India Inc’s Q3 numbers miss expectations, signal slow recovery ahead

• Net sales of Nifty 50 firms fell 2% in Q3, the second straight quarter of decline
• Automakers were hit particularly on account of low volumes due to the BS-VI transition

Deutsche Bank boosts loans to cash-strapped tycoons in India

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Apollo Global Management Inc. are among the other global firms to have spotted similar opportunities in India’s bad-debt woes

Why India’s states are antsy about money

• How much money gets spent by the Centre and each state just got decided. Here’s how and why it matters to you
• If the less-than-expected tax buoyancy continues, states will feel more anxious, especially with GST having the unintended effect of creating a new Centre-state fault line

Donald Trump visit highlight to be $2.6 billion deal for Seahawk helicopters

• Trump and Modi are to address a public meeting at Motera stadium—billed to be the world’s largest cricket stadium
• The defence deal is likely to be the highlight of the visit given that a limited trade deal the two sides were looking to clinch is not expected to happen

Market LIVE: Sensex, Nifty flat amid lack of triggers; IndusInd Bank, ONGC up

• Indian equity markets opened on a cautious note tracking tepid cues from global markets
• After dropping over 100 points in opening session, Sensex traded flat at 41,327, Nifty was at 12,132

How India’s top local streamer is battling Netflix and Disney's Hotstar

• Zee5, the top domestic streaming platform set up by India’s biggest television broadcaster, is betting on local content
• There are 22 official languages in India, creating a broad battlefield for niche audiences.

DoT gets right to bar Chinese firms from govt telecom tenders

• The move is set to hit Chinese telecom equipment suppliers such as Huawei, ZTE and UTStarcom
• The US has also pressed its allies to ban companies such as Huawei from participating in 5G networks

Coronavirus LIVE: IAF flight for evacuation delayed, Job offers in Asia delayed

• More than 620 of the passengers on the Diamond Princess liner have been infected on the ship
• China’s banks lowered the benchmark borrowing costs for loans as Beijing seeks to blunt the economic impact of the outbreak

Android 11 is live, here are the interesting features so far

• This is the first time the first developer preview has been made public before March
• Android 11 brings new features but doesn’t change the user interface for operating system

Gold prices today hit record highs for third day in a row, silver rates jump

• The investment demand for gold continues to grow
• Silver rates also moved higher today

Indian cleaner in Dubai steals watches worth $2 million

• The 26-year-old cleaner, who is currently detained, is accused of stealing the valuables from a watch and jewellery shop where he worked
• Two Pakistani men (cousins), aged 44 and 25, both fugitives, were also on trial in absentia for possession of the stolen watches

India 'bigger problem' than China on reducing carbon emissions: Mike Bloomberg

• Bloomberg said it was 'ridiculous' of the Trump administration to take the US out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement
• He was asked about his business which is heavily invested in China, the number one producer of carbon emissions in the world

Shooting down the ceiling - women in the army

Women now have permanent commission in the Indian Army but remain a long way from equal representation in the armed forces, suggests data

Anand Vihar railway station gets new facilities

• Anand Vihar railway station now has a massage kiosk as well as a new waiting lounge for train passengers
• The Railways has also started two new shops inside the station

DMRC extends e-rickshaw services to 12 more metro stations

• With this addition, the number of e-rickshaws has gone beyond 1,000 covering 29 metro stations
• The fares of these e-rickshaws have been kept very nominal at a base price of ₹10 for the first 2-km

India's 'first 5G smartphone' likely to cost ₹50,000

• A leading website, which compares mobile phones, estimates that the price of 5G smartphone handset with a lower chipset version could be available at ₹25,790 per unit
• iQOO 3, a new smartphone brand from China, is also likely to announce its 5G phone on February 25

GST paid on life, health cover premiums are eligible for tax deduction benefits

• When you pay a premium for a life or health policy, you also have to pay GST, which effectively increases the overall premium
• You have to pay GST at the rate of 18% on health insurance policies

