Buyback spree alive in India as PSU firms join tech companies

• Shrinking valuations are also prompting smaller companies to buy their own stock, said analyst
• PSU firms, including Coal India Ltd., NHPC Ltd., are on a buying spree to help the govt to meet asset-sale target

Opinion | Housing finance still remains an attractive business in years to come

• A housing finance platform will have to identify strategies that help drive robust quality demand
• Aggregating smaller HFC companies into a larger platform will help create better and low-cost funding sources

HCL, Cognizant among top tech firms that received H1-B certifications in US 

• Deloitte Consulting topped the list with 18,306 H-1B specialist occupation labour certifications
• A total of 85,000 H1-B visas are available each year under regulations imposed by the Congress

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed delays visit to Pakistan; will be in India next week

• Mohammed will arrive in Pakistan on Sunday, a day later than scheduled
• It isn’t clear if the Pulwama attack and tensions between India and Pakistan are behind the delay

India hikes customs duty to 200% on all goods imported from Pakistan

• Increasing duties would significantly hit Pakistan's exports to India
• The main items which Pakistan exports to India include fresh fruits, cement, petroleum products, bulk minerals and ores and finished leather

PM Modi says each teardrop after Pulwama will be avenged  

• PM Modi said a due response will be given for each and every tear that has dropped
• At an all-party meet, a resolution stating the entire nation was 'speaking in one voice' was passed

AAI receives 32 technical bids from 10 companies for privatisation of airports

• AAI sought bidders for six airports — Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Ahmedabad and Jaipur
• AAI will open the financial bids on February 25

India's fastest train Vande Bharat Express begins first commercial run today

• Vande Bharat Express left Delhi for Varanasi today morning on its first commercial run, Piyush Goyal tweeted.
•  Tickets for Vande Bharat Express sold out for the next two weeks already, Piyush Goyal said

KKR-backed firm eyes $1 billion fund to tap India ESG investors

• Avendus sees around 70% of the money coming from overseas investors
• Global investment based on ESG strategies stood at nearly $23 trillion at the end of 2015

Cognizant to pay $25 million to settle India bribery charges

• Cognizant has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
• Cognizant undertook a comprehensive internal investigation under the oversight of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

Pulwama terror attack: Pakistan isolated, Narendra Modi vows fitting strike back

• PM Narendra Modi authorizes the security forces to fashion a response on their terms and at a timing of their choice
• Pakistan finds itself internationally isolated after the Pulwama terror attack

Say Hola! to healing in the Spanish Mediterranean

• From Russian supermodels to Indian CEOs, wellness seekers have been clustering at SHA
• Nutrition is key to the SHA method, based on the principle of balancing yin and yang energies in food

Swipe right for spirituality

• Many upwardly mobile millennials are looking to ‘gurus’ and spirituality as a dominant belief system
• The evolution of the mystic has also made spirituality appealing to younger audiences.

Pulwama terror attack: 'We support India’s right to self-defense', says US

• US National Security Advisor John Bolton offered all assistance to India
• Expressions of support have poured in from across the world in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack

Vande Bharat Express breaks down on return from Varanasi 

• Train 18 is completely booked and has a waiting list till February 24
• Vande Bharat Express is expected to start it's commercial operations tomorrow

Sweat it out with these apps

• From audio-guided workouts to training like Ashton Eaton, these apps can help shape your fitness regime
• Nike Training Club comes loaded with more than 100 workouts that focus on strength, endurance and mobility

TV18 writes to Trai regarding incorrect genre categorization of Republic Bharat 

• Republic Bharat recorded a reach of 73 million in its opening week according to BARC
• A Trai spokesperson admitted having received the complaint

Nailing a song like Zoya Akhtar

• From ‘Baawre’ to ‘Apna Time Aayega’, what went into creating the oomph and playfulness in the best of them
• Few Bollywood directors can nail a song with as much relish as Zoya Akhtar

Aadhaar mandatory to file income tax returns

• For those who don’t want to use Aadhaar, you can continue using documents such as PAN, passport, driving licence and voter identity card
• Beware of how much information you share as most frauds happen because people using Aadhaar don’t have enough clarity on how much information they end up giving away

A patch of pink in the city

• Minutes away from the crowds and high-rises roam large flocks of flamingos in Mumbai
• There may never have been more flamingos than there are right now in the city

SBI rate cut: no impact?

• Interest rate cut on spread, not on MLCR
• The move will only benefit new borrowers with a loan amount of up to ₹30 lakh, most home loan borrowers will not see any immediate impact

All-party meet adopts resolution condemning Pulwama terror attack

• Representatives from across political parties in attendance
• Terrorism in India being actively encouraged from across the border: Resolution passed at the end of the meeting

Buy, rent, or pay an EMI?

