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The Hindu Dated: November 28, 2019 ‘Conflict gold’ from Africa, South America entering legal international markets through India, says IMPACT International non-government organisation IMPACT, in its latest report, has said that India has become one of the largest gold smuggling hubs in the world. Ref:  https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-one-of-the-largest-gold-smuggling-hubs-in-the-world-report/article30099434.ece

Indian Express Dated: November 28, 2019 By:    Sanjana Bhalerao The top four emitters (China, USA, EU and India) contribute to over 55 per cent of the total emissions over the last decade, excluding emissions from land-use change such as deforestation, the report states. India is the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, according to a new report called ‘Emissions Gap Report’ from the UN Environment Programme, which was released on Tuesday. Advertising According to the report, unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 per cent each year, the world will fail to meet the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. The report is one of several studies released ahead of UN climate talks in Madrid next week aimed at spurring world leaders to limit climate change. The top four emitters (China, USA, EU and India) contribute to over 55 per cent of the total emissions over the last decade, excluding emissions from land-use change such ...

Hindustan Times Dated: November 27, 2019 By:  Asian News International The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday stated that since August 5 no one has died in police firing in law and order related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, while 197 persons have been injured during the period. The Ministry stated that three security force personnel and 17 civilians have lost their lives during the same period. In reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on number of persons killed/ injured including civilians, BSF, CRPF and military persons since abrogation of Article 370, the Ministry stated, “As per Jammu and Kashmir government, since August 5 no one has died in police firing in law and order related incidents.” “During this period, 197 persons have been injured in law and order related incidents. During the same period, three security force personnel and 17 civilians have been killed in terror related incidents while 129 persons got injured,” it added. Ref:  https://www.h...

Hindustan Times Dated: November 27, 2019 By:  Indo Asian News Service Eight employees of Israeli spyware company NSO Group that sells controversial  Pegasus software  to help governments snoop on people have sued Facebook demanding that the social networking giant must unblock their accounts on its platform, as well as Instagram. The plaintiffs asked the Tel Aviv District Court to order Facebook to unblock the accounts until the issues are decided in court, Haaretz reported on Wednesday. They alleged that Facebook violated its agreement with them by blocking the accounts arbitrarily and without notice, and without providing a reason. Facebook said in a statement that it had disabled “relevant accounts” after attributing a “sophisticated cyber attack” to NSO Group and its employees. Facebook sued  NSO Group  in October for creating the Pegasus software that allowed its clients to spy on communications of 1,400 WhatsApp users, including some in I...

LIVE MINT Dated: November 27, 2019 By:  Nikita Kwatra The economy’s momentum continues to slow with 10 of the 16 high-frequency indicators tracked by the Mint Macro Tracker in the red as of October The Indian economy’s report card continued to disappoint in October, with most indicators of economic activity flashing red, shows the latest edition of the Mint Macro Tracker. The tracker, launched in October last year, provides a monthly state-of-the-economy report based on trends across 16 high-frequency economic indicators. In October, 10 of the 16 indicators were in red (below the five-year average trend). This was the fifth month in a row when half or more of the sixteen indicators were in red. Only five indicators were in green (above the five-year average trend) for the latest month, while one maintained the trend. The latest reading shows a sharp deterioration from six months ago, when seven indicators were in red and seven in green. The deterioration looks eve...

The Indian Express Dated: November 27, 2019 Three youths from Kerala, including two women, who were among more than 20 from the state who left for Afghanistan in 2016 to join the Islamic State, are suspected to be among hundreds of IS operatives who surrendered before Afghan authorities in the last one week. Sources said the possibility of more Indians among the surrendered terrorists can not be denied. Based on photographs of the surrendered IS affiliates obtained from national agencies, intelligence officials in Kerala have prima facie identified three persons. “We have unofficially come to the conclusion that the surrendered include Thasleem of Pappinassery in Kannur, Aysha alias Sonia Sebastian, and Rahaila. There is no official confirmation but we have come to the assumption matching their photographs,” sources said. Some families in Kerala are now keeping their fingers crossed, anticipating the return of missing family members, in the wake of the surrender. A soft...

The Indian Express Dated: November 27, 2019 More than half of the officers have been charged by CBI in cases of “illegal gratification”, sources said. One of them was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 65,00,000, while another official is accused of having been a part of criminal conspiracy. In another round of compulsory retirement of tax officers, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Tuesday retired 21 Group B officials on charges of corruption and bribery under Fundamental Rule 56(J), taking the total number of tax officers compulsorily retired to 85 this year. Advertising More than half of the officers have been charged by CBI in cases of “illegal gratification”, sources said. One of them was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 65,00,000, while another official is accused of having been a part of criminal conspiracy. Officials who have been compulsorily retired were posted in places such as  Rajahmundry , Visahakapatnam, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur,...

Business Line Dated: November 26, 2019 As London does more rupee trading than Mumbai, authorities in India are taking steps to get foreigners to transact onshore. Analysts say that will be no easy task. Ref:  https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/why-indias-big-plan-to-bring-rupee-trading-home-is-an-uphill-task/article30089204.ece

Live Mint Dated: November 26, 2019 Mumbai:  Reserve Bank deputy governor M.K. Jain on Tuesday warned bankers about the growing stress in Mudra loans, which has crossed more than  ₹ 3.21 lakh crore system-wide, and asked them to monitor such loans closely as unsustainable credit growth in the sector can risk the system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Mudra scheme in April 2015 with much fanfare to offer speedier credit up to  ₹ 10 lakh to small businesses which are non- corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises and which normally do not get bank funds due to their poor and mostly no credit rating. These loans are extended by banks, NBFCs, RRBs, cooperative banks and small finance banks. Interestingly, it can be recalled that within a year of the launch of the scheme, the then Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan had warned of asset quality troubles bubbling in the scheme but the then finance minister Arun Jaitely had brushed aside the concerns....

The Telegraph Dated: November 26, 2019 Indian economy may have slowed for the sixth consecutive quarter in July-September to 4.7 per cent, Fitch group firm India Ratings and Research said on Tuesday, as it lowered GDP growth forecast for current fiscal for the fourth time. The Indian economy expanded 5 per cent in April-June, its slowest annual pace since 2013. The 4.7 per cent projection for the second quarter of the current fiscal would mark six consecutive quarters of slowing growth, a first since 2012. This comes despite a recent series of fiscal stimulus, including reduction in corporate tax rates. "India Ratings and Research has revised its GDP growth forecast for FY20 to 5.6 per cent. This is the fourth revision and has come in after the agency had revised its FY20 GDP growth forecast only a month ago to 6.1 per cent," the rating agency said in a statement. The revision, it said, became "inevitable as the high-frequency data now suggests that the a...