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< Back Indian budget 2026-27 highlights 3 Feb 2026 Sitharaman focused the budget on the Three Kartavyas – Accelerate growth, build capacity, and equitable development. - Revamped New Income Tax Act, 2025, to take effect from April 1, 2026. It is a new law that may: o Rationalise capital gains tax o Include tax regime for gig workers, influencers, crypto and digital assets, and cross-border digital income o Reduce litigation perpetuated by the ambiguous wording in the 1961 Act. o Introduce fewer deductions, exemptions, and lower tax rates. - ₹12.2 lakh crore in capital expenditure, compared with ₹11.11 lakh crore last year. - Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with a ₹40,000 crore outlay. - National Fibre Scheme for self-sufficiency in advanced materials. - Support for critical mineral facilities in Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. - 7 high-speed rail corridors (Delhi–Varanasi, Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Chennai–Bengaluru, Varanasi–Siliguri) - NIMHANS‑2 and upgraded mental health institutes in Ranchi and Tezpur. - Girls’ hostel in every district to support women’s higher education. - Dedicated retail and digital marketplaces for women-led businesses- SHE Marts Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

News in 150 words In the wake of the plane’s wreckage, a war begins. Life cannot get more aimless than this for 34-year-old Kiara Sharma. Reeling from her parents' divorce and her brother's sudden departure, she believes this is the lowest her life could spiral. But when a plane crashes right outside her window, Kiara is pulled into a world far stranger and unbelievably more dangerous. Normally, one would call the fire brigade, the police, or the ambulance? But the scene in front of her perplexes her. The plane is enveloped in flames that are unnaturally black. Among the wreckage, a secret survives, tying her to one of the victims, her estranged father. On her journey to uncovering darker truths, she begins to trust a stranger she met at the site of the crash, Ved. As bullets fly and allegiances shift, Kiara must decide: will she run from her legacy, or fight to finish a battle she did not begin? And, more importantly, will she accept her destiny before time runs out? THE BLACK FLAMES is a gripping, high-stakes debut novel that blends emotional depth, bio-thriller suspense, and a sudden twist of fate with romance in the undercurrent. 3 Feb 2026 India-US trade deal – 25% tariffs reduced to 18% The 25% tariff will be dropped, given India’s agreement to stop buying Russian oil and switch to US and Venezuelan oil instead. Read More 3 Feb 2026 Indian budget 2026-27 highlights Sitharaman focused the budget on the Three Kartavyas – Accelerate growth, build capacity, and equitable development. Read More 31 Jan 2026 Dhaka cancels Indian SEZ deal, transfers it to China China will establish a drone manufacturing and defence industrial facility. Read More 29 Jan 2026 India-EU FTA to simplify Schengen Visa Applications Indians can expect a faster, more predictable, less bureaucratic Schengen process, although not a guaranteed approval. Read More 28 Jan 2026 African continental split to take 5-10 million years Africa is slowly tearing apart along the East African Rift System, where the Nubian, Somalian, and Arabian plates diverge. Read More 27 Jan 2026 HAL debuts Super Jet 100 at Wings India 2026 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will showcase three India-made aircraft at Wings India 2026, held from January 28–31 at Begumpet Airport. Read More 21 Jan 2026 Global markets bleed after Trump’s tariff threat to EU President Trump’s threat of higher tariffs on European allies unless they support his decision to take over Greenland triggered a sharp downturn in financial markets. Read More 20 Jan 2026 Hindustan Copper to triple ore production by 2030 Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) is India’s only integrated copper miner. Read More 19 Jan 2026 India to host EU’s top leaders for Republic Day, India-EU Summit European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Summit. Read More 16 Jan 2026 Venezuelan Machado presents Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado is among the most prominent leaders of the Venezuelan opposition and a pro-democracy activist. Read More 15 Jan 2026 India explores Venezuelan crude oil US sanctions had almost wiped out the India–Venezuela oil trade between 2021 and 2023. Read More 9 Jan 2026 US withdraws from 66 climate change organisations It includes the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), a coalition that promotes the adoption of solar energy globally. Read More 7 Jan 2026 India 1st hydrogen-powered train to launch on Jan 26 The train will be launched on the Jind-Sonipat route in Haryana. Read More 6 Jan 2026 Most deletions from Tamil Nadu in Election Commission’s SIR 2 The Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a major nationwide clean-up of electoral rolls, following large-scale discrepancies detected in Bihar and West Bengal. Read More 30 Dec 2025 Australia to eliminate all tariffs on Indian exports eff Jan 1 The announcement came on the third anniversary of the Indo-Australian Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement (ECTA). Read More 26 Dec 2025 New airlines, Al Hind Air, FlyExpress get govt nod Amid the IndiGo fiasco, the government is encouraging more players to enter the market to boost competition. Read More 24 Dec 2025 ISRO launches LVM-3 rocket with US’ BlueBird satellite At 6,100 kg, the American-made BlueBird Block-2 satellite is the heaviest satellite ever launched by India. Read More 23 Dec 2025 Bharat Taxi service to launch in Delhi on Jan 1st It will be India’s first cooperative taxi service, conceptualised and supported by the central government. Read More 15 Dec 2025 Mexico introduces 50% tariffs on countries without FTAs The impacted countries include India, South Korea, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Read More 11 Dec 2025 Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion In the early 2010s, HBO dismissed Netflix’s potential, declined a partnership, and resisted licensing content to Netflix. Read More View More

