CA December 5, 6, 7 & 8

JUSTICE JS KHEHAR APPOINTED AS 44TH CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar (64) will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI).

He will be the 44th CJI and shall succeed Chief Justice TS Thakur who retires on January 3, 2017.

Justice Khehar will be sworn in as the CJI by President Pranab Mukherjee on January 4, 2017. With this, he will be the first Sikh to become the CJI.

Justice Khehar’s name for appointment as the next CJI was recommended by SC collegium headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur.

He would remain in office from January 4, 2017 till August 4, 2017 i.e. till he attains the age of 65.5

INDIA TO TRAIN VIETNAM’S SUKHOI FIGHTER PILOTS

boost to its growing defence ties with Vietnam, India has agreed to train the southeast nation’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots.

The agreement was reached during bilateral discussions between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich

The cost of training is being worked out. However, it will not be paid through the $500 million Line of Credit (LoC) extended by Delhi to Hanoi for defence procurements.

INDIAN RESEARCHERS ADOPT NOVEL APPROACH TO DRUG DISCOVERY:

Researchers from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Delhi have found a novel route to discover new drug targets and potential drugs for parasites such as Loa loa nematode (roundworm) and Schistosoma mansoni platyhelminths (flatworm) that cause several diseases. The results were published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases .

Both these parasites are the cause of major health burden, particularly in African countries. There are limited treatment options and there is the threat of drug resistance. There also little interest in developing drugs for these diseases by pharmaceutical companies as they do not stand to benefit much commercially.

The novel approach of looking at the conserved region of the parasites is direct, quicker and cheaper. The aaRSs enzyme family has 20 members and each one of the enzymes contributes to protein synthesis. Even if one of the 20 enzymes is missing then protein synthesis cannot happen.

GST WILL RAISE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, SAYS MODI

“The long-awaited legislation on a national Goods and Services Tax has been passed,” while inaugurating the Petrotech 2016 conference. “By removing physical barriers at State boundaries, the GST will accelerate long-haul transport and further increase efficiency.”

Energy is a key driver of economic growth,” .“Sustainable, stable and reasonably priced energy is essential for the fruits of economic development to reach the bottom of the pyramid. Hydrocarbons will remain the most important source of energy for many years to come.”

Consumption of petroleum products is price sensitive as there is a genuine issue of affordability for a sizeable population in India and other developing countries,”

“NEPAL MUST RECOGNISE HINDI AS NATIONAL LANGUAGE”

The government of Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda had registered the amendments in parliament last week. But leaders of Madhesi Morcha told The Hindu on Monday that they will not accept the proposed amendments as they did not address the issues of identity and language of the Madhesi population of the Nepali plains.

The disagreement over language and territorial demarcation has cast a shadow over the amendment process, prompting President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to intervene.

SHELL COMPANIES USED TO DEPOSIT OLD NOTES

With the arrest of two bank managers of an Axis Bank branch in the national capital late on Sunday, the Enforcement DIrectorate (ED) has busted a network of jewellers and bank officials who enabled the conversion of unaccounted demonetised money into gold.

The cash deposits were made in multiple instalments of Rs. 90 to Rs. 99 lakh to evade detection. On several occasions, more than one such cash deposit in a day was made in these accounts. The deposits were then transferred by way of RTGS to one Beagle Marketing Pvt. Ltd. the same day, another shell company being managed and controlled by Mr. Kushwaha through dummy directors,”

HELEN MARTEN WINS TURNER PRIZE

Chair of judges praises 31—year—old artist, who recently won Hepworth prize, for baffling sculptural work which ‘reflects the condition of the world’

Helen Marten has sealed her position as one of the U.K.’s most exciting young artists after being named the winner of the 2016 Turner prize, her second big award in the space of a month.

The 31-year-old artist, who was born in Macclesfield, was presented with her £25,000 prize by the writer Ben Okri at a ceremony at London’s Tate Britain gallery.

It comes only weeks after she won the £30,000 Hepworth Prize for Sculpture. On that occasion Ms. Marten announced from the stage that she would be sharing the winnings with her fellow artists and she later confirmed she would be doing the same thing with the Turner Prize.

TIFR DISCOVERY CHALLENGES THEORY OF SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

A team of researchers has discovered semi-conductivity in bismuth at around -273 C°

Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, have made a landmark discovery that challenges the conventional understanding of superconductivity.

A team, lead by Dr. S. Ramakrishnan of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences at TIFR, has discovered bismuth semi-metal in bulk form becoming a superconductor when the temperature is lowered to 530 microKelvin (about -273 degree C), which is three orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical prediction.

MONGOLIA SEEKS SUPPORT AGAINST CHINA’S ‘BLOCKADE’

Mongolia has asked for “clear support” from India against a transport-obstruction imposed by China.

After Ulan Bator hosted the Dalai Lama in November, China has hiked tariffs on Mongolian trucks passing through Chinese territory, the Mongolian envoy said on Tuesday.

“India should come out with clear support against the difficulties that have been imposed on Mongolia by China, which is an overreaction to the religious visit by His Holiness Dalai Lama.

We have not changed our ‘One China’ policy, so Beijing’s response to Mongolia hosting the spiritual leader is really not justifiable,” said Ambassador Gonchig Ganbold.

NASA SATURN MISSION MAKES FIRST RING GRAZING PLUNGE

Cassini makes first ring-grazing plunge

NASA said its Cassini spacecraft made the first close dive past the outer edges of Saturn’s rings since starting its penultimate mission phase on November 30.

ADELE AND BEYONCE NOMINATED FOR GRAMMYS

Adele and Beyonce each won nominations on Tuesday in three of the four top Grammy categories, setting the stage for a battle between the two singers to dominate music’s biggest awards.

Adele and Beyonce were each nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammys, which will take place on February 12.

Along with Adele’s blockbuster 25 and Beyonce’s Lemonade , nominees for Album of the Year were pop celebrity Justin Bieber’s Purpose ,

CYCLONIC DEPRESSION OVER SOUTH EAST BAY OF BENGAL INTENSIFIES INTO DEEP DEPRESSION

Depression over South East Bay of Bengal has intensified into a Deep Depression and a pre-cyclone watch for Andhra Pradesh Coast and is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hrs.

The deep depression unleashed its furry in the city and south Andaman region last night. Under the influence of depression strong east to south easterly gusting at 60 Kmph.

