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Philippine fintech firm, has hired banks, including Citi, Jefferies and UBS, to work on an up to $1.5 billion domestic initial public offering, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, in what would be the country's biggest ever stock offering. The IPO is expected to take place as early as the second half of 2025 or in 2026, subject to broader market conditions, two of the sources said, declining to be named as the matter was private. If the listing goes ahead it would be Philippines' biggest ever, surpassing the $1 billion IPO of Philippine food company Monde Nissin in 2021.

Changthang High Altitude Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and the Karakorum Nubra Shyok Wildlife Sanctuary, aims to speed up ammunition access and ensure quicker operational deployment, according to the Ministry of Defence. India and China were engaged in a 54-month-long military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which began after their troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in May 2020. This standoff ended in October last year. The proposals for this strategic infrastructure were discussed during a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on December 21.

An official said, «Opening of the secured apex court premises will provide a great opportunity to the public to gain inside access to the interiors of the building and admire the majestic structure in its full glory.» A circular issued on January 9 by Registrar Mahesh T Patankar (court and building) read, «In pursuance of the directions of the competent authority, the guided tour shall be conducted on every working Saturday, except second and fourth Saturdays and declared holidays in four slots from 10 am to 11.30 am; 11:30 am to 1 pm; 2 pm to 3.30 pm and 3.30 pm to 5 pm.»

miner Vedanta's parent on Friday said it has secured commitments from Barclays, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Mashreq totaling $300 million in loan tenors of 3 years and 3 months. The proceeds will be used for refinancing some outstanding 2024 and 2026 bonds and for meeting other debt servicing obligations, Vedanta Resources said in an exchange filing. The company is looking to upsize the deal and is in advance discussions with other banks for additional loans of $200 million, it said.

Annapurna Studios in collaboration with Dolby has launched India’s first Dolby certified post production facility for cinema and home. The facility was unveiled by the renowned filmmaker S S Rajamouli in the presence of the celebrated actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, Vice Chairman of Annapurna Studios. Interestingly, Rajamouli’s Academy-award-winning film RRR was the first-ever Indian film to be released in Dolby Cinema. A special footage of the film was played at the grand event. SS Rajamouli said, «During the time of RRR, when we wanted to grade the film in Dolby Vision, we had to travel all the way to Germany. It was a bit disheartening that I couldn’t experience my film in Dolby Vision within my own country. But today, I’m thrilled to see a Dolby Vision grading facility right here at Annapurna Studios.» He added, «Even more exciting is the fact that, by the time my next film releases, there will be multiple Dolby Cinema across India.: He said, „Watching a film in Dolby Vision is an entirely different experience—the crystal-clear clarity and the way it enhances the nuances of every frame take storytelling to a whole new level. I can’t wait for audiences to experience it!”

Unitech's Express City housing project, claiming ownership of a 7,000 square meter plot. Sukhpal Singh asserts the land, located within the project's sectors 96, 97, and 98, belongs to him and was never acquired by the Noida Authority. The project, delayed for nearly a decade due to Unitech's financial and operational issues, resumed construction last September under new management appointed by the Supreme Court. The disputed plot falls within Unitech’s “The Willows” project, which includes developed plots and requires infrastructure like roads. Singh states he notified officials about his plot's location within the project boundary. The district administration demarcated his plot within the project area around 2016-2017. Construction work stalled, leaving his plot undisturbed. Singh noticed excavation for a road on Thursday and halted the work, informing the district administration. “My demand is that either an approach (road to my plot) is provided, or my land parcel is shifted to another portion of the project along the existing road where Unitech has no issue. Since the allotment, we were not able to do farming on this land. But, at the same time, Unitech also did not interfere,” Singh said.

Prateek Group will invest over Rs 2,000 crore to develop a luxury housing project at Siddharth Vihar in Ghaziabad as part of its expansion plan amid strong consumer demand. The company on Friday announced launch of its new project 'Prateek Grand Begonia', spanning around 15 acre and comprising 2,400 flats. «We have already developed and delivered 4,500 flats in Siddharth Vihar. We are now starting a new housing project which is suitable for both end users and investors,» Prateek Group CMD Prashant Tiwari told reporters here. The company will sell 1,200 flats in the first phase. It will take only 30 per cent of the cost from customers at the time of booking and the remaining 70 per cent at the time of possession.

The government circular released on October 3 stated that, “In state government secretariat departments and directorates, a five-day workweek system will remain in effect. For regional offices (including divisional commissioner offices, offices of chief engineers, etc.), a six-day workweek system will remain in effect. In the year 2025, due to the occurrence of both the 358th and 359th birth anniversaries of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, holidays have been declared for both dates.” Also read: Central government holiday list 2025

Gold discounts in India rose this week as consumers refrained from buying as local prices hit a month's high, whereas the upcoming Lunar New Year festival stimulated gold buying activity in other major Asian markets. Indian dealers offered a discount of up to $17 an ounce to official domestic prices, inclusive of 6% import and 3% sales levies, up from the last week's discount of $14 an ounce. «Prices are high, so buyers are holding off on purchases. Anyway, the inauspicious Khar Mass (month in Hindu calendar) is still going on,» an Ahmedabad-based jeweller said.

