Washington, D.C
PM Modi lands in Washington, D.C. to begin 2-day US visit; Income Tax Bill 2025 to be tabled today: Key changes explained; Tech & more
PM Modi lands in Washington, D.C. to begin two-day US visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in US in the early hours of Thursday, February 13 (IST), as part of the second leg of his two-nation tour. He will be meeting US President Donald Trump during his visit.The Indian diaspora in Washington, D.C welcomed the PM after he landed.
During his two-day visit, the Prime Minister will meet the new US President Donald Trump to hold bilateral talks in both restricted and delegation-level formats. The two leaders are likely to discuss key trade and strategic interests, focusing on reducing the trade deficit, reducing import tariffs, strengthening defence ties, and boosting energy cooperation.
HAL shares likely to see 50% upside from the current market price
Shares of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd have lost 37% of their value over the last seven months. But the Dalal Street has a consensus target price of ₹5340 per piece, implying a 50% upside from the current market price.
The stock of defence PSU major ended Wednesday’s (February 12) session at ₹3594.15 on the NSE, down 1.5% from previous day close. The stock has given 14% of its value in 2025 so far, after consistently outperforming in the last five years through 2024.The state-owned defence major on February 12 reported 14% jump in consolidated net profit at ₹1,440 crore for the quarter ended December 2024, driven by sustained demand for its aircraft from the defence ministry. It reported a consolidated net profit of ₹1,261 crore in the year-ago period. The defence PSU’s revenue from operations surged 15% to ₹6957 crore during the quarter.
Trump says to sign order on reciprocal tariffs today or tomorrow
US President Donald Trump committed Wednesday to announcing “reciprocal tariffs” on other countries, saying he could sign an order for them within a day, a move that could open new fronts in a trade war.
During election campaigning, Trump had promised: “An eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount.” Analysts expect reciprocal duties involve hiking tariff rates on US imports to match the rate that exporting countries charge on American products.Speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said that he could sign an order for reciprocal duties later in the day, or on Thursday morning. Analysts have warned that such levies could bring a broad tariff hike to emerging market economies like India and Thailand.
Income Tax Bill 2025 to be tabled today: Key changes explained
The proposed Income Tax Bill 2025 will be tabled in Parliament on Thursday (February 13). The bill aims to replace the Income Tax Act of 1961 with a more structured and simplified version of tax law. It has already been circulated among Parliament members and may take effect from April 1, 2026, once passed.
Structural overhaul and simplification | The new bill restructures tax law by reducing the number of chapters from 51 to 23. However, the number of sections has increased from 298 to 536. The word count has also been cut by half from the existing 5.20 lakh words, making it concise and easier to interpret.
Exclusive | Zero tariffs will help India become competitive in chipmaking: US semiconductor body
India should consider zero tariffs on semiconductor manufacturing if it wants to become a significant player in global supply chains, says John Neuffer, President and CEO of the US Semiconductor Industry Association.In an exclusive chat with CNBC-TV18, Neuffer emphasised that while India is on the right trajectory in growing its chip-manufacturing footprint, it is important to have a lower tariff and more conducive trade policy. “US is already getting zero tariff treatment from chip supply chain partners around the world but not from India”, he said. He added that more investments in skilling people — not just in design but actual chip manufacturing — would pay off in the long run.
Google I/O 2025 set for May 20-21: Gemini, Android 16, and more on the agenda
Google I/O 2025: Google has officially announced the dates for its annual developer conference, I/O 2025, scheduled to take place from Tuesday, May 20, to Wednesday, May 21.
The event will return to the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, kicking off with a keynote by CEO Sundar Pichai at 10 am PT (10.30 pm IST).This year’s I/O promises a deep dive into Google’s latest products, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, Android 16, and advancements in web and cloud technologies.
Google has also teased updates on its Gemini AI models, the Gemma open model, Google AI Studio, and NotebookLM.In a new format twist, Google will livestream developer product keynotes from Shoreline across both days, followed by breakout sessions, workshops, demos, and networking opportunities.
SEBI announces ‘MITRA’ platform to help investors track unclaimed mutual fund folios
Market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a new platform, ‘MITRA’ (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant), to help investors trace their unclaimed or inactive mutual fund folios.
