Author: Rasmita Jena

  • New Family Travel Guidelines for Indian Players at Champions Trophy 2025

    New Family Travel Guidelines for Indian Players at Champions Trophy 2025

    After India’s loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, the BCCI introduced strict rules, including limits on family travel for players. According to the new guidelines, family members can only travel with players for two weeks if the tour lasts 45 days or more. However, this won’t apply during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, where the tournament lasts only 20 days. India’s first match is on February 20 against Bangladesh, followed by a highly anticipated game against Pakistan on February 23 and a final group match against New Zealand on March 2. If India reaches the final, it will be on March 9.

    Even though the team will be in Dubai for 24 days starting February 15, family members won’t be allowed to join the players during the tournament. The BCCI has made it clear that if players want their families to accompany them, they must pay for it themselves. A senior player asked about bringing family along, but his request was denied. The BCCI is strict about this rule, and it seems unlikely any exceptions will be made at this point.

    The only players who could potentially be involved in this situation are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as they are the most senior players on the team. Kohli’s wife, Anushka, has been present at most matches, while Rohit’s wife, Ritika, recently had their second child. The BCCI has confirmed that, as of now, families will not be traveling with players during the Champions Trophy.

    In a recent press conference, Rohit Sharma accidentally let slip some details about the family travel rules, indicating that the players are discussing this sensitive issue internally.

  • Mariah Carey to Headline Brighton Pride in the Park Festival 2025!

    Mariah Carey to Headline Brighton Pride in the Park Festival 2025!

    Mariah Carey is making a big announcement for her fans in the UK! She will be performing at the Brighton Pride festival this summer. This is exciting news because it will be her first show in the UK since 2019!

    In a post on Instagram, Mariah told her 14 million followers that she will headline the Pride in the Park festival on August 2, 2025. She can’t wait to see everyone and made sure to say, “Let’s make history together!”

    Tickets for this amazing event will be available starting next Thursday at 10 AM local time. Mariah reminded her fans to stay close and not miss the fun during the show. Brighton Pride also shared how much they have been looking forward to this performance. They said that fans have waited five years, and Mariah is finally returning to the UK.

    Mariah was supposed to perform at Brighton Pride in 2020, but that event was canceled because of COVID-19. Now, she is back and ready to wow her fans again!

    FAQs:
    1. When will Mariah Carey perform in the UK?
    – She will headline the Brighton Pride festival on August 2, 2025.

    2. Where can I buy tickets for the Pride in the Park festival?
    – Tickets can be bought at the official website: https://prideonthepark.co.uk.

  • Renault Halts Honda-Nissan Merger: What This Means for Nissan’s Future

    Renault Halts Honda-Nissan Merger: What This Means for Nissan’s Future

    Renault, a French car company that owns a big part of Nissan, decided to stop the merger plan with Honda. According to a Bloomberg report, Renault felt that the deal wasn’t fair because it didn’t include any extra payment, which they wanted, given their investment in Nissan.

    Renault owns 36% of Nissan and wanted some extra money since they would be giving up their control. There were worries about how the merger would work. Even though it was called a merger, it seemed more like Honda would take over Nissan.

    Honda and Nissan wanted to join forces to compete better against other car brands, especially with the rise of electric vehicles from Chinese companies like BYD. However, Nissan has been facing many challenges, including financial struggles and issues stemming from the arrest of its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, back in 2018. They are now expecting to lose a lot of money this year.

    Renault has shown its support for Nissan’s efforts to recover and said it would keep helping with joint projects.

  • US Defense Secretary Questions NATO’s Future: Key Takeaways

    US Defense Secretary Questions NATO’s Future: Key Takeaways

    This week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth caused a stir in NATO, the big military group of countries that work together to keep peace, especially in Europe. At a meeting with Ukraine’s supporters, he made it clear that the U.S. must focus more on protecting its own borders rather than just helping European nations.

    Hegseth stated that Ukraine will not be able to reclaim all the land it lost to Russia, nor will it be joining NATO anytime soon. This membership would usually mean stronger protection against attacks, but Hegseth said NATO won’t send troops to help Ukraine in the future if there’s any trouble—European nations will have to handle that on their own and pay for it too.

    He also pointed out that if any European country taking part in peacekeeping gets attacked by Russia, NATO won’t intervene. This raised concerns about how committed the U.S. is to help its allies in Europe. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu expressed that NATO is at a critical point and questioned if it will remain strong in the future.

