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Donald Trump's administration to secure the partial removal of the US tariffs that have already started hitting the bloc's exports and that are set to increase after April 2. European Union officials were told at meetings this week in Washington that there was no way to avoid new auto and so-called reciprocal tariffs that Trump is launching next week, according to people familiar with the talks. Discussions also began on what the contours of a potential deal to reduce them should eventually look like. That has prompted the European Commission, which handles trade matters for the EU, to start working on a «term sheet» for a potential agreement, which would set out areas for negotiations on the punitive trade measures, including lowering its own duties, mutual investments with the US as well as easing certain regulations and standards, said the people. VAT considered fair The reciprocal tariffs are meant to strike out against what Trump considers to be unfair levies on US goods as well as non-tariff barriers, like domestic regulations and how countries collect taxes, including the bloc's value-added tax, digital taxes and regulations. The EU says its VAT is a fair, non-discriminatory tax that applies equally to domestic and imported goods. A spokesperson from the commission declined to comment.

The Income Tax Department is sending notices to salaried taxpayers who claimed House Rent Allowance (HRA) but did not deduct tax at source (TDS) on rent payments in past financial years. The notices ask taxpayers to verify their HRA claims—and if incorrect, amend their tax returns before the 31 March deadline.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the ongoing process of rationalizing customs duties and withdrawing the 6 per cent equalization levy, which began in 2023, is independent of any global events and will continue. Sitharaman said customs duty reductions are part of India's broader objective to strengthen its manufacturing hub and boost battery and advanced chemistry capacities. Replying to a debate on the Finance Bill 2025 in Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman said, «Consistently, budget after budget, we are coming up with a reduction in duties so that India's aspiration for being a manufacturing hub and India's aspiration in building capacities for battery manufacturing and advanced chemistry is being supported. So, this is a consistent thing.» «I heard quite a few members say, „Oh, the tariff war has started, so in response to the tariff announcements made by President Trump, here we are doing it. No, we have been doing it since 2023, steadily, every year. Newer items are being brought in, keeping in mind Atmanirbhar Bharat and, at the same time, Viksit Bharat's requirements, as well as simplifying the customs duty and compliance details,“ Sitharaman said. »So, this is an ongoing process. It has nothing to do with today's global situation but is a process that will continue even in the future," she added.

With nearly $11 billion in funding, India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. Yet, this growth comes with challenges—around 5,000 startups shut down in 2024 due to funding constraints, scalability issues, market saturation, governance lapses, and policy hurdles.

According to reports, US President Donald Trump has said that automobile tariffs will be coming soon even as he indicated that some countries may get an exemption from reciprocal tariffs to be imposed on April 2. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said that India certainly deserves an exemption or waiver from reciprocal tariffs as it is constructively engaged with America at different levels and also for a Bilateral Trade Agreement. «The Mission 500 to take bilateral trade from the current level of about USD 200 billion to USD 500 billion requires a greater push for seamless trade, which the exemption will further facilitate,» FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai said. Another exporter said that the exemption to India would remove tariff uncertainties and will help further increase exports to the US.

reservation for Muslims in public contracts valued up to ₹2 cr, and goods and services contracts up to ₹1 cr, a long-pending demand. Karnataka reserves 24% of civil works contracts for SC/STs, 4% for OBCs in Category-1, and 15% for Category-2A. BJP termed the Bill an 'unconstitutional misadventure'. For a country born from the cauldron of religion-based violence, such quotas were contentious even before the 42nd Amendment of 1976 added 'secular' to the Preamble.

Global funds returning to India’s stock market amid a world-beating rally are having to set aside one of the biggest gripes expressed by investors like Muddy Waters Capital LLC founder Carson Block — namely the country’s high taxes. While global funds marked their first weekly purchase of local stocks last week, they have been big sellers this year. In addition to an uncertain economic outlook, they point to New Delhi’s tax code, which imposes high capital gains levies on overseas funds. That’s an approach at variance with other countries such as China, which are competing for their money.

