the face of UP.
35. India plans to auction one of its largest Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects that entails redeveloping 25 of the country's most prominent railway stations at a minimum investment of `30,000 crore, railway minister Suresh Prabhu said.
36. Prime Minister Theresa May warned British voters on Tuesday that the 27 other EU countries were determined to win a divorce deal that “works for them“, using criticism that she had “illusions“ over the talks to bolster her election campaign.
37. Alitalia has decided to ask the government to place it under special administration, starting a process that will lead to the lossmaking Italian airline being overhauled, sold off or wound up altogether.
38. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rebuffed resignation calls for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan over his “architect comments for a 2006 offensive against the Taliban.
39. At least 32 people were killed on Tuesday in an Islamic State group attack near a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Iraq.
40. Ivanka Trump has turned from sassy to serious with her second book, an exploration of women and the workplace.The book, “Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success,“ comes out on Tuesday.
41. President Trump's campaign organisation is launching a $1.5 million run of TV ads touting his accomplishments in his first 100 days. The ads buy is paid for by Donald J.Trump for President, Inc., and will air in major markets throughout the country and will target specific voting groups online.
42. New York is bracing for President Donald Trump's first trip back to his hometown since taking office in January in a Thursday visit that is expected to draw protests and snarl traffic in the United States' most populous city.
43. Bitcoin surged to an all-time high above $1,400 on Tuesday, after more than tripling in value over the past year, with its most recent rise attributed to strong demand in Japan, where the digital currency has been deemed a lega l means of payment.
44. French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a “nod-and-a-wink“ to his voters.
45. The newest RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya is fondly called as chhota “Rajan“ by many in the finance world, not only because his economic research mirrors that of the former RBI chief Raghuram Rajan, but also because he is another economist with a silver tongue.
46. The government has asked states to stop accepting electricity bill payments in cash and move to digital mode, a move that can be a giant leap towards a cashless economy as power worth lakhs of crores is consumed every year.
47. India will unveil a new series of Index of Industrial Production with a base year 201112 on May 9 with an aim to map economic activities more accurately. The new series for Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which captures industrial activities on monthly basis, will be launched by chief statistician TCA Anant
48. In Vivo IPL 2017 Delhi Daredevils Won against Sunrisesrs Hyderabad.
49. The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that citizens could not claim “absolute“ right over their body parts to refuse digital samples of their fingerprints and iris for Aadhaar enrolment.
50. AMumbai-based developer and a Thane builder are probably among the first in the country to register their project under the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), which came into effect on May 1. Nayan Shah of Mayfair Housing was the first to upload his project plans online on the MahaRera website on Monday . He was followed by Rajan Bandelkar of Raunak Group, Thane and 10 property brokers, said Gautam Chatterjee, who holds interim charge of the state regulator.
51.The BCCI has hired a lead ing UK law firm to send a notice to ICC and is all set to face the prospect of India not playing the Champions Trophy , citing the ICC board's decision to dishonour the MPA by allowing changes in the revenue and governance model without its consent.
52. Over $21 billion in black money was taken out of India in 2014, says a report released by international watchdog Global Financial Integrity on Monday . This illegal out flow was nearly 19% over the previous year. India received $101bn in illegal funds in 2014, up 14% from 2013.
53. In a ruling that may force defence equipment manufacturers to improve their safety record, the Delhi high court has held the Centre and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) liable for injuries received by an IAF pilot in an air crash and directed the Centre to pay Rs 5 lakh and the aircraft manufacturer Rs 50 lakh.
54. An 18-month-old Worli boy became the first casualty of the H1N1 virus, previously known as swine flu, in the city in the last two years.
55. In a bid to incentivise excel lence in higher education, the Centre plans to ensure top-ranked colleges enjoy full autonomy in framing curriculum and hiring faculty , HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.
56. Students who wish to change their junior college for Class XII will, apart from the marks, require a “valid reason“ to justify the switch.
