For years, getting an H-1B visa has come down to luck. A computer lottery decided who got in and who didn’t, no matter the skill, salary, or seniority of the worker. Now, that system is on its way out. The US government has proposed a new rule that changes how H-1B visas will be selected.
The Libyan army's chief of staff died in a plane crash in Ankara, Turkey, along with four others. The cause is still unknown and an investigation is underway. The Libyan government has declared three days of mourning and sent a team to Ankara. The crash occurred a day after Turkey extended the mandate of Turkish soldiers in Libya.
The Trump administration will start taking money directly from the paychecks of some student loan borrowers beginning in January, the US Department of Education has said. This applies to people who have not paid their federal student loans for a long time and are officially in default.
It started with a teenage boy in India reading about a young chip company called Intel and wondering why innovation seemed to happen so far from home. That curiosity slowly turned into ambition, and ambition brought him to the US.
HCLSoftware, a subsidiary of HCLTech, has acquired Jaspersoft from Cloud Software Group for $240 million to strengthen its data and AI software portfolio. This will enhance Actian's offerings and broaden its reach among developers. The acquisition will also support Actian's agentic BI roadmap and add embedded analytics capabilities.
CII President Rajiv Memani discussed the industry body's budget agenda, impact of rupee depreciation, progress on trade deals with US and EU, and outlook on key economic indicators. CII recommends strengthening manufacturing in high-growth sectors and reducing tax disputes to boost economic growth.
Tuticorin is seeing a rise in return migration due to investments in electric vehicles, shipbuilding, solar cells, and space technology. VinFast's $2-billion electric vehicle facility has given locals like Arjun Selvam and Senthamizh Selvi better job opportunities.
As per NSE's December Market Pulse report, retail investors have withdrawn Rs 8,461 crore from equities in 2025, the highest outflows since 2019. Meanwhile, FPIs saw the highest-ever outflows of Rs 1.58 lakh crore, while DIIs infused a record Rs 7.61 lakh crore. The number of registered investors reached 124 million, a 13.9% increase from last year. However, new registrations have slowed down
Indian telecom sector to see tariff hike in first quarter of 2026, led by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. Vodafone Idea to focus on restructuring, while pricing power, enterprise demand, and network readiness will drive growth for other operators. Industry moving towards premiumisation and digital services, with 5G playing a key role in enterprise deployments.
Belrise Industries and Plasan Sasa have teamed up to tap into the Indian military market with their ATEMM systems. This collaboration will not only help Plasan expand their presence in India, but also provide the Indian defence sector with advanced solutions through the ATEMM Series Vehicle.
Central Bank of India's MD and CEO Kalyan Kumar has implemented successful initiatives, such as credit outreach programs for retail, agriculture, and MSME sectors, resulting in a 20% year-on-year growth in retail credit. The bank has a promising outlook with a pipeline of Rs 85,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore for corporate loans, thanks to GST cuts and other positive developments.
India pledges USD 450 million in aid to rebuild Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar assures commitment to reconstruction and offers concessional lines of credit, grants, and assistance for affected sectors. Relief material and medical aid delivered, with plans to boost tourism and foreign investment in Sri Lanka.
Bank of India has successfully raised Rs. 10,000 crore through the issue of long-term infrastructure bonds at 7.23% per annum. The base issue size was Rs. 5,000 crore with a green shoe option of Rs. 5,000 crore. The bank received a total of 83 bids amounting to Rs. 15,305 crore and accepted 37 bids.
Tata Motors to invest Rs 16,000-18,000 crore in EV business by FY30, launch 5 new models under Avinya brand, expand charging infrastructure to maintain 45-50% share of EV passenger vehicle market. Confident in sustaining market share despite competition, expects EVs to make up 15-20% of overall passenger vehicle industry by 2030.
The US embassy has praised India's new SHANTI Bill, which permits private players to engage in the nuclear sector and limits civil nuclear liability. The bill covers key activities like mineral exploration and fuel fabrication and aims to reach a capacity of 100 GW by 2047.
Blackstone, the world's largest alternative asset manager, has received approval from the Competition Commission of India to acquire a 9.99% stake in Federal Bank. The acquisition, to be done through Blackstone's arm Asia II Topco XIII Pte. Ltd., will allow them to nominate a director on the bank's board.
