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Budget 2020 LIVE updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her second Union Budget in Parliament at 11 am today. The Budget speech will be keenly watched on both sides of the aisle in Parliament, and also by investors, both domestic and foreign, besides various interest groups like farmers and the anxious middle class. Budget 2020 comes at a time when India is staring at an estimated 5 per cent annual rate of expansion, the slowest pace since 2009. The economy has lately been impacted by slowing trade, rising protectionism, and concerns over a high level of unemployment. The recent sluggishness in the economy has led to expectations that the Budget would contain further stimulus measures to boost growth through new policy initiatives and continued reforms to achieve accelerated growth and employment generation. On Friday, the government tabled the Economic Survey 2019-20, which projected the country's GDP growth for 2020-21 at 6-6.5 per cent.

While 2019 started off with expectations of Huawei Technologies challenging Samsung Electronics for the title of world’s most prolific smartphone vendor, it’s the more familiar foe of Apple that’s now threatening the South Korean titan’s throne. Industry trackers on Thursday released estimates that show the iPhone maker close to matching or surpassing its Korean rival in shipments during the pivotal holiday quarter. Strategy Analytics put Apple’s iPhone shipments for the fourth quarter at 70.7 million, slightly ahead of Samsung’s 68.8 million. Canalys gauged the US firm had moved 78 million, surpassing the Asian brand’s 71 million. And researchers at IHS Markit have the positions flipped —with Samsung at 70.7 million and Apple at 67.7 million. Research firms are forced to estimate because Apple stopped providing its own iPhone figures a year ago, while Samsung gives a total number that includes smartphones and feature phones. The consensus, however, is that there’s ess

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that a strong foundation will be laid for this decade in the present session of Parliament and hoped there will be good debates in both the Houses on the economy. Speaking ahead of the Budget Session, Modi said that he wanted a vast and qualitative discussion on financial issues in both the houses. "This session should be focussed mainly on economic issues. I want there to be good debates on these issues in both houses. "Our government's identity has been of empowering Dalits, women, those who face exploitation. We want to continue these efforts. This session should be focussed mainly on economic issues. I want there to be good debates on these issues in both houses," he said. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

India confirmed on Thursday its first patient of coronavirus infection , isolating a male patient in the southern state of Kerala. The patient studied in a university in Wuhan, the Chinese city from where the virus infection spread, and he "his stable at the moment and is being closely monitored," said a government press release. The death toll in China from the new coronavirus rose to 170 on Thursday, with 7,711 confirmed cases, as repatriation flights for foreign nationals continued. According to the daily report of the National Health Commission, updated at 00.00 (local time) the number of patients in serious condition stands at 1,370, while 124 people have recovered and were discharged. On Wednesday, 38 deaths were registered and 1,737 confirmed cases were added with 131 patients in serious condition and another 21 people cured, Efe news reported. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Even as the threat from coronavirus looms, no Chinese company is expected to pull out of the Auto Expo 2020 , to be held in Greater Noida from February 7. This assurance was given by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), which said it is taking adequate precautions at the venue in accordance with the instructions of the health ministry. Some of the measures include a full medical team and thermal screenings. Siam representatives met ministry officials and local administration on Wednesday to discuss the measures to be taken during the auto expo. While Siam did not disclose any information on number of Chinese delegation to attend, things discussed at the meeting and others, Rajan Wadhera, president of Siam, said, “We have gone through the advisory issued by the ministry of health and are taking adequate precautions.” Sources said over two dozen top officials from various companies were planning to participate in the event, besides a group of journalists.

