Monday, August 17
Canada has introduced multiple immigration and labour policy changes from January 1, 2026, affecting international students, foreign entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, job seekers and provincial nominees. The updates cover study permit rules, entrepreneur visas, job mobility, hiring practices and a provincial immigration pathway. Study permit rules eased for graduate studentsMaster’s and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions no longer need a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter to apply for a Canadian study permit. The requirement, introduced in 2024 to manage provincial study permit caps, no longer applies to these students. As a result, graduate students are excluded from the cap. Doctoral students are now eligible for expedited processing, which can t
Union Budget 2026: India is considering a reduction in the number of customs duty slabs to five or six from the current eight as part of a revamp in the upcoming budget aimed at simplifying the tariff structure, reducing litigation and better aligning import duties with the country’s industrial and trade priorities, people familiar with the matter said.The exercise is expected to focus on resolving disputes over customs classifications, correcting inverted duty structures and scaling back discretionary exemptions, they said.Also Read: 3 big changes India needs to solve the customs mazeThe move comes against the backdrop of recently concluded trade pacts and those being negotiated, as well as the government’s push for a paperless, seamless customs system.The Centre has for the last two
Market veteran Gurmeet Chadha has raised concerns over the growing spread of unverified or source-based news, especially on expiry days, warning that such disinformation can trigger disorderly market movements and pose systemic risks.In a post on X, Chadha pointed to a series of market-moving claims that surfaced this week, including reports about sanctioned Russian oil shipments to India and Chinese contractors being allowed to bid for government contracts. He noted that these reports were circulated by global social media handles, often citing unnamed sources.Chadha also flagged claims that former US President Donald Trump had approved 500% tariffs on India, calling them misleading. “Too much disinformation,” he said, adding that such rumours tend to surface frequently around weekly
