66 per cent of recruiters expect new jobs to be created in the second half of 2015, a slight dip compared to the 69 per cent in the first half of 2015, the Naukri Hiring Outlook Survey August 2015 has revealed. The half yearly survey which gauges the hiring sentiment across sectors and industries, was conducted among more than 1900 recruiters and consultants. According to the survey 41 per cent of recruiters and consultants see maximum hiring potential in the IT industry in the second half of 2015 which, however, is down from 56 per cent of the respondents making the same prediction in the first half of 2015.

Sensex closes 318 points down; Nifty below 7,800
Reversing its intraday gains, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 317.72 points amid high volatilty, to settle at 25714.66. The broader 50-share Nifty closed the session down 88.85 points, at 7791.85. Bank Nifty was the top sectoral loser, down 284 points, or 1.65 per cent. 18 of the 30 Sensex stocks finished the day in the negative territory.

Major European markets were trading with a negative bias. France's CAC 40 lost over 1.2 per cent, Britain's FTSE 100 shed over 1.4 per cent, while German DAX fell over 1.3 per cent. Earlier in the day, most Asian markets ended the day on a mixed note. China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.27 per cent, or 37.68 points, to close at 2,927.29. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.52 per cent, or 324.57 points, to settle at 21,080.39. Bucking the weak trend, Japan's Nikkei surged 570.13 points, or 3.2 per cent, to finish at 18,376.83.

ICICI Bank unveils first guarantee-backed home loan product
Largest private lender ICICI Bank today launched the country's first mortgage guarantee-backed home loan product that will expand the credit amount and increase the tenure for an additional fee as well. It will help customers raise the eligible amount by up to 20 per cent and increase the tenure by up to seven years. ICICI Bank Extraa Home Loans can be availed only after paying a one-time mortgage guarantee fee to be paid at the start.

Centre gives green nod to rebuild MP flats in Lutyens zone
Delhi: The centre has given environment clearance for redevelopment of flats for Members of Parliament (MP) at North and South Avenue in the national capital, which would entail an investment of about Rs 600 crore. The existing houses will be demolished in a phased manner and the redevelopment work is scheduled to be taken up in phases over 8-10 years time. The project will be redeveloped to have 291 duplex residential units and 291 number of servant quarters.

SC stays prosecution of Italian marines in fishermen killing
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the prosecution of two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, in connection with killing of two fishermen off Kerala coast in 2012.The court ordered stay on all criminal proceedings till January 13 after the central government made a request for it, citing the pending international arbitration between the two countries.

Karnataka HC stays Sania Mirza's Khel Ratna award
The Karnataka high court has stayed Sania Mirza's ​Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award after Paralympic athlete H N Girisha filed a plea against the recommendation of the Indian tennis ace for the country's highest sporting honour.
The 2012 London Paralympics silver medallist Girisha was upset at the way Sania has been recommended by the Union sports ministry-appointed selection panel.

Sanjay Dutt gets 30-day parole, cites daughter's illness
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a five-year jail term in a 1993 Mumbai blasts case, has been sanctioned 30 days parole by authorities after he cited his daughter's illness. The 56-year-old actor, who had returned to Yerawada Central Prison here in January after a 14-day furlough, is likely to again walk out within a couple of days. Grant of furlough and parole to Dutt in the past have attracted criticism that he was being given special treatment by jail authorities, an accusation denied by the authorities.

US designates Aziz Haqqani of Haqqani network as 'global terrorist'
Abdul Aziz Haqqani, a top leader of Pakistan-based dreaded Haqqani network, has been named as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the US for his involvement in planning and carrying out attacks against Afghanistan. Following his inclusion in the 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' list, Aziz Haqqani comes under the ambit of US sanctions, which prohibits any US national from maintaining any relationship with him and seizure of all his assets, if any, in the US.

Rahul Gandhi should take charge as Congress president soon: Sachin Pilot
Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress president soon, says Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot who also wants Sonia Gandhi to remain the parliamentary party head to guide the organisation. Pilot feels that the Congress vice president has been able to energise the party after the rout in the Lok Sabha elections and has been leading it from the front by taking on the ruling BJP inside and outside Parliament

Long way to go for India to become global growth engine: Raghuram Rajan
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has said it will be "a long time" before India can replace China as a growth engine for the global economy, even if it grows at a faster rate. The comments assume significance in the wake of a China-led slowdown hurting the markets worldwide in the recent days, which has led to calls in India for taking this crisis situation as an "opportunity" as the global economy may need alternative growth engines.

AirAsia reports a negative outlook for second quarter
AirAsia India Pvt. Ltd’s losses are expected to increase in the second quarter of the current financial year due to heavy discounting and intense competition. In fact, profits are unlikely in the near to medium term unless there is a change in market conditions and government policy, according to consulting firm Centre for Aviation or Capa. AirAsia India has widened its loss to Rs44.15 crore for the June quarter against Rs0.69 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Sheena Bora was Indrani Mukherjea’s daughter, not sister, say Mumbai Police
A day after the Mumbai Police arrested Indrani Mukherjea, wife of ex-CEO of Star TV Peter Mukherjea for murder of her ‘sibling’, Sheena Bora , police probe has now revealed that Sheena was the daughter of Indrani and not her sister as claimed by the accused earlier. Three teams have been dispatched to Guwahati , Kolkatta and Pen in Raigad district in Maharashtra in connection with the case. The police is also on a lookout for Indrani’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna who is being treated as an accused in the case.

Ola to offer benefits worth Rs 1 lakh to drivers to move to CNG
Taxi hailing app Ola today said it will offer benefits worth up to Rs 1 lakh to enable its driver partners to switch to CNG vehicles.The move will help the Bengaluru-based firm comply with a Supreme Court ruling that says commercial vehicles can not ply in Delhi unless converted to the single fuel mode of CNG.As part of 'Ola Green Pragati Week' from August 26 to September 1, Ola will bring together driver-partners as well as financing and car manufacturer partners under one roof, it said in a statement. Drivers in the city to purchase a new CNG car with benefits of up to Rs 1 lakh, including a discount of up to Rs 60,000 in partnership with dealers of manufacturers like Maruti, Hyundai and Tata MotorsBSE 2.31 %, it added.