Daily GK Updates - 25th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mumbai is the second most-densely populated city in the world: Mumbai has been ranked the world’s second most densely populated city with 31,700 people per sq km by the World Economic Forum. Mumbai is also the most populous city in India and and ninth most populous agglomeration in the world. Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka topped the list with 44,500 people per sq km.

2. Hyderabad local authorities propose to build 100 fully automated & unmanned 'She Toilets': Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Hyderabad Municipal authorities have proposed to build 100 fully automated and unmanned “She Toilets” at 100 places in the city. The Authorities have built ‘She Toilets’ at two public places on pilot basis which received appreciation from all quarters as the move fulfilled the requirements of women.

3. Rohtang Pass opens for Vehicular traffic: 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass has been opened for vehicular traffic and tourists after remaining closed for almost six months. The pass connects tribal-district of Lahaul-Spiti with other parts of the state.

Tourists can access Rohtang Pass by obtaining a proper permit. The permit system has been put in place as per directions of the NGT which took serious note of the vehicular pollution.

4. Devendra Fadnavis to launch Samwad Sabha: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will launch a ‘Shivar Samwad Sabha’ to reach out to farmers and address their issues. MPs, MLAs, zilla parishad members and corporators, will engage in a dialogue with farmers to know about their issues and take their feedback on decisions taken by the government till now. The initiative is being launched amid the rising resentment among farmers.

5. Cabinet approves allocation of 2.5% of Central Road Fund for development of National Waterways: The union Cabinet has approved allocation of 2.5% of Central Road Fund for development and maintenance of National Waterways by amending in the Central Road Fund Act, 2000 to boost inland water transport. It will provide about Rs. 2000 crore per annum for the development and maintenance of National Waterways.

6. World’s first philosophical novel on God: Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs has unveiled a philosophical novel on God titled “Confessions of a dying mind: The blind faith of atheism”. A young Indian IAS officer, Haulianlal Guite, has written it.

7. Anti encephalitis campaign in UP: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has launched a campaign to eradicate the deadly encephalitis disease. Close to 40,000 children have died of the disease in the past four decades in the region. The drive will cover over 88 lakh children for which the central government has provided one crore vaccines.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigns: He was elected as the 39th prime minister of Nepal after forging alliance with the Nepali Congress. Nepali Congress Chief Sher Bahadur Deuba will replace him.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Digital Payment company - ItzCash raises ₹800cr: Digital payment company, ItzCash, has raised about ₹800 crore from US-based Ebix Inc. EBix will now own about 80 per cent stakes in ItzCash.

2. ITC and EDII bags Porter Prize 2017: ITC Ltd and EDII (Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India), Gujarat and have won the Porter Prize 2017 for their acumen in competitive strategies. ITC has won the award for Excellence in Corporate Governance and Integration and for its contribution in ‘Creating Shared Value’.

BANKING & FINANCE:

3. SBI launches national hackathon: State Bank of India has launched a national hackathon for developers, start-ups and students to come up with innovative ideas and solutions for the banking sector. The hackathon is named ‘Code For Bank’.

SPORTS:

4. Man United clinch Europa League title: Manchester United defeated Ajax 2-0 to win their maiden Europa League title and claim their second major trophy of the season. Manchester United is now the fifth team to have now won all three of Europe’s major competitions.

5. PV Sindhu elected to BWF Athlete Commission: PV Sindhu became one of the members of the BWF Athletes’ Commission after the end of voting for the four places on the representative body.

Daily GK Updates - 24th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UP government makes Aadhaar mandatory for board exam: Uttar Pradesh government has made Aadhaar compulsory for students appearing for board examinations in 2018. Aadhaar will help the basic education department to keep a tab on their attendance as well as their performance. It is noteworthy that the government had made Aadhaar Card mandatory for students from Class 1 to 8 in government schools.

2. Piyush Goyal launches mobile app 'SEVA' for quick tracking of coal dispatch: The government has launched an app named the ‘Saral Eindhan Vitaran Application’ (SEVA). The app is developed by Coal India Limited (CIL) for power sector consumers.

The aim of the ‘SEVA app’ to increase the “Consumer Connect” as well as the transparency and accountability in Coal dispatch.

3. Manoj Sinha launches Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards: The Communications Minister Manoj Sinha has launched ‘Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence Awards’ and a scheme ‘Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratishthan’ named after the BJP ideologue at a function in New Delhi.