•  While young earners moving to new cities generally tend to go for EMI or rent while purchasing appliances owing to the lack of a lump sum, those who are settled mostly go for a direct purchase
• Renting is a good idea if one knows that the usage of the appliance is not permanent and one may be constantly moving

India, Pakistan to argue at World Court amid tensions

• The World Court will hear arguments on Monday in a dispute between India and Pakistan about former Indian navy commander Kulbhushan Jadhav
• India wants the ICJ to order Pakistan to annul the conviction, ensure the death sentence is not carried out, and release Jadhav

Flights grounded at Dubai airport after unauthorized drone activity: Report

• Dubai airport, which handled 89.1 mn passengers in 2018, is the world's busiest airport for international travelers
• Earlier, Drone threats to commercial air traffic had hit operations at London's second busiest airport Gatwick Airport

RBI threatens action against Yes Bank for disclosing nil divergence report

• RBI finds the disclosure of the nil divergence report in violation of the confidentiality clause, says Yes Bank
• Yes Bank had earlier this week said RBI has not found any bad loan or provisioning divergence during FY18

Inside India’s anti-natalist cult

• The anti-natalist and child-free by choice movements are gathering steam in India, thanks in part to one young man’s performance art
• Raphael Samuel set newsrooms buzzing when he announced that he was suing his parents for giving birth to him without his consent

Jet Airways defers plans to sell stake in Jet Privilege

• The decision comes a day after Jet Airways board approved a bailout plan to rescue the airline
• Jet Privilege was estimated to have a valuation of $1.131 billion last year

Pulwama attack fallout: India moves to remove MFN status to Pakistan

• India identified Pakistan as Most Favoured Nation (MFN) in 1996, but the latter has never done so despite agreeing to in 2012
• India reviewed the MFN status to Pakistan after the Uri attack in 2016 but decided not to withdraw it

India piles pressure on Pakistan after Pulwama terror attack

• Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale summons Pakistan high commissioner Sohail Mahmood to the foreign ministry
• 'Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action' against JeM for the Pulwama terror attack, Gokhale tells Mahmood

Pulwama attack: India turns up the heat on 'non-state actors' in Pakistan

• Whether or not India will carry out a surgical strike against Pakistan’s terror launchpads remain unclear
• A surgical strike in PoK, similar to the one following the Uri attack, could have huge ramifications, say some experts

Withdrawing Pakistan's MFN status will divert trade

• Most of the trade (around $3 billion) between India and Pakistan is routed either through the UAE or Singapore
• Pakistan enjoys benefits of lower tariffs on its exports to India due to the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status

IndiGo steps up hiring of expat pilots amid flight cancellations

• IndiGo COO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer says the airline will hire 120 expat pilots by June 2019, taking their total number to 160
• Pilot shortage is a reality with all Indian airlines, but IndiGo is affected more due to its aggressive expansion plans

Film review: ‘Gully Boy’ amplifies a voice from the streets

• Rap battles and real struggles animate Zoya Akhtar’s film about an 'up-and-coming emcee' 
• Ranveer Singh plays Murad, a rapper from Dharavi who channels his frustrations into rhyme 

We come back to life when we learn, reconnect to hope: Robin Sharma

• In conversation with Robin Sharma, a leadership coach and author of 15 books including ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ and ‘The Leader Who Had No Title’
• Robin Sharma's new book, ‘The 5am Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life’, was released in India recently

CIC appointment needn't be confined to bureaucrats, says Supreme Court

• The appointment of CIC and ICs should be completed in six months, says the Supreme Court
• The directions issued by the Supreme Court are expected to ensure transparency in the CIC appointment process

Tax receipts from digital economy surge to ₹712 crore in FY19, shows data

• Market for online ads on which a 6% equalization levy is applied is up from ₹9,800 crore in FY18 to ₹11,870 crore till mid-February
• The idea behind the equalization levy is to tax services of digital service providers in other markets with a customer base in India

Titan plans to double market share in jewellery over 3-4 years

• Wedding jewellery, which has been a focus area for the company, will be a key driver in reaching the target
•  The company has around 2-3% market share in the wedding jewellery space

Panel recommends national minimum wage of ₹9750 per month   

• The panel recommended an additional house rent allowance averaging up to ₹1,430 per month
• States currently decide on minimum wages after taking into account several factors

Govt gets applications worth ₹50,000 crore for Bharat-22 ETF AOP

• The sale is part of the government divestment target of ₹80,000 crore set for this fiscal
• The one-day Additional Offering Period (AOP) managed by ICICI Prudential AMC launched on 14 February saw a subscription of over 14 times