As per Met Office, the depression is 310 Km northwest of Car Nicobar and 260 km Southwest of Port Blair. The depression is very likely to move northward in next 12 hours, and then north eastwards towards Andhra Pradesh Coast during subsequent 4 days.

AIR correspondent reports, the Andaman Nicobar Administration is fully gear up and is taking all measures to provide relief to the people of Andaman Nicobar Islands the tourist present in the Islands.

Four ships of Indian Navy of Andaman Nicobar Command which sailed yesterday to evacuate the standard tourist from Havelock could not complete their task due to bad weather and return back to Port Blair.

GST JURISDICTION A DIFFICULT ISSUE, HOPEFUL OF APR ROLL-OUT: JAITLEY

Pinning hopes on quick resolution of the difficult issue of tax jurisdiction with States, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime will be rolled out from April next year.

Addressing the valedictory ceremony of Petrotech 2016 in New Delhi last evening Mr. Jaitley said implementation of GST is bounded by a calendar deadline as the Constitutional Amendment provides that the existing indirect tax regime can continue only till 16th of September next year.

Mr. Jaitley said that the Centre and States are working out the mode of tax administration under which a tax payer would be assessed only once and that assessment has to be accepted by both the taxing authorities. As per the GST Constitution Amendment Bill, which was notified on 17th of September this year, the government is required to complete the process of implementation of GST within a year.

The GST Council, which has Union Finance Minister and State representatives as members, met last weekend to discuss the tax jurisdiction, the model GST law, Integrated GST (IGST) law and compensation law. The Council will meet again on 11th and 12th of this month. The finalisation of these laws will pave the way for introduction of GST legislations in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, which ends on 16th of this month.

CHANDRABABU NAIDU-LED PANEL ON DEMONETISATION TO HOLD MAIDEN MEETING TODAY

The Central committee of Chief Ministers and experts on demonetisation-related issues, headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will hold its first formal meeting at the RBI headquarters in Mumbai today.

Mr. Chandrababu, convener of the committee, said that committee will discuss a whole range of issues related to demonetisation. Focus will be on transforming the country to a digital economy. He also said that encouraging digital payments is the only solution to the current crisis and spreading digital literacy to at least one member of each family is the key.

Along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya and Amitabh Kant CEO, NITI Aayog, are members of the committee.

RBI RELAXES NORMS FOR AFA TO SPEED UP SMALL VALUE ONLINE TRANSACTIONS

To speed up small value online transactions, the RBI has relaxed norms for Additional Factor of Authentication, AFA for payments up to 2,000 rupees.

Relaxing the norms for AFA requirement for transactions up to 2,000 rupees for online CNP (Card not present) transactions, the RBI said, only authorised card networks will provide such payment authentication solutions with participation of card issuing and acquiring banks.

The RBI in this model, the card issuing banks will offer the payment authentication solutions of the respective card networks to their customers on an optional basis. Customers opting for this facility will go through a one-time registration process requiring entry of card details and AFA by the issuing bank.

The card details already registered would be the first factor while the credentials used to login to the solution would be the additional factor of authentication. RBI said, in the interest of customer awareness and protection, the banks and authorised card networks offering such solutions will bear the full liability in the event of any security breach or compromise in the authorised card network.

India receives $300 billion FDI between April 2000-September 2016

India received over 300 billion US dollar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) milestone between April 2000 and September 2016. Thirty three per cent of the FDI came through the Mauritius route, apparently because the investors wanted to take advantage of India’s double taxation avoidance treaty with the island nation.

India received 101.76 billion US dollar from Mauritius between April 2000 and September 2016, according to data compiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The cumulative FDI inflows during the period amounted to 310.26 billion dollar.

The inflows in the first half of the current financial year was 21.62 billion dollar. The other big investors have been from Singapore, the US, UK and the Netherlands. Commenting on the USD 300 billion mark, industry bodies Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry(FICCI) and CII have said that India is perceived as a safe and dynamic destination by global investors.

FICCI President Harshavardhan Neotia said that they see this trend of increasing inflows further strengthening in the coming years. CII in a statement said, FDI flows have increased significantly and consistently in the last two years and the country would continue to remain as one of the most attractive destinations in the foreseeable future.

INDIA RECEIVES $300 BILLION FDI BETWEEN APRIL 2000-SEPTEMBER 2016

India received over 300 billion US dollar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) milestone between April 2000 and September 2016. Thirty three per cent of the FDI came through the Mauritius route, apparently because the investors wanted to take advantage of India’s double taxation avoidance treaty with the island nation.

India received 101.76 billion US dollar from Mauritius between April 2000 and September 2016, according to data compiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The cumulative FDI inflows during the period amounted to 310.26 billion dollar.

TATA TELESERVICES EGM ON DEC 14 TO REMOVE MISTRY AS DIRECTOR

Tata Teleservices Ltd, the unlisted Tata Group firm, has called a shareholders’ meeting on December 14 to consider holding company Tata Sons’ proposal to ouster Cyrus Mistry as director.

“Notice is hereby given that an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the members of Tata Teleservices on requisition of Tata Sons Limited which holds 36.17 per cent of the paid up equity share capital of the company, will be held on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 11 AM…,” Tata Teleservices (TTL) said in a notice.

The meeting will held to remove Mistry as Director, it added”Resolved that pursuant to Section 169 and other applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the rules framed thereunder, Mr Cyrus P Mistry…be and is hereby removed from the office of Director of the company with effect from date of this meeting,” the notice said.

Mistry was sacked as Chairman of Tata Sons on October 24 and was replaced by Ratan Tata, from whom he had taken over the reins of the over USD 100 billion salt-to-software conglomerate four years ago.

Since then, Tata Sons – the holding company of the USD 103 billion salt-to-software conglomerate – has sought to remove Cyrus from its group operating companies.

Following special resolution moved by Tata Sons to remove Mistry as director, TCS has called an EGM on December 13, Indian Hotels Co Ltd on December 20, Tata Steel on December 21, Tata Motors on December 22, Tata Chemicals on December 23 and Tata Power on December 26.

Since then there has been a continuing war of words between Mistry and the Tatas, even as the latter now seeks his removal as Director of other Group companies.

Ratan Tata camp has alleged Mistry mishandled dealing with TTSL’s Japanese partner NTT Docomo, which led to the matter reach an international arbitration tribunal in London with an adverse verdict.

