Commerce Ministry revealed during a Parliamentary Question Hour that the country is defending nine pending WTO trade disputes brought by Brazil, Australia, Guatemala, Japan, the EU, Chinese Taipei, and China, covering issues like sugar subsidies, steel safeguard duties, ICT tariffs, and PLI schemes;

while India argues these measures comply with WTO rules, appeals remain unresolved due to the non-functioning Appellate Body, leaving the disputes in limbo. #Policy

Center has officially stated to the Supreme Court that the "creamy layer" principle does not apply to reservation benefits for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

In an affidavit opposing Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that sought to implement income-based exclusions for these categories, the Centre urged the apex court to dismiss the petitions, calling them "devoid of merit".

#Policy

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced a 10-day, 9-night all-inclusive Japan tour departing from Delhi. Priced from ₹3.46 lakh per person, the escorted trip runs from September 6 to September 15, 2026, and covers major cultural and scenic hubs across seven Japanese Cities.

Cities Covered: Tokyo, Hakone, Hamamatsu, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima.

Also includes : Mount Fuji visit, bullet train (Shinkansen) Ride

#Railways

🇸🇦🇺🇸 US imports of Saudi crude oil fall to zero for the first time since 1985.

#InternationalNews

IG Defence is in advanced talks to export its KAL kamikaze drone, a 1,000 km-range loitering munition with a 50 kg payload, to Gulf countries, aiming to finalize deals this year and strengthen India’s presence in the global drone market. #Defence #Exports

🔗 BusinessLine

Lok Sabha Adjourned till 12 PM due to howling and ruckus by Opposition #Parliament

🇮🇳🇨🇳 India, China hold 36th Meeting of (WMCC) talks in New Delhi.

Statement both sides, “held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation.”

#Geopolitics

Lok Sabha has passed another bill without discussion due to Opposition refusing a debate and continues Howling and creating ruckus in the #Parliament

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Adjourned till Monday 11 AM (10.08.2026) due to howling and ruckus by Opposition #Parliament

3 Weeks of Monsoon Session done ✅

Bill passed:

1. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026

2. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026

3. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026

4. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026

5. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

#Policy

Myanmar, Thailand joint statement issued after visit of Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing to Bangkok calls for "advancement of India Myanmar Thailand trilateral highway project" #Geopolitics #NWO

For 6 years, a line in Indian law said nobody could charge you for a UPI payment.

On Thursday the Lok Sabha voted to delete that line.

There was no discussion. It went through on a voice vote while the House was in protest over something else.

The line is Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. It barred banks and payment system providers from charging, directly or indirectly, on the electronic payment modes listed in the tax law.

The amendment does not impose a fee on UPI.

It deletes the reference to the tax law and replaces it with a line saying the central government may notify which payment modes stay free.

That is the whole event. Not a new charge. A new pen.

Removing the free guarantee used to require a vote in both Houses.

Narrowing it now requires a notification signed by the executive.

Same outcome available, one tenth the friction, and no debate on the record

Its just a matter of time before it's passed in Rajya Sabha too. #Economy #Policy

Center has introduced a new bill in the #Parliament on (04.08.2026)

10. The Taxation and Others Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026: It removes the strict "zero-fee" mandate on digital payments to allow a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select business transactions.

The legislation amends Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 giving the government the legal authority to structure merchant fees in the future.

For people who aren't bothered to read -

Govt is planning to levy charges on every UPI payment in the future 🙂

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the Merchant Discount Rate on digital transactions applies to merchants, not customers, and will fund bank and fintech infrastructure and security investments.
source

"The FM's clarification that MDR applies only to merchants is reassuring for now. But given the amendment removes the existing statutory bar on charging UPI transactions, a written safeguard in the law itself — not just an assurance — would settle the matter more durably."

#Opinion

🇾🇪⚔️🇸🇦 In the past 36 hours Houthis have attacked:

• Struck a Saudi tanker in the Red Sea & Forced a second tanker to reverse course in the Gulf of Aden.

• Attacked three Military bases in Yemen's Hadhramaut Governorate, killing 45 personnel (Pro Saudi Backed PLC Govt)

• Struck Saudi Arabia's Najran International Airport, injuring 11 people and destroying the facility's main Radar system.

• Targeted Seiyun International Airport in the Hadhramaut region, eastern Yemen. (Pro Saudi Backed PLC Govt)

• Struck two military bases in central Yemen's Ma'rib Governorate.

#InternationalNews