57. BJP MLA Raj Purohit wants Marine Lines station to be renamed to Mumbadevi.Purohit met railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday and also CM Devendra Fadnavis last week to put forth his demand.
58. Three CR employees of the commercial branch were suspended for giving out erroneous information under the RTI Act, causing embarrassment to the railway ministry.
59. A 62-year-old woman, Vithabai Shinde, allegedly assaulted Shiv Sena corporator Mohan Ugale with a slipper at Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation headquarters as he had complained against an illegal shed erected on a garage in Kalyan.Ugale in turn allegedly assaulted Shinde's son, Ashok (42). Soon after, Ashok developed chest pain and was admitted to the intensive care of a hospital in Kalyan.
60. A sessions court cannot take a “shortcut“ in allowing an appeal in a domestic violence case, the Bombay high court held recently , quashing a sessions court order that directed aman to pay Rs 20,000 to his estranged wife and child. The relief to the man was partial, though, as after setting aside the order, the high court sent the matter back for a fresh hearing on merit by the sessions court.
61. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who is also a Shiv Sena corporator, has dashed off a letter to H-West ward assistant municipal commissioner Sharad Ughade seeking action against a portable urinal set up in Bandra Bandstand. Sources pointed out that Sena has demanded action against the mobile loo that has been erected from funds received from BJP MP Poonam Mahajan.
62. After a delay in getting permits due to holidays in India and the UAE, Egyptian patient Eman Ahmed will leave Mumbai for Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
63. An animal rights group filed a complaint with the state forest department that an adult elephant was brought in for a religious function at New Panvel on Monday.
64. Almost 14 years after Khwaja Yunus went missing from police custody and eight years after a case of his custodial death reached a sessions court, trial in the case began on Tuesday before a fasttrack court in the city .
65. The state government will desilt 31,459 dams across the state. A proposal to remove the silt and distribute it free to farmers, who can use it as manure, was approved by the state cabinet on Tuesday .
66. A booking clerk assaulted his senior, upset after getting caught for not doing his duty and allowing an outsider into a booking counter office at Kopar railway station.
67. Law colleges in the state will not require `mandatory' sanction from the Bar Council of India (BCI) to admit students in the coming academic session.
68. MLA Ashish Shelar has urged municipal authorities to ascertain if Saturday's demolition of a holy cross in Bandra's Bazar Road was conducted after proper “application of mind.“ He has also requested the BMC to stall further breakage of illegal wayside shrines for a month to allow the claimants to approach the high court for relief.
69. The Maharashtra government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court to challenge a stay by the Bombay high court of its April 27-28 rule and notice making domicile mandatory for admissions to post-graduate medical courses in the state. The high court had, at a special hearing on Sunday , stayed the state's decision that made over 700 medical graduates from colleges in the state, ineligible for PG seats in the state.
70. A four-year-old girl, maimed for life in a road mishap involving a truck, was recently awarded around Rs 6 lakh compensation by the Thane Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT).
71. Representatives of various parents' groups alleged that education minister Vinod Tawde refused to address their problems about illegal fee hikes at schools across the city. The parents said that Tawde instead asked them to just submit a list of errant schools, something the group claims they have done in the past as well.
72. At a special tutorial held for Shiv Sena representatives elected to BMC on Tuesday , party president Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at his former ally in the civic body--BJP--over the draft development plan and plans to cut trees in Aarey .
73. The traffic situation on Western Express Highway (WEH) is expected to worsen as work on the launching of a girder for the Metro VII (Andheri-Dahisar) corridor will begin on Wednesday.
74. In a relief for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) who passed higher and senior secondary examinations in Maharashtra, the state government informed the Bombay HC they would be entitled to both,15% institutional quota and 85% state quota for admissions to undergraduate medical courses in private colleges from 2017-18.
75. A month after the budget session, which was marked by sloganeering and boycott by opposition seeking farm loan waiver, pressure is building on CM Devendra Fadnavis to convene a special session of the legislature to discuss the agrarian crisis.