Stocks to Watch: Vodafone Idea, Asian Paints, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank, GAIL

• Brickwork Ratings has downgraded its rating for Vodafone Idea's NCDs worth ₹2,500 crore from BWR BBB- to BWR BB-
• Asian Paints board will meet on 25 February to consider and approve payment of second interim dividend FY20

IndiGo offers flight tickets from ₹999 in sale

• IndiGo's ₹999 flight ticket offer is valid till 23 February
• IndiGo's cheapest fare starts at ₹3,499 for international travel

Mint50: Hand-picked mutual funds to build your portfolio

Mint50, a curated basket of investment-worthy funds, is the result of an exhaustive exercise that blends in various parameters with the aim of getting you the best combination of risk and returns

Xiaomi may launch smart masks that collect real-time data of air you breathe

• The sensor would record data such as total wearing time, pollution absorption, breathing volume and breath counts
• There is also a built-in battery that powers the standard air filter

Swiggy raises $112 million in fresh round led by Naspers

• South African internet firm will own up to a 40.56% stake, Meituan 6.35%, and Hadley Harbour 1.09%
• This investment is part of Swiggy’s plan to raise up to $1 billion for its food delivery and cloud kitchen businesses

Centre weighs new green energy board to calm investors’ nerves

• Formed along the lines of FIPB, the proposed REIPFB will address issues faced by the renewables sector
• Govt is concerned its clean energy trajectory may be hit with banks wary of lending

Google users in UK said to lose EU data protection over Brexit

• Google intends to require its British users to acknowledge new terms of service including the new jurisdiction
• Ireland, where Google and other US tech companies have their European headquarters, is staying in the EU,

Kashi Mahakal Express: Commercial run begins today, detail of tour package here

• Kashi Mahakal Express will have an advance reservation period of 120 days
• Kashi Mahakal Express will provide a host of facilities and services to the passengers on-board

Four 5-star hotels in Mumbai receive bomb threat

• Four five-star hotels in Mumbai have received a bomb threat over e-mail, Mumbai Police said
• The sender of the email claimed to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba, police said

TikTok a preferred choice for brands, says India head Nikhil Gandhi

• ‘Short-form ads drive disruption and are arguably the most common form of advertising we are involved with.’
• TikTok allows brands to effectively connect with audiences across the length and breadth of the country, in an interesting format

Five health insurance terms you must know before buying policy

• Duration of waiting period varies from insurer to insurer
• Some policies come with co-payment clause

Petrol, diesel prices likely to rise once again. Check today's rates

• Petrol prices have touched a new 5-month low
• Petrol and diesel rates could rise this week as crude oil prices spike

Twenty feared dead as bus collides with truck in Tamil Nadu

• Preliminary reports indicate the container lorry was on the wrong side of the road.
• Most of the casualties were natives of Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulum

Larry Tesler, inventor of 'cut, copy and paste' command dies

• Larry Tesler spent 17 years at Apple, rising to chief scientist
• The cut and paste command was reportedly inspired by old time editing

Set realistic financial targets and build goal-oriented portfolios to reach them

On the first count, you need to remember to account for inflation. In 15 years, the cost of educating a child abroad is likely to be more than ₹1 crore, for instance

Shubham Housing to raise ₹1,000 crore

• Fundraise will see three PE firms dilute or sell their entire stake
• Shubham Housing is looking to raise about ₹700 cr worth of primary capital for business expansion

HUL to list ice cream pushcarts on Swiggy

• The move is HUL’s attempt to capitalize on India’s online food ordering ecosystem
• HUL will list more pushcarts and shops that stock its popular ice cream brands on Swiggy ahead of peak summer

SC mediators reach out to Shaheen Bagh protesters

• Interlocutors ask agitators to shift venue of sit-in protest against citizenship legislation
• Mediators assure the Shaheen Bagh agitators that SC acknowledges their right to protest

India to switch to world's cleanest petrol, diesel from April 1

• State-owned oil refineries spent about ₹35,000 crore to upgrade plants that could produce ultra-low sulphur fuel
• This investment is on top of ₹60,000 crore they spent on refinery upgrades in the previous switchovers.

