June ’19

Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Klips for 1st June

World šŸŒŽ | 12 killed in mass shooting by disgruntled employee in Virginia, USA
– The suspect was also shot down by the police
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2QDyRCO

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Amit Shah gets Home Ministry, Sitharaman gets Finance in new Cabinet
– Rajnath Singh allocated Defence while surprise entrant, S Jaishankar, is the External Affairs Minister
– Sitharaman is the first woman FM since Indira Gandhi held it as an additional charge
Complete list of portfolios: http://bit.ly/2I7fiz6

Economy & Business šŸ’° | GDP growth at 6 yr low, unemployment at 45 year high
– GDP growth for Q4 was 5.8 while for the full year (2019) was 6.8%
– Unemployment was at 6.1%, which confirms the data leaked before the elections
– On the other hand, Indiaā€™s per capita income rose 10% to ā‚¹10,534
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2WgRQJC

Union budget to be presented by new government on 5th July

Govt extends cash support programme to another 25mn farmers
– Under the scheme announced in the interim budget, farmers would get ā‚¹500 pm (ie ā‚¹6000 a yr), but limited to land upto 2 hectares
– The scheme has now been extended to farmers without this restriction
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2JPpZcZ

Op-Ed šŸ“
Opinion: Modiā€™s Key Woman Needs Strongman-Handling Skills
– On what the new FM as well as External Affairs ministers need to focus on
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2Ig2A0P

Interesting: Goodbye BBM
– 31st May marked the last day for the consumer version of the iconic Blackberry Messenger
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2Wh6UH9

Klips for 3rd June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Tit-for-tat: Nitish ignores allies in Bihar Cabinet
– This is in repose se to the JD(U) being offered only 1 Cabinet ministry at the centre when its demand was a minimum of 2
– ā€˜We have decided that in future also the JD(U) will never be a part of the BJP-led Union cabinet. This is our final decisionā€™, said KC Tyagi, the partyā€™s general secretary
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2KowLFV

First flight via Pakistan lands after 3 months
– Both countries had imposed airspace restrictions since the air strikes in Feb
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2Kl01xd

Kejriwal: Plan to make Delhi metro, bus travel free for women
– The Delhi CM made the announcement at a public meeting saying the move is meant to encourage use of public transport
– Delhi elections are due early next year
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2KoxZ3Z

Economy & Business šŸ’° | GST collections cross ā‚¹1L cr in May
– This is the 3rd successive month when collection have crossed ā‚¹1Lcr
– While the amount was 6.7% higher than last year, itā€™s below the govtā€™s expectations (ā‚¹1.14L Cr)
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2WAaziN

SpiceJet to hire upto 2000 Jet staff, says Ajay Singh
– SpiceJet has already taken 22 Jet Airways planes and about 1100 staff

Tech šŸ“± | Apple likely to discontinue iTunes at developer event
– Apple is likely to announce 3 different MacOS apps to replace iTunes at WWDC
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2WGUZls

Sport āš½ļø | Bangladesh upset SA in high scoring game
– Both sides scored 300 plus runs

UEFA Champions League: Liverpool crowned European champions after beating Tottenham in final

Interesting: One off supercars – Bugattiā€™s $13.5mn La Voiture Noire
– An interview with Bugattiā€™s head of Design on this new strategy
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2WGUZls

Klips for 4th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Post backlash from TN, mandatory Hindi our of draft education policy
– However the draft still recommends a 3 language policy from class 1
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2XnfGjx

šŸ—£IAF plane with 13 onboard missing over Arunachal Pradesh
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2wCU9r2

Economy & Business šŸ’° | After subdued Uber IPO, SoftBank to focus on smaller size investments in India
– SoftBank was known for making large ticket size investments like it did in Flipkart
– However, it has recently come under pressure and hence is said to focus on smaller investments
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2XuKI9e

Fitch downgrades ICICI Bank and Axis Bank
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2wyGZeV

Tech šŸ“± | With focus on privacy, Apple introduces ā€˜Signin with Appleā€™ option
– The option is meant to help users protect their data as they sign in on web services
– Traditionally users generally choose between FB and Google sign ins
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2JTWdDS

Opinion: Crisis diffused – On Hindi imposition
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2Xo8wLH

Interesting: With monsoonā€™s arriving, Metro barricades add to Mumbaikarā€™s commute woes
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2wBPoy6