76. The Dighi Port Ltd on Tuesday sought a hearing before the Bombay high court pointing out that the Raigad collectorate has sealed the port. The HC will hear the matter on Wednesday .
77. Travel time to Ahmedabad may reduce to five hours even before the bullet train project takes off: Spanish firm Talgo has offered its high speed trains to be operated on a lease on this route.
78. The Bombay high court on Tues day directed the state to file an affidavit to clear its stand on handing over additional data to the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes. The data is what the state is relying on in support of its 16% reservation for Marathas as a socially and educationally backward community.
79. The anti-narcotics cell of the Mumbai police arrested two men from Dahisar with LSD worth Rs 2.3 lakh. Acting on a a tip-off, the police arrested Samson Rozario and Rohan Owal, both Mira Road residents.
80. A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old girl in Khar Danda area.The police claimed Khan took the girl to several places on the pretext of getting her a job, but raped her.
81. A 30-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting his wife ablaze outside a church in Kalyan after she objected to his extramarital affair. She suffered 70% burns.
82. SP leader in the BMC Rais Shai kh has written to BMC chief demanding a hike in corporators' salary from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 and in the allowance for attending civic house from Rs 150 to Rs 500.
83. A 60-year-old man was beaten to death by a group of people in UP's Bulandshahr on Tuesday as they suspected him of aiding a couple from different faiths to elope.
84. Saudi Arabia has offered a 90-day amnesty period to Indian migrant workers who want to exit the country . This will enable the return of thousands of Indian nationals who went to Saudi illegally or overstayed their visa and are now stranded there, community welfare counsellor at the Indian embassy in Riyadh Anil Nautiyal said.
85. Objections raised by the Brahman Sabha and Akhil Bharatiya Yuva Tirth Purohit Mahasabha, two organisations of priests in Haridwar, have led to the venue of a meeting by Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) to be shifted to Piran Kaliyar, 20km from the city .
86. The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that despite a multipronged approach to improve income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides were reported in agricultural sector every year since 2013.
87. Despite its strong objection to Australia's decision to scrap the 457 visa facility, which largely affected Indians, India may have to live with the Australian overhaul of its popular temporary work visa programme.
88. The state government issued an order on Tuesday capping the price of movie tickets in all theatres, including multiplexes, at Rs 200. The notification came into immediate effect. However, the state conditionally exempted Gold Class seats -they cannot be more than 10 per cent of the total seating capacity of the movie hall.
89. Faced with increasing incidents of violence by patients and their relatives, resident doctors of AIIMS have decided to take steps to protect themselves. Starting May 15, the doctors will take self-defence classes from black belt champions in martial arts, including taekwondo.
90. Madhya Pradesh is first off the blocks in announcing a merger of the fiscal and calendar years.
91. In a first-of-its kind experiment in the state, the Aurangabad police have decided to acquire drone cameras loaded with highly concentrated chilli and pepper powder.
92. Aam Aadmi Party was left battling an unprecedented crisis on Tuesday night, with senior functionary and political affairs committee member Kumar Vishwas ignoring CM Arvind Kejriwal's direction not to make public statements.
93. A special judge has convicted and sentenced a 37year-old man to10 years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing his eight-year-old son over a period of five years, till September 4, 2015, when the matter came to light.
94. A Japanese railway company has launched a new luxury sleeper train with sky views, bathtubs and dark wood interiors, joining the race for well-heeled tourists. The top suite on the 10-car “Train Suite Shiki-shima“ sells for $10,000 per person for a four-day trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido, East Japan Railway Co said.
95. A former FBI interpreter reportedly ran away to marry an IS terrorist before realising her mistake and coming back to the US to turn herself in. Daniela Greene travelled to Syria where she was wed to German national Denis Cuspert, who rapped under the moniker Deso Dog in his homeland, before changing his name to Abu Talha al-Almani in Syria.
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