Virat Kohli appointed as the Brand Ambassador by Punjab National Bank

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Virat Kohli appointed as the Brand Ambassador by Punjab National Bank

Punjab National Bank roped in Indian test skipper Virat Kohli as brand ambassador for improving its image which has taken a hit due to rising bad loans.

On the occasion Kohli said ‘PNB is Mera Apna Bank’ as he has been an account holder of the bank since the age of 16 years.

Since its inception in 1895, it said, PNB has been people’s bank serving millions of customers throughout India.

Over the years, PNB has grown from strength to strength and has established itself as a major player in Indian banking space, it said, adding, the bank has remained a trusted name in banking, attending to all the segments of the society.

For the first quarter ended June, the bank’s profit declined by a 58 per cent to ₹306 crore on account of mounting bad loans.

During the quarter, provision towards non-performing assets (NPAs) has jumped almost three-fold to Rs 3,620 crore from Rs 1,291 crore in the same period a year ago.

The Gross NPAs rose significantly to 13.75 per at the end of June 2016, from 12.9 per cent in the year-ago period. The net NPAs too rose to 9.16 per cent against 8.61 per cent in June 2015.

In absolute terms, the gross NPAs of the bank more than doubled to Rs 56,654.09 crore from the year-ago levels.

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Nadia Murad ISIS Sex Slavery, Is Now A UN Goodwill Ambassador

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Nadia Murad ISIS Sex Slavery, Is Now A UN Goodwill Ambassador

Nadia Murad, a survivor of the ISIS atrocities, was selected to be the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for human trafficking on September 16, 2016. The formal UN announcement states, "During her Ambassadorship, Nadia will focus on advocacy initiatives and raise awareness around the plight of the countless victims of trafficking".

Nadia was just 19 years old when ISIS terrorists took over her village in Iraq in 2014. Being from the non-Muslim Yazidi community meant that she had to go through the worst kind of torture. She had witnessed her brother and father being killed in front of her eyes. During her three months of captivity, she was beaten up and raped several times. The time that she tried to escape, she was gangraped by six men till she lost consciousness.

She opened up about her own dark experience while addressing the United Nations Security Council in 2015 which paints a gory picture of the ISIS-held northern Iraq. She was taken as a sex slave by the ISIS and what followed was, as she puts it, a kind of torture that 'a mind could not imagine'. The 'slaves' were made to pray before being raped and were subject to regular beating up.

Nadia Murad was finally able to escape to seek asylum in Germany where she also received medical aid.

The young Iraqi has already met with Amal Clooney, who will represent her and several other women tortured at the hands of ISIS, as their case is taken to the International Criminal Court.

According to Nadia's personal website, she is "dedicated to helping women and children victimized by genocide, mass atrocities and human trafficking, heal and re-build their lives and communities" and her new position with the United Nations will help her with her mission.

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Union Bank of India appoints Atul Kumar Goel as executive director

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Union Bank of India appoints Atul Kumar Goel as executive director

Shri Atul Kumar Goel assumed charge as Executive Director of Union Bank of India today. Prior to his elevation as Executive Director he was General Manager and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at India’s oldest Bank, Allahabad Bank.

Born in December 1964, Shri Goel holds a Bachelor Degree with Honours in Commerce and is member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI).

He is also a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers(CAIIB). His career in Banking began when he joined Allahabad bank as Chartered Accountant on 27.03.1992.

His twenty four years of service in Allahabad Bank saw him rise in his career with key responsibilities held in Branches, Zonal Office, Head Office covering a vast spectrum of Banking Operations.

During that period he handled Corporate Credit, Foreign Exchange Business and Treasury & took pro-active result oriented measures to garner market share. He also headed the Mumbai Zone of Allahabad Bank.

As a General Manager & CFO of Allahabad Bank his portfolio included Finance & Accounts, International Banking, Treasury & Joint Venture. He was also a Director on the Board of All Bank Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Allahabad Bank.

Shri Goel has attended prestigious training programme conducted by NIBM Pune, IMT Delhi apart from being member of Taxation Committee in IBA. He has also undergone training programme abroad conducted under aegis of CAFRAL.