Klips for 5th June šŸŒ™āœØ

World šŸŒŽ | India ranks 95th out of 129 in first SDG ā€˜Gender Indexā€™
– The index measures ā€˜strides made in gender commitments against internationally set targetsā€™
– With a score of 56.2 India ranks amongst the ā€˜very poorā€™ category of countries
– The average score is 65.2 with Denmark, Sweden, Norway leading
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2WglFoT
#SDG: Sustainability Development Goals

Economy & Business šŸ’° | DHFL defaults on interest payment
– MFs have an exposure of ā‚¹5336cr to DHFL
– CARE rating recently downgraded DHFLā€™s borrowings worth ā‚¹1.13trillion
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2WfGAbo

Base price of 5G spectrum auction too high: telecom body
– The govt is set to hold 5G auctions this year
– A pan India licence would cost $1.42bn, at base prices set by TRAI
– Another complexity will be whether India will follow Americaā€™s steps in banning Huawei network equipment during rollouts
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2JXWHsH
#TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

FPI inflows highest in 6 years
– Foreign investors have pumped in $11bn as of May 2019
– This is largely the reason for the stock market rally
Business Standard: http://bit.ly/2WbtIDr

World Bank ā€˜retainsā€™ Indiaā€™s earlier growth forecast of 7.5% for
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2Whzd3e

Sport āš½ļø | Cricket: India takes on SA today in first match in World Cup

French Open: Nadal sets up semi-final clash with Federer

Opinion: Low tactics – On Indian embassyā€™s Iftar party in Islamabad
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2WoKow4

šŸ—£Interesting: Traffic flow in Mumbai worst in the world, Delhi at 4th
Business Standard: http://bit.ly/2WplRqR

Klips for 6th June

World šŸŒŽ | Nepal picks up 11 tonnes of garbage from Mount Everest over 2 months
– The garbage along with 300 bodies are covered under the snow, but become visible in summer
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2K0FX3O

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Monsoon likely to arrive at southern coast around June 8: IMD
– The earlier predicted date was 6th June

Economy & Business šŸ’° | PM Modi to head cabinet committees on growth, employment
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2XtVYSW

Crisil, ICRA downgrade DHFL to junk
– They followed CARE rating in downgrading DHFL from A4+/A4 to D, after its default
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2XsujSA

RBI monetary policy review today, rate cut expected

Huawei signs deal with Russia to develop 5G
– The deal was signed with MTS, the largest operator, to upgrade its network to 5G
– The announcement was made in the presence of both Putin and Xi Jinping
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2wDmXjl

Tech šŸ“± | Amazon showsoff new itā€™s new delivery drones
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2Xw1Lro
YouTube: http://bit.ly/2XuEw0D

Sport āš½ļø | India wins World Cup opener with ease, meets Aus next on Sunday (9th June)

Interesting: Whatā€™s in a name? A lot if itā€™s ā€˜Khan Marketā€™
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2wFzvXA

Klips for 7th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | šŸ—£43.4% of India facing drought, per-monsoon rain weakest in 65 years
Scroll: http://bit.ly/2ZcZxO6

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Azim Premji to retire from Wipro, son to take over
– Premji has been at the helm for more than 50 years
– Heā€™s Indiaā€™s 2nd richest man and a well known philanthropist
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2MuKb61

RBI cuts rates, changes stance to ā€˜accommodativeā€™
– This is RBIā€™s 3rd successive rate cut
– However markets ended 1.38% down as RBI did not announce any measures for the NBFC crisis
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2K1mzE0

DHFL shares fall 18% on rating downgrades
A look at its ā‚¹1trillion exposure: http://bit.ly/2K38KoG

Tech šŸ“± | Obamas sign deal with Spotify for podcasts
– The Obamas will ā€˜develop, produce and lendā€™ their voices to select podcasts distributed globally
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2K1qRLt

FB to launch ā€˜cryptocurrencyā€™ on 18th June: Reports
– The stablecoin will carry no charges and will likely be called Libra
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2K1K1Rr

Opinion: The Fintech Bubble Floats Towards a $64 Billion Pin
– On EUā€™s new 2 factor authentication
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2K0NXSz

Interesting: Traffic Jams Are a Sign of Income Inequality
– Research conducted in Germany shows this trend as people travel to ā€˜downtownā€™ for work
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2MvtaZp

Klips for 8th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | 26 dead, 50 injured in UP dust storm, lightning
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2MBvTRb

Economy & Business šŸ’° | RBI relaxes stressed assets norms
– 30 day window added for creditors to start working on a resolution plan, sign creditor agreement with insolvency proceedings kept voluntary
– 20% provisions to be set aside if plan not implemented in 210 days (35% in 365 days)
– The relaxation will benefit power companies immensely to begin with (review period starts from Jan 2020)
More details: http://bit.ly/2KyZVlT (Livemint)