The EU will not ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei in Europe, a top official said on Tuesday, despite intense pressure from Washington to shun the company over spying fears. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, will officially unveil its recommendations on Wednesday, but commissioner Thierry Breton told MEPs that Brussels will choose tight scrutiny over any blanket ban. "It is not a question of discrimination it is a question of laying down rules. They will be strict, they will be demanding and of course we will welcome in Europe all operators who are willing to apply them," he said. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Tata Motors’ strategy of adopting a very competitive pricing for the Nexon EV will prompt its rivals — Maruti Suzuki India as well as Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) — to package their offerings in a manner that attracts buyers. High pricing of electric vehicles (EVs) has been a key deterrent for buyers. With a price starting from Rs 13.99 lakh to Rs 15.99 lakh, the Nexon is the first EV offering in the mass sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment. M&M is set to unveil its electric compact SUV version of the XUV300, while Maruti will be taking wraps off the electric variant of the Wagon R at the Auto Expo next month. Earlier this month, MG Motors launched its EV vehicle, the ZS. Over the next two years, Tata Motors will introduce four more EV models, including two SUVs, a sedan and a hatchback, as it seeks to be in the leadership position. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Hong Kong stocks plunged Wednesday as investors in the city returned from their Lunar New Year break to a global panic over the deadly coronavirus , though most other Asian markets were lifted by bargain-buying after recent losses. Healthy US data reinforced hopes for the global economic outlook and supported a rally across US and European markets, which provided a strong lead for Asia, while a record earnings report from Apple also helped the mood. Still, the focus remains on developments in the virus outbreak -- which has now killed at least 132 people and infected more people in China than SARS did 17 years ago -- and concerns about the impact on the world economy. Among the worst-hit sectors on global trading floors are firms linked to travel and tourism, as big-spending Chinese tourists stay at home with Beijing clamping down on people's movement. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

With barely a few days left for the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government to present the Union Budget proposals for financial year 2020-21 (FY21), most domestic and foreign brokerages look forward to credible steps to prop-up growth and provide some relief to the individual income-tax payers in terms of a cut in tax rates. Here are some of the key things on the wish list of leading brokerages. Morgan Stanley We expect the budget to: (a) focus on credible fiscal numbers and gradual consolidation, (b) continue to favour investment-driven growth with redistributive spending likely to remain in line with nominal GDP growth, (c) provide strong intent to raise additional resources through strategic divestment and asset monetization, and (d) provide a credible medium-term fiscal consolidation plan and improve the health of the public sector balance sheet. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

On 1st of February, Finance Minister  Nirmala Sitharaman  will present the Union Budget for Financial Year 2020-21. It will be the first full Budget of Narendra Modi's second term as Prime Minister. The economy was in the news for most of last year, not for positive reasons. Every Budget presents challenges to the government, but some are more challenging than others. This Budget comes at a particularly difficult time for the Indian economy and is keenly awaited to see how the government will try to defeat the economic challenges that face the country.What will be the biggest challenges facing the finance minister in the Budget? How will the Budget tackle the jobs crisis? Can the government spend its way out of trouble? And what is going in favour of the government?A K Bhattacharya answers these questions and more in this Business Standard special podcast. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Considering the current stage of inequality in the country, it is time for India to reintroduce wealth tax in the Union Budget 2020 and also focus on redistribution of wealth, Nobel laureate Abhijit V Banerjee said on Monday. “ Given the amount of inequality now, wealth tax is completely sensible and more redistribution is required,” he said at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. India had passed the Wealth Tax Act, 1957 which was levied on an individual, a Hindu Undivided Family and a Corporate entity on its valuation, which was repealed in April 2016. However, Banerjee remained skeptical about the current government's enthusiasm to introduce it. Responding to a question about his views on the Centre's disinvestment drive, Banerjee said, “I would love to sell out the prestigious PSUs.” Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Budget 2020 : Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) has requested the Union Government to bring in tax parity for the listed and unlisted shares and allow the category 1 Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) to invest in Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFC). The association said that currently there is a considerable benefit on investing in listed shares than unlisted shares in terms of taxes levied. In order to further channelize domestic and foreign risk capital, there is a need for complete tax parity for investments in listed and unlisted securities. As compared to domestic investors, Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) earned by foreign investors in private companies attract taxation at a concessional rate of 10 per cent while domestic VC & PE investments taxed at 20 per cent (for LTCG) with an enhanced surcharge of 37 per cent. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

South Korea on Friday confirmed its second case of the SARS-like virus that has killed at least 25 in China, as concerns mount about a wider outbreak. Several nations including the US have stepped up checks on airport passengers to detect the coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has caused alarm in China and abroad because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. On Friday, Seoul's health ministry said a South Korean man in his 50s started experiencing symptoms while working in Wuhan on Jan 10. He was tested upon returning to the country earlier this week, and was confirmed to be South Korea's second case of the virus on Thursday, the ministry added. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Chinese smartphone brand Realme made strides in several new areas last year. From foraying into the premium midrange segment to introducing true wireless earphones, the young and ambitious OPPO spin-off did not hesitate to explore and experiment. At the same time, it continued to focus on its midrange smartphone portfolio, considered its area of strength. A recent addition to this portfolio is the Realme X2, the plain-vanilla edition of its premium Realme X2 Pro . Business Standard tried the Realme X2 to see how it fared on key parameters. Here is what we found in our review: Design The Realme X2 takes its design inspiration from the Pro edition in more ways than one. However, you cannot overlook how drastically similar it looks to the Realme XT as well. The phone has a glass construction, with a Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back, and a polycarbonate chassis that looks metallic. Though the phone’s back is resilient to scratches, its glass cover is prone

