Top headlines: Housing sales fall 9%, GAIL to invest 45,000 cr in gas infra

From falling housing sales to GAIL's Rs 45,000 crore investment to create infra for gas-based economy, here are the day's top headlines

Housing sales fall 9%, new supply down 10% in Oct-Dec on economic slowdown

Housing sales fell 9 per cent during October-December across nine cities to 60,453 units due to economic slowdown and liquidity crisis, according to a report. Housing brokerage firm PropTiger recently reported 30 per cent fall in sales in nine cities during October-December quarter. However, during 2019 calendar year, realty consultants Knight Frank India and Anarock mentioned that sales rose by one per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. Read more

GAIL to invest over Rs 45,000 cr to create infra for gas-based economy

GAIL India Ltd, the country's largest gas utility, plans to invest over Rs 45,000 crore over the next five years to expand the National Gas Pipeline Grid and city gas distribution network to help push for greater use of environment-friendly fuel, its chairman Ashutosh Karnatak said. Read More

SC refuses to stay CAA, gives Centre four weeks to reply 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the Centre four weeks to respond to pleas challenging the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said it will set up a five-judge Constitution bench to hear the petitions. Read more

Coronavirus from China could hurt oil prices by $3 per barrel: Goldman

Goldman Sachs said a potential drop in oil demand from top energy consumer China due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus could hurt crude prices by about $3 per barrel, countering concerns about Middle East supply disruptions. Read more

Trump again offers to 'help' resolve Kashmir issue, meets Pak PM in Davos

President Donald Trump has said that the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir "very closely" and repeated his offer to "help" resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum here in the Swiss ski resort. Read more