DHFL pays back ā‚¹350cr to investors

Tech šŸ“± | Snapā€™s stock rises 180% since Dec aided by more teens loving Augmented Reality
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2K12LRj

Sport āš½ļø | Nadal beats Federer in straight sets, enters final
Op-Ed šŸ“

Interesting: NASA to open up Space Station for tourists at $35000/night
– The whole trip would cost $50mn
– Food, storage and communication are extra
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2Mvbmxs

šŸ—£Opinion: Elon Muskā€™s Hyperloop Has Taken a Detour, and Is Now Borrowing Ideas From the Past
– The reality of Hyperloop and itā€™s encounter with practical implementation
Wire: http://bit.ly/2K0ikII

Klips for 10th June šŸ„³

World šŸŒŽ | Huge protests in Hong Kong against extradition law
– More than 1mn people are said to have taken to the streets in the protest
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2MQI0Kn

IAAF extends ban on Russiaā€™s athletic federation for doping
– The ban has been in place since 2015
– The issue is the focus of Oscar winning documentary ā€˜Icarusā€™
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2MyTIJe

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Two more journalists arrested for ā€˜defamingā€™ Adityanath
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2MxysU3

Monsoon hits Kerala, delayed by a week

Economy & Business šŸ’° | RBI to monitor NBFCs, take action if needed: Shantikanta Das
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2K5Pcjk

Sport āš½ļø | India beat Aus by 36 runs

Nadal wins 12th French Open title
– Australiaā€™s Barry won the womenā€™s crown on Sat

Op-Ed šŸ“
Opinion: NITI Aayog: Old Wine in new bottle?
– A call to review what the think-tank has achieved rather than discussions on bringing back the Planning Commission
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2K4OVND

šŸ—£Interesting: Niki Tasha changed Indian kitchens ā€“ from a dingy corner to a sleek, modern way of cooking
Print: http://bit.ly/2MCr9e9

Klips for 11th June

World šŸŒŽ | Despite massive protest, Hong Kong pushes through extradition bill
Reuters:https://reut.rs/2K6yCQw

Trump ā€˜threatensā€™ to raise China tariffs again if Xi doesnā€™t meet at G-20

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | 3 sentenced to life in Kathua rape case
– Also 3 policemen received jail terms of 5 years for destruction of evidence
– 1 of the 8 accused was found not guilty while a juvenile faces trial
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2MEBdTJ

Economy & Business šŸ’° | End of the road for Jet as Etihad, Hindujas pull out of talks
– The airline now looks set for insolvency proceedings
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2ZnVYVn

Deloitte, BSR likely to be banned for 5yrs from audits after alleged IL&FS lapses
– The application was made by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to NCLT
– BSR is a KPMG associate company
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2F2qoVf

Indiabulls Housing Finance accused of siphoning off ā‚¹98000cr of public money
– A petition was filed in the SC against its chairman Sameer Gehlaut and its directors
– Itā€™s alleged that they created shell companies to which Indiabulls provided loans
BQ: http://bit.ly/2F267iK

Tech šŸ“± | Saleforce to buy Tableau for $15.3bn
– Tableau is an analytics company that helps visualisation of large data sets
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2ZhLJ4I

Sport āš½ļø | Yuvraj retires from international cricket

Opinion: Salesforce Dreams of Being Microsoft or Oracle
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2ZiJvCk

Klips for 12th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Massive evacuation underway as storm (Vayu) set to hit Gujarat on Thursday
– More than 300,000 people are being evacuated
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2KbPci2

SC orders release of journalist held for Twitter post on Adityanath
– The SC said: ā€˜We can understand that the tweets should not be made. But arresting?ā€™

Wreckage of missing AN-32 plane located
– Status of occupants to be ascertained

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Auto sales continue to tumble, down 21% in May
– Major automakers including Maruti, Hyundai have announced production cuts
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2Iaj5wT

Former CEA says growth rate ā€˜over-estimatedā€™ by 2.5%
– Arvind Subramaniam said in a research paper that the GDP growth was overestimated from 2011-12 to 17-18
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2IaBrOb
#CEA: Chief Economic Advisor

Opinion: The playwright against the Right: Girish Karnad
– A nice summary of Karnadā€™s best works and contributions
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2IBcTwK

Interesting: Mary Mayerā€™s 2019 Internet Trends report
Bondcap: https://www.bondcap.com/report/itr19/

