Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday questioned the government on the purpose of Union Budget 2022 and asked why the wealthy have not been taxed further.

The budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, does not tinker with personal income tax rates. It also does not raise standard deduction, which was widely anticipated in view of elevated inflation levels and impact of the pandemic on the middle class.

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Belying expectations, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not tinker with the personal income tax rates in the Budget for 2022-23.

The minister also did not raise standard deduction, which was widely anticipated in view of elevated inflation levels and impact of the pandemic on the middle class.

The standard deduction currently stands at Rs 50,000.

There was no change income tax slabs in the personal income tax category in the Budget unveiled on Tuesday.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — As they headed home at night from a wedding, everyone in the car went quiet when they approached the checkpoint in Kabul manned by two Taliban with automatic rifles.

One of the fighters shone a light into the car. Fatima Abdullahi was in the backseat, her two children perched on her lap, squeezed between her younger sister Zainab and a work colleague. The fighter waved them through.

Seconds later, two shots rang out. Zainab slumped against her sister. Abdullahi screamed, pleading with her to wake up. Zainab, 25, was dead.

ISLAMABAD, Jan 31 (APP): Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the launching of a missile from Al-Jawf, Yemen, by the Houthis towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“It is commendable that the missile was successfully intercepted by the air defence system of the UAE, preventing loss of innocent lives,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

He said Pakistan considered these attacks as a grave violation of international law and a serious threat to regional peace and security and called for their immediate cessation.

ISLAMABAD, Jan 31 (NNN-APP) – Pakistan reported 7,048 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, the fifth day with over 7,000 new infections, amid the country’s ongoing battle against the Omicron variant of the virus, according to figures released by the National Command and Operation Centre today.

With the new cases, the country’s number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,425,039, according to the centre, which leads Pakistan’s campaign against the pandemic.

DHAKA, Jan 31 (NNN-BSS) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to decline for the fifth consecutive day in Bangladesh, with over 12,000 new cases reported yesterday.

According to figures published by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the country confirmed 12,183 new COVID-19 cases and 34 more deaths yesterday, which has brought the death toll to 28,363.

The current positivity rate dropped to 28.33 percent in the past 24 hours, until 8:00 a.m. local time yesterday, according to the latest official data, taking the total caseload to 1,785,332.

Kanpur: As many as six people were killed and many others injured after an electric bus mowed down several bystanders.

The bus after losing its control, near Tat Mill crossroad here on Sunday lost its direction.

According to available news reports, police said that a group of 15 people were present at the site when the fateful incident came up.

The health condition of the injured people in the accident, reported happened at around 11:30 pm, is said to be serious, according to the news.

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday attacked the Centre over the issue of employment, saying its priority is "spying" on citizens when it ought to be jobs for the youth.

Hazaribag, Jan 30 (PTI) Two powerful IEDs, weighing 15 kg each, were found in a forest in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Sunday, police said.

The improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found near Kharki village in Balakmakka jungle in the Bishnugarh police station area, they said.

Acting on a tip-off, police began a joint search operation along with CRPF and Indian Reserve Battalion, following which the IEDs were found, said Hazaribag's Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe.

NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (NNN-PTI) – A 60-year-old woman, being treated for COVID-19, was killed early yesterday, in a fire incident, at a state-run hospital, in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, officials said.

The fire broke out inside a hospital ward for COVID-19 patients, at Burdwan Medical College in Purba Bardhaman district, about 110 km north of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.