Tata Group is now entangled in a legal tussle with Japanese firm NTT DoCoMo. Mistry, however, has denied allegation levelled by Tata’s camp.

INDIAN PHARMA INDUSTRY FACING GROWTH HEADWINDS: ICRA

Indian pharmaceutical industry will grow at a slower pace due to sluggish growth in the US market, increased competition leading to price erosion in high single digits and generic adoption reaching saturation levels, rating agency ICRABSE -0.03 % said today. Growth from the US has come down to less than 9 per cent in first half of 2016-17 despite consolidation and currency benefits and going forward, the growth momentum is likely to face further pressure, it said.

Besides, increased regulatory scrutiny and consolidation of supply chain in the US market resulting in pricing pressure along with increased R&D expenses will have an impact on profitability of Indian pharmaceutical companies, it added. “In spite of these ongoing challenges, several Indian pharma companies are increasing their R&D spend, targeting pipeline of specialty drugs, niche molecules and complex therapies,” ICRA said.

The domestic pharmaceutical industry has gained adequate scale and drug development capability over the last decade of growth, which will keep it in good stead to capture new opportunities in the US market, it said.

On overseas markets, the rating agency said the operating environment in emerging markets (EMs) like Latin America, CIS countries and South Africa has been affected by confluence of factors, including devaluation of currency, a frequently evolving regulatory landscape and a weakening macro environment.

“Select pharmaceutical companies have taken sizeable write-offs in Venezuela due to currency devaluation and have stopped despatches there on the back of repatriation issues,” it said.

On the domestic front, ICRA said continued regulatory interventions are expected to put some pressure in the near term though long term growth prospects remain healthy, given increasing penetration, accessibility and continued new launches.

USFDA MADE 9 OBSERVATIONS POST HALOL UNIT INSPECTION: SUN PHARMA

Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical IndustriesBSE 1.75 % today said that the US health regulator made nine observations after the completion of inspection of its Halol facility in Gujarat.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the Halol facility from November 17, 2016 through December 1, 2016, Sun Pharma said in a BSE filing. “At the conclusion of the inspection, the USFDA issued a Form-483, citing nine inspectional observations. None of those observations were characterised by the USFDA as repeat observations,” it added. However, the company did not disclose the observations made by the USFDA.

The company is preparing responses to the observations, which will be submitted to USFDA within 15 business days of receipt of the Form-483, Sun Pharma said.

“The company intends to implement promptly any corrective actions and improvements that may be necessary as a result of the observations and to continue to work cooperatively with USFDA,” Sun Pharma said.

Sun Pharma was earlier issued a warning letter by the USFDA for its Halol facility in December 2015. The letter followed inspection of the facility in September 2014 by FDA inspectors. The company has been making efforts to make the Halol plant CGMP-compliant again.

As per the USFDA, observations are made in Form 483 when investigators feel that conditions or practices in the facility are such that products may become adulterated or render injuries to health.

The FDA Form 483 notifies the company’s management of objectionable conditions.

DEMONETISATION AT WORK: TWO WHEELERS, CVS WORST HIT IN NOVEMBER

Passenger vehicle sales in India inched up 1.82 per cent in November, the lowest clip since February this year, even as two-wheeler sales fell nearly 6 per cent as currency pullback affected sales, especially in rural areas.According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger vehicle sales last month were at 2,40,979 units, as against 2,36,664 in November last year.

Domestic car sales ticked up to 1,73,606 units as against 1,73,111 in November last year while that of commercial vehicles (CVs) was down 11.58 per cent at 45,773 units in November, SIAM said. Vehicle sales across categories registered a decline of 5.48 per cent at 15,63,665 units, from 16,54,407 in November 2015. It is the steepest decline in 43 months when total sales had declined by 7.75 per cent in March 2013.

“In November, companies were able to push stock to dealers as the inventory levels were down owing to a good festive season in October. So, the impact is not visible at wholesale levels. It will be only clear after this month after taking into account retail sales,” SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur told reporters here.

Over 85 per cent of the passenger vehicles are financed. So, people are just postponing buys while the impact is visible in rural areas, especially in the two-wheeler space, where cash component pays a major role, he added.

“So, two-wheeler sales are giving out a true picture of the current situation. Also, for car companies which have long waiting periods for some of their models, the impact would be less as compared to others which do not have any backlog to clear,” Mathur explained.

Even fast-growing utility vehicles sales posted 10.01 per cent growth during the last month, the lowest pace in the past 10 months. However, in April-November, total vehicle sales across categories grew 12.5 per cent at 1,54,20,035 units as against 1,37,07,157 in the year-ago period.

Mathur said footfalls declined at showrooms during the first week after demonetisation, but situation recovered in the weeks that followed. “We expect it to be a temporary disruption and expect industry making a comeback January onwards. The picture would be clear over the next 2-3 months,” he said.

During November, market leader Maruti Suzuki IndiaBSE 2.40 % saw its car sales rise by 8.14 per cent to 96,767 units as against 89,479 in the same month last year. The company’s utility vehicle sales, however, jumped 98.14 per cent to 17,215 units as against 8,688 in November last year.

ACCOR HOTELS PICKS UP A 5% STAKE IN BANYAN TREE

Banyan Tree Holdings announced on Thursday that it has entered into a heads of agreement with AccorHotels. Under a long-term partnership, Accor has picked up a 5% stake in Banyan Tree and will invest an initial SGD 24 million (€16 million) in Singapore-based Banyan Tree and both parties will then co-develop the brands owned by Banyan Tree around the world. This investment will be made through a mandatory convertible debenture that at conversion will give AccorHotels an approximately 5% stake in Banyan Tree, Accor stated. Banyan Tree will also have access to AccorHotels’ global reservations and sales network, as well as its loyalty programme Le Club AccorHotels under the agreement.

Banyan Tree’s primary business is centered on four brands: Banyan Tree and Angsana, as well as newly established Cassia and Dhawa. Banyan Tree also operates the Laguna Phuket in Thailand through the Group’s subsidiary, Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited.

Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of Banyan Tree, said: “This agreement is not only transformational for Banyan Tree, but is also an innovation for the global hospitality industry. With the current consolidation of mega hotel companies, smaller but also global players – many family-controlled – are also seeking strategic alliances with the global giants. Our strategic alliance with AccorHotels allows us to remain an independent company, enabling us to continue securing hotel management agreements on our own and yet accelerating Banyan Tree’s speed and scope of expansion but with AccorHotels helping us to grow our brands around the world. We believe this agreement will propel our brands rapidly to global reach and range and strengthen our ability to embrace change and innovation in the hospitality industry with a strong global partner. We are excited and committed to this partnership.”

