Qatar takes delivery Rafale jet

Qatar on Wednesday took delivery of the first of 36 Rafale multi-purpose jet fighters it has ordered from French manufacturer Dassault. The handover ceremony in Merignac, southwestern France, where the planes are built, was attended by Qatar Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah and Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier, AFP reports.

Qatar ordered 24 of the fighters in 2015, adding 12 more last year. It also has an option to buy 36 more. The twin-engine fighter has been in service with the French Air Force since 2004. After failing to sell the Rafale abroad for several years, France finally won a contract from Egypt in 2015 for 24 jets, followed by the sale to Qatar. In September 2016, India also agreed to buy 36 of the fighters.

RBI slashes repo rate to 6.25%:

RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee, led by Governor Shaktikanta Das, cut its repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent and changed its stance to ‘neutral’ from ‘calibrated tightening’. MPC voted 4-2 in favour of the rate cut. They were unanimous in switch in stance. MPC members Chetan Ghate and Viral Acharya were for status-quo in rates; decision on changing stance to neutral was unanimous.

On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting today, the Monetary Policy Committee decided to:

Reduce the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent with immediate effect.

Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.0 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5 per cent.

RBI expects GDP growth to go up to 7.4 pc in FY20, from the FY19 government estimate of 7.2 pc.

Union budget proposals will boost demand by raising disposable incomes, it said, but may take time to play out.

RBI revises downwards retail inflation forecast to 2.8 pc for March quarter 2019.

Macedonia signs key NATO membership text

The 29 members of #NATO have signed a historic accession agreement with #Macedonia, a key move that will enable the country to become the military alliance’s 30th member.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov signed accession papers in Brussels on Wednesday. The move is seen as a big step for the small Balkan country toward becoming the 30th member of NATO and it also marks the end of a long dispute with Greece over Macedonia’s name.

The country is expected to join the alliance under the name of North Macedonia, possibly later this year or in early 2020, AP said. US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to hold a summit in London in December. The meeting, to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary, could formally welcome North Macedonia should the ratification process be completed.

Karti, Vadra reach ED office

Karti Chidambaram arrives at the Enforcement Directorate office to appear in connection with INX Media case.

And right at this very moment, Robert Vadra has also arrived at the ED office for the second day of questioning.

Karti Chidambaram, who is the son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has been questioned on several occasions in the case being probed by the ED as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Both the agencies are probing how Karti Chidambaram managed to get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in 2007 when his father was the Finance Minister.

On February 28, 2018, Karti was arrested by the CBI for allegedly accepting money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX Media. He was later granted bail.

Vadra, who was questioned on Wednesday for more than five hours by the Enforcement Directorate, has denied owning properties in London or knowing any of the people the agency says were involved in the deals, sources said.