TITBITS:
1. The
US Federal Reserve cut interest rates Thursday by 25 basis points (or one
quarter of a percentage point), the second reduction of 2024, while continuing
to signal that inflation is coming under control.
2. The
landmark report of the 2015 expert committee on Railway Reforms, headed by the
late economist Bibek Debroy, did clear the decks for a complete overhaul of the
national transporter to achieve economic viability in operational terms and
recover its loss of competitiveness in the transportation market.
3. The
tiger population in western Assam’s Manas National Park, a major wildlife
preserve stretching into Bhutan, tripled from 2011 to 2019, a new study has
said. The report published in the latest issue of the Journal of Biological
Conservation attributed this turn around in a park that suffered because of
prolonged armed conflict to increased funding, improved protection
infrastructure, and a larger staff.
4. An
investigation by India’s antitrust body found food delivery giants Zomato and
SoftBank-backed Swiggy breached competition laws, with business practices
favouring select restaurants listed on the platforms, documents show. Zomato
entered into “exclusivity contracts” with partners in return for lower
commissions, while Swiggy guaranteed business growth to certain players if they
listed exclusively on its platform, according to non-public documents prepared
by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).