The Airbus A320 has become aviation’s last refuge

The European plane maker will increase production rates of the short-haul workhorse next year, throwing a lifeline to a battered industry

On Patel's birth anniversary, Modi calls for nations to unite against terrorism

• PM Modi's comments follow Pakistan and ally Turkey slamming French president Macron for his remarks condemning the beheading of a French teacher by his student after the former reportedly showed caricatures of Prophet Mohammed to his class

LTC cash voucher scheme: Return cash payout to the employer if you spend less

The payment of LTC cash allowance is capped at ₹36,000 per person.

Kamala Harris: On the cusp of US election history

• Harris comes into the November 3 election already a repeat trailblazer as California's first Black attorney general and the first woman of South Asian heritage elected to the US Senate
• Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California, then a hub for civil rights and anti-war activism.

Kerala best governed state, Bihar, UP at bottom: PAC ranking

• In the large state category in terms of governance, 4 southern states -- Kerala (1.388 PAI Index point), TN (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531) and Karnataka (0.468) stood in the first four ranks
• Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar were at the bottom of the ranking, scoring negative points in the category

Johnson & Johnson plans to test its covid-19 vaccine in ages 12-18 soon

• J&J said in a statement that it is currently in discussions with regulators and partners regarding the inclusion of the pediatric population in its trials
• J&J started testing the vaccine in adults in a 60,000-volunteer Phase III study in late September

How the pandemic has changed city commutes, in six charts

City dwellers are guarded in taking public transport for travel within cities due to the pandemic, and have preferred to rely on private vehicles so far

Virat Kohli, Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings drive IPL popularity this year: Report

• Rahul Tewatia is the most popular all-rounder and Jofra Archer the most popular bowler
• By the time the IPL reaches its finale in November, it is expected to register 60 million conversations, nearly double the 37 million conversations it had notched up last year across several social media platforms

Shapoorji Pallonji group’s latest offer may not find favour with Tatas

• The latest move by the Mistry group to seek cashless settlement marks a departure from an earlier stance where it was considering accepting staggered payments from Tata Sons
• The arrangement will help reduce possibility of any additional debt on Tata group, Mistry family said in the application filed SC

In global first, this country starts testing its entire population for Covid-19

• Some 45,000 medical workers, army and police are being deployed to carry out the tests in the EU member state of 5.4 million people
• Anyone who tests positive has to go immediately into quarantine for 10 days

India's active covid cases dip further to 5.8 lakh, total tally at 81 lakh

India has cured 74,32,829 covid patients with 59,454 new discharges in the last 24 hours.

China wants to build a Tibet with more wealth and less Buddhism

• For China, showcasing Tibetans singing the Communist Party’s praises helps affirm its legitimacy to rule the region
• In Tibet, often called the 'Roof of the World' because of its high elevation along the Himalayas, ethnic Tibetans comprise about 90% of the 3.5 million people spread across an area the size of South Africa

Battleground Raghopur: In Lalu bastion, no walkover for Tejashwi Yadav

• A part of the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, Raghopur assembly segment in Vaishali district will vote in the second phase on November 3
• The Grand Alliance, spearheaded by the RJD and with the Congress and Left parties as its members, has already announced Tejashwi as its CM candidate

Dunkin’ to be sold to Inspire Brands for $8.8 billion

Arby’s owner would become one of the largest U.S. restaurant operators

₹5,000 invested monthly in Axis Midcap Fund became ₹4.30 lakh in five years

• The scheme has remarkably outperformed the category average in the last five years
• 5-year returns of Axis Midcap Fund stood at 12.43%, while the category on an average has generated around 5%

26 dead, buildings collapse as major earthquake hits Turkey, Greece

• The US Geological Survey said the 7.0 magnitude tremor hit 14 kilometres (nine miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos
• Much of the damage occurred in and around Turkey's Aegean resort city of Izmir, which has three million residents and is filled with high-rise apartment blocks

Leaders pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 145th birth anniversary

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary is being celebrated as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day) since 2014
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India, passed away on December 15, 1950

Retail, small biz loans aid credit recovery in September

• While bankers expect credit growth to pick up to 8% by March-end, rating agencies like Crisil say FY21 is likely to be a washout year
• On a year-on-year basis, bank credit rose just 5.8% in September, compared to an 8.2% growth in September 2019

Apple One now available for users starting at ₹195 per month. Check details

The combined services include Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade and iCloud.

