Youngsters today find shared mobility economical, says Maruti’s Bhargava

Indian automakers are now on par with Europe and America in terms of quality but the purchasing power of domestic buyers has not grown enough to afford the increased product prices, says R.C. Bhargava, chairman, Maruti Suzuki India

RBI examining rate-setting mechanism of non-banks, mortgage lenders

• In her maiden Budget speech on 5 July, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had proposed an amendment to Section 45-IA of the RBI Act 1934 in the Finance Bill
• Some housing finance companies use prime lending rate as their benchmark for loans and offer loans at a discount to this rate

Pakistan refuses use of its airspace for PM Modi's flight to US

• PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to leave for US early on Saturday
• This comes on the back of reports that Pakistan had denied permission for an aircraft carrying Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to use its airspace for an official trip to Europe last week

Cabinet approves ban on e-cigarettes, shares of cigarette makers jump

• The decision was taken due to an alarming rise in vaping among young population, said the finance minister
• Shares of cigarette makers, already up in today’s session on expectations of such an announcement, gained further on the news

Reliance Jio tops subscription race in July by adding 85.39 lakh users: Trai

• Airtel, Vodafone Idea lose 60 lakh users combined
• State-run BSNL, however, added 2.88 lakh users in July, taking its total base to 11.64 crore.

For A320neo, your baggage is a huge challenge

• French aerospace major Airbus SE has identified a problem with the centre of gravity envelope of A320neo planes
• A DGCA official said it is a potential problem with the airframe, not an engine issue

Apple embarks on a new green path with latest iPhones

• Taptic Engine is the phonemaker’s technology that provides tactile sensations in the form of vibrations to users of devices such as Apple Watch, iPhones and iPads
• Rare earth metals are used in rechargeable batteries for products such as computers, monitors, televisions, electric and hybrid cars

Over 11 lakh Railway employees to get 78 days' bonus

• The bonus to Railway employees will lead to outgo of over ₹2,000 crore
• This is for the sixth consecutive year that productivity linked bonus is being given to Railway employees

The loneliness of the delivery man

Ferrying a Swiggy or Zomato delivery may earn just ₹30-40 per order. Is it fair?

Petrol, diesel prices today see biggest hike in 2 months: 5 things to know

• Today's increase in petrol, diesel prices is the biggest single-day hike since the July Budget
• The fuel price hike follows a sudden spike in crude oil rates on Monday following drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure

Mumbai gears up for another extreme rainfall event, IMD issues red warning

• The IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Maharashtra, especially over Vidarbha, ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra and north Konkan, Goa, among others
• A red warning has been issued for North Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra for Wednesday

RBI may not allow lenders to offer teaser home loans

• The discussion around teaser loans started after RBI directed banks to link their floating rate retail loans to an external benchmark earlier this month
• The central bank has not been in favour of these products ever since SBI first introduced them in 2009-10

Bengaluru, Hyd feature among world's fastest growing airports in 15 mn category

• The total number of passengers in the Bengaluru airport was 32,331,783
• Hyderabad Airport had a passenger footfall of 20,903,930

Indian Railways adding extra seats for train passengers. Thanks to new tech

• The railways are planning to replace one of the power cars with LSLRD (LHB Second Luggage, Guard & Divyaang Compartment)
• In the new technology called - Head on Generation technology, the power will be drawn from the Overhead Electric supply

Soon you may get your Amazon, Flipkart orders through Rapid Rail Transit System

• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is exploring options to facilitate freight movement in the region through the RRTS
• The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will have a total of 24 stations, including two depot-cum-stations at Duhai and Modipuram

Hotel sector to feel the heat of slowdown as tourist arrivals moderate

• The domestic slowdown has prompted most core sectors, facing falling sales and profits, to implement cost-cutting measures
• Data on foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) from the ministry of tourism has not been encouraging

Govt proposes to corporatise EPFO, ESIC; appointment of CEOs for first time

• Ministry of Labour & Employment has circulated a draft of the Code on Social Security, 2019 and sought stakeholder and public comments till 25 October
• At present, EPFO and ESIC work more like autonomous bodies run by trustees and board

Facebook’s new oversight board can overrule Zuckerberg

• The panel would have the final say on matters of what belongs on the social platform
• Facebook will also create a separate 'independent trust' that will act as a conduit for funding and ensure the oversight panel is not subject to influence from company executives

Saudi Arabia says oil attacks ‘unquestionably sponsored by Iran’

• Saudi says despite Iran’s effort to make it appear so, the attack did not originate from Yemen
• Iran has denied responsibility

