Central government may cut threshold for gratuity

• Labour market experts said the five-year threshold is outdated and no longer serves the interest of employees
• Trade unions claim some firms fire workers before they become eligible for gratuity payments to save on costs

Bill Gates says US coronavirus testing has ‘mind-blowing’ problems

• Bill Gates reiterated that he expects the US to largely get through pandemic by end of next year as therapeutics and a vaccine become available.
• Bill Gates cited long lines at commercial labs and delays in obtaining test results, meaning that 'you pay as much for the late result as the timely result'

Stocks to Watch: Cipla, IndusInd Bank, Eveready Industries, Abbott India

• Cipla reported a 26.58% rise in its consolidated net profit to ₹566.04 crore for the quarter ended June on the back of robust sales
• IndusInd Bank has acquired 7.82% stake in battery maker Eveready Industries by invoking pledged shares following loan default

How to open NPS Tier II Account online: Step-by-step guide

• Only those subscribers who have a Tier I NPS Account can open a Tier II Account
• A government employee can avail deduction under Section 80C for contribution to Tier II Account

World's most expensive coronavirus mask costs over ₹10 crore

• The glitzed-up face mask may lend some pizzazz to the protective gear now mandatory in public spaces in many countries
• The 18-karat white gold mask will be decorated with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-rated N99 filters

Canara Bank revises fixed deposit interest rates. Latest FD rates here

• Canara Bank new FD interest rates are effective today
• The bank also slashed its MCLR by up to 30 basis points across various tenors effective 7th August

Gold prices today rise after ₹1,000 fall, silver rates jump

• Weaker dollar, rising covid cases across the world and US-China tensions supported the safe-haven appeal of gold
• Gold prices in India are up more than 40% so far this year

Anand Mahindra is impressed by this Honda powered Tesla

Mahindra shared the video and wrote, 'And we thought jugaad was purely an Indian talent! Hilarious. A Honda-powered Tesla...'

Verdict on staggered AGR payments awaited as SC to hear bankrupt telcos

In its last hearing on 20 July, the apex court had directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to submit details of the insolvency proceedings of the bankrupt telcos before the next hearing

Ball in government’s court after RBI status quo on monetary policy

• The next one month  will  be  crucial  for  Centre  to  firm  up  its  plans
• The Indian economy is struggling to recover since the government imposed a stringent lockdown in March

Pvt companies to run trains on freight corridors after Dec 2021: Vinod Yadav

In this fiscal, we may be able to earn ₹15,000- ₹20,000 cr from the passenger segment, based on the coronavirus situation.

LIC to launch revival campaign for lapsed policies

• Under this Special Revival Campaign, policies of specific eligible plans can be revived within five years
• The policyholders will get 20 per cent late fee concession for revival while 25 per cent concession between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh

Aramco is still working on deal to invest $15 bn in RIL

• Discussions are still on to buy a stake in oil-to-chemicals business, says Aramco CEO
• RIL had announced plans to sell a 20% stake in its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business to Aramco

UPI set to be more convenient, facilitate more interoperability

• Ease in payment through UPI and the proposed availability of credit through it could boost its adoption
• NPCI has added the recurring payments feature to UPI which allows deduction of fixed monthly payments

Ahead of registering world's first covid vaccine, Russia reveals how it works

• Russia plans to register world's first covid vaccine on August 12
• The vaccine has been developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry

Demand story is still dark as the recent upticks are just fireflies

• Analysts have already begun discounting upticks where demand is concerned
• More Indians believe that their employment prospects may improve in the next one year and, therefore, incomes, too

Return of the rumble in the VC jungle

• There are signs of a V-shaped recovery in venture funds investing in startups. Will the broader economy play ball?
• Though the global glut in capital is keeping funding taps flowing for now, a higher-than-expected economic contraction could force more startup closures and distress sales

Chinese brands hold back spending on ads

• Smartphones are the hottest category with investments of ₹2,500-2,700 crore annually
• The advertising go-slow comes after smartphone brand Vivo’s exit from IPL 2020 as the tournament’s title sponsor owing to growing anti-China sentiment

Allocation to NPS slows down in June quarter

• Withdrawal has happened from all sectors, across government and private firms
• Due to covid‘s effect on firms and the desperation to conserve cash, the growth in the overall NPS sector has remained flat in terms of the number of investors

Flying to Bengaluru? Know the rules for domestic flight passengers

• People flying to Bengaluru must register themselves on the Seva Sindhu website
• Karnataka government has revised quarantine rules for people returning from abroad in the state

Phonemakers in India build capacity  to  tap global orders

• Lava plans to produce as many as 100 million smartphones annually in the next few years
• Smartphone makers have already begun investing in expanding capacities and their manufacturing capabilities to move beyond just assembling phones

3 risks weighing on emerging markets

• Donald Trump’s executive actions announced Saturday will likely provide the initial focus for traders.
• The potential for US-China tensions to escalate further with a planned review of their phase-one trade deal around August15 will probably damp risk appetite

Several Noida high-rises without STPs, penalty soon: Noida Authority

Most of these 33 societies are located in Sector 7x area (referring to societies in sectors 74 to 79) and Sector 137 of the city, where the Noida Authority had carried out inspection on August 2 and 8, they said

Timeline of crashes, mishaps involving Boeing 737-800

Despite the accidents, a pilot with Air India Express says that safety is not a concern with the aircraft

The repo rate cut cycles help PSBs shore up capital

The RBI on Thursday decided to keep the repo rate or the interest rate at which it lends to banks, at 4%. In his new book, former RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya explains why the government loves the cycle of repo rate cuts. Mint takes a look

HNI holdings in Nifty companies soar in Q1

• By value, HNI holdings in 479 companies was 1.69% or ₹2.20 trillion in April-June period
• Market data shows the ownership of HNIs in the companies under review for NSE 500 index was 3.17% by percentage shares in the June quarter compared to 3.09% in the previous three months

Sonia will continue as interim president till 'not too distant future': Congress

• Sonia Gandhi had returned as party president on 10 August last year
• The development is significant as it comes in the backdrop of some of the top leaders of the party airing their views that the party needs to have a full term president

PM Modi to present new outline for a self-reliant India on 15 Aug: Rajnath Singh

PM Narendra Modi will present a new outline for a self-reliant India in his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said

Apple's April-June iPhone shipments grow in India despite market slowdown

• Apple’s growth comes at a time when the overall market in India has declined drastically
• Total number of shipments in the premium segment shrunk 4.8% year-on-year in Q2

Income tax deduction on FD interest for senior citizens: 5 points

The deposits can be with any bank or post office or cooperative bank.

Harley Davidson's cheapest bike in India gets massive price cut

The Harley Davidson Street 750 is powered by a 750 cc liquid cooled 'Revolution X' engine and comes equipped with anti-lock braking system (ABS)

This MIT alumnus is building a coding school of the future

Teaching kids and watching them fall in love with coding has been the most meaningful activity for me over the past decade, Anshul Bhagi said