Some bank ATMs stop dispensing 2,000 rupee notes

• Banks on their own have decided to fill their ATMs with smaller denomination notes for the convenience of customers, say sources
• State-owned Indian Bank has already announced that its has decided to stop using ₹2,000 notes in their ATMs

Government notifies 100% FDI for insurance intermediaries

• FM Sitharaman in the Union Budget last year said that 100% FDI will be permitted for insurance intermediaries
• This will bring in global practices in the country, which will include new insurance products and selling strategy

India’s economy backslides after a brief improvement last month

Belying hopes of an early revival, India’s economic report card has deteriorated again, the latest update to the Mint Macro Tracker shows

Delhi violence updates: Death toll rises to 22; Joharpuri continues to burn

• Delhi violence update: PM Modi reviews situation in Delhi, appeals for 'peace and brotherhood at all times'
• NSA Doval has made it clear that lawlessness would not be allowed to remain in the national capital

Gold prices today fall sharply for second day in a row, silver rates slump

• Gold prices in India have fallen over ₹1,000 per 10 gram in just two days
• Silver rates have seen a bigger fall

SBI Cards IPO: Record demand seen. Price, reservation, expected listing date

• About 1.3 crore shares or about 10% of the issue size is reserved for SBI shareholders
• SBI Cards is second-largest credit card issuer in India

Coronavirus updates: Six countries pull out of shooting World Cup

• The ISSF World Cup is slated to be held from March 15 to 26 at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi
• The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic today climbed to 2,715 with 52 new fatalities

Stocks to Watch: Yes Bank, Bharti Airtel, Bandhan Bank, Asian Paints, IndiGo

• Ratings agency CARE has placed bonds worth more than ₹21,000 crore of Yes Bank on credit watch with negative implications
• RBI lifted restrictions imposed on Bandhan Bank, allowing it to open new branches without prior permission

Tariff hike by telcos results in wireless subscribers' exodus: Trai Dec report

• In December, Reliance Jio adds 82,308 subscribers compared to its usual addition of 8 million subscribers every month
• Bharti Airtel loses 11,050 subscribers while Vodafone Idea continues its subscriber churn with 3.6 million leaving the operator

Govt implements EPFO's decision to restore pension commutation

Pension commutation refers to part-withdrawal of fund in advance by a subscriber, who then gets reduced pension amount for 15 years

Trump, Melania reach Rashtrapati Bhavan for dinner banquet; goat meat on menu

• Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are also present at the event
• The chefs will dish out appetizers and main courses to about 90 guests with a careful combination of spices to suit Indian and American palates

RBI allows Bandhan Bank to open new branches without prior permission

• Opening of branches will be subject to condition that 25% of newly opened banking outlets in a financial year shall be in unbanked locations
• In September 2018, RBI had said that Bandhan Bank cannot open new branches without prior approval

Census misses many people, so will NPR

India’s 2011 census missed an estimated 28 million people, roughly equal to the population of Punjab at that time

Ivanka Trump puts Instagram on fire with 'awe inspiring' Taj Mahal pics

• Ivanka, daughter of President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner are part of the US delegation accompanying the US President
• The US first family went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal after attending the grand 'Namaste Trump' event at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad

India’s rise as a prosperous democratic nation inspiring, says Trump

• Trump urged the government to begin a peace process with Pakistan, a country seen as vital to the US
• 'US and India are firmly united in our ironclad resolve to defend our citizens from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism,' said Trump in Ahmedabad

Concluding first day of his visit, Donald Trump reaches luxurious ITC Maurya

• Donald Trump along with his wife Melania Trump arrived here after completing their engagements in Ahmedabad and taking a family trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra
• Donald Trump who is currently on a two-day maiden visit to India addressed around one lakh people at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad

Amid the bonhomie, an H-1B reality check

• Trump government has been accused by the IT industry in India of discriminating against Indian workers seeking H-1B visas
• About 80% of H-1B visa applications from companies such as TCS and Infosys were approved by US immigration authorities

Nadella pins hopes on Jio partnership to help propel India forward

• Microsoft-Jio pact will define new decade, says RIL chief Mukesh Ambani
• In August 2019, Reliance Industries announced a 10-year technology partnership with Microsoft for its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm, including for cloud-based solutions

Cross-checking the validity of your policy can prevent insurance fraud

• Check the list of terminated and suspended agents that all insurers have on their website.
• The insurance policy itself should have the contact details of your agent

Agra decked up to welcome Donald Trump; security forces fortify city, Taj Mahal

• Donald Trump is slated to arrive in Agra on Monday evening after jointly attending with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the mega 'Namaste Trump' event
• The city administration is all geared up for the big day and preparations are in full swing to present the 'best face of Agra'

India gears up to greet the Trumps with grand namaste

• Ahmedabad decks up for US president’s visit with a massive security cover
• The Trumps will spend three-and-a-half hours in the heritage city, divided between photo-ops at Sabarmati Ashram and the Namaste Trump event at Motera stadium

Lotteries to attract uniform 28% GST rate from March 1

• The lottery industry had sought a uniform tax rate on lotteries following which a group of ministers were set up to suggest the GST rate
• Currently, lotteries run by the state-owned agencies levy 12% GST, while a state-authorised lottery attracts 28% tax.

