Andhra Pradesh topped a list of states in implementing reforms under the Centre’s ease of doing business initiative for a second straight year, according to the ranks based on Business Reforms Action Plan 2017 released on Tuesday by the World Bank and the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP). Delhi — the more important of the two destinations (the other being Mumbai) in the World Bank’s surveys for ranking India among other countries in ease of doing business — scored a meagre 31.60% in the latest ranking and is placed at 23rd among 34 states and Union territories. Its rank also worsened from 18th in 2016.

This stokes concern because India’s relatively low rank in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index (despite a record jump of 30 notches last year to 100th position for the first time) has been partly due to the multilateral body’s choice of Delhi as its most important survey destination for the country, with a 53% weight in its index. With further slippage in its domestic ranking, the likelihood of India moving up on the World Bank’s radar would appear dented. Of course, the bank will use several other yardsticks like the goods and services tax (GST) for this year’s ease of doing business ranking and the aggregate effect of those on India remains to be seen.

For the first time, stakeholders’ comments on a fifth of reform measures were sought by the World Bank for working out the state ranks, along with the usual practice of evaluating reforms claimed by each state. The ranking is based on 372 reform measures suggested jointly by the states and the DIPP in the year through June 2017, against 340 a year earlier. DIPP secretary Ramesh Abhishek said from next year, ranks will be based mostly on stakeholders’ perception of reforms and states’ claim could carry little weight. This is in sync with a similar practice adopted by the World Bank when it ranks countries on ease of doing business.

India has become the sixth largest economy leaving behind France. According to World Bank statistics for 2017, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) was at $2.59 trillion in 2017 compared with $2.58 trillion France’s economy. While India’s population is 1.34 billion, France population is just 67 million. The number indicates that per capita income in France is almost 20 times higher compared with India.

After twin blow of demonetisation and implementation of GST the country has started recovering from the initial slowdown during few quarters. Centre for Economics and Business Research consultancy also recently said that India will soon leave behind Britain and France with the prospects of becoming the world’s third-biggest economy by 2032.

Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.3 per cent in 2018 and 7.5 per cent in the next two years, as per the World Bank’s Global Economics Prospects report. The World Bank forecasted India as the world’s fastest growing economy “as factors holding back growth in India fade.”

Google-owned video-sharing platform YouTube has announced it will invest $25 million to fight fake news -- especially for the urgent coverage of breaking news -- on its platform for over 1.8 billion monthly active users.

The investment will be part of the Google News Initiative (GNI), first introduced in March by the tech giant, to help the media and to deal with fake news.

"We''re establishing a working group with news organisations and experts from around the world to help us develop new product features, improve the news experience on YouTube and tackle emerging challenges," said Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer at YouTube, in a blog post late on Monday.

"News organisations including Vox Media, Jovem Pan and India Today are early members of the working group. We''re looking forward to having more join as we convene the group in the coming weeks," added Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer.

Smt. T. Latha takes charge as MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank LimitedSmt. T. Latha has taken charge as MD & CEO of the Bank w.e.f July 2, 2018 in place of G. Sreeram who has retired from the office on July 01, 2018 on completion of his tenure.

Smt T Latha has 35 years of banking experience with Punjab National Bank across a host of roles and responsibilities including Branch Management, Regional Management and National Level Credit Management handling a portfolio of approximately INR 40,000 crores.

As a General Manager in Punjab National Bank, Smt. T.Latha was in charge of credit operations dealing with large corporate credits including consortium accounts of Rs 50 crore and above.

As Deputy General Manager, Smt T.Latha was in charge of Mumbai and Trichy circles of Punjab National Bank.

She has handled Finance, Credit, Strategic Business Development, People Management, NPA Resolution and Audit and has received many awards across her 35 year career with Punjab National Bank.

Smt T.Latha is a MBA holder in finance and post graduate in MA literature. She has also passed the Limited Insolvency Exam and CAIIB.

Less than five months before the Women's World T20, Tushar Arothe has stepped down as the head coach of the Indian women's team, soon after reports of discord within the team had surfaced after their Asia Cup loss. Although he cited "personal reasons" as the primary reason for resigning, Arothe revealed strained relations with some of the Indian players, who he said need to step out of their "comfort zone" for a better future of Indian women's cricket.

Arothe's resignation comes on the heels of India's loss in the final of the Asia Cup last month, to Bangladesh by three wickets. Immediately, reports of alleged discord between Arothe and some of the high-profile players surfaced.