Sebastien Bazin, CEO and Chairman of AccorHotels, said: “Our collaboration with Banyan Tree is a great opportunity to complement our business proposition to owners with iconic brands, while always better servicing our guests. Banyan Tree Holdings has created key leading positions across Asia with luxury resorts, one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. We will bring scale to the network through our ability to develop and manage hotels under the Banyan Tree brands

RENAULT-NISSAN FACTORY IN TAMIL NADU TO END THIRD SHIFT; REDUCE NUMBER OF CASUAL  LABOUR

Renault-Nissan Automotive India, which runs a factory in Tamil Nadu automotive production hub of Oragadam, has said it will cut the number of shifts at the plant from three to two, and reduce headcount by firing temporary workers. The permanent ones will be repurposed toward other operations in the plant. The company refused to elaborate on how many temporary workers could be disengaged. This change will take place by the second week of December.

In a statement, the company said the third shift was introduced to cater to demand of Renault Kwid and Datsun redi-GO. “Demand for the cars remains strong but waiting times have been successfully brought down. In addition plant operations have been optimised to maximise production in two shifts,” the statement said.

The company, calling it a “necessary change,” however promised a “bright future” as it develops the plant into a hub for not just India but also for export to other regions. “In making this necessary change we are protecting the jobs of permanent, on-roll employees who will all be reassigned to other duties within the plant. There is a bright future ahead as we develop RNAIPL into an even more significant passenger car manufacturing hub for the Africa, Middle East and India region, and beyond.” Colin MacDonald, Managing Director of RNAIPL, said.

Sometime around March, the company had introduced the third shift. In June this year, the factory had signed a wage deal with the employees union to progressively increase worker salaries over the next three years ending March 2019. The increase for three years was Rs 18,000, a sizeable hike. The alliance factory has a production of 4.8 lakh a year and supports 40,000 jobs directly, indirectly, and through suppliers and partnerships

INDIA-UK EXPERTS DISCUSS REFORMS FOR EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

Experts from India and the UK are discussing issues related to ease of doing business including regulatory and inspection reforms, tax administration, trade facilitation, insolvency, electricity, land registry and standards at a two-day conference which began here today.The conference follows the commitments made by UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.

A Commerce Ministry statement described the conference as the “most ambitious” outreach yet undertaken on the ease of doing business, adding that it will act as a “springboard to propel the strategic bilateral partnership between the two countries to the next level”.

“It (the conference) will showcase India’s focus on simplifying its business ecosystem and making it a preferred business destination, as well as the work that the UK government is doing to share the key features of its globally renowned business ecosystem and practices.

“Representatives from various Indian state governments will also highlight their business reform action plan, implementation strategy, and lessons & leanings,” it said. On Wednesday, Government gave ex post facto approval to an MoU between India and the United Kingdom to support ease of doing business in India.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Currently, India is ranked 130th among 190 economies (as per Doing Business Report, 2017) while UK is at 7th. The UK government has achieved phenomenal improvement in its rankings in recent years.

“The India and UK partnership on ease of doing business is important because of the role that the business environment plays in encouraging trade, investment, innovation and economic growth,” the statement said.

During the UK Prime Minister’s visit to India last month, both Modi and May witnessed the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding on the ease of doing business, which said how the UK and India would work together to share expertise and best practice.

The conference is the next step in this process, bringing together officials from state and Central Government in India with UK experts.

The conference was jointly inaugurated by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ramesh Abhishek and British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith.

HDFC LIFE, MAX LIFE WORKING ON ISSUES RAISED BY IRDAI: IRDAI CHIEF 

HDFC Life and Max Life are working on the issues raised by insurance regulator last month with respect to their merger, Irdai Chairman T S Vijayan said today.
“There are some issues, the companies are working on it. That is a complex issue. I won’t be able to explain it,” Irdai Chairman T S Vijayan told reporters on the sidelines of the Ficci Annual Health Insurance Conference when asked about hurdles to the merger.
“Time taken for approval depends on the companies. Some discussions are going on.” Last month, Irdai had expressed reservations about the current form of amalgamation of Max Life and HDFC Life into a single entity.

BHARTI AIRTEL UNVEILS FREE VOICE CALLING PACKS 

India’s top carrier Bharti AirtelBSE 0.85 % on Thursday launched two new free voice calling packs at Rs 145 and Rs 345 respectively for its prepaid customers with substantial data benefits. These two packs add to Airtel’s wide bouquet of innovative packs and plans for customers, offering them more flexibility, the telco said in a statement.
The move comes on close heels of arch rival state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) plan to launch Rs 149 worth plan to offer unlimited local and national voice calls in the wake of Reliance Jio’s lifetime voice offer.
The Rs 145 pack allows subscribers to avail 300 MB data with free local and national Airtel-to-Airtel calls with a validity of 28 days, and Rs 345 pack offers 1GB data on 4G-ready devices and free local and national to any network in the country.
Science and technology

GOOGLE DOODLE HONOURS SCIENTIST JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE

Google has celebrated the remarkable contributions of scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, pioneer of electro-magnetic waves and inventor of an early version of wireless telecommunication, with a doodle on Wednesday — on what would be his 158th birthday.

Widely regarded as the first modern Indian scientist, Bose was born in 1858 at Munshiganj of then Bengal Presidency of British India, now in Bangladesh.

“Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was a master of scientific achievement with numerous accomplishments in various fields,” Google said in a statement.

“Bose was to become known not only for his work in biophysics, but also his innovation in the world of radio and microwave sciences, ultimately inventing an early version of wireless telecommunication

INDUS TEAM FROM INDIA  WIN $30 MILLION GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE

When Rahul Narayan started a software startup back in 2010, he never thought his ideas would perhaps end up on the moon.

Narayan’s company was involved in developing products for e-commerce companies, but when Google announced the Google Lunar X-Prize completion, Narayan was genuinely interested and now, the progress he made in creating a rover that can move on the lunar surface, makes him the frontrunner in winning the prize.

Google Lunar X-Prize competition announced in 2007 invited companies to build a rover that can move at least 500 meters on the lunar surface and send high-resolution images and videos of earth’s satellite.

