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नई दिल्ली, 8 जून। दिल्ली में पहलवानों के प्रदर्शन के दौरान उनके साथ पुलिस के धक्कामुक्की और डिटेन करने के तरीके पर डब्लूएचआरओ ने पुलिस कमीश्नर संजय अरोडा को पत्र लिखा है। साथ ही ये मांग की है कि उच्च अधिकारी सुनिश्चित करें कि धरने प्रदर्शन व न्याय की मांग के दौरान उनके मानव अधिकारों का उल्लंघन न हो। इस पर पुलिस मुख्यालय से आए जवाब में कहा गया है इस पत्र में किए गए अनुरोध को स्पेशल कमीश्नर ला एंड आर्डर को भेज दिया गया है।

वर्ल्ड ह्यूमन राइटस ओर्गेनाइजेशन के चेयरमैन योगराज शर्मा ने मीडिया को बयान जारी करके बताया कि डब्लूएचआरओ के लीगल हैड एडवोकेट सन्नी सचदेवा ने गत 29 मई को पत्र लिखकर कहा था कि देश के हर नागरिक को उसके मानव अधिकार व मौलिक अधिकार है। पुलिस अपनी कार्यवाही में ये सुनिश्चित करें कि उनके मानव अधिकारों का उल्लंघन न हो। पुलिस इस पत्र पर संज्ञान लेते हुए गंभीरता जताई। डब्लूएचआर को एक फोन करके भी आश्वासन दिया और इसके बारे 8 जून को एक मेल भेज कर जवाब भी भेजा है जिसमें उन्होने विषय को स्पेशल कमीश्नर ला एंड आर्डर को इस विषय को सौंप दिया है। डब्लूएचआर के चेयरमैन योगराज शर्मा ने उचित कार्यवाही करने पर पुलिस कमीश्नर का आभार जताया है।


हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री श्री मनोहर लाल कृषि क्षेत्र निवेशकों एवं किसान उत्पादक संगठनों के बीच समझौता हस्ताक्षर समारोह को सम्बोधित करते हुए। साथ में कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री जे. पी दलाल। (30.11.2021)
हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री श्री मनोहर लाल सब्जी उत्पादन पर बुकलेट जारी करते हुए। साथ में कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री जे. पी दलाल, एसीएस डा. सुमिता मिश्रा एवं अन्य। (30.11.2021) हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री श्री मनोहर लाल की उपस्थित में कृषि क्षेत्र निवेशकों एवं किसान उत्पादक संगठनों के बीच हुए समझौते के ज्ञापनों का आदान प्रदान करते हुए। साथ में कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री जे. पी दलाल, एसीएस डा. सुमिता मिश्रा एवं अन्य। (30.11.2021) हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री श्री मनोहर लाल की उपस्थित में कृषि क्षेत्र निवेशकों एवं किसान उत्पादक संगठनों के बीच हुए समझौते के ज्ञापनों का आदान प्रदान करते हुए। साथ में कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री जे. पी दलाल एवं एसीएस डा. सुमिता मिश्रा। (30.11.2021) हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री श्री मनोहर लाल कृषि क्षेत्र निवेशकों एवं किसान उत्पादक संगठनों की जानकारी लेते हुए। साथ में कृषि एवं किसान कल्याण मंत्री श्री जे. पी दलाल, एसीएस डा. सुमिता मिश्रा एवं अन्य। (30.11.2021) मुख्य संवाददाता, योगराज शर्मा वटसअप - 7011490810 आज की दिल्ली, नेशनल ओनलाइन मैग्जीन (आज की दिल्ली अखबार भी वर्ल्ड ह्यूमन राइटस ओर्गेनाइजेशन समूह का ही एक पब्लिकेशन है)
पंथ विरोधी बेइमानों को मुँह की खानी पड़ी: सिरसा, कालका नई दिल्ली, 21 नवंबर: दिल्ली सिख गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी के चुनावों में वार्ड नंबर 46 प्रीत विहार के मतों की पुनर्गणना के अदालत द्वारा दिये आदेश के बाद अकाली दल के उम्मीदवार भुपिंदर सिंह भुल्लर ने पुनः जीत दर्ज की। इस संबंध में जानकारी देते हुए कमेटी के अध्यक्ष स. मनजिंदर सिंह सिरसा व महासचिव स. हरमीत सिंह कालका ने बताया कि अदालत ने इस वार्ड के मतों की पुनः गिनती के आदेश दिये थे और दोबारा हुई गिनती में हमारे उम्मीदवार स. भुपिंदर सिंह भुल्लर विजयी रहे हैं। भुपिंदर सिंह भुल्लर पहले भी जीते थे पर विरोधी दलों ने जानबूझ कर दुष्प्रचार किया और अदालत के सहारे जीतने का प्रयास किया पर गुरबाणी में अंकित है कि अंत में जीत सच्चाई की होनी है और वही हुआ है। स. सिरसा ने कहा कि यह जीत दिल्ली की संगत की जीत है। दिल्ली की संगत ने अकाली दल को बहुत बड़ा फतवा दिया पर हमारे विरोधियों द्वारा अदालतों के माध्यम से हमें हराने का प्रयास किया जा रहा है हालांकि अकाली दल को 30 सीटें मिली हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि देश व दुनिया के सिख स्वयं महसूस कर रहे हैं कि गुरु तेग बहादुर साहिब जी कृपा कर रहे हैं और अदालत में पंथ विरोधी बेइमान विरोधियों को हार का मुँह देखना पड़ रहा है। वह संगत के आभारी हैं। उन्होंने विरोधियों को सलाह देते हुए कहा कि गुरु साहिब की रज़ा में रहना सीखें तथा संगत के फैसले का आदर करें। विरोधी जितना चाहे मर्ज़ी अदालत का सहारा लें पर जब तक गुरु साहिब की कृपा हम पर है विरोधी कुछ नहीं बिगाड़ सकते। पुर्नगणना में विजयी रहने के बाद स. भुपिंदर सिंह भुल्लर ने स. सिरसा, स. कालका तथा अन्य साथियों के साथ गुरुद्वारा रकाबगंज साहिब में माथा टेका और गुरु साहिब का धन्यवाद किया। मुख्य संवाददाता, योगराज शर्मा वटसअप - 7011490810 आज की दिल्ली, नेशनल ओनलाइन मैग्जीन (आज की दिल्ली अखबार भी वर्ल्ड ह्यूमन राइटस ओर्गेनाइजेशन समूह का ही एक पब्लिकेशन है)
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :



BENGALURU: Three days after domestic flights resumed operations, Karnataka sought on Thursday to cut down flights from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, citing a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases with the arrival of a large number of people from these states. The state government also virtually barred entry by road from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu by extending restrictions on road travel indefinitely.
At around 5 pm, briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy caused a flutter, saying the state wanted flights from these five states to be barred. As the headlines created ripples across the country, he clarified around two hours later that the state government has requested the civil aviation ministry to "restrict" the number of flights coming into Karnataka from these five states as they have registered a record number of cases in the past few days.
Madhuswamy said the government has written to the Union ministry and is awaiting a response.
The state’s request is based on two points: one, the majority of Covid-19 cases reported in Karnataka in the past 10 days have travel histories to these states; and two, institutional quarantine facilities in the state are likely to be overwhelmed if there is a sudden spurt in the number of passengers.

When domestic air travel resumed in the country on Monday after nearly two months of lockdown, Karnataka stipulated a mandatory seven days’ institutional quarantine for passengers coming from seven states — including Maharashtra, Gujarat, TN, Rajasthan and MP — which have a high prevalence of cases.
Madhuswamy said existing restrictions on entry by road from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat would continue till further orders. "Since a large number of people who have come from these states have tested positive and it will be difficult to manage quarantine if more people come, we have decided to stop (arrivals) by imposing restrictions… until some people leave quarantine facilities and return home," he said. In effect, applications will continue to be processed via the Seva Sindhu portal as before but, sources said, approvals are likely to be delayed until space in quarantine facilities frees up.
The government is likely to take a call on trains to these three states once services resume on June 1; entry from these states has been barred since May 18.
The government estimates that 13,000-15,000 people would come to Karnataka from other states if all scheduled flights operate at full capacity, which would make it difficult for the government to arrange institutional quarantine for all. "Keeping this in mind, we have requested the Centre to reduce the number of flights operating to Karnataka from these five states," Madhuswamy said.