Klips for 13th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Chandrayaan-2 set to launch on 15 July, land on moon on Sept 7
– With this India will attempt to land a rover on moon for the very first time
– It will have 3 modules, the Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan)
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2XglEpD

Presidentā€™s rule extended by 6 months in J&K
– It has been in place since June of last year
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2KLjsQ2

5 CRPF jawans killed, 4 injured in terrorist attack in Anantnag, J&K
– Two terrorists on a motorcycle attacked a CRPF patrol on a busy road with automatic rifles & grenades
– One of them was gunned down
Hindu: http://bit.ly/31uplqD

Economy & Business šŸ’° | April IIP up 3.4%, Inflation at 7 month high in May
– While the numbers are positive, analysts say they do not indicate a recovery
– For example, food inflation was largely the reason for jump in inflation as core inflation was at a 23 month low (4.37%)
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2R94tk8

NSE to remove Jet Airways shares from daily trading
– Jet failed to respond to queries about rumours, prompting the action
– Oddly, Jet Airways continued to trade on both exchanges till now despite having no running operations
Reuters: https://reut.rs/31uYZ7W

Interesting: Patanjali – Dash for growth leads to stumbles
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2KT8Kr1

Interesting: The End of the Polling Booth – On home voting in the US
– Similar to postal ballots but accessible to all. A look at the pros and cons
NYT: https://nyti.ms/2R8gdTS

Klips for 14th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Vayu changes course, avoids a direct hit with Gujarat
– The cyclone will skirt Gujaratā€™s coastline
– Vayu had wind speeds of a Category 1 cyclone
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2KdjNM9

No survivors found in AN-32 wreckage
– The transport plane, with 13 onboard, crashed 32 min after take off
Hindu: http://bit.ly/31rvXGx

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Indiabulls Housing Fin jumps 8% after case withdrawn
– The petitioner felt the writ was ā€˜defectiveā€™ and withdrew it
– The writ alleged that Indiabulls siphoned off ā‚¹98000cr
Reuters: https://reut.rs/31tg3eG

Star looks to make ā‚¹100cr from Ind-Pak WC game
– A 10sec slot is priced at ā‚¹25L
– With most of the inventory sold off already, Star is charging a premium for remaining slots
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2KPMw8X

Tech šŸ“± | Uber launches XS service in Bengaluru with Bajajā€™s ā€˜Quteā€™
– The gas powered, miniature cars can seat 3 and are meant to tackle Bengaluruā€™s traffic
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2KOQsaa

FB to acquire stake in Indian startup Meesho
Reuters: https://reut.rs/31wnkKP

Sport āš½ļø | Ind-NZ match rained out
– This is the 4th match to be abandoned in this WC due to rain, with no reserve day

Interesting: A German 5G auction that lasted 12 weeks and 497 rounds
– Upstart virtual operator 1&1 seems to be the only winner with Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone terming the auction ā€˜catastrophicā€™
Reuters: https://reut.rs/31wlIRm

Opinion: What Hong Kongā€™s Freedom Means to the World
ā€˜Freedom is also about the narratives people live by and the kindĀ of futureĀ they imagine for themselvesā€™
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2KNoDin

Opinion: Puncturing the myth of Indiaā€™s economy
ā€˜The country wonā€™t reform without a crisis. Well, according to one of the governmentā€™s own former advisers, itā€™s got oneā€™
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/31x8IuE

Klips for 15th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Attack on doctors: IMA calls for nationwide strike on Monday
– The association is demanding better security after 3 doctors were attacked in Kolkatta
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2WL3Kvo

Sreedharan requests PM not to allow ā€˜free travelā€™ on Delhi Metro
– Says that it would set a dangerous precedent for other metros as well
– He suggested that if the Delhi govt wants to promote travel amongst women, it can directly pay them the amount instead
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2MOGmc6

Economy & Business šŸ’° | India to go ahead with ā€˜retaliatoryā€™ tariffs on US goods
– 29 US products including aluminium and steel product will attract a duty from June 16
– US withdrew GSP benefits to India from June 5
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2WKMjuZ
#GSP: Generalized System of Preferences

SEBI bans NDTV from accessing capital markets for 2 years
– Prannoy Roy has also been banned from holding any managerial position
– SEBI said the matter relates to allegations of fraud by NDTV in securing loans
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2MLPkXq

Interesting: Amazon Flex comes to India
– Amazon will pay individuals ā‚¹120-140 per hour to deliver packages
Livemint: http://bit.ly/31x7teY

