NBCC Inks Pact With Health Ministry To Buy Out HSCC

State-owned NBCC Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with the Health Ministry to acquire Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (HSCC).

"The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and NBCC (India) Ltd have signed the share purchase agreement on November 6, 2018 for the transfer of 100 per cent share holding of HSCC to NBCC," the construction firm said in a regulatory filing.

Tamil Nadu Gets SEBI Approval To Launch State Shelter Fund

Tamil Nadu has received the nod from the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch its State Shelter Fund for attracting investments in the affordable housing segment, Deputy Chief Minister of the State O Panneerselvam said here Saturday.

Panneerselvam, participating in an event, said, the Tamil Nadu government established the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund which is the category-I Alternative Investment Fund.

CIMAP Signs Pact With RIFM To Standardize Fragrant Oils

The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) on Friday signed an agreement with US-based Research Institute for Fragrant Materials (RIFM) for improving the quality of fragrant oils, a spokesman of the institute said.

The pact was signed by Anil Kumar Tripathi, Director CSIR-CIMAP and Jim Romane, President of the RIFM at the conclusion of the two-day annual conference of the International Fragrance Association in Paris.

33rd ASEAN Summit  Begins In Singapore 

The 33rd edition of the ASEAN Summit has begun in Singapore. Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong is the Chairman of the Summit, which will continue till 15th November along with other related summits like East Asia Summit (EAS), Regional Comprehensive Economic Summit, (RCEP) and ASEAN plus summits.
Fintech Conference which is a part of Fintech festival will also take place alongside. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and IMF, Managing Director Christine Lagarde will also address the audience.

Palau Becomes 1st Country In World To Ban Reef-Killing Sunscreen

Palau has become the first country to ban reef toxic sunscreen by 2020 in an attempt to protect its coral reefs after the president of the country signed a bill into law.
Palau defines the banned "reef-toxic" sunscreens as containing any one of 10 chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are found in the vast majority of sunscreens sold in the U.S., according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

World's First AI News Anchor Debuts In China

Xinhua, China's state-run press agency, recently unveiled virtual newsreaders that combine the images and voices of human anchors with artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Xinhua unveiled two AI newsreaders, one that speaks in English and one in Chinese.Xinhua developed the robot anchor with Chinese search engine Sogou.com.

Vice President’s Visit To 3 South African Countries: Complete Highlights

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was on a seven-day 3-South African nation visit to Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. He visited Botswana on first leg, Zimbabwe on second and on the third leg he visited Malawi.
Here are the complete highlights of 3 nation visit of M Venkaiah Naidu.

S. S. Deswal Appointed DG of ITBP

The ACC has approved the appointment of S. S. Deswal, IPS as Director General, Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). He took charge from R K Pachnanda, the outgoing DG of ITBP, who superannuated recently.
Mr Deswal will hold the additional charge of the post of DG, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) till further orders.