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

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

• 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

ICICI Bank Q3 net surges 158% to ₹4,146 cr, asset quality improves

• One-time gain from Essar Steel resolution led to provisions declining by 51% to ₹2,083 cr
• Gross non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets stood at 5.95% as against 6.37% in the previous quarter

Anand Mahindra awarded Padma Bhushan; Karan Johar, Kangana get Padma Shri

• Naukari.com founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani, industrialist Bharat Goenka, technocrat Nemnath Jain given Padma Shri
• Cricketer Zaheer Khan, hockey player Rani Rampal, shooter Jitu Rai to be awarded Padma Shri

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

Youth should remember Gandhiji's principle of Ahimsa: Kovind on Republic Day eve

• The President emphasised how the union government was focusing its attention on overall development of the country and on strengthening internal security
• Kovind also expressed hope over how the beginning of the new decade will mark the rise of New India propelled by its youth

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

US official asks India to release political detainees

• We also continue to urge the government to permit regular access by our diplomats, and to move swiftly to release those political leaders detained without charge, Alice Wells said

'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

Seven more people under observation for possible exposure to coronavirus: Govt

• They have been kept at health facilities in Kerala and their samples have been sent to the ICMR-NIV Pune lab, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan
• Vardhan held a review meeting to analyse the preparedness for prevention and management of nCoV in India

Be non-violent when fighting for a cause: Kovind tells countrymen on R-Day eve

• 'For our youth, nation always comes first. With them, we are witnessing emergence of new India,' said the President
• India proud of achievements of ISRO, said Kovind

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

Trump hikes tariffs on derivative steel, aluminum products from some countries

• Some imports of derivative aluminum products would be subject to an additional 10% duty, said Trump
• Trump has long grumbled about the dollar’s strength and urged the Fed to abandon decades of precedent and act to weaken the greenback

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

Coronavirus outbreak: 41 killed in China, Hong Kong declares emergency

• Chinese authorities ramped up measures aimed at reducing the risk of further infections spreading
• Chinese army deployed medical specialists Saturday to the epicentre of a spiralling viral outbreak

If India skips Asia Cup, Pakistan won't be part of 2021 T20 World Cup: PCB

• 'The hosting rights have been given to us by the Asian Cricket Council and we can't just hand them over to anyone,' said PCB CEO Wasim Khan
• Khan also confirmed that a security delegation from Cricket South Africa would be visiting Pakistan in February to take stock of the security situation

India and Brazil sign 15 agreements providing for cooperation in range of areas

• Brazilian President Bolsonaro's visit to India has opened new chapter in bilateral ties between India and Brazil: PM Modi
• Despite geographical distance, both India and Brazil are together on various global issues as there is convergence in our views, said Modi

US fines Delta $50,000 for ordering three Muslim passengers to get off plane

• US Transportation Department alleged that Delta violated anti-bias laws by removing the passengers
• Delta disagreed that it engaged in discriminatory conduct but 'does not dispute that the incidents could have been handled differently'

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

Jaiprakash Power Ventures says to report profit in FY21, company out of NCLT

• Lenders to Jaiprakash Power Ventures, led by ICICI Bank, have restructured the bulk of the company’s debt into equity or convertible instruments
• Under the debt restructuring scheme, the company has also converted part of a loan from the JSW Group into equity shares at ₹10 each

Broadband, 2G mobile data to be restored in Kashmir from today, conditions apply

• Broadband services will be limited to 300 'whitelisted' websites
• The development comes a week after it provided broadband access to 153 government websites

Air India trims losses by 40% in run-up to disinvestment

• Operational losses in Apr-Dec 2019 stood at ₹1,045 cr as against ₹1,960 cr in Apr-Dec 2018
• Air India, which had a 12.7% share of the domestic market, carried 18.36 million domestic fliers in 2019

Coronavirus: 11 people who returned from China under watch in Kerala, Mumbai

• During the screening at the Mumbai airport, six passengers — three from Pune and another three from Mumbai — underwent further medical examination
• As over 20,000 passengers returning from mainland China and Hong Kong underwent thermal screenings at the seven international airports

Petrol, diesel prices become cheaper after 3 big cuts. Check latest rates here

• As diesel price drop is sharper than that for petrol, the price gap between the two fuels is narrowing down
• Petrol and diesel prices were cut today for the third consecutive day

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

Ahead of Budget 2020, Shaktikanta stresses on  need  for  structural  reforms

• Monetary policy alone cannot do all the heavy lifting to stimulate growth, says RBI governor
• Das appears to be pointing to widespread expectations that the budget will include tax, reform proposals to stinulate growth

2G mobile internet service snapped in Kashmir hours after restoration

• The service is likely to be resumed after culmination of Republic Day celebrations on Sunday
• Mobile internet was restored earlier in the day after being suspended nearly six months ago in the wake of the Centre's decision to revoke Article 370

Coronavirus death toll rises to 41, more than 1,300 infected worldwide

• The vast majority of the cases and all of the confirmed deaths to date have been in China, but the virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, France and the United States

Petrol pumps get FASTag-like technology to beat queues

• The RFID sticker will tell the petrol pump boy about how much fuel you want to refill in your car
• The new technology has been rolled at several HPCL petrol pumps in Mumbai, Pune and will be launched in other cities soon

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

Internal hiring remains key to productivity, improves retention: LinkedIn report

• In India, 96% of the talent professionals surveyed said they are placing their bets on internal recruitment
• The report surveyed over 7,000 talent professionals and hiring managers across regions

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

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

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