A look at the headlines in the sector right now:

  1. New Rs 200 notes will soon be in circulation, says Finance Ministry: The Centre confirmed that the bills will be available by the end of August or the first week of September.
  2. Infosys shares jump after reports indicate Nandan Nilekani may return as CEO: The former UIDAI chief’s return and role in the software major is likely to be finalised in the next 48 hours.
  3. Centre approves the merger, consolidation of public sector banks: Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal said the government wants to reduce the number of PSU lenders to 10 to 15 from the current 21.
  4. Uber launches UPI integrated payment facility for its Indian customers: The cab hailing app said it was deeply committed to promote cashless transactions in the country.
  5. Sensex surges over 276 points to close at 31,568, Nifty at 9,852: The gain was primarily because of heavy buying in realty, metal and banking stocks.
  6. Amid opposition, India gives Pfizer the patent to exclusively sell vital pneumonia vaccine: Various groups believe the decision will make the shot less accessible to the poor.
  7. Indian sellers can take their products to 190 countries with the Flipkart Global programme: The e-commerce giant will sell the goods through eBay, whose Indian unit it bought in April.
  8. WhatsApp rolls out  new coloured text-based status updates: The update allows users to choose a font, background color, and even add links.
  9. Move over buffalo meat, basmati rice is now India’s top export commodity: Around 1.3 million tonnes of the rice was exported in the April to June quarter, up from 1.18 million in the corresponding months in 2016.
  10. Lamborghini launches luxury smartphone ‘Alpha One’ for Rs 1.5 lakh: Available online and at a few stores in London and the UAE, it comes with a 20-MP camera, fingerprint sensor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.