Those speculations gained further weightage after Arothe last week met BCCI officials including Diana Edulji, the former India women's captain, who is part of the the Committee of Administrators (CoA). The BCCI accepted Arothe's resignation, which he tendered on Monday evening.*

Arothe's resignation coincides with the completion of two skills-specific camps he had been overseeing at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru since June 30. Before leaving for his home town Baroda, Arothe emphasised while he "had one of the best support staff to work with", he hoped the players showed "more intent" to take on challenges to "move to the next level."

The Union environment ministry has issued a notification setting noise standards for all airports across the country. The limits, however, exclude defence aircrafts, and those that are landing and taking-off.

The notification, issued on June 18, states that noise standards within the overall boundary for various airports are equivalent and applicable as ‘Industrial Zones’. “The noise limits specified shall replace and supersede the ambient air quality in respect of noise limits of existing zones: silence, residential, and commercial areas,” the notification read undersigned by Dr. A Senthil Vel, scientist, ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) that termed the Environment (Protection) Amendment Rules, 2018.

The rules state that busy airports — a civil airport with more than 50,000 aircraft movements per year (take-off or a landing) – should not exceed noise levels beyond 75 dB(A) Leq (decibels) during the day time (6am to 10pm) and 65 dBA during the night (10pm to 6am). All other airports — an airport having more than 15,000 but less than 50,000 movements annually — should not exceed levels beyond 65 dBA during the day and 60 dBA during the night. Proposed airports however, are excluded so far.

As rumours on WhatsApp continue to spread unchecked, the messaging app owned by social media giant Facebook Inc on Tuesday published a full-page advertisement in Indian newspapers with tips to fight fake news. 

This comes a week after the US-based social media platform said the government, civil society and technology companies need to work together to fight fake news, misinformation, and hoaxes.

WhatsApp has shared several “easy tips” to find out if the information in the message is true or not. Among 10 tips, the first one is to understand if the message is a forward. The company has suggested looking for other sources of the same information, leaving groups to control what you read, questioning information that may upset you among other tips. 

India and South Korea have signed five MoUs in the field of Science & Technology. Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan and his South Korean counterpart, Mr. You Young Min signed three MoUs for (i) Programme of Cooperation 2018-21; (ii) Establishment of Future Strategy Group; (iii) Cooperation in Biotechnology & Bioeconomy. The MoU on Establishment of Future Strategy Group was signed by Indian Science & Technology and Commerce Ministers, while on the Korean side, it was signed by Science and ICT and Trade Ministers.

Two other MoUs were signed between Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and South Korean National Research Council for Science & Technology and IIT Mumbai and Korea Institute of Science &Technology, to further accelerate future-oriented cooperation in their respective sectors. The MoUs were signed at the conclusion of the 4th India-Korea Science & Technology Ministers Steering Committee Meeting.

In the area of biotechnology, New Delhi and Seoul have agreed to extend cooperation in health and medicine, agro-fishery products developed with the adoption of biotechnology; environment-related challenges and developing environmental and energy sectors through bio-technology, big data biotechnology; bio-research resources; synthetic biology, genome editing and microbiomes, etc.

The Ministers also agreed to establish a Future Strategic Group, which will build a collaborative platform that can utilize the potential of both the countries towards fostering innovation and create impact which is of social and economic good. To begin with, both sides will be co-funding collaborative enterprise-led joint R&D projects covering (i) Digital Transformation (ii) Future Manufacturing (iii) Future Utilities and (iv) Health Care.

Both countries renewed the Programme of Cooperation in the field of Science and Technology for 2018-21 to augment the cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation.

Hockey India on Monday announced the 18-member men's squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2018, which is slated to begin in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18.

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will continue to led the Indian side as Indian forward Akashdeep Singh has made a return to the squad after being sidelined due to an injury.

Meanwhile, experienced drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh has also been named in the squad after being rested for the Champions Trophy.

David Davis, who has been leading UK negotiations to leave the EU, has quit his role as Brexit Secretary

He told the BBC that he was no longer the best person to deliver the PM's Brexit plan - agreed by the cabinet on Friday - as he did not "believe" in it.

He said the "career-ending" decision was a personal one but he felt the UK was "giving away too much and too easily" to the EU in the negotiations.

Mrs May said she did not agree but thanked him for his work.

The resignation is a blow to Mrs May as she seeks to win over Eurosceptic MPs to her proposed Brexit vision, which would form the basis of the UK's position in on-going talks with the EU.