Opinion: YouTubeā€™s Algorithm Incentivises the Wrong Behaviour
NYT: https://nyti.ms/2MMZhE5

Klips for 17th June

World šŸŒŽ | Another record protest in HK with 2mn protestors
– HKā€™s Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the controversial extradition bill and said ā€˜Sorryā€™
– However protestors are demanding a complete withdrawal of the bill
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2IOONi5

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Monsoon proves to be a ā€˜dampnerā€™ for now
– Overall rain deficiency in Juneā€™s first half was 43%
– The monsoonā€™s progress has been sluggish due to Cyclone Vayu with the monsoon yet to mark its arrival in AP, Maharashtra, Orissa
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2XmbUda

Sport āš½ļø | India beats Pak to maintain WC record
– India won by 89 runs via D/L in a rain curtailed game

Opinion: Why This Time Was Different for Hong Kong
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2ZtXvch

Opinion: Huawei Can Build a Fine Phone Without U.S. Parts
– A breakdown of its latest devices shows hardly any US components
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2XlPZmt

Klips for 18th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | West Bengal doctors withdraw strike
– The strike was called off after a 2hour meeting with WB CM Mamata Banerjee
Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal-doctors-withdraw-strike/article28022374.ece

97 kids die of encephalitis in a a month in Bihar
– Also called brain fever, it occurs in seasonal outbreaks every summer
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2wYMAv3

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Indigo places $20bn order for CFM engines, drops Pratt
– The Pratt & Whitney engines are used in Indigoā€™s Airbus A-320neo fleet, but have consistently faced issues
– CFM is owned by GE and Franceā€™s Safran
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2Ztn5OK

Huawei slashes revenue projections, says US ban impact will wipe out $30bn
– ā€˜We did not expect they would attack us on so many aspectsā€™ said Huaweiā€™s founder Ren Zhengfei
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2ZsDWkL

Banks ā€˜give upā€™ Jet revival, take it to NCLT
– The lenders, led by SBI took the airline to the insolvency court after Etihad and Hinduja Group did not come forward with offers
– Analysts say itā€™s unlikely the lenders will recover anything substantial
Livemint: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/banks-give-up-on-jet-airways-revival-choose-to-send-it-to-bankruptcy-court-1560773130553.html

šŸ—£Interesting: Say goodbye to online discounts. The unstoppable growth of e-commerce sites may be coming to an end
Scroll: https://scroll.in/article/926911/say-goodbye-to-online-discounts-the-unstoppable-growth-of-e-commerce-sites-may-be-coming-to-an-end

Opinion:The litchi Link? – On Bihar encephalitis deaths
– Even though cures are known (and the disease preventable), several lives are being lost largely due to poor awareness
Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/the-litchi-link/article28022573.ece

Klips for 19th June

World šŸŒŽ | British Airways owner, IAG, shows interest in ordering 200 737-Max planes
– ā€˜I am confident in Boeingā€™, said IAGā€™s CEO Willie Walsh
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2x1o9xh

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is Congressā€™ leader in Lok Sabha
– Chowdhury is a 5 time Member of Parliament
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2Kntw2l

Economy & Business šŸ’° | šŸ—£HDFC AMC shares down 6% after ā‚¹500cr lifeline for FMP unitholders
– The FMP has exposure to Essel Group and HDFC should have invoked its pledged shares
– Instead HDFC chose to take the exposure on its own books
BS: http://bit.ly/2RmfGhi

India to review data protection rules
– The RBI last year had mandated that foreign payment firms must store their payment data in India
– The rules had irked major players such as MasterCard as well as the US govt
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2wYpDYW

Sport āš½ļø | Englandā€™s Eoin Morgan creates record, hitting 17 sixes in match against Afghanistan

Opinion: An idea whoā€™s time may not have come
Former CEC SY Quraishi pens his thoughts on the pros and cons of ā€˜One Nation, One Electionā€™
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2KntW8V

šŸ—£Pulwama IED attack: This is the worst January-June period in 14 years for security forces in Kashmir
– A worrying trend of increased terrorism in Kashmir which is evident once you see the charts
Scroll: http://bit.ly/2KoTRNy

Klips for 20th June

World šŸŒŽ | Russians, Ukrainian to face murder charges for downing MH17
– 298 people were killed when a Malaysian Airlines flight was downed over Eastern Ukraine in 2014
– The investigation was carried out by a Dutch-led international team
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2Ro3mx3

