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The Indian Express  June 05, 2018 Global economic growth could slow down by 1 percentage point – or more than a quarter of the expansion rates projected by various international bodies — if US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against China and others escalate into a full-blown trade war, S&P Global’s chief economist cautioned on Monday. Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe”, Paul Gruenwald, chief economist at analytics firm S&P Global, said while it may not be a global recession but “one could imagine a scenario where rather than global growth in the threes we have global growth in the twos, where you get the US and Europe and China all pulling back at the same time”. Analysts have said any such slowdown will also impact India, which witnessed economic growth touching a seven-quarter high of 7.7 per cent in Q4FY18 and goods exports scaling a three-year peak last fiscal. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted global growth at 3.9 per cent f

The Indian Express  June 05, 2018 Idea Cellular said on Monday that it has received approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to increase FDI limit in the company to 100 per cent from 67.5 per cent. The approval is for total foreign investment of up to 100 per cent in Idea Cellular, and total indirect FDI in its relevant subsidiaries — Aditya Birla Telecom and Idea Cellular Infrastructure Services. “The FDI approval is a major milestone in the merger process of Vodafone India with Idea Cellular, and follows other statutory approvals already received from Sebi, NSE, BSE, CCI and NCLT Mumbai and NCLT Ahmedabad,” it said in a filing. Reference: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/idea-cellular-gets-dot-nod-to-raise-fdi-limit-to-100-per-cent-5204155/

The Indian Express June 04, 2018 Maintaining that there was no space for any war with India owing to nuclear capabilities of both countries, Pakistan Army on Monday warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness. “War happens when diplomacy fails,” Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the media wing of the army said while addressing a press conference. Ghafoor said though two sides remained in touch with each other over bilateral issues, India backed out of having a dialogue. He also accused India of carrying out 1,077 ceasefire violations since the start of 2018 to date. “The Indians have to realise and understand where they want to go (in the future),” he said. “We are two nuclear powers, and there is no space for war.” The ISPR chief said Pakistan had not responded to Indian firing, which followed an agreement by the two countries’ militaries last week to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement,

The Business Line,  June 04,2018 The farm varsity here has recommended to cotton growers on measures to tackle pink bollworm infestation which has been causing havoc to the crop. In a note issued here today, the University has advised growers to remove the cotton crop and dispose the crop residue soon after harvest, adopt proper crop rotation and also avoid ratoon cotton crop. “Summer ploughing is a good agronomic practice for removal of pupal stage pests from the soil. Weeds which are the alternate source of insect pests in cotton field should be removed at right time,” the note said. Cotton researchers have urged growers to collect the remaining crop residues from last harvested field and destroy the same. Pink bollworm should not be allowed to complete its life cycle, crop researchers said. Reference; https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/how-to-tackle-the-cotton-bollworm/article24081971.ece

The Business Line, June 04,2018 By Priyanka  Pani Crypto-currency exchange, Unocoin, has launched UNODAX, another platform for live order-book trading of various other altcoins. UNODAX supports multiple crypto-assets and provides crypto trading enthusiasts unlimited order validity and transparent order depth. Following a maker-taker fee model, it provides exclusive maker benefits. The maker fee is only 0.4 per cent, while the taker fee is also reduced to 0.6 per cent. UNODAX is accessible through a Web portal, Android and iOS app, the company said in a statement. Sathvik Vishwanath, co-founder and CEO, Unocoin said, “While Unocoin will support bitcoin wallet services, UNODAX is exclusively meant for crypto trading enthusiasts, making available a range of dedicated services, tools and functionalities.” He further added that UNODAX simplifies the process for users and helps the company achieve better scalability and performance. “We have also ensured a smooth transition for

The Business Line June 04, 2018 The rise in fuel costs ahead of the kharif planting season is seen adding to the woes of the country’s beleaguered farmers, who are already battling low prices for their products across the country. Tractor rentals have already risen by up to a fourth over last year as farming activities such as land preparation and sowing have picked up with the early onset of the monsoon. With the increase in farm mechanisation due to the rising usage of tractors and other equipment, farmers see their cultivation and transportation costs going up on account of the rise in diesel prices. Diesel prices have risen by around 16 per cent in Delhi since the beginning of the year till date. Compared with the corresponding period last year, diesel prices are up 24 per cent. Experts estimate the share of fuel in the cost of cultivation per acre at between 10-25 per cent. Realisations hit “Rentals of all tractor-related farm operations have risen by about 2

The Mint, June 04, 2018 By Himanshu The performance of the Narendra Modi-led government after four years were summarized by two results on 31 May. On the economic front, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the report card of economic performance of this government for the last year whereas, on the political front, the results of byelections for four parliamentary constituencies and 10 legislative assembly seats were announced by the Election Commission. On the economic front, data from the CSO suggest an improvement in the last quarter over the previous quarters with GDP growth at 7.7% as against 5.6%, 6.3% and 7% in the previous three quarters of 2017-18. However, optimism on the economic front was met with pessimism on the electoral front which saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) losing the crucial parliamentary seat of Kairana (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhandara-Gondiya (Maharashtra) and narrowly winning the Palghar (Maharashtra) parliamentary constituency. The perfor

The Mint, June 04,2018 India is among the top five e-waste generating countries in the world besides China, the US, Japan and Germany, according to a report. Among states, Maharashtra contributes the largest e-waste of 19.8% but recycles only about 47,810 tonne per annum (TPA), the report released by Assocham and NEC on Monday said ahead of the Environment Day on 5 June. Tamil Nadu with e-waste contribution of 13% recycled about 52,427 TPA; Uttar Pradesh (10.1%) recycles about 86,130 TPA; West Bengal (9.8%), Delhi (9.5%), Karnataka (8.9%), Gujarat (8.8%) and Madhya Pradesh 7.6%. The global volume of e-waste is expected to reach 52.2 million tonne (MT) or 6.8 kg per inhabitant by 2021 from 44.7 MT in 2016 at a compound annual growth rate of 20%, according to the study. Of the total e-waste produced in 2016, only 20% (8.9 MT) is documented to be collected properly and recycled, while there is no record of the remaining, e-waste, the study said Reference; https://www

