The Sen Times

New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday criticised the India-US trade agreement, which reduced the previously imposed tariff of 50 per cent to 18 per cent, saying that with this trade deal, the United States has almost bought India. Raur stated that with this new trade deal between the United States and India. Raising concern over the Indian farmers economic growth and well-being, he underlined that now the US can sell their agriculture products in the Ind

DHAKA, Bangladesh, February 4, 2026 (AP) Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker, was accused in December by several Muslim colleagues of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. The accusations drew a violent mob to his workplace. He was beaten to death, his body hung from a tree and set on fire. Across Bangladesh, Hindus watched the recorded images on their phones with dread. Protests erupted in Dhaka and other cities, with demonstrators demanding justice and greater

Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) The rupee depreciated 22 paise to 90.54 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, following a sharp rally after India and the US agreed to a trade deal on suspected dollar buying by corporates and importers. Forex traders said despite the positive sentiment post the India-US trade deal, caution still remains as there is no signed or officially released trade agreement yet no framework text or final documentation. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee o

Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty were trading higher in early trade on Wednesday, building on previous days sharp rally, amid fresh foreign fund inflows and positive sentiment following the India-US trade deal. A sharp decline in IT stocks, however, restricted the rally in the markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 68.49 points to 83,816.96 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 51.90 points to 25,779.45. From the Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid,

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Silver and gold prices ended a three-day steep fall and rebounded sharply in the national capital on Tuesday, with the white metal surging Rs 24,000 to Rs 2.84 lakh per kg, while gold climbed to Rs 1.57 lakh per 10 grams amid firm global cues and weak US dollar. According to the All India Sarafa Association, silver prices soared Rs 24,000, or 9.23 per cent, to Rs 2,84,000 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes). The metal had closed at Rs 2,60,000 per kg on Monday after slum

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the Modi government should take Parliament into confidence on the details of both the EU and US trade deals, while alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completely surrendered to appease US President Donald Trump at the cost of Indias farmers. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, pointing to Trumps statement that the India-US trade deal was coming into effect immediately at Modis request, claimed

NEW DELHI, February 3, 2026 (AP) Indian lawmakers from the ruling coalition praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for striking a deal with the U.S. that seeks to reduce tariffs on Indian goods, while the opposition raised questions on the impact on sensitive sectors such as agriculture. President Donald Trump on Monday announced he plans to reduce import tariff on India, six months after imposing steep taxes to punish New Delhi for its unabated purchase of Russian oil that he claimed

Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) The Indian rupee emerged as the best-performing Asian currency on Tuesday, registering a gain of 122 paise or 1.33 per cent in a single trading session to settle at 90.27 (provisional) against the US dollar, after India and the US agreed to a trade deal. Forex traders said the Indian rupee rose to the highest levels in two and a half weeks and rallied by around 1.5 pc on the trade deal between India and the US. Domestic indices also surged by around 2.75 per cent, boosting do

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday authenticated a copy of an article in the Lok Sabha which cited former army chief M M Naravanes unpublished memoir but it failed to end the impasse over the matter, leading to a brief adjournment. With Gandhi insisting on raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Chair Krishna Prasad Tenneti moved on to other Speakers and asked Harish Balayogi of the TDP, an NDA constituent, to speak on the Presidents address after three oppositio

NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (Reuters) India has agreed to buy petroleum, defence goods, electronics, pharma and telecom products as well as aircraft from the U.S. under a trade deal, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India on Monday that slashes U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers. Get the latest news from India and how it matters to the world with t

Calgary (Canada), Feb 3 (The Conversation) Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is now a reality in higher education, with students and professors integrating chatbots into teaching, learning and assessment. But this isnt just a technical shift; its reshaping how students and educators learn and evaluate knowledge. Our recent qualitative study with 28 educators across Canadian universities and colleges from librarians to engineering professors suggests that we have entered a watershed mo

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the Modi government should take Parliament into confidence and the text of both the EU and US trade deals must be laid on the table of both Houses and debated. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that from the information President Donald Trump has provided, it is abundantly clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completely surrendered. He said that almost exactly a year ago, Prime Minister Modi

Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty surged in early trading session on Tuesday after India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from current 25 per cent. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 3,656.74 points to 85,323.20 in opening trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty surged 1,219.65 points to 26,308.05. Later, both the benchmark indices further extended their winning momentum. The BSE benc

Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) The rupee appreciated 119 paise to 90.30 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, after US tariffs on India were cut from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. Forex traders said the 18 per cent tariff changes the story, improving Indias relative position and reopening the door for FII participation. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.30 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 119 paise over its previous close of 91.49. The good news overnight

