Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) on Apr 24  started the first debt buyback programme since billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate was targeted by a US short-seller in January.

APSEZ floated a tender to buy back as much as USD 130 million of its July 2024 bonds and similar amounts in each of the next four quarters, it said in an exchange filing, as it looks to regain investor confidence by showing that its liquidity position is comfortable.

Shares of Adani group companies pummelled after Hindenburg Research in a January 24 report accused it of accounting fraud and improper use of offshore tax havens for stock manipulation. The group has denied all allegations.

APSEZ said it had started a buyback programme for its 3.375 per cent 2024 maturity dollar-denominated bonds.

The company has engaged Barclays Bank, DBS Bank, Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, First Abu Dhabi Bank, PJSC, MUFG Securities Asia Singapore Branch, SMBC Nikko Securities (Hong Kong) and Standard Chartered Bank to serve as dealer managers for the offer.

More than $68 billion had been withdrawn from Credit Suisse in the first three months of 2023, the bank said  on Apr 24 in what is likely its final quarterly results before it is swallowed by rival UBS.

Switzerland's longtime second-largest bank saw 61.2 billion Swiss francs ($68.6 billion) withdrawn in the first quarter alone.

At the same time, the bank saw its net profit swell to 12.8 billion francs, up from a significant loss a year earlier, mainly as a result of its high-risk debtors being wiped out in the emergency takeover deal.

Investors had been eagerly awaiting the results as they seek clues to the magnitude of the challenges facing UBS, which was strongarmed last month by Swiss authorities into the mega-merger.

In 2022, Credit Suisse suffered a 7.3-billion-franc loss, with 110.5 billion francs in outflows in the final quarter alone.

That stood in stark contrast to the $7.6 billion profit raked in by UBS last year.

Private sector lender Yes Bank on Apr 22 posted a 45% decline in its March quarter net at Rs 202 crore, impacted by higher provisioning for bad loans. The bank’s net interest income increased to Rs 2,105 crore in the fourth quarter of FY23 from Rs 1,819 crore in the y

ear-ago period, reflecting a 15.7% rise.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Apr 22 expressed hope that traders will soon be able to settle foreign trade in the rupee currency as several banks from different countries are opening special Vostro accounts with Indian banks.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved 60 requests to open Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) of correspondent banks from 18 countries, including the UK, Singapore, and New Zealand.

The central bank, he said, is in discussion with its counterparts in different nations on this.

He also said that negotiations for free trade agreements (FTAs) with developed regions like the European Union, the UK, and Canada are in "advanced" stages.

Groups including European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (EFTA), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are also keen to start talks for similar pacts with India.

A gate named after Sachin Tendulkar was on Apr 24  unveiled at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground here to mark the 50th birthday of the Indian batting legend.

Tendulkar, who turns 50 on Apr 24 , made three centuries and 785 runs with a highest score of 241 not out (in 2004) in five Tests at the SCG and averaged 157 at what he described as his favourite cricket ground outside of India.

Another gate in the name of Brian Lara was also unveiled to mark 30 years since the West Indian legend's innings of 277 at the SCG.

The gates were unveiled by SCG and Venues NSW Chairman Rod McGeoch and CEO Kerrie Mather, as well as Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

Tendulkar and Lara thus joined Donald Bradman, Alan Davidson and Arthur Morris by having a set of gates named in their honour at the SCG.

The top Indian wrestlers are back at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Ace India wrestler Sakshi Malik broke down while interacting with the media as wrestlers protested at Jantar Mantar.

Malik said that seven women wrestlers, including a minor, had lodged a complaint with Connaught Place police station two days ago. But the police failed to register an FIR.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women has written to the Delhi Commissioner of Police demanding an FIR to be filed against Brij Bhushan Singh.

Top Indian wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Sakshi Malik, held a sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar in January this year, demanding that Brij Bhushan be removed from the head office and Wrestling Federation of India be disbanded. They had accused the body and its chief of sexual harassment and mistreatment of wrestlers.

Following the protest, in January, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the formation of an 'oversight committee' to probe allegations levelled against the Wrestling Federation of India and its chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other coaches. The committee was given the task of submitting a report on the issue to the ministry.

Olympic medalist Mary Kom is heading the Oversight Committee. Former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former shuttler Trupti Murgunde, SAI member Radhica Sreeman, ex-CEO of the Target Olympic Podium Plan Rajesh Rajagopalan, and CWG gold medalist Babita Phogat are the other members of the Mary Kom-led committee.

Q1. Which of the following is a peninsular river of India?

1. Gandak
2. Kosi
3. Krishna
4. Sutlej

Q2. The term 'gene' was first used by

1. Johannsen
2. Mendel
3. Lemark
4. Cuvier

Q3. Two of the great Mughals wrote their own memories. They were

1. Babar and Humayun
2. Humayun and Jahangir
3. Babar and Jahangir
4. Jahangir and Shahjahan

Q4. Who decides allotment of symbols to Political Parties?

1. Election Committee of Political Party
2. Political Party Governing Committees
3. Political Party leader
4. Election Commission

Q5. The pennines (Europe), Appalachians (America) and the Aravallis (India) are examples of

1. old mountains
2. young mountains
3. fold mountains
4. block mountains

Answers

1--------------3   Krishna

2--------------1   Johannsen

3--------------3    Babar and Jahangir

4--------------4    Election Commission

5---------------1   old mountains

Q1. The scarcity or crop failure of which of the following can cause a serious edible oil crisis in India?

1. coconut
2. Groundnut
3. Linseed
4. Mustard

Q2. What was the major cause of discontent among soldiers before the revolt of 1857?

1. The Religious Cause
2. Question of promotion and pay
3. Political Cause
4. None of these

Q3. Which type of mirror is used in the head lights of vehicles ?

1. Plain mirror
2. Concave mirror
3. Convex mirror
4. Parabolic mirror

Q4. Lala Lajpat Rai was also known as :

1. Sher-e-Bengal
2. Sher-e-Maharastra
3. Sher-e-Kashmir
4. Sher-e-Punjab

Q5. What is the 73rd Constitution Amendment and 74th Constitution Amendment related to?

1. Panchayati Raj and Municipality
2. Municipal and Panchayati Raj
3. Defection law
4. None of these

Answers

1------------------2    Groundnut

2------------------2    Question of promotion and pay

3-------------------2   Concave mirror

4--------------------4    Sher-e-Punjab

5--------------------1    Panchayati Raj and Municipality