Over the years, many investors have lost track of their investments, particularly those made in physical form with minimal KYC requirements. In some cases, mutual fund folios do not appear in a unit holder’s consolidated account statement due to missing details such as PAN, email ID, or a valid address.Since inactive accounts are vulnerable to fraudulent redemptions, SEBI has directed Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs) like CAMS and KFin Technologies to collaborate with Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to launch the ‘MITRA’ platform.
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West Bengal hikes DA by 4%: Who benefits and what it means
The West Bengal government has announced a 4% increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state employees and pensioners. The hike, effective from April 1, 2025, was revealed in the state budget presented by Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Wednesday (February 12).
Dearness allowance is a cost-of-living adjustment provided to government employees and pensioners. It helps them cope with inflation and rising prices.DA is calculated as a percentage of basic salary or pension and revised periodically.
This Coimbatore company just gave 140 employees ₹14 crore in bonus
An AI startup company from Coimbatore has done what most startups only dream of doing. The company, named Kovai.co, has given a bonus of ₹ 14 crore to its 140 employees.
Kovai.co is named after the city of Coimbatore. This startup provides business-to-business software solutions (SaaS) and was started by Saravanakumar in 2011. Today, this company is providing its services to big corporations like BBC, Boeing and Shell.Its founder, 48-year-old Saravanakumar, belongs to Coimbatore but had moved to London 25 years ago. Saravanakumar said that he was an ordinary IT employee for 10 years, but when he saw a void in the market, he decided to start his own company in his hometown.
India needs more local investors in alternative investment funds
A new report by Crisil Market Intelligence and Oister Global has revealed that Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs) investing in private markets have consistently generated superior returns compared to public market equivalents, demonstrating their strong investment potential even during periods of robust public market performance.AIFs have grown 86 times between 2014 and 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 31.5% over the past five years, according to the report. “The IRR of 21.5% for the aggregate AIF benchmark significantly outperforms the listed market even today. This makes a compelling case for investors considering this asset class,” Sandeep Sinha, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Oister Global, told CNBC-TV18.
We’ll see you tomorrow with another 11:11
Members of the National Guard patrol along Constitution Ave. on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America
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Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America
National Guard troops can remain in Washington, D.C. while a panel of judges examines whether the deployment ordered by President Trump is legal, according to a Federal Appeals Court for Washington, D.C. ruling.
More than 2,000 troops have been deployed in the city since August, both from the District and at least 11 Republican-led states. Hundreds more were added after a targeted attack on National Guard troops killed one and wounded another last month, both of whom were from West Virginia.
The decision Wednesday upends a lower court order that troops be removed from the city.
President Trump’s deployment in Washington is the most robust long-running operation so far, in what has become a pattern of military deployments to help with policing in Democratic-led cities around the country.
Several other smaller deployments are tied up in legal battles — including Trump’s deployment to Chicago which is at the Supreme Court awaiting an emergency decision.
In today’s ruling the judges wrote that Washington, D.C.’s unique federal status allows President Trump to largely control the deployment of troops in the city. They also said the Trump administration is likely to win the overall case, which would see the deployment remain until at least the end of February 2026.
But the judges also raised serious doubts about the lawfulness of deployments of other cities. In particular, the deployment of out-of-state Guard to another state without the consent of that state’s governor — as the administration has tried to do in both Oregon and Illinois.
The opinion called such a move “constitutionally troubling to our federal system of government.”
Troops have left Los Angeles
Today’s decision comes days after a different federal appeals court ruled that troops had to leave Los Angeles on Monday.
The Ninth Circuit ruled late Friday night to uphold a ruling by a federal judge in California to end Trump’s deployment. Trump seized control of the California National Guard in June amid protests in the city and sent more than 4,000 troops there, against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wishes.
That number had since dropped to around 100, but the administration had sought to extend the federalization of the state’s Guard several times, most recently until February, saying it was still necessary.
The decision from the Ninth Circuit effectively blocked the administration from using those remaining National Guard troops in Los Angeles — but it did not force control of the troops to return to the state, leaving them under federal control for now.
All troops have left their stations in the city, according to two sources familiar with the matter who are not authorized to talk publicly. A military official who was not authorized to discuss details of a deployment publicly told NPR that the troops have been moved to a military facility in the area and are conducting training exercises.
NPR’s Tom Bowman contributed to this report from Washington.
The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.
TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.
You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.
Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”
Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.
“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.
Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.
While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.
My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”
According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.
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