Room for income tax relief limited as collections may fall short

• Income and corporate tax collections are likely to miss FY2020 targets by as much as ₹1.5 trillion
• Indirect taxes may fall short by about ₹50,000 crore on drop in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in a sluggish economy

Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund side pockets its exposure to Vodafone Idea

• Existing investors will benefit from recovery in the bad debt through this separate portfolio while fresh investors will not
• Franklin Templeton MF had previously, on 16 Jan written down the value of the affected paper completely. It had also imposed a restriction of ₹2 lakh per day per investor into the affected schemes

Epidemics and equities: What the coronavirous means for markets

Here is a rundown of what big companies are saying so far about the impact

India celebrates 71st Republic Day with several firsts

• The celebration this year was marked by several firsts, starting with PM Modi paying homage to soldiers killed in battle at National War Memorial instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti
• One of the showstoppers of the parade was India’s Anti-Satellite Weapons system that was successfully tested in March last year

Republic Day: Modi continues 'safa' tradition, sports saffron 'bandhej' turban

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi sported a saffron 'bandhej' headgear with a tail for the 71st Republic Day today
• In 2019, he had worn a yellowish orange headgear with a red tail on the Republic Day

Mark To Market | Great expectations ride on the budget

• The markets are hoping that the government will revive the economy without straining its finances too hard in the upcoming Budget
• The market wants the government to expand its balance sheet a wee bit to free up some resources to revive growth

Coronavirus update: China says virus's ability to spread getting stronger

• The virus has killed at least 56 people in China, and President Xi Jinping on Saturday ordered a faster response
• More than 2,000 cases have been reported in 15 countries and territories

Six of top-10 Indian firms lose ₹81,148 crore in m-cap, Reliance hit hard

• The market valuation of Reliance Industries, the country's most valued firm, plunged ₹37,369.7 crore to ₹9,64,639.40 crore
• TCS, HDFC Bank, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ITC were the other bluechips which witnessed a drop in their market capitalisation for the week ended Friday

'Embassy in Beijing constantly checking on health, well-being of Indians: MEA

• Two hotlines (+8618612083629 and +8618612083617) are operational and are open to respond to any concerns of Indians in China, said Indian Embassy in Beijing
• Some reports Saturday said that India has requested China to permit over 250 Indian students stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the new SARS-like virus

How last year’s budgetary promises impacted markets

Here’s a list of hits and misses of capital market reforms from last years budget as we usher in the next one

'No bigger lie than saying Indian minorities stifled, freedom crushed'

• In a detailed interview to Mint, the union minister also said the upcoming Delhi election will be fought on development issues, both local and national
• The NPR has nothing to do with CAA, it only wants to know how many people live in a sub-division because it will help in development projects, says the minister

India's military might, cultural heritage to be on display at Rajpath today

• Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at the 90-minute Republic Day celebrations
• This is for the first time that the prime minister will pay homage to martyrs at the National War memorial instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti

Gold prices rise for second day in a row, silver rates surge

• Fears about the coronavirus prompted buying into gold
• Silver prices zoomed, tracking gains in gold

Coronavirus outbreak: US to evacuate consulate staff, some citizens from Wuhan

• The US State Department said today it will evacuate personnel from its Wuhan consulate to the United States
• The State Department said some private US citizens will be able to board a 'single flight' leaving Wuhan on 28 Jan, requesting those interested to contact the US embassy in Bejing

Republic Day: President Ram Nath Kovind receives national salute at Rajpath

• President Ram Nath Kovind today received the national salute at Rajpath on the occasion of 71st Republic Day
• Earlier both President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Modi paid rich tributes to the martyred soldiers, by laying wreathes at the National War Memorial

FPIs pour in ₹1,624 cr in Jan so far as US-China trade deal boosts sentiment

• FPIs invested a net ₹13,304 cr in equities and withdrew a net ₹11,680 cr from the debt segment between Jan 1-24. This translates into a total net inflow of ₹1,624 crore.
• The RBI on Thursday raised the investment limit for FPIs in govt and corporate bonds, a move that is likely to bring in more foreign funds in the country

Mumbai's enhanced nightlife fails to enthuse city's mall owners

• Not all Mumbai mall owners are rushing to the idea of opening 24/7 due to concerns over additional costs, manpower and doubts over footfalls late night
• Last week, Maharashtra approved its 'Mumbai 24 hour policy' allowing malls, shops and restaurants to open 24 hours and seven days week, if they wish to, from 27 Jan

Bravery award for IAF officers killed in chopper crash after friendly fire

• Two IAF officers, Squadron Leaders Siddharth Vashisht and Ninad Mandavgan have been posthumously awarded the Vayu Sena gallantry medal on the occasion of Republic Day
• The incident of friendly fire took place while the Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a dogfight on 27 Feb last year

Republic Day celebrations: DRDO displays A-SAT weapon system

• In March last year, the DRDO launched 'Mission Shakti', India's first A-SAT mission and demonstrated its anti-satellite technology
• A-SAT weapon system has placed India at par with the elite club of 3 nations — US, Russia and China — that possess this capability

11 people under observation for coronavirus, PMO holds high-level meeting

• Govt formed multidisciplinary central teams that will be sent to the seven states where thermal screening is being done at seven designated airports
• PMO also reviews various preventive measures taken by ministries like Civil Aviation to deal with coronavirus