< Back India-US trade deal – 25% tariffs reduced to 18% 3 Feb 2026 The 25% tariff will be dropped, given India’s agreement to stop buying Russian oil and switch to US and Venezuelan oil instead. President Trump announced a reduction in the US “reciprocal” tariff on Indian goods from 25% to 18%. A separate punitive 25% levy linked to India’s Russian oil purchases will be dropped, bringing the effective rate down from 50% to 18%. The move follows a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump says India pledged to halt Russian oil imports and significantly increase purchases of US energy, technology, agricultural products, coal, and other goods, potentially exceeding $500 billion. In return, India is expected to “move forward” toward reducing its tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US products to zero. Prime Minister Modi thanked Trump for the tariff reduction but did not comment on any policy changes regarding Russian oil purchases. India has depended on Russian oil for energy security. Even at the height of Western pressure in 2022–2025, India never committed to a full halt, only to staying within G7 price‑cap rules. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Dhaka cancels Indian SEZ deal, transfers it to China 31 Jan 2026 China will establish a drone manufacturing and defence industrial facility. Bangladesh has cancelled the long-delayed Indian Economic Zone project in Mirsharai, Chattogram, and reassigned the nearly 850-acre site to China. The decision follows years of stalled progress. India did not approve key overseas tenders despite a 2015 MoU and repeated requests from Dhaka. Only about 1% of allocated funds were utilised. The shift comes amid rising diplomatic tensions and after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual address to Indian media, which reportedly influenced Dhaka’s reassessment of bilateral projects. Bangladesh has since signed a major agreement with China’s state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation International (CETC) to build a UAV assembly plant and transfer related technology, positioning the country as a new drone-manufacturing hub in South Asia. China also signed an agreement in 2025 to supply Bangladesh with 20 J-10CE fighter jets. Their deliveries will begin this year, and Beijing has offered Dhaka extended payment timelines. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back India-EU FTA to simplify Schengen Visa Applications 29 Jan 2026 Indians can expect a faster, more predictable, less bureaucratic Schengen process, although not a guaranteed approval. The India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will phase out tariffs on over 97% of EU exports to India and grant preferential access to 99% of Indian exports to the EU. It could increase bilateral trade by 41–65% and raise incomes by 0.12–0.13% of GDP in both regions. As part of the FTA, the EU has committed to modernising and simplifying Schengen visa procedures through full digitalisation, reducing long processing times and document‑verification issues that currently hinder Indian travellers. EU–India trade has grown by ~90% in the last decade. In 2024, EU exports to India reached €48.8 billion. Indian IT, textiles, chemicals, machinery, agriculture, and processed foods sectors gain preferential access to the EU’s high-value market. The European firms benefit from reduced Indian tariffs and clearer regulatory frameworks. India and the EU together represent 21.1% of global GDP and 23.4% of the world’s population. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back African continental split to take 5-10 million years 28 Jan 2026 Africa is slowly tearing apart along the East African Rift System, where the Nubian, Somalian, and Arabian plates diverge. The rift has been active for about 22–25 million years. It stretches from the Afar region of Ethiopia to Mozambique and forms a Y-shaped “triple junction” in Afar, one of the few places on Earth where three rifts meet. Mantle plumes beneath East Africa heat and thin the crust, which causes active rifting, intense volcanism, and frequent earthquakes. GPS and satellite data reveal the crust is steadily thinning, with some segments already transitioning to early oceanic crust. Parts of Afar lie below sea level. The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will eventually flood the deepening rift and create a new ocean in roughly 5–10 million years. Climate shifts, including long-term drying and shrinking lakes like Turkana, may be accelerating fault movement, increasing geological hazards for millions living along the rift. In 2005, a 35-mile rift opened in Ethiopia within days due to magma-driven tectonic movement. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back HAL debuts Super Jet 100 at Wings India 2026 27 Jan 2026 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will showcase three India-made aircraft at Wings India 2026, held from January 28–31 at Begumpet Airport. Of the three, the highlight is the Super Jet 100 (SJ‑100), a 100-seater regional passenger aircraft originally based on Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet design. Following an MoU signed with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation in 2025, HAL will manufacture the aircraft in India. This marks a major step toward full-scale commercial jet production. The showcased model is a “Russified” version, free of Western components, powered by PD-8 engines, and painted in an Indian-flag-inspired livery. The other two are H‑228 commuter aircraft and the Dhruv New Generation (NG) helicopter, which will feature in static displays and customer demonstration flights. HAL aims to sign multiple MoUs during Wings India to reduce dependence on Airbus and Boeing, strengthen supply‑chain autonomy, generate skilled jobs, and support India’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme. The Ministry of Civil Aviation, along with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and FICCI, is hosting Wings India 2026. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Global markets bleed after Trump’s tariff threat to EU 21 Jan 2026 President Trump’s threat of higher tariffs on European allies unless they support his decision to take over Greenland triggered a sharp downturn in financial markets. The S&P 500 dropped over 2% for the first time since October. The Vix volatility index, Wall Street’s fear gauge, rose to its highest level since November. Across Asia, India’s Sensex and Nifty dropped around 1.3-1.4%. Indian Rupee slid to 91 per USD, a record low. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.5%, Taiwan’s Taiex index fell by over 1%, The uncertainty fuelled a broad sell-off across major indices, with sectors exposed to international trade and global supply chains hit hardest. Across several documented text exchanges, Trump told Norway’s Prime Minister that because Norway “decided not to give [him] the Nobel Peace Prize,” he no longer felt obligated to “think purely of peace” and would instead focus on what he believed was best for the United States. These messages were confirmed by the Norwegian Prime Minister, who emphasised that the Nobel Prize is awarded by an independent committee, not the Norwegian government. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Hindustan Copper to triple ore production by 2030 20 Jan 2026 Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) is India’s only integrated copper miner. After years of stagnation, losses, and mine closures, HCL aims to triple ore production to 12.2 million tonnes annually by 2030. India holds only 0.2% of the global copper reserves. India’s copper demand grew 9.3% in FY25, reaching 1,878 kilotonnes, up from 1,718 kilotonnes in FY24, driven by data centres, electrification, and clean‑energy infrastructure. It plans to reopen long-shut mines in Jharkhand and extend leases. It will invest about ₹4,000 crore across key projects in Malanjkhand, Khetri, and Ghatsila. Outsourcing operations to private mine operators helped HCL improve efficiency, reduce workforce costs, and enable advanced technology adoption. The challenges HCL faces include declining ore grades, deep mining costs, and global supply disruptions. However, high copper prices and strategic partnerships, including a major MDO contract with JSW and an MoU with Chile’s CODELCO, have strengthened HCL’s turnaround. The company now meets 4–5% of domestic demand and aims to boost self-reliance. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back India to host EU’s top leaders for Republic Day, India-EU Summit 19 Jan 2026 European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Summit. India and the European Union may sign the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA), during the 16 th India-EU Summit on January 27 th if pending issues are resolved. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal calls it the “mother of all deals”. India has pursued the pact for two decades. Climate-linked border taxes, services mobility, and non-tariff barriers could become the highlight of the agreement, or an uneven bargain. Negotiations, stalled for years over issues like tariffs, intellectual property, wine and spirits, automobiles, data rules, public procurement, labour standards, and market access. It regained momentum after 2020 amid pandemic‑driven supply‑chain disruptions and geopolitical shifts. The EU seeks lower Indian tariffs on automobiles, alcohol, and medical devices, while India aims to protect sensitive sectors such as agriculture and steel. India expects stronger access for its textiles, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and services. The agreement could also boost investment, diversify trade dependencies, and strengthen supply‑chain resilience. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Venezuelan Machado presents Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize 16 Jan 2026 Maria Corina Machado is among the most prominent leaders of the Venezuelan opposition and a pro-democracy activist. Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado symbolically presented Donald Trump with a Nobel Peace Prize medal during a private meeting. Trump has backed the opposition’s claim of victory in the country’s disputed election, and criticised Machado, saying she lacked the “respect” required to lead Venezuela. Despite this, Machado described their meeting positively, emphasising that Venezuelans are counting on Trump to help restore democracy. Trump had earlier clarified that he would work not with Machado but with Delcy Rodríguez—Nicolás Maduro’s vice president and later interim president—warning that she could face force if she failed to meet U.S. demands, including those benefiting American oil interests. Previously, Trump had expressed his frustration at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize directly. The Nobel Prize committee clarified that the honour cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The recipient’s name ‘stands for all time’ even as the physical medal changes hands. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES , on Amazon Kindle. A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back US withdraws from 66 climate change organisations 9 Jan 2026 It includes the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), a coalition that promotes the adoption of solar energy globally. The US exited 66 global agreements with organisations focused on climate change, sustainability, and international governance, calling many of these bodies “wasteful,” “anti-American,” or misaligned with U.S. national interests. The US has exited the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UN Water, UN Energy, and the International Energy Forum (IEF). The landmark UNFCCC agreement, signed in 1992, established basic principles for addressing climate change and led to the Paris Agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015 to reduce carbon emissions. The US became the first and only nation to withdraw from it. The US has been reducing participation in multilateral climate initiatives, arguing that these impose financial burdens without delivering proportional benefits. Critics warn that it weakens US influence in clean‑energy partnerships and signals a recalibration of their engagement in international climate diplomacy. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES , on Amazon Kindle. A gripping, high-stakes mystery. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.6 stars on Amazon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on Goodreads Previous Next