By The Hindu Bureau

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South Korea’s President Lee says U.S. investment demands would spark financial crisis

South Korea’s economy could fall into crisis, rivalling its 1997 meltdown, if the government accepts current U.S. demands in stalled trade talks without safeguards, President Lee Jae Myung told Reuters. Seoul and Washington verbally agreed to a trade deal in July in which the U.S. would lower U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on South Korean goods in exchange for $350 billion in investment from South Korea, among other measures.

Abhishek-Gill show guides India to dominant win against Pakistan

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill put on a scintillating show of strokeplay at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (September 22, 2025) to extend India’s imposing record against Pakistan in T20Is. Having beaten the arch-rival by seven wickets in a Group-A meeting of the Asia Cup last weekend, the margin of victory was six wickets on this occasion as the Men in Blue chased down 172 in 18.5 overs to kick off the Super Four phase on the perfect note.

U.S. clarification on H-1B calms nerves in tech circles but some warn of deferred impact

The Indian IT industry breathed a lot easier after the U.S. government clarified that the H-1B visa application fee hike applies only to new applicants and does not affect the existing visa holders or renewals. While some industry experts noted that they foresee no immediate adverse impact over the next 6-12 months as the hike takes effect only in the upcoming application cycle, others cautioned that, the delay notwithstanding, there will be a deferred impact requiring eventual reassessment of business strategies by the IT companies, if the rule stays.

Daughter ignites fresh feud in Lalu family ahead of Bihar election

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly election, a fresh feud could be taking shape in the family of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad, following a cryptic post by his daughter Rohini Acharya, who had donated her kidney to Mr. Prasad in 2022. According to sources in the RJD, Ms. Acharya is unhappy over the expanding influence of Sanjay Yadav, the political advisor to former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, in the party and his proximity with Mr. Yadav. It all started on September 18, when Ms. Acharya shared a post of a social media influencer, in which the influencer had raised objection to Mr. Sanjay occupying the front seat on the bus meant for ‘Bihar Adhikar Yatra’. He had said that the front seat was usually reserved for the top leadership of the party, such as Mr. Prasad and Mr. Yadav.

Current GST reforms are inadequate, says Congress

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking “sole ownership” of the amendments made to the goods and services tax (GST) regime, the Congress on Sunday (September 21, 2025) said the current reforms were inadequate and did not provide any resolution to the States’ demand for an extension of compensation for another five years. In response to Mr. Modi’s address to the nation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge used a Hindi idiom to take a dig at the Prime Minister. Taking to X, Mr. Kharge claimed that the public would never forget that the government “collected the highest GST on their dal-chawal-grain, pencils, books, treatment, farmers’ tractors”.

Poorly thought out: U.S. Congress delegation leader Ami Bera slams H-1B visa hike

Slamming the U.S. government’s new $100,000 H-1B visa fee as a “poorly thought through policy”, U.S. Democrat lawmaker Ami Bera said that both the U.S. Congress and American officials had been caught by surprise by the decision announced on Friday (September 19, 2025) by U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr. Bera, who is part of a five-member U.S. Congressional delegation invited by the Ministry of External Affairs for a week-long visit to Delhi and Mumbai, said he would discuss the issue during the visit, and relay some of the concerns expressed to Washington.

GST 2.0 implementation a ‘festival of savings’, first step towards economic self-reliance, PM says in address to nation

Hours before the new two-slab Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is about to be rolled out at midnight on Sunday (September 21, 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed it a “bachat utsav”, a festival of savings, and the first step towards “aatmanirbharta” or economic self-reliance for Indians. In a televised broadcast to the nation, Mr. Modi drew connections between the simplification of the GST regime from a four-slab to two-slab system, ease in compliance, and the reduction in prices resulting from it to a larger point about the need for Indians to weed out foreign-made products from their everyday life, and adopt products made in India, boosting the country’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

With election looming, Nitish sweetens deal for Bihar’s welfare workers

Ahead of the Assembly election, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday announced a ₹25,000 one-time allowance for each ‘Vikas Mitra’ to purchase tablets. The ‘Vikas Mitras’ are village volunteers tasked with taking government schemes to people belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. They are over 10,000 spread across various villages of the State.

Israeli drone strike kills 5, including 3 children, in southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed five people on Sunday (September 21, 2025), including three children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said four of the killed, the three children as well as their father, held U.S. citizenship. Two others were wounded, including the mother in the family. Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut could not immediately be reached for comment. Since a ceasefire agreement was reached in November to end Israel’s monthslong war with the Hezbollah militant group, Israel has continued to strike southern and eastern Lebanon almost daily.

Nepal’s interim government forms probe panel to investigate Gen Z protest deaths

Nepal’s interim government led by Sushila Karki on Sunday (September 21, 2025) formed a three-member probe committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the ‘Gen Z’ protests in which 72 people were killed and led to the toppling of the K P Sharma Oli government. Besides former justice Gauri Bahadur Karki, former additional inspector general of police Bigyan Ran Sharma and legal expert Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari are members of the probe commission, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal told reporters at Singhdurbar Secretariat.