WASHINGTON, February 3, 2026 (AP) President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to lower tariffs on goods from India to 18%, from 25%, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil. The move comes after months of Trump pressing India to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude. India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump said that India would also start

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Silver prices extended its steep fall for the third straight day, tumbling Rs 52,000 to Rs 2.60 lakh per kg in the national capital on Monday, while gold fell to Rs 1.52 lakh per 10 grams amid weak global trends and a firm US dollar. According to the All India Sarafa Association, the white metal nosedived Rs 52,000, or nearly 17 per cent, to Rs 2,60,000 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes). On Saturday, the metal tanked 19 per cent, or Rs 72,500, to Rs 3.12 lakh per kilog

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that he was not being allowed to quote from former army chief M M Naravanes unpublished book in the Lok Sabha because it indicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for letting down the army during the 2020 conflict with China. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex here, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the government is afraid of a line that he wants to quote from

Mumbai, Feb 2 (PTI) Indias white-collar hiring began with a steady foot with a 3 per cent year-on-year increase in January mainly driven by non-IT sectors and fresher hiring, a report said on Monday. White-collar hiring began 2026 on a steady footing, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index witnessing 2,637 points in January a 3 per cent YoY rise from 2,550 points in January 2025 Naukri said in a report. Non-IT sectors were the primary drivers of this growth, with BPO/ITES surging 21 per cent, hospital

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Wearing black shawls as a mark of protest, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with some SIR-affected families and party leaders on Monday met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar here. Last week, CEC Kumar had given time to Banerjee, who has been demanding a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal, for a meeting on Monday. Banerjee, who reached the national capital on Sunday, was being accompanied by Trin

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Gold prices recovered to Rs 1.48 lakh per 10 grams in futures trade on Monday after an early sharp fall that triggered the lower circuit level, while silver extended losses to witness heavy selling for the third consecutive day. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures for April delivery opened on a weak note and plunged Rs 10,688, or 7.2 per cent, to hit a low of Rs 1,37,065 per 10 grams during early trade. Later, the metal rebounded strongly, erasing all of it

NEW DELHI, February 1, 2026 (AP) Prime Minister Narendra Modis government presented its annual budget to Parliament on Sunday, focusing on sustaining the countrys economic growth despite volatile financial markets and trade uncertainty. In a speech introducing the budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the governments plans to boost investments in infrastructure and domestic manufacturing while sticking to fiscal prudence. The budget for the 2026-27 financial year, which starts April

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Congress leader Amitabh Dubey on Sunday claimed the Budget was just a series of flashy announcements and alleged that the Modi governments policies had shaken investor confidence and led to a fall in the value of the rupee. One has to be sceptical of the announcements, given the governments past track record on implementation, he said. Dubey, the in charge of research and monitoring in the partys communications department, also slammed the government over the falling rupee

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday used a cricketing analogy to express his disappointment with the Union Budget, saying Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seems to have missed the ball. In an interview with PTI at the news agencys headquarters, Tharoor said Sitharamans Budget speech seemed to have lots of subheadings but very few specifics, and was completely short of an overall vision. As a Kerala MP, Tharoor said, he had nothing to be happy about in this B

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday accused the Centre of branding people of West Bengal as Bangladeshis and lambasted the finance minister for not mentioning the state in her Budget speech. Asked about the Budget, Banerjee said it has no solutions for any community, and called it a faceless, baseless and visionless Budget. The Budget speech was 85 minutes long 5,100 seconds Bengal was not even mentioned. Forget Bengal; farmer, youth

NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) Indias government on Sunday handed a major win to Apple by allowing foreign companies to freely provide machines to their contract manufacturers set up in certain areas for five years, without fearing any tax risk. Smartphone manufacturing is a key plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modis agenda, but Apple had been lobbying Indias government to modify its income tax laws to ensure the company is not taxed for ownership of high-end iPhone machinery it provides to its con

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) Indias annual federal budget was tactical but not a breakthrough, Moodys Ratings said in its reaction to a government roadmap for the next financial year. Planned fiscal consolidation, which will bring the budget gap to 4.3% from 4.4% in the current year, will not change Indias credit profile, Christian de Guzman, senior vice president at Moodys Ratings, told Reuters. (Despite Indias) lengthening track record of deficit consolidation or fiscal discipline, this deficit is