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Govt proposes no registration fee for EVs
– The proposal includes an exemption for all types of EVs including cars and bikes
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2XYQUXb

Om Birla becomes new Lok Sabha Speaker
– The two time parliamentarian was elected from Kota-Bundi in Raj
– Heā€™s 56 yrs old and was one of the most active Parliamentarians: attendance of 86%, asked twice more questions than average
BQ: http://bit.ly/2J0uf6m

Economy & Business šŸ’° | PMā€™s Economic Advisory panel rejects Subramaniamā€™s paper
– The panel said the paper lacked vigour and wonā€™t stand up to academic scrutiny
Hindu: http://bit.ly/31IosLl

šŸ—£Maharashtra govt identifies site for Aramco refinery
– The $44bn refinery will be jointly developed by state firms and ADNOC with Aramco
– The govt faced protests at the earlier site from locals and farmers fearing it would damage yields for Alphonso mangoes
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2WOSj1a
#ADNOC: Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

Tech šŸ“± | Slackā€™s public IPO to debut today, priced at $26 a share
– This will value the company at $15.7bn
– Spotify also previously went the direct listing route, which allows early shareholders to sell their shares
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2x1vH30

šŸ—£Explainer: Indiaā€™s monsoon
– A nice explainer on what a ā€˜normalā€™ monsoon means, how accurate IMD is (or isnā€™t) and the impact it will have on the economy and govt policies
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2x1QO5a

Klips for 21st June

World šŸŒŽ | US spy drone shot down by Iran, Trump downplays it, oil prices jump
– Trump called the incident ā€˜a new wrinkle … a new fly in the ointment.ā€™
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2XrFmP4

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | 44 dead as bus plunges into valley near Kullu
– There were 78 ppl onboard and the casualties are expected to rise
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2XpUqwH

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Clear indication of economy losing traction: RBI Governor
– This was the common theme of the MPC meeting for June which earlier cut rates by 25bps
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2x77vw1

Jet Airways admitted to insolvency by NCLT
– The lenders, led by SBI, said they were forced to exercise the option after exhausting all other options
– Jetā€™s shares spiked 150% just around the time of the announcement
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2IXpnz8

šŸ—£Gold prices jump to 5 year high
– This comes on the back of growing US-Iran tensions and USā€™s trade war with China
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2IVhfz0

Tech šŸ“± | Slackā€™s stock rallies 48% on debut
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2x5Li1l

Interesting: This Language-Learning App Aims to Transform Your In-Flight Time
– There are several learning apps but you are likely to see this one on your next international travel
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2x6uFTl

Opinion: As the Iran Crisis Escalates, What Is Trumpā€™s Goal?
– Sending confusing signals has been Trumpā€™s approach and Iranā€™s case is no different
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2J068ol

šŸ—£Interesting: The surprising origin story for Starbucksā€™ name
Readerā€™s Digest: http://bit.ly/2Jb6qJt

Klips for 22nd June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Railways plans a ā€˜Give it upā€™ scheme for train ticket subsidies
– Passengers can choose to give up the subsidy that they presently enjoy and buy more expensive tickets
– The scheme is similar to the LPG subsidy scheme
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2Kx1txD

Economy & Business šŸ’° | GST Council Meet: Stricter rules for GST evasion
– Penalty changed from flat fee of ā‚¹25000 to 10% of profiteered amount
– Tenure of National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) extended by 2 years to 2021
– Also Aadhaar based GST registration will be sufficient and GST on EV has been proposed to be reduced to 5% from 10%
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2N32oI1

European Central Banks claim oversight over FBā€™s Libra
– France, UK and German central banks joined the US Fed in saying that they will have regulatory oversight over Libra
– Libra, unlike other crypto currencies, claims it will have reserves to back it
Reuters:https://reut.rs/2Iuko9W

šŸ—£World šŸŒŽ | Walmart to pay $283mn fine in US for bribery charges in India and other markets
– The issue dates to pre 2011 operations when Walmart had a JV with Bharti in India
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2KxO5ck

Interesting: HK protests – The ā€˜scienceā€™ of counting crowds
– One might think that the task of counting crowds is but a trivial issue. Turns out thatā€™s not the case. There is a science for that too. Rather interesting article with nice graphics from Reuters
Reuters: https://tmsnrt.rs/2KvxJ49

Interesting: Bajaj Finance – A Rare Bright Spot in Shadow Banking World
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2Kx6eY4

Klips for 24th June

World šŸŒŽ | FedEx ā€˜missesā€™ delivery of Huawei shipment to US
– This comes just weeks after FedEx misdirected another shipment from Huawei
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RsWDCa

