CATEGORIES

China opens probes into shadow banking co Zhongzhi

Chinese authorities said they recently opened criminal investigations into the money management business of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co., days after the embattled shadow banking giant revealed a shortfall of $36.4 billion in its balance sheet.

'The intent is to make India an export engine of tech'

In an extensive interview covering railways, information technology, and telecom, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spelt out the government’s vision on multiple fronts—from making India an export engine of indigenous technologies, to strengthening and expanding the railway network with the right technologies to ensure safe and efficient operations, to ensuring that regulation keeps up with technology and therefore the Digital India Bill, to planning for India to take the lead in 6G where standards are yet to be set. New financial incentives for the components ecosystem may also be considered going forward. Edited excerpts:

'India priority mkt for growth'

Pfizer India country president and MD says manufacturing, sales, R&D will grow, amid parent's plan to cut costs

'Impose limits on foreign carriers to boost local airlines'

The government believes airports in places such as Dubai have developed at the expense of Indian airlines

FPIs reverse selling trend; invest ₹378 cr in equities in November

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have pared their bearish stance on Indian equities during November as they made a net investment of ₹378 crore on the sharp decline in US treasury bond yields.

Bharat Dynamics must execute well

Defence stocks grabbed attention on Friday thanks to reports that the Defence Acquisitions Council is expected to give preliminary approval for three crucial projects amounting to ₹1.4 trillion at the end of this month.

CIL set to shine in second half

Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) shares are 7% below their 52-week high of ₹359 apiece seen in mid-November. Still, there is optimism on earnings outlook owing to volume growth and better e-auction realizations.

LIC plans to set up fintech arm, says chairman Mohanty

LIC has initiated a total digital transformation project DIVE and appointed a consultant to steer the project

Bain Capital set to focus on late-stage tech deals in India

The firm expects to widen the scope of its investments in India over the next few years

Tea export volumes and earnings fall

China is the world's largest exporter of tea followed by Sri Lanka, Kenya and India

Plan to plug logistics gaps in tomato, onion, potato

The government has formed a committee under the agriculture ministry to examine the matter

MCX move opens a rift with gold body

Change in settlement procedure irks top bullion association

Rupee falls 6 paise, hits record low of 83.40

The rupee declined 6 paise to close at its all-time low of 83.40 against the US dollar on Friday, tracking higher demand for the greenback from importers and a weak tone among Asian peers.

Breathless? Know the costs of rising air pollution in cities

Air purifiers, nebulizers and N-95 masks are now a way of life, as are visits to pulmonologists

Women work, don't they? Indian narratives on this need not differ

PLFS and CMIE numbers diverge on women-at-work and employment but the latters gloomy picture is less than convincing

Sebi to ease insider trading provisions

The Indian markets regulator on Friday proposed to ease certain provisions of the insider trading law, which will make it easier for management to trade in company shares without running afoul of the law, according to a discussion paper on the regulator's website.

Lab-grown diamonds see a plunge in prices

Indian consumers who were beginning to consider owning lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) should be aware of a consumer alert from a global diamond and jewellery trade expert. According to Martin Rapaport, prices for these stones fell 30% in 2023, and 67% over the past three years.

Be harsh when you see serious fudging, NFRA tells auditors

Statutory auditors cannot take the easy way out by issuing qualified reports where an adverse opinion is warranted, following a recent order from the national audit regulator. When a company’s accounts make mis-statements that are “pervasive and material\", the auditor must issue an adverse opinion, the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) said in a disciplinary order.

IPO blitz sets stage for listing day gains

Rally in mid-, small-cap stocks, moderate pricing fuel demand

India may export broken rice to Mali

The government is likely to permit export of 100,000 tonnes of broken rice to Mali that relies on India to meet its food grain needs, an official said.

Govt may sell moong dal to tame prices

Nafed, NCCF are likely to sell 5% of moong buffer stock at discounted rate

'Tunnel lacked safety exit; built on geological fault'

A tunnel which collapsed, trapping 41 workers in the Indian Himalayas this month, did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday.

Travel outlook: Cautious optimism amid festive dip

Absence of major events in 2024 may upend the travel surge, but some remain confident

Hamas releases some Gaza hostages in truce deal

Hamas released a group of hostages held in Gaza as parte agreement with Israel.

RBI seizes Abhyudaya Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday superseded the board of Mumbai-based Abhyudaya Cooperative Bank for a year, citing material concerns owing to poor governance standards.

No extension required in Adani probe, Sebi tells SC

Bench expresses concerns about doubting integrity of Sebi, impartiality of experts’ panel

When the five go down to the farm, all alone

Teenagers are now travelling with friends, unchaperoned, to farm-stays that score high on safety and sustainability

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN THEATRE

The first Manam Theatre Festival, being held in Hyderabad, hopes to empower the city's diverse community

Lived reality and racial equations in this Eden

In the running for the Booker Prize to be announced on Sunday, Paul Harding's This Other Eden’ is about the messy realities of living

BN GOSWAMY THE LAST INTERVIEW

A pioneer who brought out the poetry in art, BN. Goswamy passed away last week. In this interview to Lounge, a few weeks after the publication of his last book and some weeks before his death, he reflected on his lifetime's work of putting names to Indian artists, and the role of the art historian