Republic Day: Delhi under multi-layered, ground-to-air security cover

• Over ten thousand security personnel have been deployed to keep vigil over the Republic Day celebrations today
• Facial recognition devices installed at all entry gates of the R-Day celebration venue to identify miscreants and suspects, Delhi police said

Delhi Metro timing, parking, station restriction today (Jan 26): Details here

• The entry and exit gates of some metro station will remain closed from 6 am till 12 noon today
• Central Secretariat station will only be used for interchange of passengers

Petrol prices cut sharply today, now lowest in over 2 months

• Petrol and diesel prices have been on a declining trend over past 15 days
• Global oil prices have fallen sharply this week

Coronavirus: Over 2,000 people now infected globally, 56 dead in China

• The Coronavirus has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the US, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada
• The virus is believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in the Wuhan city that was illegally selling wildlife

Hackers target 1 Indian firm over 1,500 times a week

• 93% of malicious files in India were delivered via the web, compared to 35% of malicious files globally, said cybersecurity firm Check Point Research
• The most common vulnerability in India is information disclosure, impacting 64% of the organisations and the top malware in India is 'XMRig' that impacts 17% of firms

5 income tax changes expected in this year's budget

• Tax experts expect some rationalisation as there is a steep jump in tax rate when income exceeds ₹5 lakh
• Some tweaking in dividend distribution tax, long term capital gains tax on listed shares are also high on the wish list

Coronavirus: India 'requests' China to let over 250 Indian students leave Wuhan

• While majority of the Indian students left for home on Chinese New Year holidays, over 250 students are said to be still in the city and its surrounding areas
• On Saturday, the city officials have also banned all private transport in the city as part of stepped up measures

Income tax slabs and rates for FY 2019-20

• While doing your tax planning for the current financial year 2019-20, it is important to understand the income tax slab and rates
• Although there is no change in the income tax slab as compared to the last year, yet your tax outgo may be affected due to rebates and deductions

WhatsApp rival Telegram adds new features on latest update: Details here

• Telegram has released a feature known as 'Polls 2.0', which will essentially enable users to conduct various types of polls within the chat groups and channels
• The new Telegram feature aims to enrich the learning experience of users

How SBI, ICICI Bank account holders can withdraw cash at ATMs without debit card

• SBI customers can withdraw a minimum of ₹500 and maximum of ₹10,000 in a single transaction
• ICICI Bank is also offering cardless cash withdrawal facility at any of its ATMs.

Income tax department issues list of all official emails and SMS ids

• The income tax department has asked taxpayers to not trust messages from any other source
• Here is a full list of all official emails, SMS ids and websites used by the income tax department

Ola users save more than ₹20 crore last year by sharing their rides

• Delhi remained the single largest market for Ola with a record of covering 1.06 billion km in 2019
• Shared services of Ola helped to keep 1.4 million cars off streets in 2019

LinkedIn survey reveals: What millennials look for in a job

• Millennials, who are between 23-38 years old, constitute 40% of the total work force across the world
• When it comes to work, each generation has its own strengths

GoAir to cancel more flights due to delay in new aircraft and engine delivery

• GoAir will cancel some of its flights owing to a delay in delivery of new aircraft and engines
• In the last four weeks, the carrier has gone through unplanned grounding of aircraft

'Nobody can leave': Trapped Wuhan residents stock up as virus toll rises to 41

• The city of 11 million people at the heart of the viral outbreak has so far infected nearly 1,300 people
• Authorities extended transport bans to 17 other cities around Wuhan in a gargantuan effort to control the SARS-like virus

Plea moved in SC seeking immediate action to ensure recovery of AGR dues

• A PIL has been filed seeking direction to DoT to take steps to recover AGR dues from telecom companies as per the court's Oct 2019 order
• The PIL sought quashing of DoT's direction which, put on hold any coercive action against the companies

Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumous

• Mary Kom awarded Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan For P.V. Sindhu
• While a total of seven people have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan, 16 have been conferred the Padma Bhushan and 118 have been awarded the Padma Shri

Opinion | Goldman’s diversity push

US-based investment bank declared that from July it would not help businesses in US and Europe make a debut on bourses if all its directors are male Caucasians

Does technology affect your work-life balance?

A recent survey shows how millennials and Gen Xers fare when it comes to maintaining a fine balance between their work and passion

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

• While the spike in crude oil prices due to rising tension between the US and Iran was short-lived, the situation remains precarious
• The Economic Survey 2017-18 had estimated that every $10 per barrel increase in the price of oil reduces economic growth by 0.2-0.3 percentage point

Assam govt to file case against Shaheen Bagh protest organiser

Assam Finance Minister said Sherjil Islam was heard saying in an audio clip that the state should be cut-off from the rest of India and taught a lesson

Using UPI app? What to do if lose your mobile phone

• UPI allows safer and hassle free payments of your electricity, broadband and mobile bills
• Do not share any sensitive details with anyone

Google announces dates for I/O 2020 event. Android 11, Pixel 4a launch expected

• CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted to announce the dates of the upcoming I/O event
• The Google event is lined up to take place between May 12 and May 14, 2020

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