Medanta-Manipal deal likely to have fallen through

• According to sources, Manipal could not secure the finances to close the deal
• Manipal owns 10 multi-speciality hospitals, five teaching hospitals and several fertility clinics

IPOs likely to dry up as uncertainty rules Indian equity market

• Only 11 companies have gone public so far this year
• The number of IPOs more than halved in the first six months of 2019

Kashmir inches towards normalcy, phone lines made operational

• The Centre on Friday announced that landline services would be resumed in the region by Sunday, while schools are expected to reopen on Monday
• Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary (Planning Commission) Rohit Kansal said, 'There has been no untoward incident reported so far'

India thwarts lobbying by China, Pakistan at UN Security Council

• Ahead of the UNSC meeting, the thinking was that India would have the support of key members
• What critically strengthened the view in favour of India within the UNSC were the steps announced earlier in the day to restore normalcy in Kashmir

BJP to make Article 370 poll plank in state polls due this year

• The first glimpse of the plan was visible on Friday in Jind, Haryana, where BJP president Amit Shah had gone to launch the election campaign
• Assembly elections are likely to take place in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand later this year

Why gold prices may remain overvalued in relation to oil for long

• The two key commodities -- oil and gold -- demand are taken generally taken into account to understand vivid economic scenarios
• Both gold and silver exchange traded funds (ETFs) have entered a sustained period of accumulation

M&M sets up first car assembly plant in Sri Lanka with Ideal Motors

• The Indian carmaker has set up a joint venture with Ideal Motors, its dealer partner in Sri Lanka for 10 years
• The 65:35 JV between Ideal Motors and M&M is christened Mahindra Ideal Lanka Private Limited, which will operate the assembly plant at Welipenna, about 60 km from Colombo

Ontario Teachers joins Canadian pension funds

• This marks the pension fund joining the marquee names such as CPPIB and CDPQ
• This comes in the backdrop of Canadian pension funds being uniquely positioned to invest directly into the infrastructure space

Trai starts consultation for bigger play by infrastructure providers

• Infrastructure creation by standalone companies, who do not directly compete with telecom operators, needs to be promoted, Trai has suggested
• At present, passive infrastructure can be created and shared by infrastructure providers category-I (IP-I) as well as telecom operators

Amit Shah approves Cabinet expansion in Karnataka

• Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa met BJP national president Amit Shah in Delhi on Saturday
• The expansion will take place in Bengaluru on Tuesday

India, Bhutan deepen trade ties

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 720-MW Mangdechhu hydropower project during his two-day visit to Bhutan
• It underlined the NDA's 'neighbourhood first' policy, as well as India’s 'special relationship' with the strategically located country

Govt raises limit for raising funds without diluting voting rights

• Promotors can retain control even as they raise capital from global investors
• The changes are expected to benefit India Inc., particularly startups, which will be able to attract more capital, but without ceding control

Two RCom promoters pledge additional 11.5% stake

• Reliance Communications Enterprises and Reliance Telecom Infrainvest have pledged about 11.51% of their holding in RCom
• Around 31.82 crore shares were pledged in favour of Axis Trustee Services acting as security/debenture trustee

Sebi imposes restrictions on mutual fund investments in short-term bank deposits

• Sebi has issued a clarification regarding 'parking of funds in short-term deposits of scheduled commercial banks by mutual funds -- pending deployment'
• As per regulations, a mutual fund may invest funds in short-term deposits of schedule commercial banks, subject to certain conditions

India’s export basket skews towards services, pulls down trade deficit

• The performance of the services sector is getting reflected in other economic barometers too
• Latest official trade data released on Wednesday showed how export of services is growing at a robust pace

Car makers line up festive season launches to draw buyers

• Maruti Suzuki will launch its new multi-utility vehicle XL 6, to be sold from the Nexa chain of dealerships
• Hyundai will launch its hatchback Grand I 10 Nios next week and this will be the third launch of the company in the current calendar year

PIL in Delhi HC on different minimum marrying age for men, women

• The petitioner claims that more than 125 countries in the world have a uniform age of marriage for men and women
• The petitioner calls the distinction 'unscientific' and a patriarchal stereotype

Standard Chartered faces fine for sanctions breaches

• Britain's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation is looking to impose a penalty of over $12 million on the bank
• The bank agreed in April to pay $1.1 billion to US and British authorities for conducting illegal financial transactions that violated sanctions against Iran and others

Signs of recession worry Donald Trump ahead of 2020

• The financial markets signalled the possibility of a US recession this week, sending a jolt of anxiety to investors, firms and consumers
• Us President Donald Trump has taken to blaming others for the recession fears, mostly the Federal Reserve, which he is pushing for further interest rate cuts

Gold ETFs: Investors bet big on the safe haven asset

• According to data from the World Gold Council (WGC), globally investors poured about $2.6 billion into gold-backed ETFs in July
• The Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are simple investment products that combine the flexibility of stock investment and the simplicity of gold investments

Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal can retain excess salary after shareholders nod

• Over 88% of shareholders at the annual general meeting (AGM) held on August 14 voted in favour of the special resolution
• In July, the company had informed that Mittal's remuneration in 2018-19 was ₹21.19 crore more than prescribed limits under the Companies Act