In the first T20 International of a five-match series, India cricket team captain Virat Kohli won the toss and asked New Zealand cricket team to bat first at Eden Park, Auckland, today. Both keepers Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant do not find a place in India playing 11, and Shivam Dube is selected as a batting all-rounder to add firepower lower down the order. Here are the playing 11 of both the sides: India playing 11: Rohit Sharma, K L Rahul (w), Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami New Zealand playing 11: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(w), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Hamish Bennett India vs New Zealand 1st T20 Live scorecard . Here you can also read Budget2020 News

The Trump administration is coming out Thursday with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting " birth tourism ," in which women travel to the US to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport. Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth will now be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment, according to State Department guidance sent Wednesday and viewed by The Associated Press. The applicants will have to prove they are coming for medical treatment and they have the money to pay for it. The State Department planned to publicise the rules Thursday, according to two officials with knowledge of the plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The rules will take effect Friday. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi  (pictured) on Wednesday reviewed the progress made in nine delayed projects spread across as many states at the first meeting of ‘Pragati’ this year. These projects, worth over Rs 24,000 crore, are spread over Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. These include three from Railways, five from the Road Transport and Highways and one from the Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. Modi also reviewed the performance related to insurance schemes. The progress under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project, which is a comprehensive and integrated system for effective policing through e-governance, also came up for review. ‘ Pragati’ is an ICT-based multi-modal platform for ‘Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation’.   Here you can also read Budget2020 News

When you are going for true-wireless earbuds, it's best to spend a little extra, so that there is no disappointment with quality. What's frustrating for those who want truly wireless earbuds is that there are very few good mid-range options. Blaupunkt did bring some good products for audiophiles (review), but it the only one until Skullcandy decided to throw its hat in the ring with the Sesh Bluetooth earbuds . The Skullcandy Sesh earbuds fit well in your ears and, unlike most others, don't fall off easily, no matter how extensive your movement. This was our first observation when we wore the earbuds for a running session. The other thing that we noticed was the size: It's a bit bigger than most earbuds in the market at present, so some people might not find them ideal for use, especially those who like to lie on their beds and binge-watch. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

With weak or stolen passwords accounting for an average of four out of five global data breaches, a new study has said it is safer not to have a password. The new report released by the World Economic Forum , here during its 2020 annual meeting, said that freeing ourselves of passwords will actually make individuals safer and businesses more efficient. Cybercrime is set to cost the global economy US2.9 million every minute in 2020, and some 80 per cent of these attacks are password-related. Knowledge-based authentication whether with PINs, passwords, passphrases, or whatever we need to remember is not only a major headache for users, it is costly to maintain, the study found. For larger businesses, it is estimated that nearly 50 per cent of IT help desk costs are allocated to password resets, with average annual spend for companies now at over US1 million for staffing alone. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

Online platforms including Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google face growing pressure to stop carrying political ads that contain false or misleading claims ahead of the US presidential election. In the United States, the Communications Act prevents broadcast stations from rejecting or censoring ads from candidates for federal office once they have accepted advertising for that political race, although this does not apply to cable networks like CNN, or to social media sites, where leading presidential candidates are spending millions to target voters in the run-up to the November 2020 election. The following is how social media platforms have decided to handle false or misleading claims in political ads: Facebook Facebook exempts politicians from its third-party fact-checking program, allowing them to run ads with false claims. Here you can also read Budget2020 News

