News digest: STT collections, Air India bid, Facebook data row, and more

From govt taxes to Facebook data breach row, BS brings you top stories to keep up with the latest stories

At Rs 111 bn, govt collects highest taxes from trading on exchanges in FY18
 
Buoyancy in the stock markets has helped the government collect a record amount from the securities transaction tax (STT) in 2017-18.
 
According to an official with the income tax (I-T) department, the STT collection for the fiscal year stood at Rs 111.23 billion, an increase of 24 per cent over 2016-17. The amount is also 43 per cent higher than the Revised Estimates of Rs 77.7 billion. Read more here
 

Toyota and Suzuki sign mutual agreement to supply certain models in India
 

Japanese automobile major Toyota has an India-specific small car strategy in place, finally. Its India unit will source two cars manufactured by Maruti Suzuki, the Baleno and Brezza, including their hybrid variants, and in return Toyota will offer its Corolla sedan to Maruti. These vehicles, with some changes, will be badged under the name of the company selling them.
 
With this move the two companies aim to strengthen their position in a car market that is touted to become the third largest globally by 2020. The carmakers had signed a business partnership in February 2017. In November, they said they would jointly develop electric vehicles for the Indian market by 2020. Read more here

 
IndiGo eligible to go solo in Air India bid, may meet net worth condition
 
Budget carrier IndiGo will be able to bid solo for Air India’s 76% stake, while other domestic airlines will have to form a consortium to meet the net worth criteria stipulated by the government.
 
The airlines bidding as part of a consortium will also be restricted to owning 51% in the partnership. This means such an airline will effectively hold 38.76% in Air India as the government will be retaining a 24% stake in the airline. Read more here
 
This NASA planet hunter is searching for worlds just like Earth

 
Just 25 years ago, no one knew for sure whether the stars dotting our night skies had anything circling them that resembled planets, let alone one like Earth.
 
Then came a NASA planet-seeker called Kepler, which starting in 2009 began finding intriguing, tell-tale blips around stars other than our sun. Almost everywhere its cameras looked, a new blip was discovered, signifying a rich abundance of “exoplanets.” Kepler’s prodigious planet-spotting — more than 1,000 of the 3,700 discovered to date — was among the first astronomical endeavours to show that the basic pattern of our solar system appears to be common elsewhere. Read more here

 
Data breach: Facebook cuts ties to data brokers in blow to targeted ads
 
Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it would end its partnerships with several large data brokers who help advertisers target people on the social network, a step that follows a scandal over how Facebook handles personal information.
 
The world's largest social media company is under pressure to improve its handling of data after disclosing that information about 50 million Facebook users wrongly ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. Read more here