The Communist Party of China (CPC) bracketed its General Secretary, Xi Jinping with its star icons, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
Mr. Xi’s status as a theoretician has been elevated at a time when China is gearing up for a major transition. At the closing session of the 19th Party Congress, the CPC enshrined the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in its Constitution.
Only Mao’s ‘Thought’ and Deng’s ‘Theory’ have been embedded in the basic law of the Party-state.
Singapore Caps Car Numbers
Singapore, one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a vehicle, will freeze the number of private cars on its roads for at least two years.
The city-state said the growth cap for all passenger cars and motorcycles will be cut to zero from 0.25 percent a year in February, while pledging a new multi-billion-dollar investment in the public transport network.
Trump's Refugee Ban Ends
President Donald Trump's four-month worldwide ban on refugees has ended.
Under an executive order Trump signed earlier this year, the United States had temporarily halted admissions for refugees from all countries, with some exceptions.
Refugees seeking entry to the US will face what officials described as more stringent and thorough examination of their backgrounds.
The Reserve Bank of India has slapped Rs. 6 crore penalty on YES Bank and Rs. 2 crore on IDFC Bank for violation of certain norms.
The penalty on YES Bank was on account of its non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on Income Recognition Asset Classification (IRAC) norms and delayed reporting of the information security incident involving ATMs of the bank.
IDFC Bank was found guilty of contravening regulatory restrictions pertaining to loans and advances.
HDFC Bank Net Jumps
Private sector lender HDFC Bank reported a 20.1% increase in net profit for the quarter ended September 30, despite higher provisioning, on the back of higher interest and fee income.
Net interest income grew 22%, driven by average asset growth of 17.6% and a core net interest margin of 4.3%. Other income grew 24.3%.
PCBL May Opt for Telangana
Three southern states are in the race for hosting the greenfield carbon black project of Philips Carbon Black Ltd., a part of the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group. Indications are that Telangana is emerging as the favourite vis-a-vis the two other shortlisted States, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The torch for the Pyeongchang 2018 winter Olympics was lit in ancient Olympia using the backup flame from the dress rehearsal due to rainy weather, kicking off the countdown to the first Winter Games in Asia outside Japan.
Korea is only the second Asian nation to have the honour of hosting the Winter Games.
Jitu and Heena Win Mixed Team Gold
Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu clinched the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event gold at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
India, who qualified for the medal round at first position, fought for the top position with France after China was eliminated settling for a bronze medal.
In a major boost to road connectivity in India, the government gave the go-ahead to the ambitious BharatMala project which envisages to lay a whopping more than 83,000 km of roads across the country.
For the construction of 34,800 km, Rs. 5,35,000 cr will be invested, while the balance works of 48,877 km would be built under other schemes with an outlay of Rs.1.57 lakhs cr.
The focus is on point-to-point expressways, border connectivity and international connectivity.
ITBP Troops to Learn Chinese
The government is considering building 50 more ITBP posts along the India-China border, making troops learn how to speak basic Chinese (Mandarin) and using technology to ensure a round-the-year temperature of 20 degree Celsius in all its high-altitude bases.
During its 56th Raising Day celebrations, Singh announced a slew of measures to bolster its capabilities.
These include construction of 25 border roads in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh; special lightweight winter clothing for troops deployed above 9,000 feet and an enhanced fleet of snow scooters to patrol the high-altitude areas.