Bheema crossover from Maha
The Karnataka government has decided to step up vigil on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border along the Bheema river, which passes through Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts. "Since the river has dried up, people are crossing the riverbed to reach Karnataka from Maharashtra. Against this background, we have instructed the district administrations to keep track and stop people entering the state illegally," the minister added.
AAJ KI DELHI :

The government has issued a notification with retrospective effect enabling the treatment of contributions made by companies to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, formed in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease pandemic, as corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending.
Requests by some states, including West Bengal, to allow contributions made to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to be treated as CSR expenditure were declined, two officials aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity.
“It is because this will restrict the use of the bulk of CSR funds in only 6-7 industrialised states where most of the companies are located,” one of the officials said.
The notification to include PM CARES in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, related to CSR, along with the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, was issued on Tuesday. “This notification shall be deemed to have come into force on 28th March 2020,” it said. HT has seen a copy of the notification.
PM CARES Fund was set up on March 27 to deal with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. It announced its first allotment of Rs 3,100 crore on May 13 for ventilators, the welfare of migrant workers, and supporting a programme to develop a vaccine against Covid-19.
The official quoted above cited past instances wherein two industrial states--one in the north and another in south India--had tried to “arm-twist” companies located in their regions to spend their entire CSR money locally. “Such tendencies need to be curbed for equitable distribution of CSR funds across the country.”
HT on April 17 reported that West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urging the Centre to include the CM’s Relief Fund in Schedule VII of the Companies Act.
The Companies Act requires firms with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, or turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or net profit of Rs 5 crore or more in the immediately preceding financial year, to mandatorily spend 2% of average net profit of the preceding three years on CSR.
Money earmarked for spending on CSR activities is about Rs 15,000 crore a year. According to an industry estimate, about Rs 50,000 crore has been spent on CSR since 2014-15 and around Rs 30,000 crore remains unspent.
A company’s board is empowered to plan, decide, execute, and monitor the activities under CSR on the recommendations of a committee. The government has specified broad areas of spending in Schedule VII.
Approved activities under CSR include eradicating extreme hunger, poverty, promotion of education, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as reducing the child mortality, improving maternal health and combating diseases. Ensuring environmental sustainability and prompting employment enhancing vocational skills are other activities approved under CSR.

AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

Mark Zuckerberg to be richer than Warren Buffett soon? Facebook ...

With Facebook's adoption of permanent remote work on Thursday, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has untethered one of Silicon Valley's biggest companies from the place that incubated it.
But he also dashed a Silicon Valley dream: that tech workers would be able to take their generous salaries with them as they flee the Bay Area's crushing housing costs, dirty sidewalks and crowded roadways.
As lockdowns dragged into their third month, message boards popular with well-paid tech workers have lit up with fantasies of working long-term from tropical beaches and spacious houses in affordable small towns in the Midwest.
"Does that mean I could apply for a job in Silicon Valley and work remotely from, say, the Caribbean? Asking for a friend," wrote one user on Blind, an app designed to let workers swap information anonymously.
Afraid not, Zuckerberg said, addressing employees in a publicly broadcast livestream on his Facebook page.
The company, one of Silicon Valley's biggest employers, is giving US staffers who are approved to work remotely until January 1, 2021 to update the company on where they plan to base themselves, at which point their salaries will be adjusted to reflect the local cost of living.
Zuckerberg said he expects half of Facebook's workforce to take him up on the offer over the next five to 10 years.
Employees who attempt to wiggle around those compensation adjustments will be subject to "severe ramifications," he said, as the company needs to account for employee locations to avoid violating tax laws.
Zuckerberg said Facebook will monitor adherence by checking where employees access its VPN. Facebook also uses its own apps' to track employee locations, according to CNBC, one time using the data to find interns who failed to show up for work.
Even as many tech workers dream of a future in low-tax states, others on message boards fret about how the shift to remote work could exert downward pressure on salaries across the board and warn that being far from headquarters could steepen the climb up the corporate ladder.
One former Facebook employee, who in his 20s lived in Silicon Valley's suburbs for the short commute, said the change would open up opportunities even for employees who stay in California.
"A 25-year-old maybe would rather be in San Francisco, while someone looking to raise a family might prefer to move outside the city," he said.
A Facebook spokesman said the company was not planning layoffs, compulsory moves or salary adjustments for employees who opt to stay in the Bay Area.
If the experiment is successful, Facebook's move could prompt other tech giants to compete for engineering talent by embracing remote work - and other states to compete for Californians.
"The warm, sunny states with affordable housing and zero taxes will see an influx of educated, rich workers. States will need to cut taxes to keep up," Chamath Palihapitiya, the chief executive of venture capital firm Social Capital and an early executive at Facebook, said on Twitter.
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

UK court orders Anil Ambani to pay USD 717mn to Chinese banks ...