$5-trillion challenge takes centre stage at Mint’s banking meet today

• The theme of this year’s ABC, 'Indian Banking Sector: The $5-trillion Challenge', focuses on the financial sector’s role in helping the Indian economy realize its ambitions
• Shaktikanta Das and an ensemble of industry experts will discuss these issues threadbare

BSNL employees plan hunger strike on Monday

• The strike is also aimed at putting pressure for the expeditious settlement of employees' grievances, according to an AUAB statement here on Saturday
• Last year the cabinet approved a ₹69,000 crore revival package for both BSNL and MTNL

Berkshire Hathaway 100% ready for my departure: Warren Buffett

• Buffett, one of the world's richest men, did not go into detail or name a successor
• Buffett is known for his track record of brilliant investing but also for his folksy and humble persona, as well as his philanthropy

No discovery of around 3000-tonne gold deposits in UP's Sonbhadra: GSI

• 'GSI has not estimated such kind of vast resource of gold deposits in Sonbhadra district,' GSI Director General (DG) M Sridhar said
• The exploration works of the GSI for gold was not satisfactory

Indian Railways renames Allahabad Division as Prayagraj Division

• It also added that the changes have come into force with immediate effect
• The name of Allahabad City (ALY) station has been changed to Prayagraj Rambag (PRRB) station

Trump wouldn't have seen such grand roadshow before, says Gujarat CM Rupani

• The Gujarat Chief Minister also said that the state is excited to host the two leaders
• Preparations for the welcoming of Trump and Melania are in full swing in Ahmedabad

Amazon removing products that claim to cure coronavirus

• With the coronavirus spreading to over two dozen countries and the overall death toll in mainland China surpassing 2,000, fighting misinformation about the virus has become a major challenge
• On top of it, some sellers are even trying to cash in on the fears of the virus by making false claims

Coronavirus enters worrying new phase as cases outside China rise

• Investors are wary of the impact of a wider regional outbreak on global growth and corporate earnings
• The epidemic that emerged in early December has yet to become a pandemic, which is defined as a situation where the virus is spreading across multiple continents

Indian airports now turn hot destinations for foreign investors

• ADP’s acquisition of a GMR stake makes it the second global airport operator to enter India in last three months
• Groupe ADP will buy 24.99% of GMR in the coming days, and will acquire an additional 24.01% stake later

Donald Trump's '2018 Beast' to be on Delhi roads

• Motorcades escorting the US presidential state car constitute around 50 vehicles maintained by White House Military Office and helicopters of Marine One
• The Presidential Cadillac is actually a giant Chevrolet SUV platform underneath a body designed to look like a cadillac

US markets: Stocks fall, bond prices rise as investors seek safe ground

• The losses had the benchmark S&P 500 index on track for its first weekly loss after two weeks of gains
• Traders remain anxious over the economic fallout from the virus outbreak that began in China, which continues to spread

EU proposes new rules to make stricter regulations for AI and use of data

• The commission wants large sets of data which are used in training AI algorithms to be traceable to their source
• EU wants companies to use broad data sets in training so as to avoid any discrimination from AI

US markets tumble as coronavirus fears mount

• At 12:11 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 283.37 points, or 0.97%, at 29,064.66 and the S&P 500 was down 32.79 points, or 0.97%, at 3,353.36
• Technology stocks led the slide, with Microsoft down 2.5% and Apple and Amazon.com dropping 1.3% each

Morgan Stanley to acquire E*Trade for $13 bn

The transaction is Morgan Stanley’s latest move to reinvigorate itself after nearly being crushed by bad investments during the market crash

Michael Bloomberg gets bashed at Democratic debate

Rivals savaged him for coming in late and throwing huge amounts of money at the race

Telcos owe around Rs22,589 cr as licence fees; rest Rs70k cr is interest,penalty

• As telecom operators scramble to comply with Supreme Court order on AGR dues, the sources said actual pending liability regarding licence fees is ₹22,589 crore
• Bharti Airtel has paid ₹10,000 crore, Vodafone Idea ₹3,500 crore and Tata Group ₹2,197 crore for both licence fee and SUC dues

