Defence Secretary nominee Mark T Esper has told lawmakers that he wants to solidify the enduring strategic partnership with India.

"If confirmed, my overall guiding objective for our relationship with India would be to solidify an enduring strategic partnership underpinned by strong defence cooperation with an Indian military able to collaborate effectively with the United States to address shared interests," Esper told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

BSNL has rolled out a Rs 96 prepaid recharge plan which offers 100 SMS messages per day and unlimited voice calls for 21 days, reported Telecom Talk. Named the Vasantam Gold – PV 96, BSNL prepaid plan under Rs 100 is valid for 180 days, however the benefits last for just 21 days.

The new Rs 96 prepaid plan by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has been made available under a promotional period of 90 days and came into effect on July 5.

Google India and Tata Trusts Tuesday said their Internet Saathi initiative, that aims to facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India, will be expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha. Launched in July 2015, the Internet Saathi programme has so far, trained 70,000 ‘Internet Saathis’, who have in turn impacted 2.6 crore million women in the country.

Markets regulator Sebi levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on GKS Properties for executing non-genuine trades in the illiquid stock options segment at BSE. The ruling follows an investigation conducted by Sebi in the stock options segment of the bourse between April 2014 and September 2015. During investigation, Sebi noted that 81.38 per cent of all trades executed in the segment at BSE were the ones which involved reversal of buy and sell positions by the clients and counterparties in a contract on the same day, thereby creating artificial volume in the stock options segment.

Shares of India’s major private sector lender Yes Bank surged on Tuesday after media reports indicated that four PE firms have shown interest to pick up a stake in the bank. Yes Bank shares jumped more than 10.8% to hit the day’s high at Rs 103.35. “US-based private equity investor made an offer to acquire worth $850 million stake in the bank, the term sheet offer for which was made over the weekend,” The Economic Times said in a report, citing sources as saying.

Mindtree’s new promoter Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Tuesday assured shareholders that it will provide further impetus to the IT firm’s growth by providing board-level oversight and relevant client connects. Earlier this month, L&T became the new promoter of Mindtree after acquiring 60.06 per cent stake in the Bengaluru-based company.

Private sector lender HDFC Bank Tuesday said it has terminated and de-listed its global depository receipts (GDRs) from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange due to low trading volume. “….Subsequent to July 15, 2019, the listing and admission to trading of the GDRs on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange will be cancelled,” HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing.

PUNE: Hyundai, second biggest car maker, which launched its first full-electric Kona SUV last week at Rs 25.30 lakh pan India showroom, could become cheaper by Rs 1.40 lakh.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her maiden Budget to promote e-mobility had proposed to slash the Goods and Services Tax from the present 12 per cent to 5 per cent on electric vehicles has been shared with the GST Council.

Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex jumped over 100 points in early trade on 16 July driven by gains in banking stocks, amid mixed cues from global markets.

The 30-share index was trading 104.83 points, or 0.27%, higher at 39,001.54 at 09:45 a.m. Similarly, the broader Nifty rose 29.25 points, or 0.25%, to 11,617.60.

The Rupee depreciated marginally by 5 paise to 68.59 against the U.S. Dollar in early trade on 16 July as the country’s exports entered the negative zone after a gap of eight months.

At the interbank Forex market, the Rupee opened weak at 68.59 registering a decline of 5 paise over its last close. The local currency however pared the initial loss and was trading at 68.55 at 09:45 a.m.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.