IN LONDON 
Beleaguered businessman Anil Ambani has been asked by the High Court in London to pay $716 million (around Rs 5,000 crore) to a trio of Chinese banks that had moved court last year seeking to recover $925 million that they loaned to Reliance Communications in 2012. Sixty-year-old Ambani, once one of the richest Indians and whose older brother Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, remains the wealthiest man in the country, is being pursued by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the China Development Bank, and the Export-Import Bank of China.

On Friday, Justice Nigel Teare passed the order against Ambani following an hour-long hearing. He also allowed the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s application for summary judgment. Ambani remained unrepresented, and the court only heard from Laura Newton, the barrister representing Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. With the court validating the summary judgment application, the bank can initiate the proceedings to seize Ambani’s assets in India and elsewhere if he fails to make the payment within three weeks.

Anil Ambani vs the three Chinese banks case highlights one of the most spectacular reversals of fortune in the modern corporate history. Just 12 years ago, Forbes had named Anil Ambani has the world’s sixth-richest man with a fortune of more than $40 billion. In February this year, Ambani told the UK court that his net worth was “zero”. The banks pointed to his ‘extravagant lifestyle’ to counter the claim (‘Yacht sinks Anil Ambani’s poverty argument’, MM, Feb 15).

THE CASE

The three Chinese banks in 2012 loaned RCom almost $1 billion. They said that the agreement was signed in Hong Kong where a senior RCom official signed off on the deal which included a personal guarantee, making Ambani responsible for the debt under English law. The banks sued him in the English court after RCom defaulted on the repayments, even as Ambani maintained that he had not authorised anyone to sign on a personal guarantee on his behalf.

The court rejected the argument saying his family members would come to his help as they had in the past. In March last year, Mukesh Ambani saved his sibling from a possible jail term when he helped RCom pay Rs 458.77 crore to Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson a day before the Supreme Court deadline ended. Anil later issued a statement thanking Mukesh and his wife Nita Ambani for helping him.

In February this year, Justice Waksman ordered Ambani to pay $100 million by 4 pm (London time) on March 20, failing which his defence was to be struck out. Till the last day of the payment deadline, Ambani tried overturn the order by seeking permission to appeal. On March 19, Lord Justice Flaux refused permission to appeal Justice Waksman’s order.

Between March 19 and 23, White & Case, solicitors for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, sought information from Ambani’s lawyers on the status of the payment, but claimed they received no reply. It appeared that Ambani, who was previously represented by a battery of lawyers from big ticket firms such as Mishcon de Reya, and Harish Salve, had stopped responding to the bank’s solicitors.

The $716-million-dollar amount represents an initial assessment, and the final amount owed by Ambani will be determined following the conclusion of the insolvency case in India. In March 2020, the State Bank of India filed an insolvency application against Ambani in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

Barrister Newton told the court that it is accepted that the SBI insolvency application has no impact on the UK court’s ability to proceed with the Chinese banks’ claim against Ambani, which is incurring a daily interest of $145,000. The court also granted 750,000 pounds to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s legal team representing half of their legal costs to be paid by Ambani.
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :
Zoom backgrounds: Where to download new ones for conference calls ...

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday sought the response of the central government and Zoom Video Communications on a plea seeking a ban on the use of the Zoom videoconferencing software, citing privacy and security concerns.
The petitioner, Harsh Chugh, who is a part-time tutor, said the use of Zoom should be banned for both official and personal purposes until a law addressing data security issues is put in place.
“Issue notice returnable in four weeks”, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said.
In April, the home ministry issued an advisory stating that the Zoom app, which government officials have been barred from using, was “not safe” for use by private individuals.The government’s missive came after the national cybersecurity agency – Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-in) – flagged the cyber vulnerability of the popular app, being used by tens of thousands of professionals working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials pointed out at the time that the NIC (National Informatics Centre) platform was being used for most government video conferences.Government officials have been asked not to use any third party app and services for meetings. The CyCord portal was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2018 for sharing all cyber-related matters among law enforcement agencies, government organisations and other stakeholders.
The Zoom app, which is owned by the US-based Zoom Video Communications, enables video conferences and online chat facilities. The use of the platform is free for video conferences with up to 100 participants within a 40-minute time limit. For longer or larger conferences with more features, paid subscriptions are available.
Chugh told the apex court that the sudden boom in the use of Zoom application because of the lockdown restrictions, which were imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, has severely compromised security in cyberspace by leaking the personal data of its users.
“Poor privacy and security of the application have enabled the hackers to get access to the meeting, classes, and conferences being conducted online through this application. Zoom is reported to have a bug that can be abused intentionally to leak information of users to third parties,” the plea said.
The petition pointed out that the Zoom application saw exponential growth in its users from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million in March 2020 due to the pandemic-induced lockdown restrictions.
The petitioner alleged that the application has made false claims that its calls are end-to-end encrypted.
Chugh also claimed that Zoom practices data hoarding, including mass storage users’ personal data.
The petitioner pointed out that various high courts across the country are still using the application, despite the MHA advisory.
“The Bombay high court recently decided to live stream hearing on a trial basis. The bench of Justice GS Patel made the hearing of listed matters on April 9 publicly accessible. The hearing in the court of Justice Patel could be accessed by anyone and everyone via the Zoom application. Similarly, the Kerala High Court has also started live-streaming of court hearings through this application”, the plea stated.

AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

In 4-page stinker to Tedros over China link, Trump opens door to ...

WASHINGTON: A Fox News poll showing Democratic contender Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump by 8 points heading into the November election ignited fury in the notoriously tetchy incumbent against his favorite TV channel on which he bestows inordinate amount of time and attention.
At a time the United States is passing through an unprecedented health crisis and economic distress, Trump shot off nearly a dozen tweets and retweets on polls and polling accusing Fox News, a channel that is for the most part cravenly devoted to him, of "doing nothing to help Republicans, and me get re-elected." Amid growing politicization of the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout, he also demanded Fox News fire their "fake pollster," complaining that he had never had a good Fox poll.

Trump’s jarring obsession on polls, ratings, and television and personalities in general, came even as the pandemic and its fallout is set to become a key electoral issue in the presidential election. The Fox News poll that agitated Trump shows Biden leading the President 48-40 with 11 per cent undecided.
Although there are five months to go for the election and such polls based on small samples and big margins of error are known to be unreliable (as was seen in 2016) and largely inconsequential in an contest where states and the electoral college is more important, such adverse numbers irks Trump. Particularly galling for the President is the poll shows Biden leading by 17 points among voters 65 and older, who are most affected by the pandemic. Trump had won this demographic by 7 per cent in 2016.
The US President has continued to roil the country with his controversial prescriptions and behavior, including canvassing for the anti-malarial drug hydroxichloroquinine, and disdainfully abjuring masks against all advice.
On Friday, the respected medical journal Lancet published a study that backed earlier reports that seriously ill Covid-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine were more likely to die or develop dangerous heart arrhythmias. But Trump claimed that he had finished taking a course of the medication and he was fine.
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

Stock Market Latest Updates: Sensex falls 190 points, Nifty below ...