4. Government launches integration of e- sanad with CBSE's Academic Repository: e-Sanad is an e-service for verification and attestation of documents of Indian citizens. The applicants travelling abroad can get their documents attested and verified through e-Sanad. The integration will facilitate electronic movement of documents among stakeholders and digital cross verification by foreign governments.

5. India’s first underwater tunnel finished: India’s first underwater tunnel, which was built under the Hooghly river for establishing a metro link in Kolkata, has been completed before the deadline. Rachna, a giant tunnel-boring machine (TBM), was deployed to dig the underwater tunnel. The entire project is 16.6 km long, out of which 10.8 km runs under the ground.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tedros to be new Director General of WHO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia will be the next Director General of the World Health Organization. He will be the first African to head up the UN agency.

2. Airlander 10 completes test flight: The world’s largest aircraft Airlander 10 has successfully completed a test flight. Airlander 10 combines technology from airplanes, helicopters and airships. This aircraft has been built by Hybrid Air Vehicles. With a length of 92 metres, it is the largest aircraft currently flying.

3. Taiwan court to recognise gay marriage: Taiwan’s constitutional court has declared that same-sex couples have the right to legally marry. This is first such ruling in Asia.

4. World’s first robot police officer: Dubai has recruited world’s first robot police officer at the 4th Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference. This robot is known as robocop. The robot will patrol shopping malls and other tourist attractions.

5. Martial law in Mindanao: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao after about 100 Muslim fighters laid siege to a major city following a deadly gun battle with government forces. The emergency declaration took immediate effect and will last for 60 days.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Federal Bank launches new trading platform - ‘Selfie’: Federal Bank has launched a new trading platform called “Selfie” for customers. The platform is Designed and managed by Geojit. It will allow users absolute control over their investments with timely research inputs to make sound investment decisions. It also provides an advanced charting platform that enables users to trade directly from charts.

SPORTS:

2. Sweden wins ice hockey world title: Sweden won the 2017 Ice Hockey World Championship by defeating Canada in a dramatic penalty shootout. Sweden were twice on target in the shootout, while the Canadians failed to score. It is Sweden’s 10th world title.

3. International Cricketer of the Year, Ashwin takes the honour: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has won the coveted International Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT Cricket Rating International awards 2017.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India becomes second largest steel producer in the world: According to the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) data (May 2017), India overtook Japan to become the second-largest steel producer in the world in 2016. In 2016, India’s stainless steel production rose to 3.32 million tons. While the top producer of steel in the world is China.

2. India’s Rohan Chakravarty wins WWF International President’s Award: Indian wildlife and environment cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty has won WWF International President’s Award 2017 for his efforts to inspire change and attitudes towards nature in Manado, Indonesia. Chakravarty, under the banner of Green Humour, has published several wildlife and environment magazines and newspapers.

3. Jacqueline Fernandez wins UK Humanitarian Award: Jacqueline Fernandez has been awarded the International Humanitarian Award (Editor's Choice category) of Asian Voice Charity Awards for her philanthropic work in India. She has been working with the charity Habitat for Humanity for last five years.

4. Committee on Scouts and Guides submits its report: A seven-member High-Level Committee on Scouts and Guides has submitted its Final Report to Sports Minister, Vijay Goel, with various recommendations. The committee is headed by Harsh Malhotra and was established in 2016.

5. Cochin Port Trust bags two Best Performance awards: Cochin Port Trust has received two Best Performance Awards from Ministry of Shipping for the highest growth in operating surplus and also for achieving third highest growth in cargo traffic among the major ports in the year 2016-17. It has registered an operating profit of Rs 127.7 cr during 2016-17 as against Rs 70.89 cr during 2015-16. The Port handled 25.01 MMT cargo in 2016-17.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Start up India Summit starts today in Abu Dhabi: A two day “Start up India Summit” began today in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This is the first “Start Up Summit” being held in the UAE by the Consul General of India (in Dubai and Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in partnership with iSPIRIT, a nonprofit think tank and supported by TiE, Dubai.

The aim is to provide a shared platform for the Start up eco system in both India and UAE.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Karnataka Bank, LIC join hands: Karnataka Bank Ltd has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India for selling life insurance products of LIC.

2. Megha Airways to get UDAN licence: Turbo Megha Airways has become the first private airline to get a licence to fly under UDAN. The Hyderabad-based airline, which flies as TruJet, last month said it will launch flights on Hyderabad-Cuddapah, Hyderabad-Nanded and Nanded-Mumbai routes.