The government has launched the National Mission on Edible Oils to reduce import dependence on cooking oils, which currently stands at 57%, by 2032. Measures such as promoting cultivation of oilseeds as summer crops, providing new seed varieties, and setting up processing units have been initiated. The mission aims to increase oilseed production to 69.7 MT and reduce imports to 28% by 2031-32.
Shriram Finance, a top NBFC, and Japan's MUFG have formed a strategic partnership where MUFG will invest Rs 40,000 crore. This will boost capital, reduce borrowing costs, and aid expansion plans. After a two-year search, MUFG was chosen for its retail lending expertise and long-term vision. Shriram Finance has now revised its growth strategy with this partnership in place.
Reliance Industries and Axis Energy Ventures India Private Limited were top bidders in the central government's coal block auctions, showing keen interest in coal gasification and downstream value-added applications. They also formed consortium bids, indicating their focus on securing feedstock for large-scale gasification.
The CBDT has launched the NUDGE campaign to encourage taxpayers to review their ITRs for AY 2025-26 and correct any ineligible claims for deductions or exemptions. The Income Tax Department has identified cases of bogus donations and incorrect PANs through advanced data analytics.
The income-tax department is taking strict action against undisclosed foreign assets and income by sending reminders to employees of multinational companies. Those who fail to report by December 31 may face penalties and prosecution. The department is using data from overseas tax authorities to identify cases of non-disclosure.
India and New Zealand have agreed to deepen economic partnership through a Financial Services Annex as part of the finalized Free Trade Agreement. The annex focuses on banking, insurance, fintech, and digital payments, and aims to promote bilateral investments and service delivery.
Jemimah Rodrigues has been named as the captain of Delhi Capitals for the 2026 season of the Women's Premier League (WPL). The franchise has been runners-up in all three editions, with Rodrigues playing a key role. She was also instrumental in India's ICC Women's World Cup win.
Adani Ports & SEZ completes acquisition of NQXT Australia, adding a critical export gateway with a capacity of 50 MTPA to its international portfolio. The 100% stake was acquired from Carmichael Rail and Port Singapore Holdings Pte Ltd through the issuance of 14,38,20,153 equity shares. NQXT has a long remaining lease of 85 years and reported an EBITDA of 228 million Australian dollars in FY25
The RBI's November Bulletin highlights the state government's back-loaded expenditure pattern, which peaks in February and March due to project execution and clearing pending bills. This surge in spending, especially in capital expenditure, creates liquidity pressures and leads to reliance on short-term borrowing.
IRB Infrastructure Trust wins bid for NHAI highway stretch in Odisha worth Rs 3087 crore, marking their second win in the past five weeks. The stretch is part of Toll Operate Transfer (ToT) Bundle 18 and adds to the company's expansion in 13 states, with a total asset base of approximately Rs 94,000 crore. The NHAI aims to raise Rs 40,000 crore through asset monetisation by 2025-26, with more To
Generali Central Insurance plans to increase its gross written premium to ₹10,000 crore by 2030 through its current product strategy and stake acquisition by Central Bank of India. CEO Anup Rau sees potential in the Insurance Amendment Bill and higher FDI limit, but the lack of a composite licence has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The Suzuki Fronx, manufactured in India, has received a one-star safety rating in crash tests due to a rear seatbelt failure. ANCAP has expressed concerns about passenger safety and notified regulators in Australia and New Zealand. The low rating highlights flaws in the vehicle's structure and restraint systems, posing a risk to adult and child occupants.
Tata Motors Ltd. has announced a Rs16,000–18,000 crore investment plan for its electric vehicle business, with a focus on scaling products, platforms, and infrastructure. The company also announced crossing a milestone of 2,50,000 cumulative EV sales in India and plans to launch five new EVs by FY30.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra and his wife Himani Mor at his official residence in New Delhi on Tuesday (December 23). This marks Neeraj's first personal interaction outside of official engagements.
Tata Motors Finance, a subsidiary of Tata Capital, settled a case with SEBI by paying Rs 32 lakh for alleged violations in issuing non-convertible debentures. The case involved five issuances of NCDs, which were sold to over 200 investors within six months, violating regulations. TMFL filed a revised settlement after a suo-motu application.
Bajaj Auto's domestic motorcycle business is facing tough competition from Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motor Company, resulting in a decline in market share, particularly in the 125cc and 150-250cc categories. TVS Motor is steadily gaining ground, while Hero MotoCorp remains the leader. To combat this, Bajaj Auto is implementing various strategies, but the situation remains challenging.
