Business

Beijing, Mar 5 (PTI) China aims to expand its gross domestic product by over six per cent in 2021, with more efforts on reform, innovation and high-quality development, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced at the National People's Congress, (NPC), the country's Parliament on Friday.

China's economy, which was the first to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic and early to recover from its impact, grew 2.3 per cent in 2020, registering the lowest annual growth rate in 45 years.

New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) IT services major Wipro on Thursday said it has signed an agreement to acquire London-headquartered Capco, a global management and technology consultancy, in a USD 1.45 billion (over Rs 10,500 crore) deal.

This will be the biggest ever acquisition by Wipro.

04 Mar 2021; MEMO: Turkey has signalled it could reach a deal with Egypt on the boundary between their maritime zones in the Mediterranean if relations between the two countries warm.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that the two countries could sign a maritime agreement, "depending on the trajectory of relations."

A recent Egyptian map with the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) marked out is close to Turkey's proposition, reports TRT World.

Washington, Mar 4 (PTI) The Biden Administration has said that by restoring US credibility and reasserting forward-looking global leadership, it will ensure that America, not a more assertive and authoritarian China, sets the international agenda, working alongside countries like India to shape new norms and agreements globally that advance its interests and reflect its values.

The comments were made in the Biden administration's Interim National Security Strategic Guidance released on Wednesday.

02 Mar 2021; MEMO: Turkish restaurants reopened and many children returned to school on Tuesday after the government announced steps to ease COVID-19 restrictions even as cases edged higher, raising concerns among the top medical association, reports Reuters.

03 Mar 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's pound tumbled on Tuesday towards 10,000 to the dollar, a record low for a currency battered by a financial meltdown that has fuelled poverty and unrest, reports Reuters.

The collapse, on a scale Lebanon has never seen, has slashed about 85% of the currency's value in a country relying heavily on imports.

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 2 (PTI) Attacking the Centre, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said unemployment is high in the country and its informal sector is in shambles following the "ill considered demonetisation decision" taken by the BJP-led government in 2016.

He also criticised the central government for not holding regular consultations with the states.

02 Mar 2021; MEMO: Kuwait's General Reserve Fund, managed by the state-run Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), has insufficient deposits to pay the salaries of public employees next month, a ministerial source told the media.

This comes as the Kuwaiti government has proposed new amendments to the country's public debt law, including capping borrowing to maximum 60 per cent of gross domestic product, the head of a parliamentary finance committee told Reuters.

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) India's exports marginally declined 0.25 per cent to USD 27.67 billion in February while imports grew by 6.98 per cent to USD 40.55 billion during the month, according to provisional data released by the commerce ministry on Tuesday.

The trade deficit widened to USD 12.88 billion in February as compared to USD 10.16 billion in the year-ago period, the ministry said in a statement.

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Cooking gas LPG price was on Monday hiked by Rs 25 per cylinder across all categories, including subsidised fuel and those availed by Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries - the fourth increase in rates in a month's time.

LPG prices have gone up by Rs 125 per 14.2-kg cylinder since the beginning of February, price data from state-owned oil marketing companies showed.

Also, jet fuel prices were hiked by a steep 6.5 per cent on the back of a rally in international oil prices.