3. Microsoft to reskill people under Project Sangam: As part of project ‘Sangam’ Microsoft India signed an MoU with the Telecom Sector Skill Council to improve skills of telecom executives. Project Sangam is a cloud hosted platform that leverages Azure services & LinkedIn.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO and NASA to develop the most expensive imaging satellite: NASA and ISRO will jointly develop and launch the world’s biggest and most expensive earth imaging satellite, costing $1.5 billion. The satellite has been named NISAR – NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.

2. Israel firm signs $630 million deal with India: The Israel Aerospace Industries has signed a $630 million deal with the Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company Bharat Electronics Limited. As part of the deal, the IAI will provide BEL with the naval version of the aerial defense system Barak 8 for four Indian Navy ships. The deal was part of the “Make in India” initiative, BEL will be used as the main contractor for the project.

3. YC Deveshwar and Soumitra Chatterjee conferred Bengal's highest civilian award: Soumitra Chatterjee and Y.C. Deveshwar conferred the West Bengal's Highest Civilian Banga Samman award by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Two categories of awards are presented as part of Banga Samman - Banga Bhushan and Banga Bibhushan.

4. Madhya Pradesh govt announces indefinite ban on sand mining in Narmada river: The Madhya Pradesh government has banned sand excavation in the Narmada river. A committee has been formed to suggest scientific ways of mining in the rivers and also explore ways for sand excavation without harming rivers.

5. Tejas Express flagged off: The Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off the high speed, air-conditioned ‘Tejas Express’ from Mumbai to Goa. The train is equipped with CCTV cameras besides smoke and fire detection system.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for Biological Diversity: The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed 22nd May ‘The International Day for Biological Diversity’ (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme of 2017 is 'Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism'.

2. Trump gets top civilian honour in Saudi: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presented Donald Trump with the kingdom’s top civilian honour. The King declared that Trump was being honoured for “his quest to enhance security and stability in the region and around the world”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Amazon invests in India wholesale arm: Amazon Wholesale India Pvt Ltd, the business-to-business wholesale marketplace that operates amazonbusiness.in, has received Rs 100 crore ($15 million) in funding from Singapore-based Amazon Corporate Holdings Pvt. Ltd and its US-based parent Amazon Inc.

SPORTS:

2. Mumbai Indians win IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians defeated Rising Pune Supergiant by 1 run to win their third Indian Premier League title. Krunal Pandya was named Man of the match.

Other important awards:

Gujarat Lions -- The fair play award.

Glenn Maxwell -- The award for hitting the most number of sixes in the season.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar -- Purple Cap (for topping the bowling charts with 26 wickets).

David Warner -- Orange Cap (for scoring 641 runs).

Sunil Narine -- The award for the fastest fifty of the season - 15 balls against RCB at the Chinnaswamy.

Basil Thampi -- The emerging player of the season award.

Ben Stokes -- Most Valuable Player of the season award.

3. Bengaluru FC wins 38th Federation Cup: Bengaluru FC beat Mohun Bagan 2-0 to win the 38th Federation Cup football tournament. With the win, Bengaluru also sealed a berth for next year’s Asian Football Confederation Cup.

4. Vaishali wins gold in Blitz Championship: India’s R Vaishali won the women’s title with eight points from nine rounds in the Asian Continental Blitz Chess Championship.

5. Real Madrid win La Liga title: Real Madrid defeated Malaga 2-0 to clinch their record 33rd La Liga title and their first after a five-year gap.

6. Elina Svitolina wins Italian Open: Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina has won the Italian Open tennis title by defeating Simona Halep in finals. Svitolina advanced to her maiden Rome final when Spanish semi-final opponent Garbine Muguruza, the French Open champion, retired injured as she trailed 4-1.

7. Zverev wins Rome Masters, beats Djokovic: Germany’s Alexander Zverev stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to win the Rome Masters tennis tournament.

Daily GK Updates - 21st May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA names new organism after APJ Abdul Kalam, an honour for the nation: Scientists at NASA have named a new organism discovered by them after A P J Abdul Kalam. The new organism, a form of bacteria has been found only on the International Space Station and has not been found on earth. The bacteria has been named Solibacillus kalamii to honour the late President.

2. Climber Jamsenpa sets record: Indian climber Anshu Jamsenpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the second time in less than a week, setting a women’s record for a double ascent of the world’s highest mountain in a single season.

3. 2 Indians awarded posthumously with UN honours: Brijesh Thapa and Ravi Kumar will be honoured with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers to be observed on May 24. Brijesh Thapa served with the UN Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while Ravi Kumar was deployed with the UNIFIL.