Pre-approved personal loan: All you need to know

• Pre-approved loans are mostly unsecured, collateral-free short term loans
• Pre-approved loans are actually an ‘invitation to apply’ offers and hence are valid only for a certain period of time

Govt scraps import duty on open cell LED TV panel

• Panels make up over 60-70% of the cost of manufacturing LED TV sets
• The demand for TV in India has seen a slump amid consumer slowdown, more competition and increased GST on large TV sets

Watch: Astra missile successfully flight tested from Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet

• The Astra missile has a 15-kg high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead
• The Astra missile is a beyond visual range missile

Special CBI court defers hearing on bail plea of Shivakumar to Thursday

• Shivakumar was on Tuesday sent to a 14-day judicial custody till 1 October
• The sitting MLA from Kanakapura assembly seat is in ED custody since his arrest on 3 September

Amit Shah clarifies remark on 'Hindi' after backlash

Amit Shah’s clarification came days after he made the remark at an event. 'If some people want to do politics, it is their choice,' he said

How delay in EPFO interest payment impacts lakhs of subscribers

• Till the time interest is credited to the account, the amount will not get compound interest
• If a subscriber has ₹1 mn deposit in his EPF account, he or she will not get the benefit of compound interest of ₹86,500 for half a year

Federal Reserve injects liquidity into markets as key rate busts through cap

• The Fed dose of cash Wednesday follows a $53.2 billion liquidity injection Tuesday
• Although the US money-market interest rate remained elevated for a third straight day, it came back down to 2.8% early Wednesday even before the Fed accepted billions of dollars worth of Treasuries and other securities

Sri Lanka presidential poll on 16 November

• Nominations for presidential election will be accepted on 7 October
• Former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother Gotabhaya will run as an opposition candidate

Strategic sale of BEML, NMDC unit accelerates

• PMO directs concerned ministries to clear pending issues in a time-bound manner to carry out stake sale
• PMO also asks steel ministry to expeditiously respond to CCEA note and allocation of dedicated mine for NMDC steel unit

Government open to sell part of Air India to foreign airline: Report

• The government will also likely invite preliminary bids for the carrier by 10 October
• The government has moved about 300 billion rupees ($4.21 billion) of Air India's debt to a separate holding company

Gadia Lohar community living without any amenities in national capital

• The report says all Gadia Lohar settlements consist of highly inadequate structures, poor living conditions which are further exacerbated by frequent forced evictions by state agencies
• The community says they cannot avail benefits of various govt schemes since approximately 99% of the community does not have caste certificates

Medikabazaar offers 200 jobs to laid-off Zomato staff

• Zomato on September 7 said it has laid off 541 people across customer, merchant and delivery partner support teams
• According to Medikabazaar's Executive Vice-President Akash Rajpal, the company wants to ramp up its team by an additional 500 staff in various positions

Indian Bank board gives in-principle nod to merge Allahabad Bank with itself

• Indian Bank board also clears the proposed infusion of capital by the government up to Rs5,000 crore in the bank by way of preferential issue of shares
• After the amalgamation, the combined entity will have over 6,100 branches across the country and overseas presence in three countries

As London tops Mumbai in rupee trading, India looks to deepen local market

• Average daily volumes for rupee in the UK soared to $46.8 billion in April
• That is a more than fivefold jump from $8.8 billion in 2016

Tata Motors launches TACNet 2.0 to tap start-ups, tech firms

• TACNet will enable technology firms and start-ups in connecting with Tata Motors for such innovation and collaboration opportunities
• TACNet 2.0 will help develop a centre of automobility innovation through partnerships for new technologies and business models, the company said in a release

We wanted to make life easier for intercity travellers: Manish Rathi

The travellers also said inconsistent service levels, lack of security, and un-informed delays by operators further made them not want to opt for buses

Why pharmaceutical MNC stocks are beating their Indian peers hands down

• Pharma MNCs are riding on innovation and are operating in niche therapies where there is less competition
• US FDA inspections leading to cancellation of some drug launches in the US market has now impacted most Indian companies

INS Vikrant vandalised, looted at Cochin shipyard

• A hard disk and a multi function control processor were stolen and damaged inside Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-Vikrant
• Theft and vandalism a result of an internal matter and a possible insider job: Home ministry

To protest new MV Act, major transport strike announced in Delhi-NCR on 19 Sept

• Large number of auto rickshaws, taxis, Ola and Uber cabs are likely to remain off the roads in Delhi-NCR tomorrow
• Private school cabs will also join the transport strike; many schools in Delhi-NCR have issued advisory for parents