Donald Trump to be treated to India's rich cultural heritage in Ahmedabad

• Prime Minister Modi would host a lunch for the US president following the talks
• In Ahmedabad, Donald Trump will address the 'Namaste Trump' event jointly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the newly built Motera cricket stadium.

Renault and Nissan to maintain their alliance in India: Fabrice Cambolive

• Renault to work towards an affordable electric vehicle by 2022 in India
• In 2020, Both Renault and Nissan are expected to launch a compact SUV based on a common platform

Britain's new visa system: How many points do you need?

The British govt has outlined a new visa system to manage the flow of workers into the country. Here are details of the points-based system which will be applied from 1 January 2021

DoT still working on final calculation of pending AGR dues

• Telecom operators have been submitting two separate audited details of deduction towards interconnection usage charges and roaming fee to the DoT
• The apex court on 14 February came down heavily on the telecom department for not taking steps to recover statutory dues

PM Modi makes surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath; relishes 'litti-chokha'

• The prime minister, along with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, took a round of the 'Hunar Haat' and stopped at several stalls to interact with master craftsmen and artisans
• The 'Hunar Haat' is based on the theme of 'Kaushal Ko Kaam' and will be held till 23 February

Mutual funds that can replace your traditional investments

• Different mutual fund categories can serve various short- and long-term needs
• Before switching from traditional instruments to certain mutual fund categories, consider their suitability

Entertainment firms use print ecosystem to woo audiences

• India’s entertainment companies allocate as much as 40% of their advertising budget to print
• When Gaana had reached 100 million users, it looked at newspapers as the primary advertising medium to convey the message and hosted an extensive 44-city plan

India buys drones, specialist equipment to avert new locust attack

• Locust swarms can fly up to 150 km (90 miles) a day with the wind, and adult insects can consume roughly their own weight in fresh food per day.
• The last major surge was in 1993, when heavy rains created favourable breeding conditions for locusts along the India-Pakistan border

How BR Shetty went from billionaire to bust

• Muddy Waters has hinted at potential overpayment for assets, inflated cash balances and understated debt
• Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty pledged 25% of his NMC stake against loans with First Abu Dhabi Bank and Falcon Private Bank

'Unity in Diversity': The theme of Donald Trump-Narendra Modi roadshow

• Trump's official visit will begin at 12.30 p.m. when he will land at the Ahmedabad airport
• After inspecting the guard of honour by the three services at the airport, Trump will join Modi in the roadshow at 1 pm

Two RBI moves that work for borrowers

• CRR waiver will benefit new borrowers as well as those on MCLR
• Introduction of long-term repo operations will reduce rates for those having MCLR-linked loans

Ram Mandir construction to be completed in next 3 years, says Trust

• The Trust also formed a new committee under the chairmanship of retired bureaucrat Nripendra Mishra to supervise the construction-related work of the temple
• A senior member of the Trust said that a company will be formed and more formalities will be completed by the committee chaired by Mishra

Amazon questions CCI jurisdiction on probe

• All parties have at least eight weeks to file their appeal and objections
• The court has concurred with arguments presented by Amazon and Flipkart citing telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited case

Govt doesn’t recognize there is a slowdown, says Manmohan Singh

• If we don’t recognize the problem, we will not likely find credible answers to take corrective action, said Singh
• The former prime minister said Ahluwalia has pointed out in his book that the $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 is wishful thinking

Shri Ramayana Express to run from 28 March : IRCTC

• The special train-- Shri Ramayana Express -- will have ten coaches which include five sleeper class non-AC coaches and five AC 3 tier coaches
• In a 16 nights -17 days tour, passengers will be visiting the tourists places associated with Lord Ram also known as the 'Ramayana Circuit of India