Budget 2020: Govt may increase import duties on more than 50 items

• Higher customs duties are likely to hit electronics, electrical goods, chemicals and handicrafts
• The hike would provide a level playing field for local manufacturers who are hit by cheap imports from China, say officials and industry sources

Bank of Baroda reports ₹1,407 crore net loss in third quarter

• State lender’s provisions for bad loans rise 54% on a year-on-year basis to ₹6,365 crore
• Asset quality pressures continued in the quarter as loans worth ₹10,387 crore turned bad

In FY20, India faces first fall in direct taxes in at least two decades: Report

• The tax department managed to collect only ₹7.3 trillion as of 23 Jan, more than 5.5% below the amount collected in the year-ago period, said a senior tax official
• Direct taxes typically account for about 80% of the government's projections for annual revenue

Structural reforms, fiscal measures have to be continued: Shaktikanta Das

• Monetary policy alone cannot support growth, said the RBI Governor
• Das' speech comes ahead of the budget next week when the FM is expected to include stimulus measures for small businesses and NBFCs

Growth slowdown in India temporary, expect momentum to improve going ahead: IMF

• On emerging markets, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said they are also moving forward
• On risks ahead for the global economy, the IMF chief listed factors like weakness in long-term productivity growth and low inflation

Why PVR shares touched a 52-week high despite muted footfalls in Q3

• It helps sentiment is that PVR has said it is on track to open 90-100 screens in the current financial year
• So far, PVR has opened 67 new screens, taking the total screen count to 825

Film review: ‘Street Dancer 3D’ cares, but you don't have to

Remo D’Souza’s film, starring Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor as the heads of rival dance crews, is well-intentioned but tedious

India steps up coronavirus checks at airports as 3 people suspected of disease

• Around 23,000 Indian students are studying in China a considerable number of them in Wuhan medical University
• AIIMS in New Delhi said that it has kept ready an isolation ward and kept ready all the protective gear to handle any spread of the virus

Employers reminded to deduct tax at 20% or higher if PAN or Aadhaar not given

• The reminder from the tax department comes at a time the authorities are trying hard to meet their direct tax collection target
• Employers try to be meticulous in their TDS obligations as any default on this could invite penalty

Quick resolution of tax disputes an incentive for taxpayers: CJI

• Like tax evasion, excessive tax is also a social injustice, said S.A. Bobde
• The CJI said he is looking into the use of AI for judicial functioning but added that it should never be allowed to substitute human discretion necessary for decision making

JSW Steel Q3 net profit crashes 88% to ₹187 crore

• The third quarter was affected by a dramatic fall in local steel prices while automotive contracts were renewed at lower levels
• Net debt fell marginally to ₹49,550 crore at the end of December while the net debt to equity ratio stood at 1.35

6 killed in Germany shooting, suspect arrested

• Aalen police said several people were injured and some were killed in the shooting early Friday afternoon, but haven't confirmed the number of fatalities
• Rot am See is located about 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of Munich.

India Ratings downgrades Vodafone Idea’s ₹3500-crore debt to BBB-

• The rating has been downgraded from BBB to BBB minus
• The downgrade is on account of 'crystallisation of adjusted gross revenue related liabilities' post the dismissal of the review petition by Supreme Court

There will be performance audit of NHAI officials: Gadkari

• The officials will be assessed on whether they are able to complete the allocated work in time, their problem resolution skills and initiative towards taking responsibility at work
• The road minister instructed all chief engineers in the highways ministry and all members of NHAI to organise ‘review Mondays’ on the first and third Monday of every month

Phuket-bound GoAir plane returns to Bengaluru after technical glitch

• A precautionary air turn was made by a Bengaluru-Phuket flight (G8 041) with 173 passengers on board, informed GoAir spokesperson
• Aircraft has since been changed and departed with passengers for its destination at 10:44 hours

Mumbai retailers warm up to running 24x7 outlets as new rules set in 

• The new rules which allow shops and establishments to be open through the night with some riders come into effect from 27 January
• Many of the mall owners have reportedly said that initially they will be open only till 3 am and may take it up to 5 AM