    NATO, formed in 1949 to oppose the Soviet Union, has 32 members, including Sweden, which joined last year because of Russia’s growing aggression. The heart of NATO’s strength is Article 5, which states that if one member is attacked, the rest must help.

    Hegseth’s comments have sparked worries about the U.S.’s commitment to NATO, even though he clarified that the U.S. isn’t leaving the alliance. Ukraine’s bid to join NATO was also ruled out at this meeting.

    The U.S. is the most important member of NATO as it spends more on defense than all other countries combined. Mark Rutte, a former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, leads NATO’s day-to-day activities, working to keep all member nations united.

    Even though NATO doesn’t arm Ukraine as a group, it helps them in other ways, such as providing food, medical aid, and training to become more modern. While some NATO countries provide weapons to Ukraine, the organization mainly focuses on defending its own member countries.

    Recently, NATO has stationed 500,000 troops near its European borders to deter possible attacks, especially from Russia. This comes as many nations increase their defense budgets. NATO set a goal for each member to spend 2% of their income on defense, with more countries aiming to reach this target each year.

  • India’s Pending Court Cases Rise to Over 52 Million: What’s Next?

    India’s Pending Court Cases Rise to Over 52 Million: What’s Next?

    New Delhi: The number of court cases waiting to be resolved in India has increased by almost 33 lakh (3.3 million) since the end of 2022. As of December 31, 2022, there were over 4.87 crore (48.7 million) cases. By February 7 of this year, that number had grown to 5.20 crore (52 million), according to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in a reply to the Rajya Sabha.

    He explained that the responsibility of settling these cases on time is up to the judiciary. However, the government is dedicated to creating an environment that helps the courts work faster and reduce the backlog of cases, in line with Article 21 of the Constitution. To help achieve this goal, the government has established the National Mission for Justice.

  • Stock Market Highlights: Winners & Losers of the Day!

    Stock Market Highlights: Winners & Losers of the Day!

    NEW DELHI: In today’s trading, several companies, including Albert David, Swelect Energy, Kavita Fabrics, W S Industries, and Balaxi Pharma, hit their lowest stock prices in a year. On the stock market, the NSE Nifty dropped by 13.85 points to finish at 23031.4, while the BSE Sensex fell by 32.11 points, with a closing value of 76138.97.

    On the brighter side, companies like Redington, Muthoot Finance, Dr. Agarwals Health, SBI Card, and Norben Tea Exp reached their highest stock prices in a year. In the Nifty 50 index, the biggest winners included Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, and Cipla, celebrating strong performances today.

    However, some companies like Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports SEZ, Hero MotoCorp, Infosys, and ONGC saw their stock prices drop the most.

  • Nifty Pharma Index Rises: Key Gainers and Losers of the Day!

    Nifty Pharma Index Rises: Key Gainers and Losers of the Day!

    On Thursday, the Nifty Pharma index saw a nice boost, closing higher. The biggest winners were:

    – Ipca Laboratories Ltd.: up 5.01%
    – J B Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.: up 3.55%
    – Mankind Pharma Ltd.: up 3.25%
    – Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.: up 3.1%
    – Aurobindo Pharma Ltd.: up 3.1%

    However, not all companies did well. The biggest losers were:

    – Natco Pharma Ltd.: down 20.0%
    – Abbott India Ltd.: down 1.47%
    – Ajanta Pharma Ltd.: down 0.78%
    – Gland Pharma Ltd.: down 0.18%
    – Laurus Labs Ltd.: down 0.01%

    The Nifty Pharma index ended up 1.35% at 21,427.1 points. In contrast, the main Nifty50 index fell by 13.85 points to settle at 23,031.4, while the BSE Sensex dropped by 32.11 points to reach 76,138.97.

    Among the 50 stocks in the Nifty index, half went up, while the other half went down. Some of the most traded stocks included Vodafone Idea, Tata Steel, YES Bank, Suzlon Energy, and SAIL.

    Additionally, stocks like Redington, Muthoot Finance, Dr. Agarwals Health, SBI Card, and Norben Tea Exp reached their highest prices in a year. Meanwhile, Albert David, Swelect Energy, Kavita Fabrics, W S Industries, and Balaxi Pharma hit their lowest prices in a year.