NCLAT orders liquidation of Amtek Auto

• Amtek Auto was among the first list of the 12 companies that were referred by the RBI in 2017 to respective banks for the initiation of insolvency process for default
• The NCLAT also said there was no extraordinary situation in the resolution process of Amtek Auto to exclude the 90-day period

Ravi Shastri reappointed head coach of Indian team

• India have won 13 out of 21 Tests, 43 out of 60 ODIs and 25 T20 Internationals out of 36 on his watch
• Since he came back in July, 2017 replacing Anil Kumble, whose differences with Kohli came out in the open, Shastri's coaching record has been phenomenal

Flat buyers get status of financial creditor. How it impacts you

• The Supreme Court has upheld the ability of homebuyers to take real estate developers into bankruptcy proceedings
• Homebuyers now share equal rights of recovery in the developer’s assets

H&M unveils ad campaign with Bollywood actors to promote Myntra launch

• H&M's flagship affordable clothing brand H&M crossed ₹1,100 crore in sales, three years after entering the India market
• With the H&M launch on Myntra, the brand strengthens its omnichannel strategy by being available in 42 physical stores, hm.com and Myntra

The dreamlife of Bombay

• Gitanjali Rao’s animated feature, ‘Bombay Rose’, opens Venice Critics’ Week
• It's a rare Indian animated film that's painted frame-by-frame and not aimed at children

Martin Margiela’s iconic designs to go under the hammer

• Martin Margiela’s imaginative designs from a privately curated collection are set be auctioned in an online auction by Sotheby’s
• The designer often incorporated found objects in his designs, such as a vest made from old playing cards, which highlight his singular creativity

Apple Watch Series 5 to use OLED display

• Apple Watch 5 is also rumoured to come with sleep tracking, a larger battery and more health features
• In addition, Apple iPhone 11 would reportedly come with the same OLED displays used for Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Note 10

'Sacred Games 2' memes take over social media

• In 'Sacred Games 2', actors Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddqui reprise their roles as Inspector Sartaj Singh and Ganesh Gaitonde
• Those disappointed with the 2nd season of the series went on to express the feeling with images of old and torn clothes, broken cars, and stills from 'Games Of Thrones'

‘Mission Mangal’ grows on day two, ‘Batla House’ sustains

• Trade website Box Office India said there was only a 40% drop in the collections of Mission Mangal on the second day
• Batla House is trailing behind the trajectory of Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate that released last Independence Day

Rajnath Singh sparks debate on no-first-use nuclear doctrine

• ‘Future adherence’ comment comes amid heightened tensions with Pakistan
• BJP’s manifesto in 2014 said it would ’revise, update India’s nuclear doctrine’. But the 2019 one made no mention of this

Old places provide people with a sense of belonging: Tom Mayes

Tom Mayes, chief legal officer and general counsel at the US-based National Trust for Historic Preservation, in an interview with Mint, talks about the impact of new constructions on the environment and mental health, and the importance of preserving historic homes and studios

Drug ingredients to ship with QR codes

• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued a draft notification mandating the same
• India’s drug regulatory authority also proposes to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Rules, 1945 to implement the newly proposed system

‘Selling shiny stones wasn’t going to do it for me’

• In his new book, Suketu Mehta takes a sharp look at the story of migration the world over
• In an interview in New York City, Mehta says people are moving like never before because the rich countries stole the future of the poor countries through colonialism, war, inequality and climate change

Harsh Goenka: The creative leader

• The chairman of RPG Enterprises opens up to Mint about his left-leaning youth, his social media handles, and the need for happiness at the workplace
• 'We don’t want to be the largest group in the country—that’s a by-product—but we want to make it the most exciting place to work,' says Goenka

Jio Fiber broadband plans: How to apply, installation charges, other details

• Reliance Jio has begun accepting registrations for Jio Fiber broadband service on its website
• During the initial rollout phase of the broadband service, installation is free

Latest FD rates: SBI vs ICICI Bank vs HDFC Bank vs Axis Bank vs Kotak Bank

• Fixed deposits (FDs) are considered among the safest means of investment
• Compare the interest rate offered by different banks on FDs

NEFT money transfer round-the-clock from December. How it is differs from IMPS

• RBI has decided to make NEFT service available on a 24x7 basis from Dec 2019
• The NEFT payment system so far is available for customers from 8 AM to 7 PM on all working days, except banking holidays

From insurance to retirement - How government schemes can help

A little bit of education and hand-holding can go a long way in ensuring they and their families are secured during tough times

Happy new years

• 17 August is Parsi New Year but it is only one of three
• Lounge explores the story through three calendars and millennia of history

Stop terror to start talks: India to Pakistan after UNSC meeting on Article 370

• The outcome of the UNSC meeting will not be a formal pronouncement as the consultations are informal in nature
• India and Pakistan did not attend the meeting, which was open only to the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members

Film review: ‘Mission Mangal’ orbits its own source material

• This Akshay Kumar-starrer is based on the Mars Orbiter Mission programme
• The film plays up Indian ingenuity without making a convincing case for it

Top 15 banks that offer the lowest home loan rates

A home loan is among the cheapest loans available, and most often, it is the only way a person can buy a house

Financial results for June quarter not yet prepared: Jet Airways’ RP

• The affairs of Jet Airways are now being managed by resolution professional Ashish Chhawchharia under the insolvency law
• Chhawchharia said prior to the commencement of the resolution process, directors, CEO, CFO, company secretary and other top management personnel had resigned from the company