AMAZON UNVEILS LAUNCHPAD PROGRAMME IN INDIA TO HELP STARTUPS SELL GLOBALLY

After launching in major markets such as the US and the UK, American ecommerce giant Amazon unveiled its Launchpad programme in India in order to help Indian startups sell not just here but also in global markets.
For a fee of Rs 5,000 a month, startups can get access to Amazon’s seller support services such as account management, marketing and warehouse management among others.
Amit Agarwal, country head, Amazon India, called it a red carpet programme for startups. “India has great minds which invent amazing products and we will support their growth by helping customers discover their new products not just in India but also across the world.

ISRO WILL SOON GIVE INDIA ITS OWN POSITION DETERMINATION SYSTEM. AND IT WILL BE BETTER THAN GPS.

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is a regional navigation satellite being developed by ISRO to provide accurate position information to users in the country, and will be under complete control of the Indian government.

It will also operate in the regions located in a 1,500 km radius around India. The system is expected to provide position accuracy of better than 20m. IRNSS is needed because the foreign government-controlled global navigation satellite system does not guarantee service in all situations.

The two types of services provided by IRNSS are as follows:

Standard Positioning Service (SPS) – This will be provided to all users
Restricted Service (RS) – This is an encrypted service that will be provided to authorised users only.(Including the military)

AMAZON UNVEILS AUTOMATIC PAYMENT-ENABLED GROCERY STORE

Amazon has launched a bricks-and-mortar grocery store that links purchases to shoppers’ mobiles, allowing them to pay for items without queuing at tills.

The 1,800 sq ft shop will require shoppers to download a corresponding app and scan their mobile phone upon entering the store, after which it will use CCTV footage and sensors to track which items customers have taken off the shelves to purchase.

All purchases are collated into a receipt and sent directly to the customer’s smartphone once they leave the store.

Any item that a shopper decides not to buy in-store will be deducted from their receipt upon being placed back on the shelf it was picked up from.

INDIA MAY BECOME FIRST COUNTRY TO TRY OUT SUPERFAST HYPERLOOP TRANSPORTATION

Struggling to enhance the speed of its transportation systems, India may become one of the first countries to experiment with the ultra-fast transportation system called Hyperloop.

Hyperloop is considered a futuristic passenger and freight transportation system with very high speeds. In theory, the Hyperloop network is two and a half times cheaper than high speed rail networks.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), a US company working on ultra-fast rail system, has submitted a formal proposal to India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for setting up ultra-fast transport systems in Indian cities. HTT will start feasibility study once its application is cleared by the Indian government.

INDIA APPROVES MOU WITH AFGHANISTAN ON SPACE TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his ex-post facto approval to the MoU between India and Afghanistan on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space during the Union Cabinet meeting, it has been reported.

According to the local media reports, the MoU envisages cooperation between the two countries for application of space technologies in education, agriculture, weather forecasting, telecommunications, rural health, sanitation, urban development, resource mapping navigation, remote sensing and any other areas mutually agreed upon.
The benefits of the MoU according to local media are development of space sector in Afghanistan and making it self-reliant in space sector Burnish India’s credentials as a nation with advanced space technology which can assist other countries.

Deepen bilateral ties and mutual understanding and trust between both countries, according to MoU.
It also added that India will be provided foothold in Afghanistan’s strategic space and communication sector and to boost high-tech jobs in both countries in both core Science & Technology and R&D fields, and also the field of implementation.

India has remained one of the key donors for the reconstruction of Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Since 2002, the Government of India has committed USD 2 billion dollars to the socio-economic rebuilding of the Afghan state and society in accordance with the development priorities of the Government and the people of Afghanistan.

ISRO EXHIBITION IN BHUBANESWAR FROM DECEMBER 13

The Indian Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad will organize a week long exhibition at Pathani Samanta Planetarium here from December 13 to expose people to astronomy and advanced research on the subject . The exhibition is being held to mark the 10 years of Young Astronomer Talent Search – an annual event to promote interest in astronomy and space sciences among high school students.

INDIA, QATAR INK FIVE PACTS ON VISAS, CYBERSECURITY, INVESTMENTS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed India’s keenness to invest in hydrocarbon projects in Qatar during talks with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on key issues of energy, trade and security.

Modi and the Qatari Prime Minister, who is here on his first visit, discussed enhancing cooperation in defence and security, in particular in cybersecurity and agreed on joint action to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing.

After the talks, the two sides inked five pacts including in the field of visas, cyberspace and investments.

Modi said the visit of the Qatari Prime Minister showed the growing bilateral ties with Qatar, which India has always regarded as a “valued partner“.

INDO-RUSSIAN NAVAL EXERCISE BEGINS IN VIZAG

VISAKHAPATNAM: India and Russia on Monday began their bilateral naval exercise, which is aimed at increasing interoperability between the two Navies and developing common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations.
The six-day drill commenced off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal

The primary aim of the 8th edition of ‘Indra Navy’ exercise series is to increase interoperability between the two Navies and develop common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations, a naval release stated.

INDIA TO TRAIN VIETNAM’S SUKHOI FIGHTER PILOTS

In a further boost to its growing defence ties with Vietnam, India has agreed to train the southeast nation’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots.

The agreement was reached during bilateral discussions between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich.

India and Vietnam have been steadily stepping up their cooperation, especially in the defence sector, against the backdrop of the growing assertiveness of China in the region.

JOINT MARITIME EXERCISE ‘KONKAN 16’ BETWEEN INDIA AND UK BEGINS

Konkan 16, the 2016 edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, is being held from today till December 16 in Mumbai and Goa as part of efforts to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between India and the United Kingdom.

The exercise will also enhance the capability of the two navies to work together to contribute towards maritime security in the global commons.

The exercise, named Konkan after the Western coastal region of India, was institutionalised in 2004.

Since then, it has been hosted in rotation by both the navies and has grown in complexity, scale and intensity.

The exercise would be conducted in two phases in Mumbai and Goa. The first phase from December 5-9 would be a Command Planning exercise involving the two navies in Mumbai, where planners from both sides will undertake planning for combined maritime operations.

The second phase is a live exercise to be held from December 12-16 in Goa, which involves interaction between the IN Marine Commandos (MARCOs) and the Royal Marines.

ISRO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES THIRD REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE RESOURCESAT-2A

The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched the remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat-2A using its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), on Wednesday.

The launch vehicle blasted off at around 10:30 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The satellite was earlier planned for launch on November 28.

