Narendra Modi wows America, Donald Trump wows India

• US President Donald Trump says border security is vital to India and its people, just as it is to the US
• This was Modi’s third event with the Indian diaspora in the US —the previous ones were in 2014 and 2015

Lower corporate tax may not be enough to jump-start economy

• Besides a tax cut, the government needs a boost through policy rate cuts and may also need to raise its spending
• The austerity among Indians has come partly due to wage stagnation even as cost of living went up

Tax incentive for new firms could spark ‘make in India’ for EV parts

• The govt’s steps are likely to boost local production of Li-ion batteries, charging equipment and other parts
• The FM said new manufacturing companies set up on or after 1 October will pay income tax at the rate of 15%

No plans to cut expenditure to rein in fiscal deficit, says Sitharaman

• Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is not planning to cut its expenditure to meet the shortfall
• Sitharaman had earlier said infrastructure ministries has been asked to front load expenditure to revive capital expenditure

Choose from India’s best health policies

• Don’t stop at top-rated plans; find one that caters to your needs
• The ratings should not only help you choose a plan well but also help you develop an understanding about what to look for in health insurance

MAT breather to give a leg-up to bankruptcy resolution and M&As

• Analysts say the MAT exemption will lead to better realization of the asset sale
• The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Ordinance exempts companies opting for the lower corporate tax rate of 22% and new manufacturing firms eligible for 15% tax rate from payment of MAT

After Sitharaman’s tax bonanza come the big challenges

• The fiscal deficit can be even higher than 4% if GDP does not grow by 12% as the budget expects it to
• One option for the government is to push through genuine disinvestment by selling PSEs to private firms

Opinion | 2019 MSMR sees rise in A-rated products

A handful of products have consistently managed to stay ‘A’ rated over the years

Adani, Cube, IRB Infra, Canada’s CPPIB in race for 9 NHAI roads

• NHAI has put up the road stretches in UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and TN for toll-operate-transfer auctions
• NHAI sets the initial estimated concession value (IECV) for the third TOT at ₹4,995.48 cr

Soon, apex body to help manage water resources in the North-East

NEWMA will facilitate India’s bid to establish prior user rights on water from rivers originating in China

Axis Bank raises ₹12,500 crore via QIP from GIC, others

• The fundraise makes Axis the third bank to raise funds via a QIP this year
• Axis Bank sells shares in the QIP at ₹628-629 per share

Connecting dots to automate digital payments

• Sahil Kini and Nikhil Kumar, who earlier worked on Aadhaar and UPI, are rolling out the first of their financial products
• Setu’s Collect serves as the link between payment apps and the service a customer is paying for

BJP, Shiv Sena look to iron out differences over seats in Maharashtra

• Shiv Sena leaders have maintained that they will not settle for anything less than 135 seats out of the total 288
• Several senior BJP leaders in Maharashtra believe that since BJP already has 122 members of legislative assembly because the party had contested a majority number of seats alone in the previous assembly elections in 2014

Opinion | The Texas event is timely, gives a big push to trade

Trump’s presence shows the dimensions of India-US ties go beyond Kashmir

Big Oil’s future may rest on climate debate over natural gas

On Monday, CEOs of the world’s largest oil companies are expected to speak at an event organized by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative where they’ll likely defend the idea that gas is integral to a low-carbon future

The bits of code pushing the next leap in online transactions

• Payments serve as a good entry point for digital transactions, but the real game-changer for financial inclusion is mobile access to banks, loans and deposits
• The main challenge is in reaching rural areas where merchants prefer cash, and digital access is poor

Any future talks with Pakistan will be on PoK, not on J&K: Rajnath Singh

• Rajnath Singh says there can be no talks when terrorism is being exported from across the border
• Defence Minister also says Pakistan will lose PoK if it dared to fight a war with India

Government likely to order 36 more Rafale fighter jets

• The purchase of another 36 Rafale fighter jets will take the fleet to 72
• The Indian Air Force has recently been handed over its first Rafale aircraft from France

Pre-poll bonanza for Delhi's unauthorised colonies in the offing: Report

• The report said the draft Cabinet note prepared by the Urban Development Ministry was sent to the Delhi government and it has sent its comments
• With a cut-off date of 1 January 2015, the Centre and Delhi government have come up with a list of 1,797 colonies

We are committed to meet India's energy security needs: Saudi Arabia

• A series of drone and missile attacks on oil facilities of Saudi Aramco, the country's national petroleum company, on September 14 knocked out half of its daily oil production
• Saudi Ambassador Dr. Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati said his country will invite the United Nations and international experts to view the situation

Tax cut gives PM Modi perfect pitch to win US investments

• The corporate tax cut on Friday, will strengthens PM Modi's pitch to US CEO's about the ease of doing business in India
• The corporate tax cut to rival some of the lowest in Asia, helping India compete with the likes of Vietnam, Indonesia to attract investments

After Modi says ‘Abki bar, Trump sarkar,’ Trump says border security vital

• Trump called Modi 'the most loyal friend of US'
• Trump said the NBA would host a match in Mumbai next week and would love to attend the event if invited

PM Narendra Modi slams Pakistan over terror

• PM Modi pointed out that the move to scrap the provision was debated in the upper and lower houses of parliament for hours and the debates involved were telecast live
• The significance of Modi’s message to Pak, given in public and with Trump in the audience, could not have been lost on the audience

‘Howdy, Modi!’ event: India has given farewell to Article 370, says PM Modi

• PM Modi hit out at Pakistan for its support to terrorism and said India's decision to nullify Article 370 has caused trouble to those who cannot handle their country
• PM Modi said he met Trump a few times and every time he has been warm, friendly, accessibly, energetic and full of wit

Over 2,000 bookings in IRCTCs Tejas Express in first two days

• Most bookings are between October 23 and October 26, just ahead of Diwali.
• The bookings for the Tejas trains - number 82501 from Lucknow to Delhi and 82502 from Delhi to Lucknow -- began on Saturday

Howdy Modi: Modi has Trump’s hands on his shoulder as anthems play

• ‘Shared Dreams, Bright Futures,’ has been organized by Texas India Forum
• Modi welcomed 'a very special person whose name is familiar to every person on the planet'

Harsh Vardhan Shringla - the man behind Howdy Modi and many more things

• Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a career diplomat, has been variously described by peers, juniors, and seniors as 'no nonsense' and 'sharp'
• In New York, Shringla has set up a 2nd meeting between Trump and Modi in 3 days – this time a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA scheduled for 24 Sept

National centre for I-T e-assessment to be based in Delhi; CBDT issues order

• The CBDT, that frames policy for the Income-tax department, has issued an order for the creation of the Centre
• Nirmala Sitharaman has said the e-assessment scheme will be rolled out from 8 October-- when 'Vijayadashami' will be celebrated

Houston showcases strong India-US ties

• Event points to the rising profile and importance of Indian Americans in US
• Trump’s presence at the three-hour event is an honour for the Indian Americans

India will grow 'sustainably', says Prakash Javadekar

• The Climate Action Summit, hosted by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, aims to boost action to implement the 2016 Paris Agreement
• Javadekar said energy intensity in the country has been brought down and that the results were for all to see

Five small finance banks line up ₹4,000 cr initial public offerings

• Fincare, ESAF and Utkarsh among those looking to list as an RBI deadline for public listing draws closer
• Small finance banks looking to go public could face key challenges, given the ownership structure

At Howdy Modi, PM says ‘all is well’ in multiple languages, ends Hindi debate

• The crowd went into raptures as Modi talked about diluting Article 370 and in a reference to Pakistan, said it was time to unite against terrorism and those behind it
• Bonhomie was all on display at the stadium as US President Donald Trump and Modi showered praise on each other

Bypolls in Karnataka will seal fate of Yediyurappa's government

• 15 out of the total 17 vacant seats are heading to the bypolls
• As it stands, the BJP has 104 seats (excluding the speaker) in the lower house, the Congress has 66, the JD(S) has 34, one from the BSP, one independent and one nominated member.

Researchers discover world's first blood incubator

• The detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies requires incubation at 37°C, often for up to 15 minutes
• This breakthrough has the potential to improve the pre-transfusion testing of millions of patients undergoing blood transfusions across the world

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal in trouble as ED may go for independent audit

• According to a senior ED official, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal had registered 19 privately held companies, five of which were registered abroad
• ED official said that the agency would 'decide how to proceed as the investigation is still on and some gaps have been observed

Narendra Modi to gift ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ to UN in New York

• The 50 kWh roof-top solar park has 193 solar panels—each representing a member of the multilateral body
• India plans to reduce its carbon emissions by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030

BSNL pays August salaries to staff: CMD

• BSNL's loss is estimated to be around ₹14,000 crore with a decline in revenue to ₹19,308 crore during 2018-19
• The number of employees in BSNL stands at 1,65,179

Govt working on measures to make steel sector 'globally competitive'

• Despite short-term challenges and the current slowdown, it is believed that India's long-term growth story remains intact, the ministry added
• This growth must be backed by the steel sector by making the industry principally and fundamentally stronger, it further said

