Important Current Affairs 28th September 2019

AGREEMENTS AND MOU'S:

India and Thailand sign trade agreements for Rs 2,400 crore.

• Thailand and India have signed agreements for Rs 2,400 crores

Aim: To boost trade ties between the two countries

The pacts were across segments including rubber, construction material, food and beverages, logistics. The breakup of the agreements, Laksana Visit on his first visit to India said the agreements signed in Mumbai total 4.45 billion Thai baht (about Rs 900 crore) while in Chennai, it was 7.623 billion Thai baht (about Rs 1,500 crore).

The total trade generated by this trip is 12.075 billion Thai baht.

The main objective of the visit was to strengthen strategic partnership with India, expand new business opportunities. The Indian domestic industry can meet about 40 per cent of rubber but India requires 60 per cent of the demand to import rubber.

The Indian market was growing steadily as it was not affected by the trade war which was currently on with many other countries.The officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Thailand Rubber Authority and many private sectors for their business opportunities. Thailand inviting Indian businesses to sign another memorandum of understanding in November and they would launch an initiative to launch Thai products to be available in the Indian market.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

India’s biggest brands HDFC Bank retains top rank for sixth time in a row.

• HDFC Bank topped the WPP-Kantar BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking for the sixth time in a row. BFSI brands have dominated the top 10 ranking list this year. According to the report, banking brands made up the largest share of the BrandZ Top 75 and owned 23% of the total brand value of $53.3 billion.

Life Insurance Corporation of India and State Bank of India retained their positions in the ranking at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively.

Kotak Mahindra Bank and ICICI Bank and got 5, 6th positions recently.

In 2018, HDFC Bank’s brand value grew by 5% and was evaluated to be around $22.7 billion. While the growth of the bank’s brand value has declined from 21% in 2018 to 5% in 2019, the report states that the bank seems to buck the global trend.

Brand Z Top 100 Most Valuale

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study reported an 8% decline in value of the top 20 global banks.  B2B technology services, including brands like Tata Consultancy Services secured 3rd position and Infosys secured 11th position the second largest category, commanding a combined $27.8 billion in brand value. Asian Paints and Maruti Suzuki were the other brands on the top 10 list.

Jio established its larger ambitions beyond telecom, was the fastest riser in the 2019 ranking. The brand managed to solidify its place in the top 10 list at No. 9 with a 34% increase in brand value to $5.5 billion. Jio came in at No. 10 with an estimated brand value of $4.1 billion. Telecom brand Airtel retained its rank at No. 4 with a decline in brand value of 10% from $11.5 billion to $10.3 billion.

Indian unicorn brands Oyo ($2 billion), Swiggy ($1.6 billion) and Zomato ($1 billion) were newcomers to the ranking at No. 30, No. 39 and No. 61, respectively.India’s biggest brands: HDFC Bank retains top rank for sixth time in a row

The BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking is based on market data from Bloomberg, consumer insights from around 3.7 million consumers globally, and includes opinions from around one lakh Indian consumers on 1,000 brands in 80 categories.BFSI brands have dominated the top 10 ranking list this year. According to the report, banking brands made up the largest share of the BrandZ Top 75 and owned 23% of the total brand value of $53.3 billion.Life Insurance Corporation of India and State Bank of India retained their positions in the ranking at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. Kotak Mahindra Bank moved up a notch, from No. 7 last year to No. 6 this year, while ICICI Bank dropped one rank and was ranked No. 10 in 2019. Together, banking and insurance brands commanded 34% of the top 75 ranking.

In 2018, HDFC Bank’s brand value grew by 5% and was evaluated to be around $22.7 billion. While the growth of the bank’s brand value has declined from 21% in 2018 to 5% in 2019, the report states that the bank seems to buck the global trend.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study reported an 8% decline in value of the top 20 global banks.  B2B technology services, including brands like Tata Consultancy Services (No. 3) and Infosys (No. 11), was the second largest category, commanding a combined $27.8 billion in brand value. Asian Paints and Maruti Suzuki were the other brands on the top 10 list.

Jio, which has established its larger ambitions beyond telecom, was the fastest riser in the 2019 ranking. The brand managed to solidify its place in the top 10 list at No. 9 with a 34% increase in brand value to $5.5 billion. Last year, Jio came in at No. 10 with an estimated brand value of $4.1 billion. Telecom brand Airtel retained its rank at No. 4 with a decline in brand value of 10% from $11.5 billion to $10.3 billion

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

England woman wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor retires from International Cricket.

• England wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor called time on her international career, a statement from the England Cricket Board.

Sarah Taylor

She made her England debut in 2006. She scored 6,553 international runs is second on England Women's all-time list of run-scorers. Taylor was also a magnetic keeper behind the stumps creating waves with her innovative methods that led her to 232 dismissals, the most in women's cricket. She previously goes on an indefinite break from cricket after the 2016 World T20 in India before returning for the 2017 World Cup.

Air Marshal B Suresh appointed Western Air Commander of Indian Air Force.

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) appointed Air Marshal B Suresh as Western Air Commander of the Force in New Delhi.

He will succeed Kargil war hero Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar on October 31.

Suresh (PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC) was the Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Indian Air Force’s Southern Air Command.

He assumed this charge from RKS Bhadauria on August 1, 2018.

Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria appointed as its new chief.

The first IAF officer to fly the Rafale fighter jet, Bhadauria was also involved in finalising the deal with France for the fighter jet.

He is also a post-graduate from Cranfield University in Shrivenham, United Kingdom.

The youngest officers to be awarded the presidential award of AVSM as a Group Captain, Suresh was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2001 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019.

He was appointed as the honorary Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India on 1 March 2019.