The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, prompting a sharp reaction from the party, which called it a "state-sponsored crime." In other news, Assam has made Assamese the compulsory official language for government work, while India leads global market recovery after rebounding from Trump's tariff shock.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech announced tax exemption for salaries up to Rs 12 lakh, leading to applause and chants of 'Modi, Modi' in the BJP benches. However, opposition parties protested over the Kumbh stampede and eventually walked out. The session, marked by divided reactions, reflected the political split and customary reactions in the 75-minute address.
Pakistan claimed a 127-run victory over West Indies in the first Test in Multan, led by spinner Sajid Khan's five-wicket haul and Abrar Ahmed's four. Pakistan bowled out West Indies for 123. A humorous exchange between Mohammad Rizwan and Kevin Sinclair during the game went viral. Pakistan now leads the series 1-0.
Rohit Sharma reflects on India's resilience and shift in mindset that led to impressive runs in ICC tournaments over the past nine months. Despite some setbacks, including a rare home Test series loss and a tough IPL season, India won the ICC Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup under his leadership.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced significant tax relief in the Union Budget, raising the nil-tax threshold to Rs 12 lakh, relieving nearly 1 crore taxpayers. She also extended the time frame for filing updated returns to 48 months. The changes signify the government's response to middle-class concerns and aim to ease bureaucratic hurdles in taxing regimes.
Stock market today: BSE Sensex and Nifty50, the Indian equity benchmark indices, opened in green on Tuesday. While BSE Sensex reclaimed the 78,000 level, Nifty50 was above 23,700.
President Donald Trump signed an order pausing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement. This move could help the Adani Group, which was previously indicted for bribery related to securing contracts. The order requires the attorney general to review existing cases, bringing changes to how US businesses compete internationally with regard to anti-bribery laws.
The world population grew by over 71 million in 2024, reaching 8.09 billion people by New year's day 2025, according to US Census Bureau estimates. This marks a 0.9% increase, a slight slowdown compared to the 75 million added in 2023. India maintained its position as the world’s most populous nation in 2024, with an estimated 1.41 billion people.
On Wednesday, Russia launched a devastating attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, deploying over 700 missiles and 100 drones. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy condemned the assault, which hit on Christmas, as 'inhumane.' The strikes worsened power outages and civilian suffering, with fatalities and injuries reported. Ukraine seeks advanced air defense systems from allies to counter the escalating attacks.
A court in Budgam, J&K, has ordered Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin to appear within a month regarding a 2002 murder and arms case. Failing to comply, proceedings will commence to declare him a proclaimed offender. The court noted that Salahuddin is reportedly residing in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, making his arrest impossible, and ordered public notification of the proclamation.
India urged the Netherlands to restrict arms and military technology sales to Pakistan due to its history of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. During a high-level meeting, India highlighted that arming Pakistan undermines regional security and emphasized opportunities for collaboration in shipbuilding, AI, and defense technology research.