AICC Bihar, responded to questions about political strategist Prashant Kishore's prospective participation in the INDIA coalition. «As you are saying that he is standing against the BJP, the decision regarding him will be discussed and taken by the INDIA alliance parties,» Allavaru stated. The statement comes amid Kishore's criticism of the Bihar CM and the BJP. On Sunday, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor called for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to resign, stating that the Janata Dal (United) chief's ability to govern has been compromised due to both physical exhaustion and mental unfitness. Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Kishor said, «The first person to comment on Nitish Kumar's health was his ally, Sushil Kumar Modi… Since then, many Bihar Ministers have commented on his health. I never commented on it till January. But during the BPSC protests, I learned that Nitish Kumar's mental condition has deteriorated so much that he has no clue what's going on in the state.»

Kunal Kamra has released a new video titled Hum Honge Kangal on Instagram, following his refusal to apologise for a joke about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The video, a parody of the song Hum Honge Kamyab, features visuals of Shiv Sena workers vandalizing the India Habitat venue, where Kamra had performed.

As the financial year draws to a close, taxpayers to scramble to minimize their tax outgo. While common deductions under Sections 80C and 80D get all the attention, one powerful yet underutilised tax-saving tool remains overlooked—the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Many shy away from it, fearing complexity, but with the right approach, an HUF can be a game-changer for tax planning and long-term wealth preservation.

«The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is part of BJP's strategy, and continuing attempts to damage the centuries-old bonds of social harmony… to demonise minority communities by spreading false propaganda and creating prejudices, dilute constitutional provisions that guarantee equal rights and protections to all citizens, and defame traditions and institutions of minority communities to keep our society in a state of permanent polarisation for electoral gains,» said a Congress statement issued by spokesperson Jairam Ramesh. Once again identifying with the reservations the larger Opposition benches had raised and registered during the scrutiny of the bill by the joint parliamentary committee, Ramesh argued that the bill «is deeply flawed» on five counts: «All the institutions created by previous laws to administer waqfs are actively sought to be reduced in stature, composition and authority so as to deliberately deprive the community the right to administer its own religious traditions and affairs. Deliberate ambiguity has been introduced for determining who can donate their land for waqf purposes, thus altering the very definition of waqf itself.

Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to «pause, review and repeal» Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, claiming that otherwise it would eliminate the proviso in Section 8 (1) of the Right To Information Act (RTI), 2005, which gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them. Pointing out that Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, states that «In section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in sub-section (1), for clause (j), 2005, the following clause shall be substituted, namely, (j) information which relates to personal information», Ramesh argued that «the implications of this on Section 8 (1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005, are that almost everything in it gets deleted.» Maintaining that proviso in Section 8 (1) of the RTI Act, 2005, that gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them is eliminated, Ramesh told Vaishnaw: «The existing Section 8 (1) (6) of the RTI Act, 2005, had enough guardrails to protect unwarranted invasion of privacy.

During the clash at CSK's hometown, Rohit Sharma matched the record for the most ducks in IPL history after being dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed during the IPL 2025 clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the battle of champions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Jairam Ramesh on Sunday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that it is the party's continuous attempt to damage bonds of social harmony. He added that it is BJP's strategy to «demonise» minority communities by «spreading false propaganda.» «The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is part of BJP's strategy and continuing attempts to damage the centuries-old bonds of social harmony in our uniquely multi-religious society. Demonise minority communities by spreading false propaganda and creating prejudices, dilute Constitutional provisions that guarantee equal rights and protections to all citizens, regardless of religion,» Jairam Ramesh said in a statement. He added that's it is also BJP's strategy to «defame traditions and institutions of minority communities to keep our society in a state of permanent polarisation for electoral gains.» Ramesh further highlighted the «flaws» of Waqf (Amendement) Bill, noting that it «deliberately deprive» the community of the right to administer its own religious traditions and affairs.

Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener here on Sunday. Five-time winners CSK augmented their spin attack in the IPL mega auction last year by including Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad Shreyas Gopal and Deepak Hooda, with India veteran Ravindra Jadeja also in the mix. CSK's pre-season moves indicate how the spin-friendly conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here could be a major factor in their game plan. Starting their season against an equally formidable opponent in Mumbai Indians, this strategy could well deliver the goods right from the beginning. For CSK, MS Dhoni will be the cynosure of all eyes once again, having remained with the team since the inception of the IPL in 2008. On the other hand, the absence of India bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could be acutely felt in the MI ranks as the right-arm pacer remains on a comeback trail from a back-related issue which has kept him sidelined so far this year. Bumrah is expected to miss the initial stages of this IPL and his absence will leave MI without their lethal weapon in the death overs, presenting the management with a headache to work with other options and strategies.

Elon Musk, responded to the ongoing controversy over AI bot Grok in India with a laughing emoji. In a post on X, Musk shared a BBC article about the ongoing Grok debate, responding with just a laughing emoji. His reaction comes amid growing scrutiny of the chatbot’s responses, which have sparked heated political debates and drawn attention from India's IT ministry. The government is in touch with social media platform X over recent reports of AI chatbot Grok responding to users' provocation using Hindi slang and abuse. “The government has taken note of this, and we are deeply engaged with X on this issue. We are hoping for speedy action,” a senior government official told ET.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan refused relief to the woman, who is an assistant professor, stating that there was no ground for interference under Article 136 of the Constitution. «Both the first petitioner and respondent (husband and wife) are holding the same post of an Assistant Professor. No case for interference is made out in exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution of India. The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed,» the court said.

Oberoi Realty has entered into agreement with global investment firm Alpha Wave Ventures II, LP to sell 21.74% stake in its joint venture company, I-Ven Realty for Rs 1,250 crore. This marks one of the largest private equity investments in India's real estate sector so far this year. As per the agreement, Alpha Wave Ventures will acquire the stake in I-Ven Realty through a combination of 2,77,778 Series A convertible preference shares (CCPS) and 10 Class A equity shares. Oberoi Realty and its promoter, Vikas Oberoi, currently hold equal stakes in I-Ven Realty.

Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint, a strict regimen designed to slow and even reverse biological ageing. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Max shared that after nearly two years on the programme, his biological age had dropped from 28 to 18. According to him, 90% of his biomarkers are now within optimal ranges. “Almost 2 years on @bryan_johnson's Blueprint: in 2023: always tired, carb-loading, night owl habits. In 2024: turned things around, focused on health & longevity. 2025: 10 YEARS YOUNGER biologically (18 vs 28) with 90% of all biomarkers in optimal ranges,” he wrote. The claim quickly gained traction, drawing curiosity and scepticism in equal measure.

Any unpaid property taxes will incur a penalty equal to the pending tax amount, along with an interest rate of up to 15% annually, making it essential for property owners to pay before the penalty system is enforced on April 1. This stringent penalty structure comes as part of the BBMP's efforts to collect outstanding taxes for the 2024-25 financial year. According to the report, Special Commissioner for Revenue, Munish Moudgil, has directed zonal officers to take immediate action to recover dues before the penalty comes into effect. So far, BBMP has collected Rs 4,604 crore, reaching 88.4% of the target.

Delhi High Court has held. The high court said qualified wives, having an earning capacity but desirous of remaining idle, should not set up a claim for interim maintenance. «Section 125 (order for maintenance of wives, children and parents) of the CrPC carries the legislative intent to maintain equality among the spouses, provide protection to the wives, children and parents, and not promote idleness» Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said in an order on Wednesday. The court passed the order while dismissing a woman's plea challenging a trial court's order denying her interim maintenance from her estranged husband. The court, however, encouraged the woman to actively look for a job to become self-sufficient as she already got wide exposure and is aware of the worldly affairs unlike other women who are not educated and completely dependent upon their spouses for basic sustenance. The couple got married in December 2019 and left for Singapore. It was alleged by the woman that owing to the cruelties done to her by her husband and his family, she returned to India in February 2021.