Structural reforms are needed to bring accountability to the credit rating industry After the IL&FS crisis, the Securities and Exchange Board of India is now trying to increase the level of scrutiny on credit rating agencies that failed to warn investors about it. SEBI has come out with new guidelines …

Revenues increase on automotive sales; however, the firm’s margins contract Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) reported a better-than-expected 26% increase in its second quarter net profit to Rs. 1,779 crore even as the maker of utility vehicles and tractors witnessed margin contraction. The financials include numbers of its commercial vehicle unit …

A large number are living outside reserves, making the species vulnerable Why is the death of tigress Avni controversial? Since 2016, the deaths of 13 people in the Pandharkawda divisional forest of Maharashtra have been attributed to tigers and at least five of them to Avni, a 6-year-old with two …

Headline inflation falling, doesn’t warrant conservative policy, says CLSA’s Wood The RBI is being too conservative in its monetary policy and the government is right in criticising the central bank on this count, according to Christopher Wood, managing director and equity strategist at CLSA, a capital markets and investment group. …

Currency rises 0.5% to close at 72.31, oil slips to $65 a barrel The rupee appreciated 0.5%, or 36 paisa, against the dollar as international crude oil prices dropped to $65 a barrel, which is seen as positive for the current account deficit since India imports 80% of its oil …

The Madras High Court to-day [November 14, Madras] struck down the revised higher telephone tariffs holding them to be “arbitrary, unreasonable and unjust.” Mr. Justice T. Venkatadri, delivering the judgment, said that to his mind the imposition of fee for each extra call constituted an “intolerable burden.” The Department had …

Resignation comes even as the truce with Hamas holds Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his resignation on Wednesday and called for early elections after a sharp disagreement over a Gaza ceasefire deal, throwing the government into turmoil. Mr. Lieberman also said his party was quitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s …

Pakistan has “no immediate plans” to grant ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status to India, said Abdul Razak Dawood, a senior aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan. “At present, we have no immediate plans to grant MFN status to India,” he said on Tuesday. India has already granted this status to …

His faction has refused to accept the vote against him Mahinda Rajapaksa will address Parliament on Thursday, a day after a majority of legislators in the House voted him out. “It will be on the current political situation,” his son and Hambantota parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa told The Hindu . Following …

Mira Ricardel reportedly clashed with the First Lady during Africa trip last month It may be the end of the road for Deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel’s career at the White House, as there was speculation on Tuesday that she had been told to go by U.S. President Donald …

British PM strikes a note of defiance in Parliament while trying to silence critics of the agreement British Prime Minister Theresa May, striking a note of defiance, insisted that the deal she had struck with the EU negotiators was one that delivered on what the British people voted for, as …

Punjab govt. fined Rs. 50 crore for pollution The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the Punjab government to submit a fine of Rs. 50 crore as environmental compensation for polluting rivers Sutlej and Beas due to industrial discharge. The Bench has asked the Punjab government to recover the fine …

Following the vote, the Speaker said he was sending a copy of the motion, signed by 122 MPs, to the President for further action. Responding to the Speaker, the President has reportedly said in a letter that Mr. Jayasuriya ignored parliamentary procedures and standing orders, and failed to get the …

CM raises pitchfor naming herState as Bangla West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday raised the pitch for changing the name of the State to Bangla, saying that the proposal has been lying with the Centre for a long time. Ms. Banerjee, through a long post on social media, …

Heaviest satellite to be carried on indigenous rocket Amid concerns of Cyclone Gaja spoiling the launch of the country’s heaviest satellite to be carried on board an indigenous rocket from Indian soil, the Indian Space Research Organisation pulled off the feat to perfection on Wednesday, a crucial launch for ISRO …

Will bring widespread rain, 80-90 kmph gale-force winds Parts of coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will begin to get widespread rainfall from Thursday as Cyclone Gaja comes closer to the Tamil Nadu coast. According to officials of the meteorological department, Gaja now lies over the Bay of Bengal, about 510 …

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya declares it doesn’t have majority In a watershed floor test in the Sri Lankan Parliament, a majority of lawmakers on Wednesday voted for a no-confidence motion against disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. “I hereby declare that the appointed government has no majority in this House,” Speaker Karu …

Committee to submit report to government to alleviate woesof victims The Assurances Committee of the Legislative Council on Wednesday directed the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner to get the surface and the groundwater of endosulfan-affected areas tested to verify whether they are the still contaminated with the chemical. Chairing a review …

Talks end; company to allow them to report for duty from Friday Employees of Yamaha Motor India Limited, who had abstained from work from September 21, will be allowed to report for duty from Friday. A decision to this effect was arrived at in a meeting convened by the district …

‘Letter of Comfort’ given by Paris is good enough, says Attorney-General The Centre admitted in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that there was no sovereign guarantee from the French government on the deal for 36 Rafale jets in case the manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, defaults. Sovereign guarantee is a promise by …