The equity benchmark made a strong gain today as the value buying emerged in financial stocks which has been under performing over the past few sessions. Buying was broad-based and market ended with a gain of 2.3 percent.
All sectoral indices ended in the green territory, while pharma and financial service indices witnessed sharp buying in the afternoon session. On stock specifics, HDFC surged 6 percent as the top gainer, followed by Dr. Reddy and M&M. Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank and Bharti Infratel remained the top laggards in today’s session.
The 30-share index settled 622.44 points or 2.06 percent higher at 30,818.61, while the NSE Nifty rose 187.45 points, or 2.11 percent, to end at 9,066.55.
HDFC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging over 5 percent, followed by M&M, L&T, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank and Sun Pharma.
Manish Hathiramani, Index Trader and Technical Analyst, Deen Dayal Investments, told Firstpost, "The Nifty50 Index continued its intraday upward trajectory and comfortably crossed its resistance of 9030. The next levels of resistance would be 9,150 and 9250 with a good base formation at 8,850. This rally seems broad-based where most stocks have handsomely contributed to the rally up and good volumes have been clocked on the Nifty futures as well."
Paras Bothra, President-Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking, told Firstpost said, "The domestic markets opened flat but gained higher later during the day led by buying across all sectors. Positive statements from the Finance Minister that the government was with industry and would do as much as possible depending on how the coronavirus pandemic will pan out, implying there could be further stimulus ahead."
While stock-specific action led benchmarks higher, experts forecast continued volatility in the near-term amid rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Going ahead, investors will closely monitor the economic policies, US-China relationship, crude oil prices movements and development of coronavirus cases and vaccines
Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director Choice Broking told Firstpost, "Finally, the Nifty settled its closing above 9,030 level at 9,066 level with the gain of 187 points which is a good sign for the time being; as from the present level we are seeing a further upside movement. Moreover, the Index has formed a based around 8,800 level from where it gave a very good bounce back earlier also. So at present level, we are expecting the same movement to be replicated in the Index.
"The opening session was good. However, during most part of the session, we saw a range-bound movement. We had to wait till the dying hours to see Index breakout, based on which it managed to close above 9,030 level. At the present level, downside support comes at 9,000-8,800, while upside intermediate resistance comes at 9,100. If the Index sustains above this level then we may see good upside movement up to the level of 9,200-9,350," Bagadia said.
Rupee settles 14 paise lower at 75.80 against dollar
The rupee depreciated by 14 paise to 75.80 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday as headwinds due to US-China trade tiff and worries over the second wave of coronavirus infection weighed on investor sentiment.
Forex traders said positive domestic equities supported the local unit, while sustained foreign fund outflows, US-China trade tiff and concerns over coronavirus pandemic weighed on the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 75.60, but pared the initial gains to finally close at 75.80, registering a fall of 14 paise over its previous close.
On Tuesday, the rupee had settled at 75.66 against the US dollar.
During the trading session, the domestic unit witnessed heavy volatility and saw an intra-day high of 75.60 and a low of 75.86.
"The COVID-19 vaccine-trials temporarily excited the market. But there are headwinds due to ongoing US-China trade tiff and worries over second wave of infection. Also, Reliance rights issue has opened today, and we can see some FII participation in it in coming days which may limit the fall in rupee," said Rahul Gupta, Head of Research- Currency, Emkay Global Financial Services to PTI.
Gupta further noted that "technically, The USD/INR spot is trading in a very tight range of 75.25-76, and we expect it to remain in this until there are major cues. Either side breakout will give further clarity over the trend".
Global stocks adrift as vaccine rally falters
European stocks slipped lower on Wednesday and gold gained as a skeptical press report undermined some hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine and concern about obstacles to a recovery from the pandemic returned.
Italian bonds sustained their multi-week lows, continuing to gain from a Franco-German plan for a 500 billion-euro coronavirus recovery fund, ignoring a hawkish counter-proposal in the works, Reuters said.
Europe’s STOXX 600 index was 1.6 percent lower. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.4 percen as Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc shed 0.8 percen after it said it would cut 9,000 jobs and might close some of its factories.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1 percen. Its world stock index was 0.1 percen lower after reaching its highest level since March 9 on Tuesday.
Wall Street ended Tuesday lower after medical news website STAT cast doubt on a Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccine trial. The report said the trial results, which had rallied global stocks this week, lacked detail.
“With markets being very narrative driven, this was sufficient to see European equities pick up where Wall Street left off and head lower,” said James Athey, investment director, Aberdeen Standard Investments.”
Two-thirds of 223 fund managers surveyed by Bank of America reckon recent gains are a bear-market rally.
S&P 500 futures were last up 0.4 percent. Oil was steady and gold rose to $1,750.93 per ounce.
Brent crude futures were at $34.64 per barrel, having rallied nearly 7 percent this week. US crude was 0.4 percent lower at $31.84 a barrel.
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

Square Panda launches a revolutionary reading platform to support ...

