Cognizant used L&T to bribe govt officials in India

• Cognizant routed $3.64 million through L&T for bribes to officials in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
• Coburn resigned after the firm told US officials that some payments made in India could have breached the law

Adani, GMR bid for 6 non-metro airports listed for privatization

• The Airports Authority of India received a total of 32 bids in the latest round of airport privatization
• Crisil had said that it expects the development of these six airports to attract potential investments worth $1.4 billion

Malvinder accuses spiritual guru of siphoning off funds

• Documents show that Singh reached out to Babaji, as Dhillon is called, to “resolve” financial matters
• The emails show that the Singh brothers had given financial advances to the guru

Terrorism, energy pact on India’s agenda during Saudi prince visit

• India will be looking for some ‘strong language’ on terrorism in the joint statement with Saudi Arabia
• New Delhi has also been hoping for investment from Saudi Arabia in its National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

India’s goal of ending TB by 2025 will be a tough task, says Global Fund 

• India has shown remarkable leadership in acknowledging that there is a big problem with TB
• India is critically important to the global fight against diseases, but particularly TB

Paytm sees its losses surging in 2019-20

• Paytm’s growing losses have been attributed to the parent’s emphasis on expansion to take on rivals in the e-comm space
• Paytm expects its loss to surge to around ₹2,100 crore for the year ending 31 March 2020

Saarc nations may not agree on India’s efforts to isolate Pakistan

•  It is unlikely that India will be able to convince all the members to take action against Pakistan
• Pakistan was temporarily suspended in 2007 from the membership of the Commonwealth grouping

Why blockchain has caught the fancy of IIT-B

• Blockchain is no longer just about cryptocurrencies. It is being used by healthcare, electricity firms, and others 
• IIT-B is already piloting a blockchain solution christened

Goldman Sachs unit set to lead $60 million funding in Dailyhunt

• In recent months, Indian content startups have faced stiff competition from well-funded Chinese firms

• There is a huge potential for adoption of social media via mobile

Airlines escape crash landing in Oct-Dec, clearer skies ahead

• Carriers post better than expected performance despite costlier fuel and a fall in passenger load factors
• Improving pricing at a time when load factors have dropped suggests that the quality of air traffic has improved

We’re very upbeat on Indian venture space: Mirae Asset

• We do not see growth capital funds as competitors, but as collaborators, says Mirae’s Ashish Dave

•  It’s not about less competition, but growth capital is a critical element in any venture ecosystem

Mid-cap IT stocks feel the heat as investors do a reality check

• Headwinds emanating from a slowdown in the US, trade wars and uncertainty concerning Brexit other key issues
• Only a few mid-tier IT companies have been consistent in performance, leaving investors in the lurch

Security cover for separatists revoked

• Other govt facilities to Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi and Shabir Shah also withdrawn
• Home ministry and CRPF issue advisory to state governments to protect people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially students

The fallout of price discounting is bad news for all stakeholders

• Brick-and-mortar relied on imperfect, or limited, information, but a positive shopping experience

• Online retailing can only compete on pricing, hoping to generate brand loyalty from consumers for whom loyalty is a secondary consideration

BJP likely to announce tie-up with Shiv Sena today

• BJP president Amit Shah is in Mumbai and is likely to announce the tie-up along with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
• The Lok Sabha elections might see the BJP contesting 25 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, while the Sena will contest the rest

Solving enterprise problems using Cloud and IoT

• RateGain uses AI and machine learning to provide real-time intelligence and self-learning recommendations
• We profile two enterprise tech startups that are using software as a service

Opinion: What industry 4.0 means for corporation

Robotics, AI can enable customer services 24x7 from govt agencies

Opinion | The seductive illusion of hard work

• Hard work has always been romanticized but never as much as it is nowadays
• Hard work and success are most certainly correlated but people are misguided if they think hard work alone can lead to success

Opinion | Airlines’ refund policy is all but guest-friendly

At a time when the government is subsidizing flights to help the common man fly, a parallel system that makes cancellation and rescheduling a revenue-earning tool should be nixed