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | India rejects US report on attack on Muslims
– The report by the US State Dept said that senior members of BJP made inflammatory remarks against Muslims
– US Secretary of State is set to visit Delhi on Tuesday
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xc3573

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Amazon invests ā‚¹450cr in India payments unit
– The platform, called Amazon Pay, recently launched a campaign for UPI based payments and cashback on it Android app
– Amazon Pay competes with PhonePe, Paytm and Google Pay amongst others
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2N8G5kf

Sport āš½ļø | Ashleigh Barty becomes first Australian in 43 years to Top WTA rankings
#WTA: Womesā€™s Tennis Association

Interesting: Zara’s Indian Partner Is Building Its Own Cheaper Fashion Chain
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2WWn301

Klips for 25th June

World šŸŒŽ | Trump puts sanctions on Iranā€™s leader
– The sanctions ā€˜will deny the Supreme Leader and the Supreme Leaderā€™s office, and those closely affiliated with him and the office, access to key financial resources and supportā€™
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xdMBLW

FedEx sues US govt over impossible task of policing exports to China
– In essence the US govt has outsourced the task of ā€˜policing the contents of millions of packagesā€™ to China
– The matter relates to the ā€˜Entity Listā€™ of people and companies that pose a security risk to the US
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RDyTeI

Economy & Business šŸ’° | RBI Deputy Gov Viral Acharya quits
– Acharya was the lone member on the MPC who flagged inflation concerns with rate cuts and higher budget deficits
– His resignation implies the committee will take a more ā€˜dovishā€™ stance
– Acharya will return to New York University Stern School of Business
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xae6G3

House Panel shies away from quantifying black money
– The figures reported from 3 agencies vary from 7-120% of GDP
– It concluded that ā€˜reliable estimation of unaccounted income is a difficult taskā€™
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2Rx9djG

šŸ—£Wilful defaulters rises by 14%, increasing state banksā€™ troubles
– The data was shared by the Finance minister with Parliament
– The number of defaulters rose from 7535 to 8582
Print: http://bit.ly/2xdUn8C

Interesting: Amazon Threat to FedEx Is No Longer ā€˜Fantasticalā€™
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2xfz1HC

šŸ—£Interesting: Make that holiday worth your while and your money
– Some practical advice on how to enjoy your family holiday rather than worry about getting the best of everything by spending more
ET Wealth: http://bit.ly/2xdPGLM

Klips for 26th June

World šŸŒŽ | In war of words, Trump threatens Iran with ā€˜obliterationā€™
– He tweeted that if Iran attacked ā€˜anything Americanā€™ it would face obliteration
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xawrTq

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | US Secretary of State arrives in India for 3 day state visit

Economy & Business šŸ’° |DHFL delays payments again
– It said it is yet to pay ā‚¹225cr of ā‚¹375cr commercial paper
– On June 4th, DHFL defaulted on payments worth ā‚¹850cr
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2FyKhDJ

AbbVie to but Botox maker Allergan in $63bn deal
– AbbVie makes the worldā€™s top selling drug, Humira (for arthritis treatment), which is set to lose its US patent soon
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xcdxf5

šŸ—£Currency in circulation rises 22% in May over pre-Demonetisation level
– Sitharam justified demonetisation as it had ā€˜succeededā€™ in reducing notes in circulation
– Digital transactions have increased from 112L cr to 118L cr
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2FserIP

Opinion: RBIā€™s Autonomy Takes Another Hit
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2ZQgu0P

šŸ—£Interesting: How much does India spend on its public libraries?
Scroll: http://bit.ly/2ZKNW99

Interesting: The Worldā€™s Best Restaurant: Mirazur
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2FA9gX8

Klips for 27th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Protests across cities over Jharkhand lynching case, Modi says heā€™s ā€˜painedā€™
– Tabrez Ansari was tied to a pole and beaten mercilessly for several hours by villagers over suspicion of a bike theft
– He was later handed to the police, severely injured, but wasnā€™t admitted to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries 4 days later, in police custody
– Jharkhand has had 13 cases of lynching in the past 3 years
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RCKYko

Economy & Business šŸ’° | RBI says payment data can be processed abroad, but must be stored in India
– Even the processed data must be deleted and brought back to local storage within 24hrs
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RFf7zl

SpiceJet got majority of airport slots vacated by Jet
– Indigo was next with 32% followed by GoAir 13%
– This is based on data related to Del-Mum sector which accounts for 60% of domestic traffic
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2ZR6cOi

