Latest News, Updates & Breaking Headlines
New Delhi is buzzing as it prepares for the India AI Summit 2026. The city is already feeling the effects, with people from all over, including government officials, tech experts, researchers, and business leaders, expected to arrive. AI is now part of almost everything, from government decisions to business strategies, which is putting India in…
File photo: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman NEW DELHI: Tobacco Board, under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce, has written a letter to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighting the adverse impact of the unprecedented increase in excise duties on cigarettes on the industry, as well as on millions of farmers and workers.The excise…
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee KOLKATA: A new welfare scheme called ‘Banglar Yuba-Sathi’ for Bengal’s unemployed youth and a 50% hike in the payout to ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ beneficiaries headlined the Mamata Banerjee govt’s last budget — a vote-on-account — before the state goes to polls later this year.Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Thursday had some…
Trump H-1B Visa Overhaul: Impact on Indian Professionals and US Tech Sector A once-strategic partnership between the United States and India, long built on mutual economic benefit, innovation and people-to-people ties, is now straining under sweeping immigration and trade policies implemented under former President Donald Trump’s administration. Policies such as the drastic H-1B visa fee…
Shares of brokerage-linked and exchange-related companies fell sharply by up to nearly 12 per cent after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed an increase in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives in the Union Budget 2026-27, according to PTI.In her Budget speech, Sitharaman announced that STT on futures contracts would be increased to 0.05 per…
Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives will rise from April 1, 2026, after the Finance minister Sithraman in her 9th budget speech proposed higher rates on futures and options trading as part of Budget 2026 changes to the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2004.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the move while presenting the Budget, saying: “I…
As the Union Budget 2026-2027 draws closer, many market participants are urging the government to rethink capital market taxation and not increase the transaction levies. Ahead of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget presentation on February 1, investors and brokerage firms have pitched for measures, they believe would make long-term investing more attractive, particularly for retail…
Infosys stock price today: Shares of Infosys rose sharply on Friday, climbing over 5% on both the NSE and BSE after the IT major raised its FY26 constant-currency revenue growth guidance to 3–3.5% while maintaining its operating margin outlook at 20–22%. At 11 am, the stock was trading 5.04% or 80 points higher, reaching 1,679.65…
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an increase in premium processing fees for several immigration benefits, including the widely used H-1B visa. The revised fees will take effect from March 1, and will apply to requests postmarked on or after that date. This is as per a press release by the US…
A sharp increase in taxes on cigarettes, along with a new excise duty structure on tobacco products, could trigger a surge in illicit trade and lead to significant revenue losses for the government, experts have warned.Earlier this week, the finance ministry notified amendments to the Central Excise Act, introducing a fresh excise duty ranging from…