Interpol has issued its first Silver Notice to locate assets laundered across borders as part of a pilot project in which India is also a participant, the global body said Friday. In its response to a PTI query on the notice, the Interpol said in a statement it has issued the first Silver Notice on the request of Italy which has sought information about the assets of a senior mafia member. The Lyon-based international police cooperation organisation said the pilot project has participation from 52 members including India. At present, the Interpol has eight types of colour-coded notices which allows a member country to seek specific kind of information worldwide. The Red Notice allows a country to request the detention of fugitive living in another country.

wheat procurement target of 30 million tonnes for the 2025-26 rabi marketing season, sources said. The lower procurement target comes despite the Agriculture Ministry aiming for a record wheat production of 115 million tonnes in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June). For the 2025-26 rabi marketing season starting April, the minimum support price for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,425 per quintal. The procurement target was set following discussions with state food secretaries, the sources added.

mutual fund NFOs have mobilised Rs 13,852 crore in December of which 33 were open-ended funds and one was close-ended fund. Among the 33 open-ended funds, 12 were index funds and sectoral/thematic funds each. Two schemes each were from long duration, multi asset allocation, and other ETFs each. In December, one multi cap,arbitrage, and children’s fund were launched. Also Read | Only one equity mutual fund category offered positive return last month. Should you rejig allocation strategy?

V Narayanan is set to take over as Isro chairman on January 14. He will also serve as secretary of the Department of Space and chairman of the Space Commission, succeeding S. Somanath. While talking to reporters, he recently revealed the missions he will be focussing on. Narayanan outlined several key projects for ISRO, including Chandrayaan-4, a mission to return lunar samples; Gaganyaan, a human spaceflight program; and the development of a space station. «We have already charted our programmes for a year or two, and these include series of experiments for human missions… We will be conducting a docking experiment of the SpaDex satellite, which is crucial for Chandrayaan and space station missions. This month-end, we plan to launch the second series of navigation satellites using a GSLV,» he told reporters on Wednesday.

Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) is looking for regulatory approval to launch a 3-6 month gas contract, its chief executive, Rajesh K Mediratta, said on Friday. «We are awaiting a clearance from PNGRB (Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board),» Mediratta told reporters at a press conference. IGX, a unit of Indian Energy Exchange, currently has intraday, dayahead, daily, and fortnightly contracts.

Budget 2025 approaches, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are keenly watching for reforms that could make India a more attractive destination for their investments. By addressing key challenges in taxation and simplifying regulatory processes, the budget has the potential to boost inward remittances and encourage NRIs to invest more confidently in India.

Elon Musk on Thursday revealed an unusual «problem» in his personal life on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO shared a candid photo of his bed side table, which appeared to be a mini shrine to his favorite beverage—Diet Coke. The image shows several cans of Diet Coke cluttered on the nightstand, along with a glass of water and a set of headphones resting on the table. A pair of black boots can be seen placed beside his bed side table. Musk captioned the post with a cheeky remark: “I have a drinking problem.”

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State Bank of India chairman CS Setty on Friday pitched for the creation of a market infrastructure institution to track the end-use of funds borrowed or raised as equity by small businesses. A «viable mechanism» is needed to ensure that the funds are used for the intended purposes, Setty said in remarks which come amid heightened concerns on the subject of end-use of funds. «We will require a viable mechanism to track the actual use of these funds to ensure that the funds are utilised for the purposes they have been raised for, probably through the establishment of a separate market infrastructure institution with powers to track the use of borrowed funds or the funds raised through equities,» Setty said. Addressing a conference organised by the Sebi-promoted NISM here, Setty said the creation of such a platform will provide comfort to lenders as well as investors, and make pricing more competitive.

Infosys, has come forward to take up the ambitious skill census program to take forward in a more beneficial way to improve the employment opportunities in the state by providing necessary technical assistance, a statement said. For pre-certification of the skills of the candidates as part of the skill census, Infosys, regardless of financial resources, has come forward to provide a digital platform through generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Infosys in the presence of the Minister for Education, Information Technology (IT) and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, here on Friday, a statement said. In a statement, it's mentioned that it is commendable that Infosys has come forward for data pre-validation under corporate social responsibility, Lokesh said. This will certainly make it easy to impart skill development training to the youth as per the market demand after assessing their talent, the minister felt.

To attract and retain attention, cryptocurrencies need to bring something new and useful to the table. Here are three new altcoins that fit the criteria: 1. Wall Street Pepe: ‘Little guys’ unite against the whales

Joe Biden announced that the federal government will cover the costs of measures to protect lives and property in Southern California for six months.