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Reuters) Indias central government will borrow a record 17.2 lakh crore rupees ($187.6 billion) in fiscal year 202627, with the bond supply higher than most market estimates, the annual budget showed on Sunday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a budget that makes a fresh bet on the local manufacturing sector in Asias third-biggest economy, pledging to accelerate growth amid a volatile global environment. The gross borrowing will be 17% higher than the current fiscal

Jan 30 (Reuters) C.J. Roy, the founder and chair of real-estate firm Confident Group, died by suicide in the southern city of Bengaluru on Friday, local police said. Roy shot himself and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, Bengaluru city police chief Seemanth Kumar Singh told the media in a briefing. Initial reports suggest that there was an ongoing tax raid, Singh said, without disclosing further details. Authorities were conducting income tax raids against the group in Bengaluru when Ro

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) Declaring the right to menstrual health as part of the right to life under the Constitution, the Supreme Court on Friday directed all states and Union Territories to provide free oxo-biodegradable sanitary napkins to girl students and functional, gender-segregated toilets for all the students. In a landmark judgment to ensure gender justice and educational equity, a bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan issued a slew of directions to all states and UTs t

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) Gold prices tumbled by Rs 14,000 per 10 grams and silver prices tanked by Rs 20,000 per kg in the national capital on Friday as investors booked heavy profits amid weak global trends and a rebound in the US dollar. According to the marketmen, gold of 99.9 per cent purity plunged by Rs 14,000, or 7.65 per cent, to Rs 1,69,000 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). The precious metal had hit an all-time high of Rs 1,83,000 per 10 grams on Thursday, after rising by Rs 12,000

WASHINGTON, January 30, 2026 (AP) President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed, a decision likely to result in sharp changes to the powerful agency that could bring it closer to the White House. Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough. I ha

GENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) A World Health Organization official said on Friday that the risk of the spread of the Nipah virus is low, saying that none of the over 190 contacts of the two people infected in India had tested positive or developed symptoms of the disease. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are among the Asian locations that tightened airport screening checks this week to guard against such a spread after India confirmed infections. The risk on a national, regional

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (PTI) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday lauded party leader Rahul Gandhi as a sincere person who was a strong voice on various issues like communalism in the country. Tharoor said that everyone likes Rahul as he constantly speaks against the politics of communalism, hatred and divisiveness in the country. I do not have a different opinion on that, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram told reporters here. Tharoor also said that he had never agreed with any wrong c

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) A day after the Economic Survey called for re-examining the RTI law, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asked whether it was RTIs turn to get murdered after MGNREGAs killing. In a post on X, Kharge accused the Union government of systematically weakening the RTI Act and unleashing a climate of terror that punishes truth-seekers as he pointed out that over 100 RTI activists had been murdered since 2014. The Economic Survey has called for re-examination of the

Mumbai, Jan 30 (PTI) The rupee on Friday hit its record low of 92.02 before ending a tad higher at 91.97 against the US dollar, amid a firm American currency and volatile geopolitical cues. Forex traders said sustained withdrawal of foreign funds and a negative trend in domestic equities weighed on investor sentiment. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.89 and gained ground, touching 91.82 against the greenback during intraday trade. The currency touched its lowest-ever lev

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 78th death anniversary and claimed that the Sangh Parivar was still afraid of him and his memory and that is why his name was removed from the rural employment guarantee scheme. Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said that Gandhi was killed because of his uncompromising stance on secularism and his vision of a pluralistic India that embraces diversity and disagreement. He claimed that

With a scarf dangling from your coat pocket and those gloves left behind at the coffee shop, there are simply more things to lose in winter. Thats not counting your misplaced keys at home or those exasperated moments looking for your phone when you say, I just had it! Try not to beat yourself up. Even Mark McDaniel, who has been studying human memory and learning for almost 50 years, left a hat under his chair recently at a restaurant. He doesnt usually wear hats, so he forgot it. I should know

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday lamented the exploitation of workers by service provider agencies and said now they have emerged as the real exploiters in urban centres. I have personally and officially seen this. The Supreme Court paid to an agency for hiring a particular set of skilled employees, paying Rs 40,000, and actually those poor girls were getting only Rs 19,000, Chief Justice Surya Kant said. The bench, also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, was hearing a PIL

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (PTI) World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on Thursday said India should think less about tariffs and focus more on opportunities, amid concerns over global trade due to geopolitical tensions. Elaborating on Indias opportunities in trade deals, Banga said over 100 regional and bilateral pacts have been signed by the country in the last 20 years, and the recent India-EU free trade agreement is an example of that. Think less about the tariffs, and more about the opportunities

