Today is Bharat bandh. About 15 crore workers are on a strike all over the country, imapcting services like banking and public transport in many parts of  India. Ten major trade unions have called the one-day shutdown in protest against labour policies of the government. The government has indicated that the talks with trade unions will continue despite the strike. There are fewer private buses and taxis on the roads in Kolkata and many schools are closed. Most factories in Howrah are closed too. In Delhi, autorickshaws are off roads while the commuters in Tamil Nadu are not facing any disturbances as the bandh has had no effect in that state. But other southern states like Kerala and Karnataka reported some response to the bandh.

RSS, BJP meet to evaluate government's performance
The  15-month-old Narendra Modi government's policies and performance are being scrutinised at a review meeting between the ruling BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh over the next three days. PM Modi, his 12 ministers and BJP chief Amit Shah are expected to attend the Samanvaya or coordination meet, which will be presided over by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. The RSS has said the meet is meant to evaluate and recalibrate the government's projects as per feedback from its affiliates - 15 of which are expected to participate in the meet.

Sensex up over 100 points, Nifty above 7,800
The S&P BSE Sensex pared some initial gains in trade on Wednesday despite muted trend seen in other Asian markets. The 30-share index was trading at 25,778, up 100 points or 0.37 per cent. It touched a high of 25,939.37 and a low of 25,834.17 in opening trade at 9.20 am. The 50-share Nifty index managed to reclaim its crucial psychological level of 7850, supported by gains in pharma, IT, auto, banks, capital goods, and realty stocks. On the global front, major Asian markets pared their intraday losses and were trading with modest gains. China's Shanghai Composite erased its losses and was up 0.3 per cent. Japan's Nikkei gained 0.8 per cent and Singapore Straits Times rose 0.5 per cent. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down over 100 points and South Korean KOSPI fell 0.25 per cent.

OPEC pushes crude oil price rise, to imapct petrol and diesel prices in India
Global oil prices jumped spectacularly on Monday after oil cartel OPEC said it was ready to coordinate with other oil producers to ensure "reasonable" oil prices. With fuel market now deregulated, the volatility of the crude prices gets reflected in the petrol and diesel prices. Indian fuel retailers review prices twice a month to align local rates with global trends and the exchange rate. The next review is due in mid-September, when prices may rise sharply unless global trends are reversed or the rupee appreciates significantly.

Deadlock over buying of 36 Rafale fighter jets ends
The defence ministry’s top acquisition body has given a go ahead to the negotiation committee on purchasing Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force and other arms by the defence forces. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approval means an end to the deadlock in talks over the purchase of the 36 fighter jets. It also cleared a Rs 6,966 crore deal for the purchase of 48 Mi17-V5 helicopters from Russia. Approval was also given for the purchase of seven additional squadrons of Akash missiles for the air force worth Rs 4,790 crore and eight Chetak helicopters for the Navy. The Army got clearance for 120 mine trawls that are used to blast mines ahead of tanks.

Car sales record pre-festivity boost as companies roll out new model
Passenger car sales remained firm in August as companies rolled out new models and increased dispatches to build up inventory for the forthcoming festive season amid softening fuel prices.  The growth in August sales came largely from new models such as Hyundai's Creta, Honda's Jazz and Maruti's S-Cross.

India’s manufacturing PMI eases to 52.3 in August: Survey
India's manufacturing growth eased slightly in August from the six-month high recorded a month ago, following softer growth in new orders, a private survey showed. The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) declined to 52.3 in August from 52.7 in July, according to data released on Tuesday. A reading of over 50 on this survey-based index indicates expansion.

Delhi Uber rape victim ends lawsuit in US court
The Delhi woman who was allegedly raped by an Uber driver in December last year has voluntarily ended her lawsuit against the app based taxi service. The woman had sued Uber in a federal court in the US in January, claiming the company failed to maintain basic safety procedures.Earlier this year, both sides had agreed to participate in private mediation to try to resolve the lawsuit, according to court filings in the US.

Uber launches cash payments in Bengaluru, Delhi
Uber has extended its cash payment facility to Bengaluru and Delhi while Mumbai get it soon.  With these new initiative, Uber, which is otherwise known for cashless payments through credit cards, has now rolled out cash payments in all most all cities it operates. The company will also do away with surge pricing in Bengaluru and Delhi between 7am and 9pm.

Government accepts AP Shah Panel report on foreign investors and tax
It is an important decisions due to turbulence in capital market conditions in India. In a major relief to foreign portfolio investors, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government has decided not to levy Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on capital gains made by FIIs retrospectively. The government, he said, has decided to amend the Income Tax Act to clarify the issue with regard to levy of MAT on FIIs and in the meantime CBDT field officers will be asked not to pursue cases against FIIs. The controversy arose after the tax department, following an order by the Authority of Advance Ruling, sent notices to 68 FIIs demanding Rs 602.83 crore as MAT dues.

Google gets new logo, first big change in 16 years
In one of the biggest redesigns in the company's last 16 years, Google on Tuesday night changed its iconic logo on the home page. The redesign comes just weeks after the company carried out a major corporate restructuring, breaking various divisions into separate companies and putting them under an umbrella entity called Alphabet. "Today we're introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens. As you'll see, we've taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices," the company said in an official blog post. "We think we've taken the best of Google (simple, uncluttered, colourful, friendly), and recast it not just for the Google of today, but for the Google of the future."

Govt to scrap licensing of Indian ships
India-registered ships will no longer need to hold permits from India’s director general of shipping to operate, according to the draft of a new merchant shipping bill drafted by the government to make it easier for companies to do business. The scrapping of the licensing requirement will help simplify customs procedures and dispense with port clearance requirements. The new bill will replace the existing Merchant Shipping Act which was framed in 1958.