RPA is about taking robot out of humans: Daniel Dines

• In RPA, software robots mimic and integrate human actions within digital systems to optimize business processes 
• A process would need lesser people to handle when RPA is applied. But it does not automatically render workers jobless

Nestlé India serves up a profit miss as selling expenses mount in Q3

• Sales have been particularly strong in prepared dishes, beverages, chocolates and milk products
• The pleasant news is that the company’s revenue growth continues to be in double digits

Co-working to co-living, millennials share it all

• To avoid nosy landlords, errant maids and housework, millennials prefer co-living rather than renting
• Not being fixated on permanent roommates helps people to learn new things and can be great for introverts 

GST compliance: Govt plans to go easy on businesses till polls

• Easing anti-evasion measures comes in the backdrop of lower indirect tax mop up in the current fiscal
• Experts said it was only a matter of time before central and state authorities went on a drive against tax evasion

Opinion | Why India needs to be wary of China-style social credit ratings

We should build our own alternative solutions to the real problems such social credit systems solve

India Cements: Price revival brings little cheer

• At the end of the December quarter, gross debt was ₹3,540 crore, up from ₹3,100 crore in the year-ago period
• The company’s intent to create capacity over paring debt is discomforting to analysts

Nissan panel to recommend outside director to chair board - Nikkei

• Under Nissan's current corporate charter, the position of board chair is automatically appointed to head the company board
• Former Chairman Carlos Ghosn had filled both roles prior to his arrest in November for under-reporting his salary for eight years

Flagging growth dulls Page Industries’ valuations post-December quarter results

• The company did not specify how much of an impact the accounting change had on its revenue
• The first signs of trouble emerged last year when the company said its volume growth came to a standstill (down 0.1%) in Q2

Saudi crown prince begins Asia tour with $20 billon Pakistan investment pledge

• Islamabad has shown appreciation by treating Prince Mohammed's trip as the biggest state visit since Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015

• The tour is seen as a attempt by the crown prince to rebuild his reputation after the murder of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi

‘Pulwama attack is a very careful testing of PM’s will ahead of polls’

• The Pulwama attack signals that the JeM is back in business in Kashmir
• If Modi responds with a Uri-like response, or something else, Pakistan has the next move

Actis drops its plan to buy Essel Infra’s solar assets

• Debt-laden Essel Infraprojects now in talks with ACME Solar for sale of these assets
• Due to the confidentiality pacts, the firm cannot comment on any details, said Essel Infra spokesperson

China tunnels into India’s idea of Kashmir

• In the great game, the Belt and Road threatens to turn Pakistan’s occupation of part of Kashmir into a fait accompli
• The BRI goes through the disputed areas of Gilgit and Baltistan in PoK and therefore ignores Indian core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity

‘Make in India’ has not eased manufacturing woes

• Despite its ambitious targets, NDA’s ‘Make in India’ has failed to improve investment, employment, and exports in India’s manufacturing sector
• One area where this government has fared relatively better has been in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country

A royal split soon for princes William, Harry

• William, Harry are seeking a more independent path from each other in terms of their charity work and royal duties
• A formal separation of their staff may also help ease some recently-reported tensions between the brothers and their wives

'Rahul Gandhi insulted India's intelligence and hardworking railway engineers'

• In a Facebook post Sunday, Goyal further said Gandhi has 'insulted' India's intelligence

• As the prime minister said it only painted coaches and tightened screws during the period, Goyal said

JNPT development works will generate 1.25 lakh jobs: Nitin Gadkari

• Gadkari was speaking at an event organised by JNPT in which he laid the foundation stone for a free trade warehouse zone

• Gadkari further said development of various projects undertaken by JNPT will also generate employment for nearly 1.25 lakh people

Classical music, happy hormones make for healthy milk

• With the current milk capacity being 4,000 litres, Happy Milk aims to take the capacity to 10,000 litres in the next two years
• Growing awareness about what one is eating and the readiness to spend on organic products is connecting people a lot more to the environment

Paramilitary convoy movement by road in J&K to continue: MHA

• The statement came after 40 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on Thursday 
• Reports appeared in a section of the media that air transit facility in the Jammu- Srinagar sector for CRPF troops has not been allowed