Paytm wants to cash in on Amazon's India distress   

• Paytm is trying to bring stores and shopkeepers from the physical world to sell online, says Vijay Shekhar Sharma  
• Paytm Mall has turned net contribution positive  

India needs to boost private investment for growth, says Uday Kotak

• Infrastructure logjam needs to be removed
• Government needs to create bigger local private equity pool

Jet Airways seeks to raise $840 million from share sale: Report

• National Investment and Infrastructure Fund will funnel ₹1,500 crore into Jet Airways for a 20% stake, according to a report
• Jet may propose to raise ₹4,500 crore via a rights issue priced at ₹125-150 per share

Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra see end of road for diesel cars

• Maruti’s talks with Suzuki include whether it should completely stop producing diesel cars in India
• Mahindra wants to offer petrol variants across models, barring the Bolero, says managing director Pawan Goenka

Paytm okays pledge on current assets for ₹1,400 crore loan from ICICI Bank

• Under the Paytm-ICICI Bank deal, One97 has pledged to the bank ₹7,081.1 crore in assets to boost its borrowing capacity
• Until now, Paytm could borrow up to ₹400 crore from ICICI Bank for working capital

Pulwama attack: Will completely isolate Pakistan, says Jaitley after CCS meet

• Ministry of Commerce will take necessary steps to withdraw the most favoured nation status to Pakistan
•  Arun Jaitley also added that MEA will take all possible steps to ensure that full security is maintained

Product launches aid growth at Coca Cola’s India business  

• In 2018, Coca-Cola launched over 18 products including variants across Minute Maid, Maaza and Thums-Up brands
• Unit case volume growth in India during the year also aided demand growth for part of its beverage portfolio globally

Rafale review: CJI defends SC, criticises lawyers for giving publicity

• Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the review application was filed with defects
• No efforts were made to remove those defects, he added

How students will plan their own lessons: Byju Raveendran on future of education

• Students will be able to decide ‘what’ they learn, ‘how’ they learn and ‘when’ they learn, charting their own path to achieve excellence 
• The use of tech will bring down the cost of delivering and accessing quality education, and create an equitable education system

US negotiating multibillion-dollar fine with Facebook  

• Facebook said in a statement it is cooperating with US Federal Trade Commission
• The FTC investigation, opened nearly a year ago, focuses on whether Facebook failed to honor previous privacy commitments

Pulwama attack signals a return of terror tactics used in the 1990s

• Pulwama terror attack shows JeM has emerged a bigger terror outfit than LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir
• JeM is seen adopting terror tactics of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State—carrying out suicide attacks that wreak maximum destruction and minimum casualties for terrorists

T-Series ventures into digital space with web shows, films

• Vinod Bhanushali, president, media, marketing, publishing (TV) and music acquisitions, T-Series, will head the venture
• T-Series is looking to collaborate with digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar and Zee5

Govt gets ₹10,000 crore from additional offering of Bharat-22 ETF

• The additional 'on-tap' offering was opened for a single day with a base issue size of ₹3,500 crore
• Govt has mopped up approximately ₹46,000 crore by way of disinvestment

Huracán Evo: Need for speed

• Lamborghini has just launched its next generation V10 sports car—the Huracán Evo—in India
• It promises to be an update on the standard Huracán in terms of looks and power

Jet Airways, on the verge of collapse, now close to a bailout

• As per the Jet Airways bailout plan, banks will become majority owners of the airline, pushing out founder-promoter Naresh Goyal
• The Jet Airways bailout plan is similar to the offered to Kingfisher Airlines in 2011; that airline shut down three years later

Delhi Metro's new Ghaziabad corridor to open soon with red line extension

• Trains will be available at a peak hour frequency of six minutes and twelve seconds on the Dilshad Garden–New Bus Adda section.
• The total journey from Dilshad Garden to New Bus Adda will take about 16 minutes

Pine Labs eyes unicorn tag with new funding

• Temasek’s deep network in several Asian nations could help Pine Labs expand operations in Southeast Asia
• Pine Labs is likely to use the new cash to expand into international markets and make acquisitions

Alamwar, a Hyderabad-based textile label in Mumbai

• Alamwar, a fashion and textiles label founded by Viji Reddy, made its debut in Mumbai’s Melange boutique this January 
• The brand’s first collection titled Silk Road is inspired by the aesthetics of Central Asia

Equity mutual fund inflows dip: Wait it out

• When you are investing in equity mutual funds, look at staying invested for a long term, over seven to ten year period
• For your wealth to grow, you need to have exposure to equities and going through mutual funds is a prudent move