Suzlon gets a bad loan tag from Union Bank

• More banks with exposure to the wind turbine maker likely to follow suit
• Banks have to set aside 15% of their outstanding loans to a non-performing account as provisions

Aditya Puri’s exit may weigh on HDFC Bank stock

• Aditya Puri’s shoes are too big to fill, considering that he has steered HDFC Bank since the beginning
• Analysts believe that in the next few quarters too, loan growth could be moderate compared with the bank’s historic performance

Bank nationalization stands the test of time

• There’s no doubt that bank nationalization was necessary. But now PSBs must become more autonomous
• From the larger perspective of efficiency and better utilization of capital, it may be a good idea to move state-owned banks towards a more market-based framework

The growing threat of climate change in India

Extreme events that have an immediate impact and long-term effect of rising temperatures are endangering lives and crippling economic activity

Jet Airways’ stake in frequent flyer scheme key for potential bidders

• Lenders expect an attractive valuation for Jet Privilege, which has remained profitable despite the crisis at the airline
• Jet Privilege’s customer base has jumped from 7.3 million to 9 million in the past year

Bengaluru’s office developers now want a pan-India portfolio

• Well-funded firms with a strong multinational client or tenant base are eyeing assets in Mumbai, NCR and Pune
• Many office firms are exploring the joint development route by tying up with landowners and developers

Why bad loans are low under MUDRA scheme

• Non-performing assets expressed as a percentage of MUDRA loans were at 2.68% in 2018-19, up 16 basis points from 2.52% in the previous year
• As of 31 March, NPAs of bank loans to industry were at 17.5%. In the case of public sector banks, the figure was 23.6%

Horror is the new flavour of the season for Indian audiences

• Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao and Kartik Aaryan are dabbling in horror
• The success of Stree and Golmaal Again has opened up opportunities for the horror genre in the country

Piramal raises ₹1,500 crore from StanChart Bank through NCDs

• The money will be used to meet the group’s working capital needs and for future debt-related payment obligations
• According to Piramal Enterprises’ regulatory filings, in the past week, the company has made principal and coupon payments on outstanding debt worth around ₹1,700 crore

Coalition’s fate hangs in balance as Karnataka gears up for trust vote

• CM Kumaraswamy makes a last-ditch attempt to save coalition, asks rebel MLAs to return for floor test
• Troubles for Karnataka can continue even if BJP manages to form the next govt

'Stronger than ever': India set for fresh Moon launch attempt

• Chandrayaan-2 will be launched atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII
• Chandrayaan-2, and India's space programme as a whole, are a source of national pride in India

Govt looks to spend ₹5,000 cr on skilling unorganized workers

• The move is being seen in sync with the Union government’s tilt towards creating more beneficiaries
• The govt believes that unless the informal sector is targeted, the skills mission will not be successful

Railways seeks cabinet nod to build 3 freight corridors at ₹3 trillion

• New corridors will help railways meet growing demand for faster and efficient movement of freight
• Railways plans to complete 60-70% of work this fiscal and make them fully operational by 2021

IndiGo parent to raise board strength to 10

• At present, the company has six directors on the board, including co-founders Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal
• The decision to expand the board is apparently based on a demand from Rakesh Gangwal

Canada’s pension fund OMERS seeks new green energy deals

• Pension fund said to be scouting for acquisitions in India’s clean energy sector
• India’s emerging green economy is expected to grow over threefold to $250 bn by 2023-30

Goldman Sachs-backed Good Host Spaces aims for fourfold expansion

• Good Host Spaces aims for a fourfold expansion from the current 14,000 beds to 65,000 beds in the next 18 months
• The firm, which is co-owned by HDFC, plans to expand to tier-I and II cities

Ask members to amend laws that allow unilateral curbs, WTO told

• India seeks amendments in the domestic laws of countries that permit unilateral action on trade matters
• US has unilaterally hiked aluminium and steel tariffs on many countries including India

Imran Khan in US on three-day visit aimed at repairing damaged ties

• Imran Khan will sit down for his first face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Monday
• The visit comes against the immediate backdrop of Pakistan detaining several terrorist leaders including Hafiz Saeed

Investcorp closes maiden India PE fund at ₹1,000 cr

• HNIs in Gulf, besides local and foreign institutional investors, invested in the fund
• Investcorp entered India earlier this year, when it acquired the PE, realty unit of IDFC

Modi govt 2.0 sets sights on making India $5 trillion economy

• Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech, said in the current fiscal, India's economy will grow to become $3 trillion economy, sixth largest in world
• The government has taken several reformative steps in the last 50 days to boost the economy

India warns WTO’s appeals body may collapse

• The Appellate Body will be down to a single member from 11 December, when it becomes dysfunctional
• The US has repeatedly blocked the selection complaining the Appellate Body failed to follow rules in the Dispute Settlement Understanding

Apollo 11 original moonwalk tapes sell for $1.8 mn

• The tapes, 2 hours and 24 minutes long, includes Neil Armstrong’s famous declaration: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
• The sale marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing.