PM Modi's meeting with CEOs from energy sector 'fruitful': MEA

PM Modi's meeting with CEOs from energy sector focussed on working together for energy security, expanding mutual investment opportunities between India and the United States, said the MEA

Petrol price jumps ₹1.59/ltr, diesel ₹1.31/ltr after Saudi attacks

• Oil prices have cooled since the spike on September 16 but remain on the edge
• This is the sixth straight daily increase and has taken the cumulative price hike since September 17 to ₹1.59 per litre in case of petrol and ₹1.31 for diesel

Onion prices surge to ₹70-80/kg; Centre mulls imposing stock limits

• According to the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, retail onion prices rose to ₹57/kg in Delhi and ₹56/kg in Mumbai
• Traders said there is enough supply of stored onion of the previous year's crop but its transportation has been affected because of heavy rains

Finding inspiration at Kolkata’s South Park Street Cemetery

• The oldest among this Raj-era collection of tombs, pyramids, and vaults dates to the 1760s
• Writers like Rudyard Kipling, Paul Theroux, and William Dalrymple found material for their books here

Chandrababu Naidu asked to vacate Undavalli residence, demolition notice served

• Earlier in June, Naidu was served a notice asking to vacate the house and demolish illegal constructed parts that reportedly flout environment norms
• The house has a swimming pool, and the TDP chief built a helipad and a people’s grievance cell there in February 2018, which was later demolished

Lodha group to sell 7 lakh sq ft office space in Mumbai to Singapore firm

• The deal is likely to be concluded by the end of the next month, sources said
• The company had earlier sold four floors in this building in Wadala, Mumbai, to Tata group firm Trent Tesco for around ₹250 crore

What lies beneath Sofia

• Bulgaria’s capital and its second largest city Plovdiv brim with subterranean wonders
• Visit Roman ruins inside a modern metro station, eerie catacombs and an ancient amphitheatre that still hosts performances

India's first manned space flight by December 2021, says ISRO chief K Sivan

• ISRO chief K Sivan said the first unmanned flight under the mission would be launched by December next year
• By December 2021, the first Indian will be carried by our own rocket into space. ISRO is working on it, said Sivan

Howdy Modi: PM meets Sikh, Kashmiri Pandit, Bohra representatives in Houston

• PM Narendra Modi met representatives of the Sikh community, Kashmiri Pandits and Bohra Muslims at Houston in Texas on Sunday morning as per India time
• The Kashmiri Pandits thanked PM Modi for diluting Article 370 and withdrawing the special status given to Jammu & Kashmir

'We want to turn conservation of water into a mass movement'

• Drinking water has been made available in 35 million of a total 180 million households across India in the last 70 years
• The Union government periodically studies more than 6,000 blocks, out of which 1,592 are water stressed

Women can attend qualifiers, Iran assures Fifa

• Iran has barred female spectators from stadiums since 1981
• Fifa had demanded Iran allow women free unlimited access to stadiums following the ‘Blue girl’ incident where a woman killed herself after being arrested trying to access a stadium

‘Howdy Modi’ looks set to be a success, event to also showcase Indian culture

• This is PM Modi’s third engagement in Houston, which is home to a significant number of 3.5-million-plus Indian Americans
• PM Modi will be joined by President Donald Trump who is also to scheduled to speak at the event, besides an array of US lawmakers

Altico says evaluating options after default

• NBFCs and HFCs have been stung by liquidity crisis after the collapse of behemoth IL& FS late last year
• Altico said it needed time from stakeholders to craft a plan that might 'maximize asset value' and called on all stakeholders to 'refrain from actions that exacerbate the liquidity problem'

PM disses Pakistan in Trump’s presence, says same culprit behind 9/11, 26/11

• The crowd went into raptures as Modi talked about diluting Article 370 and in a reference to Pakistan, said it was time to unite against terrorism and those behind it
• Modi said masterminds behind the 9/11 terror attack in the US in 2001 and 26/11 Mumbai attack in 2008 were all found in one country

Cipla announces closure of USFDA inspection at Bengaluru facility

• The company had earlier said that USFDA issued seven observations after conducting a routine 'CGMP inspection'
• Cipla announced the closure of inspection by the US health regulator at the company's API manufacturing facility in Bengaluru

Altico Capital COO Sanjeev Agrawal takes charge after CEO’s sudden exit

• Altico Capital says the COO has the full backing of the board
• The company says it is committed to maintaining an open and active dialogue with all stakeholders