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) Silver prices surpassed the Rs 4 lakh per kilogram mark in the national capital on Thursday, while gold hit a new peak of Rs 1.83 lakh per 10 grams, tracking a sharp rally in global markets and strong investor demand for the safe-haven assets. According to the All India Sarafa Association, silver extended the gains for the fourth consecutive session and surged Rs 19,500, or 5.06 per cent, to a record Rs 4,04,500 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes). The white metal had c

Mumbai, Jan 29 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Thursday, helped by a rally in blue-chip Larsen & Toubro and the Economic Survey projecting the GDP growth of 6.8-7.2 per cent for the next fiscal. Erasing its early losses, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 221.69 points or 0.27 per cent to settle at 82,566.37. During the morning trade, it tanked 636.74 points or 0.77 per cent to 81,707.94. The 50-share NSE Nifty edged higher by 76.15 points or 0.30 per cent to end at

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas including the one filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms challenging the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls in Bihar. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi concluded the final hearing after a battery of lawyers including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Prashant Bhushan and Gopal Sankaranarayan argued in the matter. The poll panel was represente

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) Silver prices extended their blistering rally on Thursday, soaring 6 per cent to cross the Rs 4 lakh per kilogram-mark, while gold scaled a lifetime high of Rs 1.8 lakh per 10 grams, tracking record gains in the global markets amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Extending the gains for the fifth straight day, silver futures for March delivery surged by Rs 24,434, or 6.34 per cent, to a new record of Rs 4,09,800 per kilogram. In the last five trading sessions, the

NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (Reuters) Indias chief economic adviser called on the government to set age-based limits on access to social media apps to counter digital addiction, cautioning against use of platforms by children in the largest user market for Meta and YouTube. A shift in India would align with a growing global trend. Australia last year became the first nation to enforce a social media ban for children under 16. Frances National Assembly on Monday backed legislation to ban children under 15

DHAKA, Bangladesh, January 29, 2026 (AP) From her exile in India, Bangladeshs ousted leader Sheikh Hasina has slammed the countrys upcoming election after her party was barred from the polls, remarks that could deepen tensions ahead of the pivotal vote next month. Hasina, who was sentenced to death for her crackdown on a student uprising in 2024 that killed hundreds of people and led to the toppling of her 15-year rule, warned in an email to The Associated Press last week that without inclusive

Mumbai, Jan 29 (PTI) The rupee hit an all-time low of 92.00 against the American currency in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by steady dollar demand and a cautious global mood. Forex traders said the rupee fell after the dollar index rose from its 4-1/2-year lows, following the FEDs announcement that it kept rates unchanged at the conclusion of its first policy decision of 2026. Moreover, rising geopolitical uncertainty has increased risk aversion, keeping emerging market currencies under

New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Gold and silver prices showed no signs of cooling as both precious metals scaled fresh records in the national capital on Wednesday amid a weak US dollar and strong buying trends in global markets. According to the marketmen, silver extended its gains for the third straight day by soaring Rs 15,000, or 4.05 per cent, to touch an all-time high of Rs 3,85,000 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes). In the previous session, the white metal jumped sharply by Rs 40,500 to Rs 3,

Deoria/Raebareli, Jan 28 (PTI) Protests against the new UGC rules intensified in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, with large-scale demonstrations reported from Deoria, an agitator writing a letter to the prime minister with his blood in Kaushambi, and a BJP functionary quitting his post in Raebareli. The row erupted after the University Grants Commission (UGC) on January 13 notified the new regulations, making it mandatory for all higher education institutions to constitute equity committees comprisi

HYDERABAD, Jan 28 (Reuters) Adani Airports on Wednesday urged India to ease limits on how many seats foreign airlines can sell on flights to and from the country, saying the curbs are holding back its ambition to become a global aviation hub. The limits, part of bilateral air service agreements, are designed to protect domestic airlines, but have long been a source of frustration for overseas carriers. Dubais Emirates, for example, has said demand was much higher than the weekly seat caps under

Mumbai, Jan 28 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended higher on Wednesday, extending their previous days rally, on optimism over the India-EU landmark free trade agreement. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 487.20 points or 0.60 per cent to settle at 82,344.68. During the day, it soared 646.49 points or 0.78 per cent to 82,503.97. The 50-share NSE Nifty surged 167.35 points or 0.66 per cent to end at 25,342.75. From the 30-Sensex firms, Bharat Electronics surged nearly 9 per cent pos