India’s quest to fix its payments puzzle

• Amid suspicion about foreign firms and a new 30% market share cap in UPI, fintech is headed for upheavals
• The recent moves have evoked analogies with the licence raj and prove how vexatious internet regulation in India is becoming. Critics say the 30% cap is arbitrary

Jabs for all versus enough shots for herd immunity

The Centre says India need not administer covid-19 vaccine jabs to the entire population. Rather, inoculating a 'critical mass' on priority will help break the chain of transmission. If the earlier presumption was that all would be given the shots, what does this mean? Mint delves in

Why we should nuance our approach to China

The Centre’s inclusion of Huawei representatives in discussions on India’s 5G rollout plan hints at a softer stance on Chinese participation. This is pragmatic. Let’s go by self-interest

DHFL lenders file personal insolvency case against Wadhawans

This recent move by DHFL lenders comes at a time when the resolution process for the mortgage financier is currently underway and lenders have called for a fresh round of bidding from existing bidders for the fourth time

Don't fall under naive belief that Covid struggle is over: UK PM post Pfizer nod

• 'It’s not,' Boris Johnson said about the coronavirus pandemic
• The prime minister highlighted that there would be immense logistical challenges ahead when the vaccine finally begins to get administered

India's November trade deficit narrows to nearly $10 bn

• Exports fell 9.1% while imports contracted 13.3%
• India’s merchandise trade has been weakening even before the covid-19 pandemic hit the economy and external demand

Govt orders Wikipedia to remove link showing wrong map of Jammu and Kashmir

• This matter was flagged by a Twitter user through a tweet calling upon the govt to take strict action
• The order was issued by Ministry of Electronics and IT under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000

Rise in production, sales volumes boost Coal India’s revival hopes

• While the lockdown impacted the company’s volumes significantly during the June quarter, a recovery in the September quarter with a 10% sales growth comes at a good time

PI Industries overtakes UPL as biggest agrochemical stock

• For PI, the momentum in the CSM business remains strong in export markets

Premature membership of RCEP would not serve Indian interests

Joining this trade bloc will not help India unless structural constraints on its industrial competitiveness are first addressed

China orchestrated Galwan Valley clash, suggests US panel

• The seven-month-long military standoff was the ‘most severe border crisis in decades’, the report noted
• China had planned the clash with Indian troops, including scope of fatalities, the commission said

Battery costs fall, make electric vehicles cheaper: BMI

BMI estimates that between 2014 and 2017 the price of battery cells fell 16.5% per annum, but between 2017 and 2020 the drop was only 5.8% per annum

Russia's Putin plans mass vaccinations against Covid-19 next week

• 'Let's agree on this - you will not report to me next week, but you will start mass vaccination ... let's get to work already, Putin told Deputy PM Tatiana Golikova
• This comes after the UK became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for widespread use

Sebi asks BSE to clarify on NOC to RIL-Future deal

• Amazon has written two letters to Sebi, urging the regulator and stock exchanges not to give their NOCs to the deal since it would mean disregard of Singapore International Arbitration Centre's interim award

Board exams in 2021 will be in written mode only and not online: CBSE

• CBSE also said that if students were not able to sit for practicals in classes before the exams, alternatives would be explored
• Union Minister of Education is supposed to hold an interaction with students, teachers and parents on December 10 on the issue of conduct of board examinations and competitive examinations next year

Wall Street slips as monthly jobs data disappoints

• The biggest drag was a near 10% drop in Salesforce.com Inc after it agreed to buy workplace messaging app Slack Technologies Inc in a $27.7-billion deal
• After getting a green signal from UK for emergency authorisation of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Pfizer rose 3.3% and BioNTech added 6%

Moderna Covid vaccine can get emergency nod in 2-3 days after panel meet: CEO

• The FDA will hold an advisory committee meet to discuss company's request for emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine on 17 December
• Moderna's vaccine candidate's full results from a late-stage study showed its vaccine was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns

Tata Sons buys 0.71% stake in Tata Chemicals for around ₹76 crore

Tata Chemicals reported a 64% fall in consolidated net profit at ₹132.09 crore for the quarter ended September against a net profit of ₹367.31 crore in the year-ago period

Merck sells stake in Moderna as vaccine gets FDA review

• Merck sold its direct equity investment in Moderna during the first half of the fourth quarter, according to a statement from the US drugmaker on Wednesday
• No terms of the sale of the holdings were given

First doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to arrive in Brazil by Feb: Health Minister

• Pazuello said the govt had released funds to the Fiocruz biomedical institute in Rio de Janeiro, which will receive supplies from the firm and eventually produce the vaccine locally

Supreme Court stays probe against Flipkart by CCI

• The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde also issued notice to All India Online Vendor Association (sellers association) and CCI

Capt Amarinder to take first shot of Covid vaccine in Punjab

The state government has also prioritised nearly 23% of its three crore population comprising healthcare workers, frontline workers, the elderly population above the age of 50 years and people with co-morbidities for the first phase of vaccination

Bharti Airtel's arm buys additional 4.9% stake in Infratel for ₹2,882 cr

With this acquisition by Nettle, the aggregate shareholding of the Bharti Airtel and Nettle stands increased to 41.66% in lnfratel

Britain will stand by Brexit deal-breaking bill

• The mood of trade talks could sour further if the government presses on with the controversial clauses

Apollo Hospitals to seek shareholders' nod to raise up to ₹1,500 crore

The board has also approved to constitute a Fund Raising Committee for this, Apollo Hospitals said in a BSE filing

Magnite vs Sonet vs Venue: Prices of petrol turbo variants compared

Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue are the two best sellers in the segment, leaving behind a long-time favourite Maruti Suzuki Brezza at the third spot

Farmers' protest: Transporters threaten to stop operations from 8 December

• Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and western UP have continued to protest against the farm laws over the last two months, despite repeated assurances by the Centre and appeals to come to the table for talks

Retail frenzy drives Burger King India IPO, issue oversubscribed three times

• As of date, they have 259 Company-owned Burger King Restaurants and 9 sub-franchised Burger King Restaurants, of which 249 were operational, including two sub-franchised Burger King Restaurant

British PM Boris Johnson is expected to be the chief guest at Republic Day event

• According to a person familiar with the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the invite during a telephone conversation on 27 November.

Pfizer Covid vaccine: WHO says 'reviewing it for emergency use'

A WHO emergency use listing would allow countries to authorize vaccine for national emergency use and could open the door to international supplies of the vaccine through global procurers

Nissan bets on Magnite to turn around its fortune in India

• Nissan has managed to launch the product at an attractive price of Rs4.99 lakh and is expecting to tap into the burgeoning demand for smaller and midsize sport utility vehicles

CSE finds adulteration in several honey brands

• Investigations by CSE with laboratory studies in India and Germany revealed adulteration in honey sold here with 77% of samples being found adulterated with sugar syrup

SC to hear final arguments of Tata-Mistry case on 8 December

• SC was expected to take on record the 29 October plea by the two investment firms for separation from Tata Sons as part of additional relief in its minority oppression case. The SP group has said the obligation of protecting the rights of largest non-Tata shareholder has been broken

List of states that have started phase 3 trials of India's first Covid vaccine

• The Covaxin phase 3 trials have commenced in several states in the country, including Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and other states are also expected to begin soon
• It is the largest clinical trial conducted for a coronavirus vaccine in India

Gold prices today fall, a day after big jump; silver rates drop

• Gold had jumped ₹700 per 10 gram while silver about ₹3,000 per kg in the previous session
• The rates of gold have fallen about ₹8,000 from August highs on optimism that the global economy can finally get back on course in 2021

Amazon is laying the groundwork for its own quantum computer

Amazon.com Inc. is laying the groundwork for a quantum computer, deepening efforts to harness technology that can crunch in seconds vast amounts of data that take even the most powerful supercomputers hours or days to process.