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BQuick On Dec. 31: Top 10 Stories In Under 5 Minutes   

BQuick | Top news, must-read stories and columns – all served up in less than 5 minutes.

People watch fireworks in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg)
People watch fireworks in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg)

Here’s a roundup of the day’s top stories in brief.

1. New Year Parties: What’s Allowed, What’s Not

2020 has been an extraordinary year. And it's farewell will be no different. House parties and small gatherings are set to be the flavour of New Year's eve as cities impose multiple restriction to curb new outbreaks.

2. Why India Lost To Cairn Energy

Why did the international arbitral tribunal find India violative of the fair and equitable treatment standard under U.K. treaty? Read this BQ Blue exclusive to find out.

3. India To Conduct Nationwide Dry Run For Vaccination

All states and union territories will carry out a dry run for Covid-19 vaccinations on Jan. 2 to test linkages between planning and implementation and identify possible hurdles before a vaccine is approved for use.

4. Nifty's Best Year Since 2017

Indian equity markets posted their best annual returns this year since 2017, but were little changed in trade today. Both Sensex and Nifty 50 ended flat with the latter hitting the 14,000-mark intraday.

5. Jio Makes All Domestic Calls Free From Jan. 1

The Mukesh Ambani-led telecom operator has made calls to other operators free, a day before the interconnect usage charge—the fee operators pay for cross-network calls—is abolished.

Opinion
Move Over Mukesh Ambani, Asia Has a New Richest Person

6. India’s Fiscal Deficit Hits 135% Of Budget Target

The fiscal deficit continued to widen in November even as the government attempts to cut spending. The gap between the Centre’s revenue and expenditure stood at Rs 10.75 lakh crore as of November.

Meanwhile, the output of eight core industries fell 2.6% in November—it’s ninth consecutive monthly decline.

7. Future Group Faces Another Legal Challenge

The Delhi High Court has allowed an application filed by Clix Capital Services Pvt. to restrain Acute Realty Pvt.—a Future Group entity—from alienating or creating third-party interest on its mall property in West Bengal.

8. Jubilant Foodworks' Barbeque Nation Deal

Jubilant Foodworks Ltd. has agreed to acquire a stake in Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd. as the operator of Domino’s Pizza and Dunkin’ Donuts stores in India forays into newer cuisines.

9. The Way You Issue Cheques Is Set To Change

Starting Jan. 1, the banking system will implement a new cheque acceptance system to reduce fraudulent transactions. This will require customers to reconfirm specific details. Read more to see how that will be done.

10. Gold Heads For Its Best Year In A Decade

Gold is set for its biggest annual advance in a decade after a tumultuous year as the dollar’s decline to an over two year low is aiding gains for the precious metal.

BQuick On Dec. 31: Top 10 Stories In Under 5 Minutes    

A 2020 Rewind