Ola Electric Mobility Ltd. has opened Hyperservice Centres in Bengaluru to improve customer experience and address declining sales. These centres will provide same-day service and access to spare parts and training for independent garages. The company plans to expand nationwide and compete with Hero Vida, which has surpassed them in monthly electric two-wheeler sales.
Waaree Transpower, a subsidiary of Waaree Group, has received a Rs 100 crore order for 1.27 GW transformers from a solar EPC company. This is a major achievement for the company, which recently acquired Kotsons Private Limited and renamed it Waaree Transpower. The transformers will be used for Utility-Scale Projects and are designed to handle high-frequency, high-voltage transmissions.
Deepti Sharma and Laura Wolvaardt have reclaimed the top spots in the latest ICC Women's player rankings, with Deepti becoming the top-ranked T20I bowler for the first time and Wolvaardt becoming the number 1 ranked batter in ODIs. Smriti Mandhana lost her top spot in ODIs to Wolvaardt, while Jemimah Rodrigues climbed five places in the T20I rankings.
The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey has finally dropped — and the internet can’t agree on what it’s seeing. While longtime Nolan loyalists are hailing the film as a future classic, others have criticised its muted visuals, costumes and storytelling, calling it one of the most underwhelming trailers of the year.
India aim to extend their lead in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in the second game at Visakhapatnam. Despite being the favoured team, India need to work on their fielding. The spotlight will be on Vaishnavi Sharma and Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu, who has the highest strike rate among their batters.
In September 2025, Dr. Monica Nayyar and Vivek Nandha, a London-based Indian couple, made history by getting married at the Great Pyramids of Giza. They were the first Indian couple and only the third globally to do so, with special permission from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
PRISM, the parent company of OYO, has received approval from shareholders to raise up to Rs 6,650 crore through an IPO. This will provide the company with the flexibility to access public markets at the right time, subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions. Moody's expects PRISM's EBITDA to more than double in FY26, supported by the expansion
Delhi Airport faced disruptions today as dense fog caused poor visibility conditions, leading to 10 cancelled flights and over 270 delays. Flightradar24 reported average delays of 29 minutes for departures. The airport issued passenger advisories, stating that while visibility improved, certain destinations may still experience delays. The Delhi Airport handles 1,300 flights daily.
Larsen & Toubro has won a major work order from Bharat Petroleum Corporation worth Rs 5,000-10,000 crore for the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of polyethylene refining units. The project is part of Bharat Petroleum's expansion plan and will increase refinery capacity. Larsen & Toubro's share price remained flat
BCCI increases match fees for women's domestic cricketers after India's 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup win. Senior players in the playing XI will now earn Rs 50,000 per day, while reserves will get Rs 25,000 per day. The decision has added momentum to calls for stronger financial support at the domestic level. The board has also implemented a uniform structure for T20 matches.
Delhi court orders framing of charges against Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and six others in Chinese visa scam case. Chidambaram's father, P Chidambaram, was Union home minister at the time of alleged bribery linked to visas issued to Chinese nationals in 2011.
Emkay Global maintains a positive outlook on Waaree Energies, giving it a 'Buy' rating and a target price of Rs 4,260, anticipating a 41% growth in the next year. The company's recent acquisition of United Solar Holding Inc. for $30 million gives it a significant stake in a polysilicon plant in Oman, aligning with the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
In a span of 20 months, the Home Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sent 91 takedown notices to X Corp, citing over 1,100 URLs that violated public order, targeted political figures, and spread misinformation during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The report also highlighted spikes in takedown notices during Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack.
The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and 1,000-quota Working Holiday Visa have created opportunities for young Indians to discover lesser-known destinations in New Zealand. From the Hamilton Gardens' Indian Char Bagh Garden to the Punakaiki rocks, there are many hidden gems to explore.
The Union Environment Minister has announced that mining in the Aravalli hills is only allowed in a small percentage of the total area - 0.19 per cent - adding that no new leases will be granted until an assessment is completed. He also stressed the importance of a scientific approach to conservation and protection.
After the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, the US is taking a tougher stance on legal immigration. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced stronger checks on H-1B visas, student visas, family-based applications, and other immigration programs, IANS reported.
Pakistan has reached a defence deal worth more than $4 billion with Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), according to Reuters, citing multiple Pakistani officials. The agreement involves selling military equipment to the LNA, even though Libya is still under a United Nations arms embargo.