4. Joint HADR Exercise Commences: The Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise involving multiple agencies commenced at Naval Station Karwar. Named as Karavali Karunya, the exercise involves both professional exchange and actual disaster response mechanisms which is set on a Tsunami disaster scenario.

5. National Anti Terrorism Day observed: The National Anti Terrorism Day is observed every year on May 21 in India to raise awareness among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism and violence. Former PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a female suicide bomber on May 21,1991 while conducting election campaign in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Iran re-elects Hassan Rouhani: President Hassan Rouhani won re-election in a landslide, giving him a mandate to continue his quest to expand personal freedoms and open Iran’s ailing economy to global investors.

2. Robert Mueller appointed as Special Prosecutor to oversee the Russia interference: Robert Mueller, former Director of the FBI was appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

3. World Metrology Day celebrated: World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of 17 nations. Theme for World Metrology Day 2017 is“ Measurements for transport”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Reliance Jio wins the award of Digital Service Innovator of the Year: Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio has received TM Forum’s ‘Digital Service Innovator of the Year Award’ 2017. Reliance Jio got this award by acquiring 90 million customers in four months.

2. Yepme raises funds: Yepme.com, has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from listed garment exporter Gokaldas Exports Ltd. The firm will use the funds for the operations of its UK entity, Yepme UK Plc which deals in fashion products exclusively for the international markets, mainly the US, Europe and the Middle East.

3. Ford India has a new MD: American carmaker Ford has elevated Anurag Mehrotra as Managing Director for its Indian subsidiary.

SPORTS:

4. Laxman wins Rapid FIDE Rating chess meet: R.R. Laxman of Integral Coach Factory won the All India Open Rapid World Chess Federation Rating Chess Tournament at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra. Laxman defeated Mitrabha Guha to finish on top with 9.5 points.

Daily GK Updates - 20th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New Service Tax Structure, four slabs: The GST Council headed by finance Minister Jaitley has finalised a 4 slab service tax structure at the rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28% as against the single rate of 15% levied on all taxable services. Healthcare and education will be exempt from the GST on services.

2. NITI Aayog holds first ‘Samavesh’ meeting: In pursuance of the Prime Ministers call for a New India 2022, the first meeting of the National Steering Group and other knowledge partners was held in NITI Aayog in New Delhi. The aim is to create a resurgent and progressive India.

3. Maharashtra agrees to release water to Karnataka: The Maharashtra govt. has agreed to release 3 TMC of water to Karnataka to mitigate the severe drinking water problem faced in Vijayapura, Bhagalkot and Belgaum districts of Karnataka. Both the states have also decided to implement inter-state Doodh ganga irrigation project.

4. India ranks 154th on healthcare index in Lancent’s Medical Journal: India has ranked 154th among 195 countries on healthcare index in Lancet medical journal’s report titled ‘Global Burden of Disease’.

5. SIMBEX-17 commenced in South China Sea: 24th bilateral exercise involving Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy has commenced in South China Sea. It aims at increasing the interoperability between the navy of the two countries as well as developing a common understanding for maritime security operations.

6. Haryana launches e-textbook portal for school students: Students can download school books instantly from this e-textbook portal of the Haryana School Education Board. The portal also provides a facility to highlight certain portions of the e-textbooks making it easier for students to study.

7. Andhra Pradesh govt. to launch water grid project: The Andhra Pradesh government will launch a water grid project on a fast track with an estimated cost of 8,000 crore to provide safe drinking water in areas vulnerable to kidney disorders like Srikakulam and Prakasam districts on a pilot basis.

8. NTRO now under Intelligence Act: The National Technical Research Organisation which reports to the PMO and the NSA will now have the same “norms of conduct” as the IB and RAW. NTRO was created after the 1999 Kargil conflict as a dedicated technical intelligence agency.

9. Dr. Swaminathan’s book released: PM Modi released a 2-part book series on the eminent agricultural scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The series is titled – M.S. Swaminathan: The Quest for a world without hunger. Dr. Swaminathan is also known as the Father of Indian Green Revolution.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italy makes childhood vaccinations compulsory: Italy's government has declared a new law making a series of childhood vaccinations a condition of school inscription in a move triggered by a spike in measles cases. PM Paolo Gentiloni made the move compulsory.

2. World’s First Electric Bio-composite Car: Students from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, unveiled the world’s first car made of bio-composite. The special thing about this car is that the chassis, bodywork and the interior of the car are all made of natural materials. The car is named “Lina”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Flipkart tops the list of Best Places to Work in India: E-commerce giant Flipkart has topped LinkedIn’s list of the top companies to work in India second time in a row. While Oracle was at the bottom of the list.

2. Sanjeev Gupta named ‘CEO of the Year’: Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of Liberty House Group, received the title ‘CEO of the Year’ at the prestigious Platts Global Metals Awards in London.

SPORTS:

3. Indian archers claim gold at World Cup: India’s compound men’s archery team consisting of Abhishek Verma, Chinna Raju Srither and Amanjeet Singh defeated Colombia In the penultimate day of the archery World Cup stage 1 championship in Shanghai.

Daily GK Updates - 19th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s first womb transplant conducted at Pune: Doctors at Galaxy Care Laparoscopy Institute successfully conducted India’s first womb transplant by transferring a woman’s uterus to her 21-year-old daughter, who was unable to conceive a child.

2. African Development Bank (AfDB) meetings to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat: The 52nd Annual Meeting of the African Development bank (AfDB) will be held in​​ Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 22nd to 26th of this month. This is the first time that the Annual Meetings of AfDB are being held in India.The next meeting of AfDB is scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea in 2018.

3. National Green Tribunal bans open defecation, waste dumping on Yamuna floodplains: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned open defecation and dumping of waste on the floodplains of the Yamuna. An environment compensation of Rs. 5,000 should be paid by those who violated the order.

4. Affordable electricity to every citizen by 2022: According to the Power minister Piyush Goyal, the government has expedited process of rural electrification and provide every citizen affordable, adequate electricity by 2022. Smart power meters will be installed soon in the houses to enable 100% smart metering.

5. Operation ‘Garam Hawa’ by BSF begins: BSF has started operation Garam Hawa in the western sector in Rajasthan, under which vigil along the international border with Pakistan has been stepped up. The operation is being conducted as chances of infiltration across the border increase during intense heatwave conditions.

6. Harsh Vardhan gets charge of MoEF: Minister of Earth Sciences and Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan, has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) after the demise of Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave.

7. Govt. to set up 10 atomic power plants: Union cabinet today cleared a proposal to indigenously build 10 atomic reactors, the largest ever approval granted for such facilities in one go. These 10 reactors of 700 MW each will give much needed fillip to the domestic nuclear industry. The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors will be developed by the Department of Atomic Energy.

8. IIT Delhi develops cheapest Naso filter: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed the device ‘Nasofilters’ which is capable of restricting up to 95% of dust and air pollutants. It gives protection against the finest particulate pollutants in the air for at least eight hours and hence reduces the risk of respiratory diseases. Costing Rs 10 each, it is the cheapest Naso filter available.

9. GST rates announced, partially: The Centre and states agreed to exempt most food items including wheat, rice and milk from the Goods and Services Tax. Manufactured goods will attract 18% GST, other household items such as sugar, tea, coffee and edible oil will attract 5% levy. Luxury cars will be taxed at 28% GST plus a cess of 15%.

10. Kerala govt to distribute sanitary pads: To ensure ‘menstrual hygiene’ among girls, the `She Pad’ scheme for school students across Kerala was announced by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The scheme intends to provide sanitary napkins for girl students in all government schools.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Scientists discover human antibodies to fight Ebola virus: Scientists of US have discovered a possible cure for all five known Ebola viruses, one of which ravaged West Africa in recent years. The neutralizing antibodies were discovered in the blood of a survivor of the West African epidemic. The antibodies can be used as a single therapy to treat all Ebola viruses.

2. Ferry service opens between North Korea and Russia: North Korea and Russia have started first ever ‘passenger ferry service’ to develop links and boost economic cooperation despite United Nations sanctions. Ferry service linking the two countries has been launched with North Korean passenger ferry docking in Russia's port city of Vladivostok.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Zomato’s 1.7 crore user records stolen: Food discovery and ordering platform Zomato revealed that about 1.7 crore user records have been stolen from its database. The stolen information has email addresses and hashed passwords of customers. No payment information or credit card data has been stolen.

2. Paytm raises $1.4 billion from SoftBank: Paytm has raised $1.4 billion from SoftBank Group Corp. in the largest funding round by a single investor in India. This is SoftBank’s biggest investment in the Indian startup ecosystem till date. The deal values the company at about $7 billion post-money and will take SoftBank’s stake to about 20%.

3. Anti dumping duty on aluminium foil: India has imposed anti dumping duty on a Chinese chemical used in pharma industry and aluminium foil to protect domestic industry from cheap imports. The duty on both the products would be effective for a period of five years.