ISRO began a 36-hour countdown on Monday night.

The launch completes the fourth stage (PS4) of the PSLV-C36, the 38th flight of the launch vehicle.

IS IT END GAME FOR KASHMIR’S LASHKAR CHIEF ABU DUJANA?

Security forces have managed to corner the Chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in Kashmir, Abu Dujana. An operation is underway in Pulgam, Jammu and Kashmir where security forces are trying to capture the dreaded militant.

Lift up your guns and fight against the Indian army, Dujana, who attended Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, had said.

An intelligence bureau dossier on Dujana states that he joined the Lashkar-e-Tayiba when he was 17.

His rise in the outfit has been meteoric. A resident of Gilgit-Baltistan, he operates out of the Pulwama region in South Kashmir. His planing and style of execution had impressed his bosses who appointed him as a deputy to Abu Qasim.

Following the death of Abu Qasim, Dujana became the obvious choice to lead the outfit in Kashmir. His main target is the Indian army.

All his attacks are directed against the armed forces in Kashmir as he believes that it is the armed forces which is coming in the way of their so-called Kashmir struggle.

His name featured in several attacks which also include the ones at Pampore and Udhampur. In fact he was the one who had planned the Udhampur attack in which two BSF personnel had died. When Mohammad Naved one of the terrorists was caught alive, he confirmed to the police that the attack was masterminded by Dujana and Qasim.

INDIA, U.S. DESTINED TO BE STRATEGIC PARTNERS IN FUTURE: DEFENCE SECRETARY ASHTON CARTER

Terming India a “rising military power” and a “major defence partner”, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has said the country is destined to be America’s strategic partner in future as both the nations have a lot in common.

“I believe it is an important stop because I believe India and the United States are destined to be strategic partners in the future. It is a large country, it’s a rising military power, it is a democracy with which we share many common values and approaches to the world,” Carter told reporters travelling with him to New Delhi from Japan yesterday.

“The concourse between our peoples is very strong. We’re both multicultural societies, but nevertheless, hold together extremely well. So we have a lot in common, both strategically and in terms of who we are,” he said.

Carter described India a “major defence partner” and the relationship between the two countries in recent years as strategic handshakes.

“This is a relationship that we’ve all watched for a long time, but it has grown by leaps and bounds just in the last few years, as measured by – I’m speaking now of the defence relationship – the pace of joint activities that we do between our two militaries, including exercises, which one of our largest programmes of exercises, their extension in scope, including two trilateral exercises as well as bilateral exercises,” he said.

CHINA SHOULD BUILD MORE NUCLEAR ARMS TO PREPARE FOR TRUMP: CHINESE NEWSPAPER GLOBAL TIMES

China should “significantly” increase military spending and build more nuclear weapons as a response to US President-elect Donald Trump, an editorial in the nationalistic Global Times newspaper said Thursday.

China should “build more strategic nuclear arms and accelerate the deployment of the DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile” to protect its interests, should Trump attempt to corner the country in an “unacceptable way”, it said.

“China’s military spending in 2017 should be augmented significantly,” it added in the print article run in both English and Chinese.

The paper is not part of the official state media, but has close ties to the ruling Communist Party.

Chinese officials are sometimes thought to use it as a rhetorical hammer, but have also admonished it for its often bombastic language.

The president-elect frequently savaged China on the campaign trail, even calling it America’s “enemy” and pledging to stand up to a country he says views the US as a pushover.

But he has also indicated he is not interested in projecting US power away from home, saying America is sick of paying to defend allies like Japan and South Korea — even suggesting they should develop their own nuclear weapons.

‘ASTRA’ GOES UP IN SMOKE

Two missions by two premier organisations on Wednesday. One achieved a stupendous success and another failed miserably.

While Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched RESOURCESAT-2A satellite from Sriharikota, Astra missile, developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), reportedly exploded immediately after it was fired from an aircraft. Defence sources said the air-to-air beyond visual range missile, which was fired from an aircraft, veered off the trajectory and nose-dived before causing a huge explosion on ground.

“It was a user trial of the missile by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The missile lost velocity within a few seconds after the firing, then it slipped from intended trajectory and dropped down rapidly. It latter exploded on the sea beach causing huge noise and smoke,” a source said.

The impact of the explosion was so high that the vibration was felt inside houses in Balasore town, nearly 15 km from the test range and people heard a boom. Jayakrushna Sarangi, a life planner, said there was a big noise and it appeared as if an aircraft had crashed. “Since the city is close to the test range, we often hear the sound of missile and shell testing, but this was huge,” he said.

The anti-aircraft missile, which is claimed as more advanced than the similar class of missiles of the US, Russia and France, also had failed to deliver the desired results during its developmental trials in May, 2011.

MODI WINS READER’S POLL FOR TIME ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the reader’s poll for TIME ‘Person of the Year 2016’.

Mr. Modi won 18 per cent of the vote, significantly more than his closest rivals, including U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange.

The Prime Minister was also ahead of other prominent figures, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (2 per cent) and U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (4 per cent), TIME said.

The editors of the magazine will decide the ‘Person of the Year’ later this week. Last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the title.

‘PINK’ SWEEP! SHOOJIT SIRCAR’S FILM BAGS FOUR AWARDS AT THE 23RD STAR SCREEN AWARDS

Shoojit Sircar’s critically-acclaimed “Pink” bagged as many as four awards, including for the Best Film, at the 23rd Star Screen Awards 2016 here on Sunday.
While megastar Amitabh Bachchan received the Best Actor award for the film, Aditya Bannerji got the Best Editing award and Ritesh Shah got the Best Dialogue award for “Pink”.

Actress Alia Bhatt received the best actress award for “Udta Punjab”

SAMUEL L. JACKSON TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT DUBAI FILM FESTIVAL

Samuel L. Jackson will be the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

Jackson is set to accept the accolade during the opening ceremony of the 13th Festival on December 7th.

In conjunction with the prestigious award, fans and industry members alike will also have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear the actor’s unique story with an “In Conversation” event on Friday, 9 December at 4pm in the Madinat Souk Theatre.

This rare event provides an unmissable opportunity for audiences to gain an insight into Jackson’s life, cinematic career and achievements, with an exclusive question and answer opportunity for audience members.

ALL HAIL THE NEW QUEEN: GIGI HADID NAMED INTERNATIONAL MODEL OF THE YEAR

It’s official now. Gigi Hadid is the best.