SmartE raises ₹100 cr from Japan’s Mitsui

• SmartE, which operates a fleet of over 1,000 electric rickshaws in Delhi-NCR, will use the funds to expand into new markets
• The five-year-old startup had raised $5 million in 2017 from Singapore’s Ecotransit Investments International Pte Ltd in a series A fundraise

Opinion | Save our heritage

It is in the national interest that buildings of historical value be preserved

IL&FS way: If you can't change the rating, change the agency

• The report noted that ICRA's decision was 'not agreeable' to then IFIN MD and CEO Ramesh Bawa
• The e-mail trail suggests that the key employees of IL&FS used to approach other rating agencies if they did not get the desired ratings, the audit report noted

GST Council to decide on tax cut on electric vehicles this week

• To push domestic manufacturing of e-vehicles, the Centre proposed to the Council to slash GST rates to 5%from 12%
• GST rate for petrol and diesel cars and hybrid vehicles is already at the highest bracket of 28% plus cess

Camel dung fuels cement production in northern UAE

• A blend of one part dung to nine parts coal burns steadily - essential for cement ovens that work continuously at up to 1,400 degrees Celsius
• Each camel produces some 8kg of faeces daily - far more than farmers use as fertiliser

Spooked by super-rich tax, FPIs withdraw ₹7,712 cr from stocks in July so far

• FPIs had been net investors in the equity segment in the previous five months
• FPIs have been on a selling spree ever since government proposed 'super-rich' tax in its budget

With moist eyes, Delhi bids adieu to Sheila Dikshit with state honours

• Congress workers and admirers braved heavy rains and gusty winds to bid her final farewell
• Top Congress leaders, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were present at the funeral

TikTok owner to set up data centres in India

• The move would be in line with the Indian government’s efforts towards data localisation for user data gathered from India by various companies
• The company also said that it has so far been storing Indian users’ data in third party servers located in the United States (US) and Singapore

'Avengers: Endgame' set to become highest-grossing film of all time

• The smash hit was just $500,000 behind the decade-old $2,789.7 million record set by James Cameron's "Avatar" as of Friday, and will close the gap this weekend
• Both films are now owned by Disney following its takeover of 21st Century Fox

Facebook has no choice but to topple TikTok in India

• Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are facing strong competition from TikTok in the country
• TikTok is swiftly scaling its ecosystem to ringfence its users with 'mini programmes' and, perhaps, a smartphone with pre-installed apps in China

Airtel to seek shareholders' nod for waiver of recovery of excess pay to Mittal

• Mittal's remuneration in 2018-19 was Rs21.19 crore more than the ceiling of 11% of the company's net profit
• Airtel to also seek shareholders nod to fix and regularise minimum pay for Mittal and CEO Gopal Vittal

Why there’s a startup inside a big business

• Through intrapreneur programmes, companies are encouraging employees to come up with innovative business plans and build new verticals and revenue streams
• Intrapreneurial programmes help employees convert ideas into marketable solutions and keep companies relevant and innovative

How lessons from the field work in the office

• Ithaka’s Rahul Singh says the sport has improved his confidence and work life
• Cricket is one of the few sports where strong leadership on the field has a massive impact on the game

Bandhan Bank’s Q1 show impresses, promoter stake rule weighs on stock

• It is a tough road and the stock is already paying a price, having fallen since the beginning of the year
• Investors didn’t show Bandhan Bank any love after a strong performance in the June quarter (Q1) either

World Bank withdrew from Amaravati due to rampant corruption, say AP officials

• The then TDP government had invited tenders for infrastructure development even before the World Bank loan details were finalized, said an official with the state government, requesting anonymity
• According to the official, the team found numerous irregularities

Chandrayaan-2 to perform 15 maneuvers, countdown begins Sunday evening

• It will be the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface
• Technical snags that developed in the first attempt have been rectified, says ISRO chairman

Strait of Hormuz - the world's most important oil artery

• The strait lies between Oman and Iran
• The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building pipelines

Watch | Harry Kane scores stoppage time winner from half-way to beat Juventus

• Tottenham Hotspur beat Juventus 3-2 in a pre-season friendly in Singapore
• What must have provided additional satisfaction to Kane was the fact that he scored against former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny

Reliance mobile operator Jio to focus on subscriber numbers not tariffs

• Jio recently topped Bharti Airtel to become India's second-biggest telecoms operator behind Vodafone Idea
• Since its launch in September 2016 Jio has added 331.3 million subscribers by offering cut-price data plans and free voice calls

Kumar Mangalam Birla's FY19 remuneration from UltraTech fell 19% to ₹15.5 cr

• Birla, 52, had received an annual salary of ₹19.13 crore in FY 2017-18
• Since the last two years, Birla's remuneration is on a decline

Centre proposes 'Metrolite' train for small cities

• The 'Metrolite' system will have a dedicated path separating the road traffic with it
• The three-coach train will have capacity of carrying 300 passengers

Government tells Air India to freeze all appointments, promotions

• The direction has come from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management or DIPAM
• The reconstituted GoM headed by Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to meet in the next few weeks to take decisions pertaining to Air India's privatization

Yeddyurappa confident Monday will be last day of Kumaraswamy-led govt in K'taka

• Yeddyurappa was referring to the trouble the JD(S)-Congress coalition government has landed in
• Yeddyurappa alleged the ruling coalition was unnecessarily buying time despite knowing that whip issued to the ruling coalition MLAs was of no use