China HIV patients risk running out of AIDS drugs in days: UNAIDS

• UNAIDS said it had surveyed over 1,000 HIV people in China and found that the coronavirus outbreak is having a 'major impact' on their lives
• HIV patients in China risk running out of life-saving AIDS drugs because quarantines, lockdowns mean they cannot replenish vital medicine stocks

US markets: S&P 500, Nasdaq hit new highs on China stimulus hopes

• Dow Jones rose 0.29% to 29,316.60 and the S&P 500 gained 0.46% to 3,385.73
• Technology stocks, which are sensitive to news related to China's growth, gained 0.8%, the most among major S&P sectors

Delhi Metro launches 250 e-rickshaws at 12 stations to boost connectivity

• With this, the total tally of stations where such facilities are available rises to 29, with an operational fleet of over 1,000 e-rickshaws
• These e-rickshaws will be plying from 12 stations — Qutab Minar, Ghittorni, Arjangarh, Nawada, Shadipur, Patel Nagar, Nangloi, Nangloi Railway Station, Govindpuri, Harkesh Nagar Okhla, Moolchand and Botanical Garden.

Scientists announce 'breakthrough' atomic map of coronavirus

US scientists announced today they had created the first 3D atomic scale map of the part of the novel coronavirus that attaches to and infects human cells, a critical step toward developing vaccine and treatments

A long quest for a happy ending

The final episodes of ‘BoJack Horseman’, one of Netflix’s longest series, offer an earnest, cynical look at the life of a celebrity, the #MeToo movement and mental health

FATF sub-group recommends retaining Pakistan in ‘grey list’

• New Delhi said it will continue to keep up the pressure on Islamabad to cut finances to terrorist groups
• Pakistan is expected to show compliance on 16 of 27 parameters at the ongoing FATF meet

JLR's UK output threatened by coronavirus-linked parts shortage: CEO Ralf Speth

• JLR CEO Ralf Speth says there are no sales in China currently
• Not sure if lost Chinese sales will come back, Speth said

Preparing for a faster tomorrow

In their new book, Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler probe the science of technological convergence and how it will transform industries and impact society

Cybercriminals are exploiting coronavirus scare to distribute Emotet malware

• The report says attackers are using different malware vectors. In Japan, Emotet malware hidden in span emails was their primary weapon of choice
• In Indonesia, Lokibot malware was widely distributed through spam emails

Mint Globetrotter Index: Take a trip to Male, Maldives

• The Mint Globetrotter index compares the cost of 25 essential travel spends for 50 cities across regions
• Here, Mint Money will list these 25 spends for a city and compare it with Delhi

Air travel volume shows muted growth in January

• Domestic airlines carried 12.78 million passengers in January 2020 against 12.5 million in the same month a year ago
• The DGCA report said that barring Vistara, all domestic airlines reported a decline in capacity utilization in January compared to December

Delay in compensation in taxes to Karnataka due to overall dip in collection: FM

Sitharaman’s comments come at a time when the Yediyurappa-led govt has been facing severe fund crunch ahead of the state budget that will be presented on 5 March

Two more Indians test positive for coronavirus on cruise ship off Japan

• Two more Indians on board quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess off Japan have been tested positive for coronavirus
• Now, the number Indian nationals infected with the deadly virus on the vessel is six

Avoid herd mentality. One should not invest unless one is comfortable: Madani

Angel investing is ideally only for individuals with very deep pockets

Coronavirus: Delhi govt hospital suspends biometric attendance

The order to suspend biometric attendance for employees was issued as a 'precautionary measure' after many of them complained of 'psychological unease' over the coronavirus scare

CAA was brought out of humanitarian considerations, Oppn politicized it: BJP

'CAA is about granting citizenship to people, not snatching it away from anybody,' said BJP's Bhupendra Yadav

Antarctic high temp records will take months to verify: UN

• Scientists at an Argentine research base measured a temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius Feb 6 on a peninsula that juts out from Antarctica
• Climate change is causing the Arctic and the Antarctic to warm faster than other parts of the planet

Time to go national: AAP supporters at Kejriwal's swearing-in event

The good politics and the good model of governance developed by the AAP should be spread to other parts of the country too, says an AAP supporter

DLF plans to raise ₹2,000 cr via sale of commercial land

• The monetisation of land parcels would help the company in reducing its net debt, which stood at ₹4,866 crore at the end of December quarter
• In its investor presentation, DLF said the company is committed to further deleveraging in the near future

AAP expects one lakh people at Arvind Kejriwal's oath ceremony

• Speaking to IANS, Gopal Rai said around one lakh people were expected at the ceremony
• According to senior officials, around 5,000 police personnel, 125 CCTV cameras, 12 LED screens and 45,000 chairs will be there