Indian banks' loans rose 6.2% y/y in two weeks to June 19: RBI

Bank deposits fell 732.67 billion rupees to 138.67 trillion rupees

Indian banks’ loans rose 6.2% in the two weeks to June 19 from a year earlier, while deposits rose 11%, the Reserve Bank of India’s weekly statistical supplement showed on Friday.

Outstanding loans rose 16.79 billion rupees ($224.95 million) to 102.45 trillion rupees in the two weeks to June 19.

Non-food credit fell 19.27 billion rupees to 101.56 trillion rupees, while food credit rose 36.06 billion rupees to 892.88 billion rupees.

Bank deposits fell 732.67 billion rupees to 138.67 trillion rupees in the two weeks to June 19.

Verizon Joins Facebook Ad Boycott

Verizon joined an ongoing advertising boycott of Facebook and Instagram, that was organized against the social media giant’s handling of objectionable posts as well as its moderation approach.

The telecom company is the largest till date to join the “Stop Hate for Profit” boycott organized by the Anti-Defamation League or ADL. The campaign is seeking advertisers to suspend their spending on Facebook and Instagram ads for the month of July 2020.

ADL, in an open letter, pointed out that Facebook’s hate speech, incitement, and misinformation policies, as well as harassment victim services are inadequate.

Between May 22 and June 20, 2020, Verizon reportedly spent nearly $1.5 million on Facebook and nearly $500,000 on Instagram.

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and various sports and outdoor lifestyle companies have already joined the boycott.

Meanwhile, Facebook vice president of Global Business Group, Carolyn Everson, reportedly said the company is in ongoing talks with advertisers and trying to improve its moderation approach.

Visitors to England from 59 countries will not have to quarantine

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) – Visitors to England from 59 countries and territories will not have to go into quarantine from July 10, the British government said on Friday.

Countries such as the United States, Canada and Portugal were excluded from the list.

People arriving in England from a country not on the list will continue to be required to self-isolate until 14 days have passed since they left it.

The list of countries on the list can be viewed here here

Independence of Ukrainian central bank remains a red line, says acting chief

KYIV, July 3 (Reuters) – Maintaining the independence of Ukraine’s central bank remains a red line, Central Bank Deputy Governor Kateryna Rozhkova told reporters on Friday.

Rozhkova has taken temporary charge of the central bank after the shock resignation of Governor Yakiv Smoliy, who complained of sustained political pressure on his decision-making. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson)

European police crack encrypted network, probe leads to arrests

A massive cross-border investigation started when French police hacked into a highly encrypted messaging platform.

Police across Europe have arrested hundreds of members of crime gangs after hacking into an encrypted network.

More than 750 people were arrested by officers in the United Kingdom.

Hundreds of others were detained and millions of dollars, weapons and drugs were seized in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Sweden.

Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela reports.

Turkey kicks off Jamal Khashoggi murder trial without Saudi suspects

Twenty Saudi nationals went on trial in Turkey for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Friday even though they weren’t in court to face the charges.

The “in absentia” trial involves two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudis allegedly flown to Istanbul to commit Khashoggi’s gruesome killing in October 2018.

Turkish prosecutors want to put the defendants behind bars for the rest of their lives. But all 20 suspects have left Turkey and Saudi Arabia has refused to extradite them while slamming Turkey for not cooperating with its own trial last year.

The crown prince’s ex-advisers, Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Asiri, have been charged with “instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of (causing) torment through fiendish instinct,” while the other 18 defendants were charged with carrying out the killing.

Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul nearly two years ago to get documents for his marriage. While inside, his alleged killers suffocated him and then dismembered his body with a bone saw, according to Turkish officials.

The CIA and other Western governments believe bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing, which Saudi officials have denied. A Saudi court sentenced five people to death for Khashoggi’s killing in December, but they got a reprieve after Khashoggi’s family said they forgave the killers.

With Post wires

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Ukraine parliament approves resignation of Central Bank Governor Smoliy

• Yakiv Smoliy's resignation rattled the market and raised questions about Ukraine's commitment to reforms.

Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss Central Bank Governor Yakiv Smoliy on Friday, two days after Smoliy submitted his resignation complaining of political pressure against him. 

Smoliy's resignation rattled the market and raised questions about Ukraine's commitment to reforms.

Moscow Exchange to start U.S. blue chip trading on Aug 17

MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) – The Moscow Exchange will launch trading of the 20 most liquid shares from the U.S. S&P 500 index on Aug. 17, the bourse’s spokesman said on Friday.

The Moscow Exchange said last month it would offer access to U.S. shares in a breakthrough for its long-awaited project, which was slowed by Western sanctions.

Russia’s largest bourse will add more names from the S&P 500 later this year, planning to trade the stocks in Russian roubles. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh and Elena Fabrichnaya; Editing by Alison Williams)