The American supermodel, who has taken the fashion world by storm, now has another feather to decorate her illustrious cap: She was crowned international model of the year at Fashion Awards which were given away on Monday night.

The fashion industry’s top designers, models and celebrity fans braved chilly winter weather in London to walk the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall.

Hadid, 21, beat her younger sister Bella and fellow models Kendall Jenner, Adwoa Aboah and Lineisy Montero for the top modelling award.

Alexander McQueen was named best British brand, and Gucci was awarded prizes for international business leader and international accessories designer.

TIME MAGAZINE NAMES U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP PERSON OF THE YEAR

Time Magazine named U.S. President-elect Donald Trump its person of the year on Wednesday, citing the upheaval in American politics brought about by the New York businessman’s election campaign and victory.

“It’s hard to measure the scale of his disruption,” Time said in its announcement, noting Trump’s career as real estate magnate and reality television star before he won the presidency on Nov. 8.

The Republican president-elect, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20, ran an unconventional and controversial campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Time noted that views of him were deeply divided.

“For those who believe this is all for the better, Trump’s victory represents a long-overdue rebuke to an entrenched and arrogant governing class,” the magazine said.

“For those who see it as for the worse, the destruction extends to cherished norms of civility and discourse, a politics poisoned by vile streams of racism, sexism, nativism.”

HINDI NAMED IN TOP 10 MOST POWERFUL LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD

The World Economic Forum has named Hindi in the top 10 most powerful languages on the planet. The list features English as the most powerful language followed by Mandarin.

The index applied for the consensus took into account various factors including geography, economy and diplomacy. The WEF further forecasted the list for 2050, with Hindi climbing one spot to ninth.

SHAH RUKH KHAN BAGS KIDS’ ICON OF THE YEAR AWARD, VARUN DHAWAN-ALIA BHATT BEST PAIR, SEE PICS

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan won the Kids’ Ikon of the Year award while Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt were voted as the best pair at the Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards.

Shah Rukh won the Kids’ Ikon of the Year award while Sultan won in the Best Film category. Superstar Salman Khan bagged the Best Actor (Male) award and Deepika Padukone was named the Best Actress (Female) award.

The Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards 2016 honours the best in entertainment across film and television.

At the event, Sidharth Malhotra-Katrina Kaif’s hit number Kala Chashma from the film Baar Baar Dekho was voted by children as the best song.

Actor Tiger Shroff was voted as the dancing star of the year and Varun Dhawan won the best entertainer of the year award. Varun and Alia also won the ‘Kamaal Ki Jodi’ award.

DR DHARMINDER NAGAR ADJUDGED HEALTHCARE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2016 AT INDIA NEWS HEALTH AWARDS

Dr Dharminder Nagar, Managing Director and CEO, Paras Group has won the prestigious ‘Healthcare Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at the recently held India News Health Awards (ITV Network). Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India handed over the award to Dr Nagar at a glittering award ceremony held in the national capital. India News Health Awards recognizes doctors and professionals from the health and healthcare industry who have worked tirelessand contributed in an exemplary manner to achieve excellence in their field of expertise. At the grand event held in the national capital, awards were given out in 19 categories, recognizing the contributions of people associated with healthcare industry in India. Reputed medical practitioners, dignitaries, and celebrities were a part of the event.

BEST ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH TOOL 2016 – MANUPATRA INFORMATION SOLUTIONS PVT LTD

Manupatra Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd. the pioneer in online legal research in India, has been awarded the ‘Best Online Legal Research Tool 2016’ at the India Legal Awards 2016.

Manupatra’s CEO, Mr. Deepak Kapoor receiving the award for ‘Best Online Legal Research Tool 2016’ at India Legal Awards, 2016 in Mumbai

The award was presented at the India Legal Summit and Awards, 2016, in Mumbai, in the presence of eminent jurists, legal luminaries and in-house counsels. This is the first time an award has been presented to an online legal research company.

Manupatra’s smart and intuitive tool helps strengthen a lawyer’s practice and enables them to work more efficiently. The tool gives its users the benefit of being able to spend the least amount of time gathering information and more time analysing it.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS VOTED BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE BY READERS OF CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER INDIA

Etihad Airways’ excellence in service and hospitality has been recognised once again with the Abu Dhabi-based carrier winning the Best International Airline Award at the annual Condé Nast Traveller India Readers’ Travel Awards 2016.

The national airline of the United Arab Emirates was presented with the accolade at a prestigious awards ceremony attended by illustrious travel industry peers at The Lodhi Hotel in New Delhi.

Now in its sixth edition, the Condé Nast Traveller India Readers’ Travel Awards recognise excellence across different sectors of the travel industry – from airlines, hotels and cruise lines, to destinations, spas and luxury resorts.

The latest honour comes in the same week as Etihad Airways won the world’s leading airline award at the World Travel Awards for the eight consecutive year during a glittering ceremony in the Maldives.

PANKAJ ADVANI GUNS FOR GLORY

The stage is set and Bengaluru’s Golden Boy is fully geared to give his hundred per cent as he guns for his 16th world crown. Pankaj Advani heads into the IBSF World Billiards Championship which will kick off at the Karnataka State Billiards Association from Monday, as the hot favourite. With the championship set for its third stint at the KSBA, Advani will look to capitalise on the home advantage.With the tournament boasting a strong field with the likes of Peter Gilchrist, Robert Hall, Ben Judge amongst several others, the eight-day event is set to serve up some nerve-wracking matches.While top players of the world will be seen in action, the Indian challenge will be a strong one with Sourav Kothari (winner of the National Billiards Championship 2016), Dhruv Sitwala, Devendra Joshi, Brijesh Damani, in the fray for the title.

SOOD BROTHERS CLINCH THE TITLE

The fourth-seeded Sood brothers, Chandril and Lakshit, clinched the title with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Curtis Clarke and Jay Clarke of Britain in the final of the $10,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament.It was the fourth crown in the professional circuit for the 25-year-old Sood twins, and their first abroad.

SANCHEZ TREBLE FIRES ARSENAL TO BIG WIN

Alexis Sanchez fired a 14-minute hat-trick as Arsenal rose to second in the Premier League with a big 5-1 victory at West Ham on Saturday. Chile forward Sanchez was the star of the show in east London as Arsenal moved above Liverpool and Manchester City with a triumph that was every bit as emphatic as the scoreline suggests.After setting up Mesut Ozil for the opening goal in the 24th minute, Sanchez then made the match his own.