  • NHAI Boosts Toll Security with AI Cameras and FASTags

    NHAI Boosts Toll Security with AI Cameras and FASTags

    The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to set up special cameras at important toll booths to better check the number and types of vehicles passing through. This decision comes after a problem at a toll plaza in Uttar Pradesh, where full cash was collected using an unauthorized handheld device instead of the official system.

    Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha that this incident has encouraged NHAI to improve how cash is collected from vehicles that don’t use FASTags. They want to keep a close watch on how many vehicles use the toll road compared to how much money is collected. Gadkari responded to questions about how the government is tackling toll fraud during a session in Parliament.

    To make collecting tolls easier and safer, NHAI is testing a new system at five toll plazas. This new system will use FASTags and smart cameras to automatically check vehicles as they pass, and there won’t be any cash collected from these vehicles. Instead, drivers who don’t use FASTags will receive e-notices to inform them of their toll fees.

    Gadkari mentioned that over 98% of toll payments are now made using FASTags through the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program. This system ensures that all transactions are fair and recorded properly. Even cash payments must be processed through the official toll system to keep everything organized. NHAI is also conducting regular audits to check for any issues with cash collections.

    To boost security, the government has hired companies to watch over toll booths around the clock and report any suspicious actions. Currently, there are investigations into some potentially dishonest activities at these toll plazas. So far, seven companies have been warned or fined for not following the rules.

  • Introducing Income Tax Bill 2025: Simplifying Tax Laws for All

    Introducing Income Tax Bill 2025: Simplifying Tax Laws for All

    On February 13, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the new Income Tax Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha. This new bill aims to make tax laws in India simpler and easier to understand. The old Income Tax Act, created in 1961 and changed many times, was too complicated and long. It included 47 chapters and 819 sections, and over 65 amendments made it difficult to follow.

    The tax department explained that the old law became “bulky” because it was based on traditional writing styles and had many updates. They pointed out that the new law is necessary to keep up with changes in society and the law.

    Many politicians in the opposition questioned why a new bill was needed. The government answered that the new law will help in multiple ways:

    – Simplifying Language: The aim is to make the tax law easy to read and understand.
    – Reducing Confusion: They want to clear up any confusing parts to lessen arguments and court cases.
    – Easier Procedures: The new law will make tax processes simpler for everyone involved, giving more certainty to taxpayers.

    The government wants to remove unnecessary rules, improve the structure of the law, and make it more readable. In July 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a major review of the Income Tax Act was planned, aiming to complete it in six months.

    The drafting of this new bill started in August 2024. A core committee and 26 sub-committees worked together, gathering information and ideas from both domestic experts and international examples, like those from the UK and Australia.

    During consultations, they collected around 21,000 responses from various sectors and received over 1,800 ideas for making the tax process simpler.

    Key Differences:
    – The old Income Tax Act had 5.12 lakh words, while the new Bill has 2.6 lakh words.
    – The new Bill has 23 chapters and 536 sections compared to the old one’s 47 chapters and 819 sections.
    – The new Bill includes 57 tables, eliminating unnecessary explanations found in the old Act.

    Overall, the new Income Tax Bill is designed to make paying taxes easier for everyone.

  • Removal of Cash Awards for Young Chess Players: Big Mistake?

    Removal of Cash Awards for Young Chess Players: Big Mistake?

    In a surprising decision, the Sports Ministry has stopped giving cash awards to young chess players who dream of winning important titles like Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), or International Women Master (IWM). Previously, Indian players received ₹4 lakh for becoming a GM, and ₹1.5 lakh for achieving IM or IWM titles. This cash prize was only available to players under 20 years of age.

    This change is surprising, especially after Indian chess player D Gukesh recently achieved greatness at the World Championship and received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Other players, like Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu, also had successes in chess competitions.

    Dibyendy Barua, the Vice-President of the All India Chess Federation (AICF), criticized the Sports Ministry’s decision, stating that they weren’t consulted at all before the move was made. He expressed disappointment and mentioned that this decision could discourage young players and their parents, as some might struggle without financial support. Many aspiring players don’t have big sponsors, and the cash prizes provided motivation when they earned their titles.

    The Sports Ministry claims this decision is meant to prevent age fraud and doping while still keeping young athletes motivated. However, even renowned players, like GM Erigaisi, believe this change could hurt the dreams of young chess players and their families.