Stocks slide, bonds rise as Ukraine tensions simmer

Stocks slid in Europe and on Wall Street while safe-haven government debt prices rose after hopes diplomacy might resolve the Ukraine crisis gave way on news of increased shelling in the country's east and a tough stance from Russia. European shares erased earlier gains and the ruble slipped sharply from a session high after a separatist leader in eastern Ukraine announced the evacuation of his breakaway region's residents to Russia, a shock turn in the crisis. MORE HERE

Take a look at these key events

Today:
Tamil Nadu urban civic elections
PM Modi to inaugurate Asia's largest Bio-CNG plant in Indore
Farhan Akhtar-Shibani Dandekar weddingTomorrow:
PM Modi's Mann ki Baat programme at 11 am.
Phase 3 Assembly polls in UP, Voting in Punjab.

India signs free trade agreement with UAE

India has signed a trade pact with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that will reduce import duties on the majority of Indian exports to the country. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is the first major trade deal signed by the Narendra Modi government since first coming to power in 2014. MORE HERE

Fresh COVID infections down 16% in a day

The country registered 25,920 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, 15.7 per cent lower than a day before, taking the tally of total coronavirus cases to 4,27,80,235. India’s active COVID-19 caseload came under the three lakh mark at 2,92,092 on February 18 as active cases declined 12.2 per cent in 24 hours. MORE HERE

Its time to start planning for Metaverse, says Paul Daugherty

It is time for enterprises to start thinking about planning for an active metaverse with pandemic changing the way enterprises and customers look at experience as businesses moved digital, said Paul Daugherty, Group Chief Executive – Technology & Chief Technology Officer at Accenture, on February 18. Speaking at the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum on February 18, Daugherty said, at the back of the pandemic, there are new realities emerging as enterprises accelerate their digital initiatives. “So we need to reframe our thinking and think very differently about some aspects of technology than we have before.” MORE HERE

IndiGo director Rakesh Gangwal resigns

InterGlobe Aviation Limited, which owns India’s largest airline IndiGo, on Friday, February 18, said co-founder Rakesh Gangwal has resigned as a director in the company with immediate effect. In a letter to the IndiGo board, Gangwal said he intended to gradually reduce his stake in InterGlobe “over the next five-plus years.” His departure comes in the aftermath of differences between him and co-founder Rahul Bhatia over the running of the airline’s operations. MORE HERE

Multi-cornered contest makes it a cliff-hanger in Punjab

The last few days ahead of the third phase of polling have further muddled up the electoral atmosphere in Punjab. With all major political parties in the state deciding to go alone, the fight for the votes has intensified. Politician-poet Kumar Vishwas has levelled scathing allegations against Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the latter’s links with Khalistani outfits. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has issued a clarification about his alleged remarks against people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is harping on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s Punjabi identity. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has thrown its might to woo the Hindu minority which influences the outcome in 45 seats, and on February 17, Kejriwal asked voters not waste their vote on the BJP. MORE HERE