Banks expect liquidity to remain tight in Q4: survey

• The liquidity scenario remained in deficit in the third quarter of 2018-19, the survey shows
• Banks suggest that the RBI should continue open market operation purchases for remaining period of the fiscal year

Theresa May to speak to every EU head in bid for Brexit deal changes

• May has told EU leaders she could pass her deal with concessions primarily around the backstop
• A defeat in a symbolic vote in parliament on Thursday has weakened her pledge

Cement, fruit shipments from Pakistan among 10 most hit imports after duty hike

• Domestic importers who have already placed their orders from Pakistan may face issues after this decision
• The two main items imported from Pakistan are fruits and cement, which attracted customs duty of 30-50 % and 7.5%, respectively

How tech giants are safeguarding your data at their mammoth facilities

• Google has built custom servers exclusively for its data centres, never selling or distributing them externally
• While you work, the big tech companies automatically back up critical data

Jobless growth turning into job-loss growth: Manmohan Singh

• Singh blamed the "slipshod" implementation of the GST for damaging the vibrant small and unorganised sector
• The renowned economist said farmers' suicide and frequent agitations reflected the "structural imbalances in our economy"

Reliance Group reaches standstill pact with lenders, no sale of shares till Sept

• Under the pact, the group will pay the principal and interest amounts to the lenders as per the scheduled due dates
• Some of the key lenders include Templeton MF, DHFL Pramerica MF, Indiabulls MF, IndusInd Bank and Yes Bank

15 lakh salaried employees with PF a/c's stuck with IL&FS bonds

• At the cutting edge of the ever burgeoning IL&FS crisis, these employees are exposed to toxic investments
• As many as 15 lakh salaried employees are caught in this ticking time bomb and the number is only likely to go up

High-level panel for reverting to older system of auctioning oil blocks

• The move to revenue sharing was contrary to most of the industry players being against the new regime

• India has 26 sedimentary basins measuring 3.14 million square kilometers

Malvinder files complaint against Shivinder, alleges cheating

• The other people who are named in the complaint include Gurkirat Singh Dhillon and Gurpreet Singh Dillon
• Malvinder Singh alleged that Gurinder Singh Dhillon or Baba through his lawyer Ferida Chopra has threatened to kill him

India hunting for mastermind of Pulwama terror attack on CRPF convoy

• The Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack on Indian security forces in decades

• India has demanded Pakistan close down the Jaish and other Islamist militant groups that operate from its soil

Jet Airways likely to get over ₹3,000 crore funds

• Etihad, which currently owns 24% in the full service carrier, is a strategic partner and is expected to pump in around ₹1,400 crore

• In the three months ended December 2018, Jet Airways reported a consolidated net loss of ₹732 crore

Govt eases green clearance norms for captive power plants

• The exemption to industries having potential for heat recovery has been given to promote energy conservation
• This exemption was so far given to thermal power plants using waste heat boilers without any auxiliary fuel

Prince Salman's India visit historic opportunity to strengthen ties: Saudi envoy

• Cooperation in counter-terrorism is likely to figure high on the agenda of his talks
• Prince Salman has embarked on a four-country Asian tour that besides India, also includes Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia

Gold imports dip 5% during April-January to $26.93 billion

•  Gold imports dipped to $26.93 billion during April-January 2018-19 as against $28.23 billion in 2017-18
• Gems and jewellery exports dipped by 4% to $32.9 billion during the 10 months of the current fiscal

Amazon's exit could scare off tech companies from New York

• Amazon said that its commitment to NYC required 'positive, collaborative relationships' with state
• The company should have expected to feel the heat when it selected New York, said critic

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

Opinion | India’s sleepwalking to trouble on builder debt

• The time for masking such equity-type investments as loans has passed
• Indian shadow banking has gone from being a growth multiplier to a dampener

Disinvestment proceeds touch Rs. 53,558 crore so for in the current fiscal

Last week, as much as Rs. 10,000 crore came in from Bharat-22 ETFGovt also raised abut Rs. 5,379 crore from 3% stake sale in Axis Bank held via Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI)