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The natural world is falling silent

The sun was rising when a bird at the very top of a bush raised its head and started warbling. It was haloed by the pink-orange sun, and so I couldn't immediately see it. I could hear it though—and it picked at my memories neatly—a tuning fork whose crescendo kept rising in meaning. I remembered afternoons with a song that sounded like a \"be-careful,\" \"be careful\" call.

Why are we not concert ready?

Infrastructure in India hasn't kept pace with the cultural explosion. Maybe we need to get creative

Lots of Christmas cheer and art

A Mint guide to what's happening in and around your city

The US Fed seems as clueless as markets about its 2025 path

Powell didn't dwell on Trump uncertainty. That's understandable

Let footpaths lead us to faster economic growth

If good roads are signposts of prosperity, so are urban walkways. But India's pedestrian infrastructure suffers neglect that an economy in need of inclusive growth cannot afford

We should expect 12 AI trends to stand out in 2025 and beyond

The first four predictions are about enhanced human-AI interaction and how our lives will change

The ombudsman dilemma: Free relief or stacked deck?

With rejected claims and rising dispute barriers, can policyholders match the insurers' clout?

WHY PHYSICAL BANK BRANCHES REMAIN CRUCIAL IN AN ERA DOMINATED BY DIGITAL

Trust, human engagement, and relationship management remain crucial for customers

PE investment in Indian real estate up 32% in 2024: Knight Frank

Indian real estate attracted $4.15 billion of private equity (PE) investments this calendar year, up 32% annually, led by higher inflow in the housing segment, according to Knight Frank India.

Ola Electric set to expand network

Ola Electric on Thursday said it will expand its sales and service network to about 4,000 outlets on 25 December.

Genesis to acquire stake in SpiceJet

SpiceJet on Thursday said aircraft lessor Genesis will acquire a stake worth $4 million in the airline as part of settling a more than $16 million dispute.

Supply-chain issues ground 102 aircraft

The government on Thursday said 102 aircraft are on the ground due to supply-chain issues and that it has been encouraging development of the ecosystem for manufacturing of planes by public as well as private enterprises in the country.

Air India orders 34 trainer aircraft

Air India has placed an order for 34 trainer aircraft, including 31 single-engine planes, for its flying training organisation in Maharashtra that is expected to come up by the second half of 2025.

Bharti Airtel clears 2016 spectrum dues

Indian telecom carrier Bharti Airtel has made an early payment of ₹3,626 crore to the government, the company said on Thursday, settling all its liabilities for the spectrum acquired in 2016.

EV market likely to touch ₹20 tn by '30

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the electric vehicle (EV) market potential is likely to touch ₹20 trillion and will create around 50 million jobs across the entire EV ecosystem by 2030.

Tata denies reports on Starbucks exit

Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) on Thursday denied reports on the exit of cafe chain Starbucks from the Indian market, terming them as \"baseless\".

The last-ditch efforts to win over critics of the Nippon-U.S. steel deal

The takeover bid has run into opposition from politicians and union leaders as well as skepticism from investors

Unable to criticize Putin, Russian oligarchs turn ire on central banker

Recent additional U.S. sanctions caused the ruble to plummet, while local companies are slashing expansion plans

The next big Fed debate: Has the era of very low interest rates ended?

Fed officials are trying to figure out the just-right interest rate. Some think they may be close

Micromax, Phison set up JV for storage chips

MiPhi has started manufacturing from Micromax's Greater Noida facility

Star dubs lift Hollywood films in India

Dubbing by Indian superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu can greatly lift the reach and box office potential of Hollywood animation films releasing in the local theatres.

Delhi HC rejects tax plea against Western Union

The Delhi high court rejected a plea by the income tax department against American multinational Western Union Financial Services, citing provisions of the India-US double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA).

Accenture clocks $1.2 billion Gen AI orders in Nov quarter

Overall spending environment hasn't changed, abundant skills available in India: Accenture

Pricing probe: CCI raids Pernod, AB InBev

An anonymous complaint alleged Telangana sellers formed \"cartel-like\" pacts to boycott all brands but AB InBev's

SFB bid: Fino to bet on merchant loans

Fino Payments Bank plans to use its network of merchants as the first set of customers to lend to, while also using them as loan collection points, if the regulator approves its proposal to convert into a small finance bank.

Coromandel is betting on gains from backward integration

Despite a dull first half (H1 FY25), shareholders of Coromandel International are brimming with optimism. The fertilizer firm's stock hit a new 52-week high of ₹1,882 on Wednesday, taking its gains so far this year to 46%.

Ajmera bets on acquisitions, JVs to expand m-cap tenfold to $5 bn

Ajmera Realty and Infra India Ltd aims to expand its market capitalization (m-cap) by 10x to $5 billion through acquisitions and joint ventures (JVs), said Dhaval Ajmera, director at Ajmera Group.

I-bankers see more China IPOs in 2025

Investment bankers are pinning hopes on initial public offerings in Asia to grab a bigger slice of equity capital markets volumes in 2025, after such transactions fell to the smallest proportion in eight years as Chinese deals remained muted.

What Sebi's latest reforms mean for SME IPOs and MFs

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) approved several key amendments to improve business operations, investor protection, and the efficiency of market participants.

RBI flags state sops even as taxes, spend quality improve

The average buoyancy of state tax revenue rose post-pandemic to 1.4 from the pre-pandemic average of 0.86