High levels of glucose in the blood can damage the peripheral nerves in your body, causing decreased sensation in the feet and hands as well as problems to the urinary tract, digestive system, and heart. With over 60 percent of diabetics eventually developing peripheral neuropathy, it is one of the main secondary complications they face. Mild to moderate symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling sensation in the feet and legs. In severe cases, it can lead to potentially serious complications such as gangrenous wounds that necessitate the amputation of a toe, foot or leg. Fortunately, diabetic neuropathy can be prevented if strict control is maintained on blood sugar levels on a daily basis. Lifestyle changes and complementary therapies derived from natural systems of medicine can help achieve this effectively. Three of the most commonly practiced alternative therapies to help prevent diabetic neuropathy are naturopathy, yoga and acupuncture. Acupuncture Acupuncture is

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on Tuesday launched the Galaxy Note 10 Lite in India. The smartphone is now available for pre-orders and goes on sale across offline and online platforms from February 3. The phone comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants — both with 128GB internal storage — priced at Rs 38,999 and Rs 40,999, respectively. The phone comes in aura glow, aura black and aura red colours. Unveiled earlier in January, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a new product in the Samsung Galaxy Note line-up. The Galaxy Note10 Lite has a 6.7-inch super AMOLED display of a 20:9 aspect ratio. Touted as 'Infinity-O' display, the screen has a punch hole at the top-centre for the front camera. Unlike the two-side curved dynamic AMOLED screen of the Galaxy Note 10, the display on the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a curved glass covering the flat screen. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite comes with an SPen – a Bluetooth-enabled stylus that doubles up as a remote controller. Addition

With the penetration of mobile phones, the reliance on the device has increased many folds. Be it shopping, gaming or banking, there has been an immense growth in the hours people spend on their mobile phones. According to App Annie's latest report, TikTok and PUBG Mobile continued to dominate the mobile space in India. TikTok was the breakout social app of 2019 in the Indian market, while PUBG Mobile saw the highest consumer spend in games in the country. PUBG Mobile remained a distant third in breakout games of 2019 in terms of downloads as Carrom Pool clinched the top spot, followed by Free Fire. However, it bagged the top spot in the same category from consumer spend point of view. Read Complete Article

The Fitbit on your wrist not only counts your steps and minutes of sleep, it can also help tell if you’re coming down with the flu — and warn health authorities to get ready to help. A study in the United States has found that heart rate and sleep data from wearable fitness tracker watches can predict and alert public health officials to real-time outbreaks of flu more accurately than current surveillance methods. The study used data from more than 47,000 Fitbit users in five US states. The results, published in The Lancet Digital Health journal, showed that by using Fitbit data, state-wide predictions of flu outbreaks were improved and accelerated. The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 6,50,000 people worldwide die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year. Traditional surveillance reporting takes up to three weeks, meaning response measures — such as deploying vaccines or anti-virals and advising patients to stay at home — ca

A team of researchers has conducted a detailed study on how leaving school and getting a job can lead to a drop in the amount of physical activity while becoming a mother is linked to increased weight gain. The research which was published in Obesity Review was led by researchers from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) at the University of Cambridge. The study focused on the changes in physical activities, differences in diet and its result in body weight as young adults move from academics to become a parent. As many leave the stage of adolescence, people tend to put on weight, which is a result of changes in diet, and physical activity. The team conducted two studies, which studied the transition from high school into employment, and then that of becoming a parent. Read Complete Article

India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum, while Denmark has topped the charts. The report, released ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting of the WEF, also lists India among the five countries that stand to gain the most from a better social mobility score that seeks to measure parameters necessary for creating societies where every person has the same opportunity to fulfil his potential in life irrespective of socioeconomic background. Increasing social mobility, a key driver of income inequality, by 10 per cent would benefit social cohesion and boost the world's economies by nearly 5 per cent by 2030, the WEF said. But, few economies have the right conditions to foster social mobility. Read Complete Article

Dell Inspiron  13 7391 is a two-in-one notebook, with a 360-degree rotating display lid giving it flexibility of working as a laptop, a tablet (and entertainment display in stand and tent mode). The notebook’s compact design and lightweight build make it easy to carry it around. Powered by the Intel Core i5 Gen 10th processor, the Dell Inspiron 13 7391 seems to be a feature-rich convertible notebook that does not compromise on performance. Let’s find out how this device fares on key parameters: Design Design is often seen as a crucial differentiator in the convertible notebook segment. And the Dell Inspiron 13 7391 scores big in this department. Made of aluminium, this notebook oozes luxury. Its compact size (not bigger than a 10.1-inch tablet) and lightweight build (1.4 kg) ensure easy portability. Read Complete Article