Siemens to acquire New Delhi-based C&S Electric for around ₹2,100 crore

• The announcement to acquire 99% stake in C&S Electric comes in the backdrop of the NDA government’s ₹2.86 trillion plan for India’s most ambitious distribution reform scheme
• Some Indian states are recording power distribution losses of as high as 50%

China shuts down 13 cities as coronavirus death toll climbs to 26

• China has also deployed its military medics to help civilian doctors
• The Wuhan lockdown is a cause of concern for Indian students who are still there

Chennai–Madurai Tejas Exp: Passengers can now enjoy 500 hours of infotainment

• The Tejas Express has been provided with a ‘MAGICBOX’ which lets passengers access to a bundle of pre-installed programmes
• Chennai–Madurai Tejas Express runs 6 days a week, except Thursday

Raids on Lalit hotels group, promoter led to ₹1,000-cr black foreign assets

• The department had launched raids at 13 premises of the group, Suri, and others on 19 January in and around Delhi
• The Bharat Hotels Group owns the chain of Lalit hotels in the country

Astronauts bake first cookies in space

• The space station's Italian commander Luca Parmitano acted as baker aided by NASA astronaut Christina Koch for the chocolate-chip cookie experiment
• While the astronauts said they looked and smelled like cookies, no one has tasted them

Infosys on whistleblower charges: No request from Sebi to conduct further audit

Infosys said: Company has not received any request from Sebi to conduct further audits as reported by media on January 23, 2020

Film review: ‘Judy’ shows how the actor's life wasn't all rainbows

Renée Zellweger stars in this affectionate tribute to the 'Wizard of Oz' star

Petroleum regulator alleges violations on city gas projects; Adani Gas clarifies

• The issues assume importance in the backdrop of Total, which plans to buy a 37.4% stake in Adani Gas
• The Adani family owns a 74.8% stake in Adani Gas

First Indian victim of coronavirus in China needs ₹1 crore for treatment

• Maheshwari, a primary art school teacher at the International School of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, is suffering from coronavirus pneumonia, type 1
• The family is also considering shifting her to India for further treatment if needed

HDFC Bank taps Egon Zehnder to identify Aditya Puri's successor

• A six-member internal search committee, appointed in November last year, has been unable to reach a consensus on selecting a successor to Puri, who has been at the helm of HDFC Bank since its inception in 1994: Report

Film review: The anatomy of a comeback in ‘Panga’

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s easy-going, empathetic film centres on a kabaddi player who, years after giving up the sport for her family, decides to play again

Three global risks that could upend finance minister’s Budget calculations

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her second budget on 1 February
• Here are the three global factors she needs to take into account while presenting the budget

Why flat prices in Kolkata are rising, bucking the trend in some other metros

• Sales of residential units will further pick up over the next 12-18 months in Kolkata: Research firm
• But rents and sales in commercial space has seen a plunge

AGR case: Supreme Court agrees to hear modification plea by PSUs

• The government on Thursday said it will not take coercive action against mobile service providers that failed to meet the court-directed 23 January deadline to pay dues

What does payroll data tell about J&K job seekers?

• In the month of November, at least 11,887 people aged 35 or above were in formal sector jobs, whereas 6,536 were in the age group of 29-35
• As per the payroll data, 3106 workers joined formal work in the 26-28 age group

Google ban fails to stamp out short-term payday lending apps

• Lending apps are particularly popular in developing nations such as Nigeria, India and Kenya
• The epicenter is Kenya, where an explosion in mobile lending and little government oversight has made Google the arbiter of which apps customers can choose

Delhi Metro services on Republic Day 2020: Timings to parking details

• DMRC has increased the safety and security measures across all Delhi Metro stations a week before Republic Day
• Metro services on Phase-III corridors will commence at 6 am this Sunday i.e, on 26th January

SBI services could be affected next week due to bank strike

• Bank employees' unions have called for a two-day bank strike on January 31 and February 1
• SBI said it has made arrangements to ensure normal functioning of its branches during bank strike