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] May 20 (ANI/PRNewswire): Developed by US-based edtech company Square Panda, SquareTales is a revolutionary reading app for pre-readers.
Designed by neuroscientists from Stanford University, the child can start reading stories by starting with just eight letters. The phonics learning system combines early reading skills and multi-sensory play.
Language learning is an integral part of every child's life (children have to attend school for many years to learn how to read), but what most parents might not know is that learning to read is actually a very complex skill.
Some intense rewiring needs to happen inside a learner's brain so that they can read skillfully. In fact, the best learning actually happens when the child is very young.
Research says that 85 per cent of a child's brain develops before the age of 5, which suddenly puts a spotlight on early learning, and early reading in particular.
Globally, the company has helped more than 90,000 children aged 2-8 to learn the fundamentals of English. The SquareTales reading app is unique, using digital learning and positive reinforcement to turn children into independent readers for life.
Square Panda is offering the first month free to all parents in India to try the platform for their child.
Square Panda India: The company opened its office in India in 2018 (HQ: Sunnyvale, CA & BO: Beijing, CN), which is its largest so far. The first literacy product to be STEM.org certified, their award-winning US-based edutech organisation is trusted by parents and educators around the world, with proven results amongst 2000 plus schools, and 90,000 plus kids.
The curriculum was designed over a period of many years, by a team of experts in the field of early education, including neuroscientists, teachers and others.
SquareTales has the potential to be the volume driver in the business given the exponential use of smartphones in India. The educational apps market in India is expected to grow at 27 per cent CAGR by 2022.
Mobility and social distancing protocols work in favor of using educational apps. We plan to expand to tier I and tier II cities of India.
SquareTales App advantage: SquareTales is a unique tool to turn early learners from pre-readers into independent readers. Each SquareTales story introduces letters via word families (like 'ap', 'in', etc.), and common sight words.
The activities, songs, rhymes, and more, also follow the same patterns. SquareTales is for young learners between the ages of 2 and 8. SquareTales progresses each month as children gain reading skills.
The platform uses a patented blending engine 'SwipePhonics' to teach very young children to read, using stories. Not just read, but read independently, by themselves. The app can be used on both tablet and mobile app.
SquareTales provides an ad-free, safe, and secure environment for your kids to have fun and learn.
"The objective of Square Panda is to enable young children to learn English through a neuroscience-backed multisensory learning system. Yes, we are a product company, but at the end of the day, 'literacy' is at the top of our mission," said Ashish Jhalani, Managing Director - India.
"SquareTales promotes independent learning through technology. Kids are rewarded by being able to read books by themselves! By bringing together smart learning games with letters kids can touch, hold and move, Square Panda opens the power of phonics to a new generation of learners," said Andre Agassi, Chairman and Founder.
"With SquareTales, the child learns not only ABCD, but learns how to pronounce them, how to read them, in sets of eight letters, with stories. If you are able to put that fun element into learning, children will guide themselves. Square Panda has done exactly that!," said Dr Jawahar Surisetti, Advisory Board Member-Square Panda India, Advisor to Government, TED Speaker, Psychologist, Bestselling Author.
Download the SquareTales reading app today from the Play Store or the App Store or give us a missed call on 1800-123-999-996 to get the download link.
This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
AAJ KI DELHI / INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

Lockdown 4.0 New Guidelines: Jharkhand Government announced ...

There seems to be no end to layoffs as companies struggle to survive amid the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, after Zomato and Swiggy, cab aggregator Ola is laying off 1,400 staff from rides, financial services and its food business.

The decision was taken by the company as revenues declined by 95 per cent in the last two months due to the pandemic.

"In these circumstances, today I write to all of you with the toughest decision I have ever taken – the need to downsize our organization and let go of 1400 of our valued employees," reads a note by CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to employees.
Aggarwal said that they had all hoped in the beginning that this would be a short-lived crisis and that its impact would be temporary. However, Aggarwal said, "Unfortunately, it’s not been a short crisis. And the prognosis ahead for our business is very unclear and uncertain", adding, "It is going to take a long time for people to go out and about like before. With more companies preferring to have a large number of employees work from home, air travel limited to essential trips and vacations being put off for better times, the impact of this crisis is definitely going to be long-drawn."


Stating that this crisis has affected the livelihoods of millions of our drivers and their families across India and our international geographies, Aggarwal also listed out the measures the company will be taking for the employees who will be laid-off.

The CEO said that every affected employee will receive a minimum financial payout of 3 months of their fixed salary, irrespective of the notice period.

He also said that all affected employees will be able to continue using their medical, life, and accident insurance cover for themselves and their families up to 31st Dec 2020 or the start of their next job whichever is earlier

"This downsizing exercise has been a very tough and sad decision for the entire management team to make," he added.

"I would like to express my gratitude to very employee who is leaving us," the company said, adding, "No more COVID related cuts will be done after this exercise."
AAJ KI DELHI/INDIAN NEWS ONLINE :