Tech šŸ“± | Google launches auto-delete controls for Location History on iOS and Android
– You can now choose to auto-delete location history that Google stores about you
Techcrunch: https://tcrn.ch/2ZQ0H28

šŸ—£Opinion: India wants to speed up its transition to electric vehicles ā€“ so fast that chaos is inevitable
– A no holds barred critique on Indiaā€™s haste to adopt EVs
Scroll: http://bit.ly/2FCvoAa

šŸ—£Interesting: Japanese firm ready to pay over ā‚¹2,200 crore for 3-acre plot in Mumbai’s BKC
– The bid, if accepted, would make it one of the most expensive in India
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2FAPL0B

Klips for 28th June

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Trump demands ‘unacceptableā€™ tariff hike by India to be removed
– India hiked duties on 28 US goods after GSP trade privileges to India were withdrawn
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RBOrQ5

Economy & Business šŸ’° | SEBI tightens rules for pledged shares
– Owners will have to disclose if they have pledged shares as collateral
– Mutual fund holding norms were also tightened with MFs now having to keep atleast 20% assets as liquid assets
– The changes come in light of recent NBFC defaults and subsequent impact on MFs and investors
More details: See image
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2YiiyP0

Finance Ministry asks EPFO to reduce EPF interest rates
– EPFO is offering a rate of 8.65% which is higher than most bank savings rates
– While the Finance Ministry feels the interest offered is not in line with the fundā€™s returns, the larger view is that the move is meant to benefit banks (and other investment instruments)
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2FEwMCr

Indigo hikes cancellation charges to ā‚¹3500
– This is for cancellations done upto 3 days in advance
– On some sectors this is higher than the flight fare

šŸ—£Indiansā€™ money in Swiss banks falls to 2 decade low
– This relates to the official figures declared by Swiss bank and not the much talked about ā€˜black money in Swiss Banksā€™
– This official figure has fallen from ~ā‚¹23000cr in 2006 to one tenth the amount by 2018
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2FBuQuA

Tech šŸ“± | John Ive leaving Apple to start own firm
– His new project will be called LoveFrom
– Ive has been with Apple for 27 years and considered responsible for Apple iconic designs include the iPhone
Techcruch: https://tcrn.ch/2YrkDrK

Sport āš½ļø | India beat WI comfortably by 125 runs, close in on Semis berth

Opinion: ā€˜Interest Ratesā€™ May Be a Thing of the Past
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2YhWrs1
To be read with: A 1.17% Return for a 98-Year Bond Issue? Sign Me Up
https://bloom.bg/2FETgmR

Interesting: Cocaine Is Back. Blame Technology for It.
– An ā€˜uberizationā€™ of cocaine trade is underway
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2FxqaWz

Klips for 29th June

World šŸŒŽ | France records all time high temperature of 45.8Ā°C
– 2019 will be the hottest year for France
– Temperatures in parts of Spain also likely to hit 40Ā°C
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2IW85mU

National šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ | Modi govt ā€˜freezesā€™ ads placed in 3 newspaper groups
– Bennet, Coleman & Co (TOI, ET), ABP Group and The Hindu have seen govt ads plunge
– It is believed this is because of critical reports and unfavourable reporting
– Govt ads contribute 15% to newspaper ad sales
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2RKn7z1

Heavy showers strike Mumbai
– Traffic and local train services were disrupted due to heavy rains
– Heavy showers are likely to continue over the weekend
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2XaeSxa

Economy & Business šŸ’° | Google appears to have leveraged Android dominance: CCI
– The order dated April 16 called for a wider probe
– The case is similar to the one faced by Google in Europe where it had to pay a fine of $5bn
Reuters: https://reut.rs/2xl1CeV

Fiscal deficit at 52% of full year target in 2 months
– The figure was 55% for the same period last year
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2IWPmrw

FII inflows at 5yr high in 2019
– FIIs have pumped in $11.41bn in first 6 months and this is the highest since 2014 ($9.91bn) for the corresponding period
– Domestic investors have been net sellers in the first 6 months
Livemint: http://bit.ly/2IVNAqx

Opinion: Chennaiā€™s water crisis
– Chennai hasnā€™t received rains for nearly 200 days and is facing its worst water crisis in decades
– The article tries to highlight ways in which things can be improved rather than just resorting to ā€˜firefightingā€™
Hindu: http://bit.ly/2IWVWyr

Interesting: Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers
– Work was outsourced to Indiaā€™s HCL
Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/2Xcve8x