Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra has won the Gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition at the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour at the Paavo Nurmi Stadium in Turku, Finland. He topped an eight-man field with a best effort of 85.97 meters last night. Chopra began steadily with a throw of 83.62 meters.
India’s highest-rated chess player Grandmaster Arjun Erigasi, has won the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 crown in Jermuk, Armenia, with a round to spare. The 20-year-old chess player from Telangana defeated Russian GM Volodar Murzin in 63 moves in the eighth and penultimate round to take his six points with four wins and as many draws.
The victory also helped Arjun jump to a career-high live rating of No. 4. Arjun has been in fine form this year, bagging the Menorca Open crown in April, finished second in the TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament in May and also finished joint-fifth in the Sharjah Masters Open tournament.
State bank of india approved to raise up to 20 thousand crore rupees by issuing long-term bonds in the Financial Year 2025 for funding infrastructure projects and affordable housing units. Following the announcement of the new bond issuance plan, SBI’s share were ended 0.95 percent up at rupees 853 as compared to its last closing price.
Earlier this month, SBI raised 100 million dollar through its London branch by selling three-year senior unsecured floating-rate bonds that were sold at a spread of 95 basis points above the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR). Meanwhile, in January SBI raised 5000 crore rupees through perpetual bonds at an 8.34% coupon rate.
Gross and net direct tax collection witnessed robust growth in the current financial year in comparison to corresponding period of previous financial year 2023-24. Gross Direct Tax collections till 17th of June in this financial year, registered a growth of 22.19 percent while net tax collection witnessed a growth of around 21 percent over the collection of FY 2023-24.
According to the Finance Ministry, the provisional figures of gross collection of Direct Taxes for the current financial year till 17th of June stand at over 5.15 lakh crore rupees compared to over 4.22 lakh crore rupees in the corresponding period of the preceding financial year. The net tax collection stands at over 4.62 lakh crore rupees.
Sony Pictures Entertainment said it has appointed Nachiket Pantvaidya as General Manager of Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP), India.
He will oversee local Indian production while working alongside Shony Panjikaran, General Manager and Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India.
Private sector Dhanlaxmi Bank said it has appointed Ajith Kumar KK as Managing Director (MD) of the bank. The board at its meeting held approved the appointment of Ajith Kumar KK as Managing Director & CEO of the bank for a period of three years with effect from June 20, 2024, and on such remuneration as approved by RBI vide letter dated April 18.
Fitch Ratings raised its growth estimates for India by 20 basis points to 7.2 per cent — same as that of the Reserve Bank of India citing positive economic outlook driven by recovering consumer confidence and increased investment. The Indian economy grew at an impressive rate of 8.2 per cent in FY24, driven by a stronger-than-expected expansion of 7.8% in fourth quarter.
The World Bank last week maintained India's growth forecast at 6.6 per cent for FY25, affirming the country’s position as the fastest-growing economy among major economies. Meanwhile, the RBI raised its growth projection for FY25 to 7.2 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7 per cent in its last monetary policy review.
Google launched its Gemini app in India with support for nine Indian languages and English, giving users an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to answer queries by typing, talking, or uploading an image. The app and Gemini Advanced, which gives users access to Google's most capable AI models, will help people access information and complete tasks in their preferred language.
The Gemini app will be available in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Zurich Insurance Company Limited (Zurich) has announced the successful completion of majority stake acquisition in Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Limited (Kotak General) from Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMB) following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.
Zurich has acquired a 70 percent stake in Kotak General for a total consideration of ₹5,560 crore, through a combination of fresh growth capital and share purchase. The transaction marks the largest foreign investment in India’s general insurance market and is the first by a foreign insurer since the foreign direct investment limit was raised from 49% to 74% in 2021.
World Sickle Cell Day is observed on June 19 every year. It is an annual event which aims to raise awareness about sickle cell disease globally. The day also highlights the challenges that patients and their caregivers face. The theme for World Sickle Cell Day 2024 is "Hope Through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care Globally".
Sickle cell anemia or sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder in which the red blood cells are shaped abnormally, resembling a sickle. These sickle-shaped cells become rigid and sticky, affecting blood flow in the body. This can cause pain and tissue damage in the body.