The Asian Age, June 02, 2018 Whistle-blower Arvind Gupta, who exposed the alleged Videocon loan fraud, has levelled fresh allegations of quid pro quo on ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar in a second letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gupta has claimed that ICICI Bank had favoured Ruia brothers of Essar group for 'round-tripping' investments into Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochhar's NuPower Renewables - a firm which is at the centre of current Videocon loan probe. "ICICI has been instrumental in funding Essar Group's global ventures particularly taking over of Essar Oil in United Kingdom, Essar Steel Minnesota (USA) and Algoma Steel (Canada). In course of time, these funds also became non-performing asset (NPA) and they had to face a lot of litigations. A part of these funds did come back, but to my assessment, a substantial amount of fund still remains NPA," Gupta told ANI. "These financers in India didn't

The Telegraph, June 02, 2018 Canada and Mexico retaliated with levies on billions of dollars of US goods from orange juice to pork, and the EU was set to tax bourbon whiskey and Harley motorcycles, after Washington risked a global trade war to impose steel and aluminium tariffs. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom announced the bloc would take the US to the World Trade Organisation to challenge the legality of the new tariffs, saying negotiations with Washington were not currently possible. EU retaliatory tariffs were being prepared and would take effect from June 20 once backed by member states. She also announced a case against China at the WTO over the alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, saying the simultaneous action showed that the EU was being evenhanded. "We are determined to protect the multi-lateral system," she said."We are expecting everybody to play by the rules." President Donald Trump's tariffs on Wash

The Telegraph, June 02,2018 By Jayant Roy Chowdhury The Narendra Modi government has stepped up its war against black money by increasing the reward for informants who provide specific and credible information against tax dodgers. The inducement has been raised from Rs 15 lakh to as high as Rs 5 crore for disclosures that lead to the unearthing of black money and assets abroad. Although the official circulars were issued on April 23, the reward schemes were unveiled on Friday - a day after the CBI had searched Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, who had successfully quarantined newly elected legislators in Karnataka to stop the BJP from poaching any of them ahead of a floor test. The charge against Shivakumar is that he had laundered black money during the demonetisation exercise. The "Benami Scheme" promises to give informants who give detailed information on illegally held property 1 per cent of the fair market value of the property as an initial

The Hindu, June 02,2018 By Priyanka Pulla At around 2 a.m. on May 17 morning, a grievously sick Mohammed Salih, a 28-year-old architect from Kerala’s Perambra town, was rushed by his family to Kozhikode’s Baby Memorial Hospital. Salih was vomiting, had a high fever, and was in a mentally agitated state. The doctor on call, critical care physician A.S. Anoop Kumar, knew these symptoms meant encephalitis, an inflammation of brain tissue that kills hundreds in India every year. Kumar tried to stabilise Salih, but by around 9 a.m., when the hospital’s neurologists came to examine him, it was obvious that something was very wrong. Even though Salih was receiving top-end care, his condition was worsening rapidly. He had some very peculiar symptoms, recalls Chellenton Jayakrishnan, one of the neurologists who treated him. His heart was racing at over 180 beats per minute and his blood pressure had shot up. His limbs were limp, displaying no reflexes. These symptoms were unlik

The Telegraph, June 02,2018 Cyber attacks are among key security challenges in India and more than half of these crimes can be traced to Jamtara, a sleepy district town in the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba has said. Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre and former state chief secretary, said the town had become the "underbelly" of digital India. The home secretary said the victims of Jamtara were spread across the country. "The NCRB data has not fully captured Jamtara's contribution (to cyber crime). These (criminals) are not highly educated individuals. They are youngsters," he said. Gauba said the region was earlier known for petty criminals and thugs who used to drug and rob train passengers or steal coal and minerals. "Now, they have shifted their modus operandi and are using smartphones to make a quick buck. This is just a simple example of a larger trend and a larger phenomenon.".

Down to Earth By Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao    Dated: Friday 01 June 2018 If not for the public’s generosity, the iconic Statue of Liberty might not have the solid and impressive footing she does today. In the late 1800s, government funds for the monument were exhausted. Yet through a fundraising campaign, the New York World newspaper garnered support from over 160,000 residents to cover the pedestal costs. Just as large monuments need solid bases to ensure their long-term existence, so too does the environment. In the case of nature conservation, it requires money to support diverse research projects, on-ground activities, and outreach aimed at protecting and managing species and habitats. While the health of the environment continues to decline globally, in most regions government funding falls short of what is required to stem the losses. Crowdfunding plays an important and under-appreciated role for biodiversity conservation. Our new research presents a global analy

Meenakshmi Sushma, June 01,2018 The state government of Kerala and the Kerala Agriculture University recently objected to a petition filed by a farmer from Palakkad for registering Navara, a traditional medicinal rice variety under the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act, 2001 (PPVFRA). P Indiradevi, the Director of Research from Kerala Agriculture University says Navara has been cultivated for centuries and hence, it is not ethical to patent it under a single farmer’s name. The university objected to the claim as soon as they saw the petition on the PPVFR act website. According to a media report, Narayanan Unni, the farmer claims that the variety cultivated on his farm is an exclusive variety belonging to Chittur. To support his claim, he cited an award called, Plant Genome Savior Community, presented by PPVFRA two years ago. Indiradevi says that one of the reasons for him to patent the variety could be for its commercial value. She adds that this is