Europe and US pass coronavirus milestones as France locks down

• France's 65 million people woke on Friday to a new lockdown, largely confined to their homes and needing written statements to leave
• Total number of cases passed nine million, while 229,000 people have died of the disease in the US

Centre moves to check retail inflation

• The government is also supplying moong, tur and urad to states from its buffer stocks in a retail intervention to reduce prices
• The govt said it will import 1 mt of potatoes by 31 January and has announced steps to curb the rising prices of pulses

Disney World to lay off 11,000 amid pandemic

Disney World said in a letter to state and local leaders Thursday that the 11,350 union workers — mostly part-timers — will be laid off at the end of the year

How ESG funds can help to enhance investment returns, explains Swarup Mohanty

• Mohanty tells us why it makes sense to invest in ESG mutual funds
• ESG funds have a lower downside risk, he says

Jio, retail push up RIL revenue in Q2

• Company beats estimates by posting a profit of ₹9,567 crore
• The decline in oil and gas revenue was, however, cushioned by strong revenue growth in the company’s telecom and retail arms housed under Jio Platforms Ltd and Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd.

Tech slide, pandemic surge slam Wall Street, biggest weekly loss since March

• The S&P 500 has fallen about 8.9% since hitting an all-time high in early September in a rally driven by the tech mega caps
• The pandemic pushed US hospitals to the brink of capacity as coronavirus cases surpassed 9 million

More sectors to get PLI benefits: NITI Aayog

• Policymakers are currently focusing on improving self-sufficiency in many areas of the economy
• The PLI scheme offers 4-6% incentive to eligible electronic companies on incremental sales (over base year) of manufactured goods

Higher telecom and retail revenues cushion Reliance Industries in Q2

• While profit fell by 15% due to lower revenues from oil and gas business, it was higher than ₹9,017 cr estimated by Bloomberg poll
• Reliance Jio Infocomm reported a net profit of ₹2,844 cr for the September quarter, up from ₹990 cr posted in the same quarter last fiscal

Surat-based sweet shop launches gold sweet 'Gold Ghari' ahead of festival

• The shop owner Rohan said, ''Gold Ghari' is available at ₹9,000 per kg'

States raise FY21 capex target despite fiscal crunch

States aim to raise capital spending, mostly in social spending like education and water supply, says RBI report

Delhi public buses will run with full seating capacity

• The number of DTC and Cluster buses seat up to 40-45 passengers
• Bus stops in the city witnessed long queues as a result of the reduced capacity of passengers allowed in the buses

Reliance Jio Q2 results: Net profit rises 185% to ₹2,844 crore, ARPU at ₹145

• Reliance Jio's revenue for the September quarter stood at ₹17,481 crore
• The wireless data traffic increased to 27.2 million as 'lockdown restrictions began to ease during the quarter' the company said

Voda Idea may move first on rate hike: CEO

• Current prices are unsustainable, Takkar tells analysts at a post-earnings call
• The telco will not shy away from hiking prices and hopes others in industry will follow too: CEO

DLF's Q2 net profit declines 49% to ₹228 cr

• Demand uptick in the residential business will lead to recovery, it said
• New sales bookings for the September quarter rose to ₹853 crore from ₹152 crore in the preceding quarter

As covid-19 closes US classrooms, families turn to India for homework help

• Demand for online study support is fueling business for Indian teachers, who are tutoring American children on everything from calculus to computer programming

Railways launches 'Meri Saheli' to provide security to women pax. Check details

• Indian Railways has launched 'Meri Saheli' initiative for focused action on security of women across with an objective to provide safety and security to lady passengers travelling by trains
• Details of the journey will be noted down by team, especially if a lady is travelling alone in the train

Russian researchers deny reports of Sputnik V trials being temporarily halted

• Gamaleya director Alexander Ginzburg further explained that the trials continue, with innoculations going on as usual