Shri Atul Kumar Goel is one of the youngest and dynamic executives in the Banking Industry.

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World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim heads for 2nd 5-year term

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World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim heads for 2nd 5-year term

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim effectively won a second five year term after nominations to lead the global development bank closed on Wednesday with no other candidates proposed.

The World Bank executive board said in a statement that, following official procedures, it would formally meet with Kim as a candidate with the expectation of completing the selection process by the 2016 Annual Meetings, which take place on 7th to 9th of October.

Kim, a Korean-American medical doctor who has focused the World Bank on programs to reduce extreme poverty, earned solid backing for a second term from the United States, France, Germany, China, and other major shareholders of the bank.

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Odisha govt appoints Tuhin Kanta Pandey as new finance secretary

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Odisha govt appoints Tuhin Kanta Pandey as new finance secretary

The Odisha government has appointed 1987-batch IAS officer Tuhin Kanta Pandey as new finance secretary of the state.

He replaced R Balakrishnan, who is currently serving as development commissioner along with finance.

A government communiqué said yesterday that the SC/ST development secretary Surendra Kumar has been given additional charge of information and public relation while women and child development secretary Vishal Dev would also look after the sports and youth affairs department.

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Aleksander Ceferin elected UEFA president, succeeds Michel Platini

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Aleksander Ceferin has been elected the new president of UEFA, beating Michael van Praag in the race to succeed Michel Platini.

Ceferin, who was appointed president of the Slovenian FA in 2011 and has a background in law, won 42 of the 55 votes at the Extraordinary UEFA Congress in Athens on Wednesday.

He replaces the banned Platini, who was found guilty of ethics violations in December for taking a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2m) from FIFA in 2011.

Last week, acting UEFA president Angel Maria Villar withdrew from the contest to succeed Platini on a permanent basis, leaving Ceferin and Dutch Football Association president Van Praag in the race for the role.

About Aleksander Čeferin

a) Aleksander Čeferin (born 13 October 1967) is Slovenian lawyer. After graduating from Ljubljana University's law faculty, Čeferin went on to work for his family's law firm, developing a special interest in representing professional athletes and sports clubs. He later took over from his father as company director.

b) Čeferin took a formal interest in local football in 2005 through his work with the executive board of futsal club FC Litija. A member of the executive committee of amateur side FC Ljubljana Lawyers since 2005, he served as a member at NK Olimpija Ljubljana from 2006 to 2011.

c) In 2011, Čeferin was elected President of the Football Association of Slovenia.

d) On 14 September 2016, Čeferin was elected the seventh President of UEFA. He polled 42 votes at UEFA's congress in Athens, beating Dutchman Michael van Praag who received 13 votes.

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui appointed brand ambassador of “Samajwadi Kisan Bma Yojana”

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The Uttar Pradesh government appointed Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the brand ambassador of its flagship programme 'Samajwadi Kisan Beema Yojana', a scheme aimed at insuring farmers.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced this at a function at his official residence. Flanked by Nawazuddin, Akhilesh hoped that with the actor's joining, awareness about the scheme will reach far and wide.

In the scheme, many facilities like cashless treatment upto Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs one lakh for organ transplant have been included.

Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said that a plastic card was being issued to the beneficiaries which will have details of all family members who are covered in the scheme.

Siddiqui thanked the chief minister for choosing him to be the brand ambassador and said "he was happy as his forefathers have been farmers".

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New Governor for Arunachal Pradesh: V Shanmuganathan

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Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan was sworn in as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

President Pranab Mukherjee had asked Shanmuganathan to discharge the additional duty of Arunachal Pradesh after Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa was sacked on September 12, weeks after the Supreme Court restored the Congress government in the state.

Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court Justice Ajit Singh administered the oath of office to Shanmuganathan in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, his cabinet colleagues, besides a host of civil and police officials.

About V Shanmuganathan:

a) V Shanmuganathan (born 21 November 1949) is the current Governor of the Indian state of Meghalaya.

b) A post-graduate and an MPhil in Political Science, Shri V Shanmuganathan received the then Madras University’s prestigious Gold Medal.

c) He hails from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and is well-versed with the Tamil language and its rich literature.

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