The boards of Bank of Baroda (BoB), Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, on Wednesday approved the share swap ratio for the proposed merger. Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank shareholders will get 402 and 110 shares of BoB, respectively, for every 1,000 shares held. The Union Cabinet approved the amalgamation of …

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has rejected Vedanta Ltd.’s request for renewal of consent to operate the Sterlite Copper smelter at Thoothukudi. Citing an appeal filed by it and the State government in the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order in the matter, …

The fast-growing species can tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions From clambering lantana plants to karimeen -like red-bellied paku, invasive species come in all sizes. The latest addition to Kerala’s invasives list is only around a centimetre or two long: scientists have confirmed the presence of the invasive black-striped …

The government on Wednesday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that will allow individuals to voluntarily offer biometric ID Aadhaar as a means of identity verification for obtaining services like opening a bank account and getting a mobile phone connection. The Bill, which seeks to amend three separate laws …

Two young women entered the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala under police cover in the early hours of Wednesday, triggering anti-government protests across the State. The women in their 40s — Bindu from Kozhikode and Kanakadurga from Malappuram — reached the foothills around 1.30 a.m. at Pampa, from where they …

The Madras Park Fair, opened much against popular wishes and in the teeth of united opposition of the City Fathers and a section of the Press, came to an unhappy termination last night (January 1). Fireworks were widely advertised all through the City. People assembled in large numbers at 8 …

Israel last night [January 1] virtually rejected the Security Council’s unanimous resolution censuring it for last Saturday’s [December 28] attack on Beirut airport. It described the resolution as a reflection of the ‘moral, political and juridical bankruptcy of the world body’. The Israeli delegate’s response was also seen as an …

Elizabeth Warren makes the first move towards a U.S. presidential bid Elizabeth Warren, Democratic Senator of Massachusetts, has announced her likely candidacy for the 2020 U.S. presidential race. In her statement she put racial and gender-based inequality front and centre in her campaign agenda, as much as income inequality faced …

Regulatory vigil should not ease after thehalf-yearly decline in banks’ gross NPA ratio The fog of bad loans shrouding the banking sector appears to be lifting after a long period of sustained stress. The Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Stability Report reveals the first half-yearly decline in the ratio of …

More countries are adopting the tough measure in order to curb tobacco consumption This year, Thailand and Saudi Arabia will join a growing club of nations introducing plain packaging of tobacco products. They are the first in the Asian and Arab regions, respectively, to adopt the tough measure in order …

Tel Aviv believes that improved relations with Riyadh will serve many major strategic goals Increasing intimacy between Saudi Arabia, the so-called bastion of Islamic orthodoxy, and Israel, the Jewish state carved out by the colonial powers in Arab Palestine, appears astonishing at first sight. The growing relationship, even if surreptitious, …

The Lok Janshakti Party leader on the story behind the NDA’s Bihar pact and the chances of a non-BJP, non-Congress federal front Days after finalising the seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar for the 2019 general election with allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United), Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, …

India and Bangladesh must seize the opportunity to further enhance connectivity and trade ties The spectacular victory of the Grand Alliance led by the Awami League (AL), headed by incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Bangladesh’s 11th general election, has delighted her supporters. This election is also a milestone for …

It is dedicated to Urdu writer Razia The second edition of Parallel Literature Festival (PLF), which started last year as an answer to the Jaipur Literature Festival, will be organised here from January 27 to 29 to provide a forum to distinguished personalities from the fields of literature, art, culture …

Start-up uses artificial intelligence to identify behavioural changes to improve employee satisfaction Technology companies like to promote artificial intelligence’s potential for solving some of the world’s toughest problems, like reducing automobile deaths and helping doctors diagnose diseases. A company started by three former Google employees is pitching AI as the …

‘Project Trinitea to create better value’ Recognising the rising importance of small tea growers (STG) in the supply chain, tea estates in North India are testing a project called ‘Trinitea,’ which aims at providing support to the STG at the farm and market level. A MoU was signed between the …

It is now cheaper than petrol, diesel Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices have been cut for the second month in a row by a record 14.7% for the month of January 2019, according to a notification issued by Indian Oil Corporation and other State-owned oil marketing companies. Jet fuel will …

Poor consumer sentiment hurts sales Maruti Suzuki sold more than 1.19 lakh passenger vehicles (PVs) in the domestic market in December 2018, an increase of 1% from the over 1.18 lakh units sold in the year-ago month. The company said while the sales of mini segment cars (Alto and Wagon …

Loans of up to Rs. 25 crore eligible for relaxation of provision Following a demand from the government for a debt recast package for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the provisioning norms for lenders for restructuring loans of up to Rs. …

Panel questions rationale behind move; says banks stretched to help Centre post note ban The Committee on Government Assurances has questioned the rationale behind banks being asked to bear the cost of soiled and counterfeit notes, particularly during the demonetisation exercise of 2016. In its report tabled in the Rajya …