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

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

Sunil Mittal, KM Birla talk to FM in bid to end telecom crisis

• Two telcos that together serve over 580 million users grappling with AGR dues
• Vodafone Idea is the worst hit by the Supreme Court verdict that makes it liable to pay up around ₹50,000 crore

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

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

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

SBI approves Suzlon’s debt revamp proposal

• Stressed wind power company now awaits green light from other lenders
• Suzlon’s debt of ₹12,700 crore will be converted into sustainable and unsustainable debt

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

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

Kashi Mahakal Express: Commercial run begins today, details tour packages 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

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

No end in sight for auto slump, says Fitch

• Automakers could also face production disruptions if the novel coronavirus outbreak in China leads to a prolonged halt
• Higher price tags for these new models, which may cost up to 15 % more for diesel variants, are likely to weigh on demand

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

Markets recover on signs virus may be abating

• Markets in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea gained following a slight fall in the number of new coronavirus cases
• FIIs bought Indian shares worth $1.94 bn so far in Feb; domestic investors pumped ₹1,056.71 crore into Indian equities

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.

Coronavirus update: First 3D atomic map of deadly virus created, say scientists

• Russia will temporarily ban Chinese nationals from entering the country due to the coronavirus outbreak
• A growing number of China’s private companies have cut wages, delayed paychecks or stopped paying staff completely

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

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

Cabinet may soon decide on bill seeking greater reproductive rights for women

• Union health ministry said the process for amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 is under way
• The MTP (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was drafted 'for cases in which doctors diagnose foetal abnormalities or substantial risks to the mother or the child'

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

Govt contractors not to be penalised for supply delays due to coronavirus threat

• The meeting was chaired by NITI Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant
• Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Tuesday met industry executives to assess the supply chain disruption due to the threat of coronavirus

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