RAJINI WINS RACE 1

Rajini Krishnan won the first and finished fourth in the second race of the 1000cc Class-A category of the fourth round of the Malaysian superbike championship on Saturday.

Rajini is now third overall.

SURAJ ENTERS QUARTERFINALS

National championship semifinalist Suraj Prabodh warded off a stiff challenge from Suraj Beniwal 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to make the quarterfinals of the AITA Trust $5000 Asian Tour men’s tennis tournament here on Monday.In the quarterfinals, third seed Prabodh will play wild-card entrant Ominder Baisoya, who breezed past Taha Kapadia for the loss of three games.The other three seeds, Vishnu Vardhan, Vijayant Malik and Shahbaaz Khan, also made it to the last-eight stage with understandable ease.

RISHABH, RHEA SCORE UPSET WINS

Rishabh Sharda and Rhea Verma upset seeded-opponents to enter the second round of the MSLTA-ITF junior tennis championship on Monday.In a boys’ singles first round match, Sharda prevailed over Malyasia’s No. 6 seed Christian Didier Chin 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.Siddhant Banthia (Ind) bt Arjun Channathimmiah Honnappa (Ind) 6-0, 6-1, 5-Baran Cengiz (Tur) bt Ashutosh Tiwari (Ind) 6-3, 6-3, 3-Seita Watanabe (Jpn) bt Abhimanyu Vannemreddy (Ind) 4- 6, 6-3, 6-0, Nikit Reddy (USA) bt Kaivalya Vamanrao Kalamse (Ind) 6-2, 7-6 (5), Rishabh Sharda (Ind) bt 6-Christian Didier Chin (Mas) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-Parikshit Somani (Ind) bt Ryoma Matsushita (Jpn) 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 8- Nikshep Ravikumar (Ind) bt Srivatsa Ratakonda (Ind) 7-5, 6-1, 2-Vorachon Rakpuangchon (Tha) bt Megh Bhargav Patel (Ind) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4

GILL VROOMS TO SECOND APRC TITLE

Three days, 225.25 kms of dirt tracks, 450 pages of pace-notes and with at least 10 calls per page later, Gaurav Gill finally laid hands on his second FIA-Asia Pacific Rally Championship title here on Monday evening in emphatic style. He had won it in 2013.The 35-year-old Indian, part of Team MRF and driving a Skoda Fabia R5, swept to his sixth-successive APRC rally win when 11 minutes 32.4seconds separated him from the second-placed Michael Young in the Coffee Day India Rally, organised by the Motor Sports Club of Chikkamagaluru.

PALAKKAD WINS; SREEVISWA, JISHNA SET RECORDS

Palakkad dethroned Ernakulam, the overall champion for the last three years, at the State School athletics championship at the Calicut University Stadium here on Tuesday.Palakkad scored 255 points, eight more than Ernkulam. Host Kozhikode was the distant third with 101 points.The final day produced two new meet records, set by M. Sreeviswa and (junior boys’ hammer throw) and M. Jishna (junior girls’ high jump).

MUKTESHWAR STUD POSTS WIN

Mukteshwar Stud capitalised on its 1-1/2-goal handicap to beat 61st Cavalry 4-1/2-4 in a league match of the Baroda Cup 10-goal polo tournament here on Tuesday.Mukteshwar Stud 4-1/2 (Angad Kalaan, Akhil Sirohi, Angad Singh Sandhu, handicap 1-1/2) bt 61st Cavalry 4 (Ravi Rathore 2, Vishal Chauhan, Navjit Sandhu).

P.B. SIDDHARTHA POSTS WIN

P.B. Siddhartha defeated SRR & CVR College by 66 runs in the Krishna University inter-collegiate cricket tournament here on Tuesday. P.B. Siddhartha Arts and Science College 152 for eight in 35 overs (U. Gowtham 54, K. Anurag four for 21) bt SRR & CVR College 86 in 24 overs (Md. Khaja three for 10, P.S. Parasuram three for 13). —Special Correspondent

P KASHYAP REACHES KOREA MASTERS GRAND PRIX GOLD QUARTERS AFTER THRILLING WIN

Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap reached the quarterfinals of the Korea Masters Grand Prix Gold after notching up a thrilling three-game win over China’s Zhou Zeqi in the men’s singles competition at Jeju on Thursday.On a comeback trail, Kashyap defeated Zhou 21-11 13-21 21-8 in a match that lasted 45 minutes. Kashyap will next take on local shuttler and sixth seed, Jeon Hyeok Jin.The shuttler from Hyderabad walked away with the first game after opening a slender 3-1 lead early on. Then slowly and steadily, he crafted his way before reeling off five straight points to earn the bragging rights.In the second game, however, Zeqi turned the tables as he zoomed to a 11-6 lead, and despite Kashyap narrowing the margin to 12-13, the Chinese marched ahead to roar back into the contest.Jolted by his Zhou’s performance, Kashyap changed gears to move to a 8-3 lead in the decider and didn’t give any chance to his Chinese rival. He continued his domination to seal a place in the quarters.Kashyap had reached the pre-quarterfinals of the Macau Grand Prix Gold, but was ousted after losing 13-21 20-22 to Lin Yu Hsien of Chinese Taipei earlier this month.

SHAHZAR RIZVI WINS ASIAN GOLD

Shahzar Rizvi defeated Jitu Rai by 2.4 points for the air pistol gold at the ninth Asian Air Gun championship here on Wednesday.The trio of Shahzar, Jitu and Om Prakash Mitharval won the team gold for India, eight points ahead of the Chinese.

DOUBLE FOR AISHWARYA

Santhana Aishwarya of St. Francis Xavier won the girls’ u-17 singles and doubles titles (with Shree Durga) in the table tennis event of the Vivant Schools Olympiad recently.Boys: U-11: S. Manikandan (Jawahar Vidyalaya); Doubles: Asmith Rajkumar & Balamurugan. U-14: K. Karthikeyan (Good Shepherd); Doubles: Asmith Rajkumar & Kavin Mohan (Kendriya Vidyalaya). U-17: Vijay Darshan (PS SSS); Doubles: M. Vijay Darshan & Sankeeth (PS SSS). U-19: J. Arunkumar (St. Mary’s); Doubles: J. Arunkukar & Sakthi Santhosh (St. Mary’s).