Microsoft launches Surface Hub 2S in India

Designed for team collaboration in the modern workplace, Microsoft today launched the all-in-one digital Surface Hub 2S. This all-in-one digital whiteboard, meeting platform, and teamwork collaborative computing device has been priced at Rs 11,89,999, which includes a Surface Hub 2 Camera and a Surface Hub 2 Pen. The Steelcase Roam mobile stand is priced at Rs 1,17,500. This new hardware will be available at authorised Hub resellers starting today and will be delivered towards the end of this month.
"We've expanded our Surface family to include not just devices designed for individuals, but also devices purpose-built for teams. In view of the current environment and more teams working remotely, the Surface Hub 2S seamlessly blends into any workspace. The Surface Hub 2S gives teams the mobility and flexibility to collaborate where they work best - whether in a conventional meeting scenario for brainstorms, or virtual meetings powered by Microsoft Teams. For businesses looking to bridge the gap and address different workstyles, the Surface Hub 2S is the perfect addition to enhance productivity, and as a boost to turn innovative ideas to reality," said Rajiv Sodhi, COO, Microsoft India.
The Surface 2S is a portable and interactive device with a 4k 50-inch multi-touch display, with support for Surface Pen and touch experience. It is 40 per cent lighter, and offers 50 per cent faster graphics performance than the original Surface Hub. It is powered by Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Teams, Office 365, Microsoft Whiteboard, and the intelligent cloud. It has an 8th Generation Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB DDR 4 RAM, Intel UHD Graphics 620 and 128GB SSD. Sensors onboard include Doppler occupancy sensor, IMU, thermal sensor. Various ports onboard include USB-A, USB-C/DP, RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI Video Input Mini-DisplayPort Video Output and monitor 4X USB-C (data or FPR) for camera or data.
Microsoft says that the new Surface Hub 2S is the all-in-one collaboration device that lets teams break free from the conference room and turn any space into a teamwork space. To ensure flexible usage in any space, Microsoft worked with Steelcase to design Steelcase Roam, a mobile stand and easy-to-hang wall mounting system, that allows people to use the Surface Hub 2S to collaborate in planned sessions or spontaneously. The mobile stand can be moved easily with one hand, and its small footprint ?ts in all kinds of spaces. The wall mounting system is the perfect solution for private of?ces or smaller spaces, encouraging standing and active postures.
"We joined forces with Microsoft to explore the future of work. Our work together is built on a shared commitment to put people at the centre of how place and technology intersect to empower individuals and teams to do their best work," says Praveen Rawal, Managing Director, India, SAARC, APAC Design Applications, Steelcase Asia Pacific. "We are thrilled to introduce our latest innovation derived from this powerful partnership to India, giving individuals and teams the freedom to collaborate whenever and wherever ideas strike."
When paired together, Surface Hub 2S and Steelcase Roam support active collaboration by encouraging teams to move, stand, gesture and become more physically, mentally and emotionally engaged in their collaborative work. Also, Microsoft Whiteboard allows people to collaborate on a shared digital canvas from almost any device so it's easy to pick up where they left off, keeping teams in their flow. With built-in artificial intelligence features, users can better express their ideas in less time as it supports ink to shape and text, supported by an infinite cloud-based, virtual canvas.

AAJ KI DELHI/INDIAN NEWS ONLINE:

Top B-schools not to insist on GMAT, some will even waive ...
MUMBAI: No GMAT score? No problem. Student applicants who have no GMAT score to show are now being considered by elite world institutes such as Oxford, Imperial, Insead, London Business SchoolWhartonKellogg and Carnegie Mellon.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced several universities around the world to suspend their standardized testing requirements for 2020 and spring 2021 entry.

While most universities don’t expect students to take the GMAT, some such as Oxford and LBS have said admission would be contingent on submission of the missing test scores at a later date.

Universities have also extended their deadlines for receiving applications in round four; some have even introduced a fifth round to fill class capacity. Many have announced acceptance of applications on a rolling basis and quite a few have decided to waive off application fee.

“Universities abroad are making all possible concessions to get quality students to join their courses for the August and January terms,” said education counsellor Karan Gupta.“The Covid-19 pandemic has affected enrolment numbers of all universities and they are now making an active effort to bring in qualified students,” Gupta said.

Management schools are pushing their deadlines for late-round MBA applications. Whether it is delaying deadlines for rounds three and four, reviewing applications without standardized test scores or, in some cases, even cancelling application fee entirely, admission to business schools around the world has never been so welcoming.

A statement from the Carey Business School read: “Johns Hopkins Carey Business School has made changes to its MBA admissions process to reflect the impact of Covid-19. Carey will accept incomplete applications for our Round 3 deadline and will work with applicants individually to complete their applications. Carey has added a Round 4 with a deadline of June 1. Following Round 4, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through July 15. Carey is offering GMAT/GRE waivers moving forward.”

UC-Berkeley is now admitting last year’s undergraduate students from its own university into MBA programs without GMAT or GRE or work experience—an unprecedented move by a major top league university.

Harvard Business School has been holding discussions about increasing the size for the 2021 incoming class, given that many students will defer their acceptance and seek admissions for next year. Penn State Smeal College of Business is waiving off the exam requirement for candidates with strong quantitative educational backgrounds, regardless of work experience. Those with an active GME or GMAT scores are eligible for an application fee waiver.

Education consultant Pratibha said Bath, too, has waived the application fee and does not require GMAT, which was never mandatory but recommended. In the same category, Aston, Exeter and Nottingham do not require GMAT for their MBA programs.