The Indian rupee fell to a record low, breaching the 94-mark against the United States dollar. The currency slumped 29 paise to close at a record low of 94.05 as the outflow of foreign funds continued amid the conflict in West Asia.

A drop in global crude oil prices and positive sentiments in the domestic equity markets also did not provide any respite to the local unit.

In the domestic equity market, the benchmark Sensex surged by 1.63% while Nifty was up 1.72%. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 4.33% lower at $99.97 per barrel in futures trade. Read on.

How the Iran war is ratcheting up cost of medical supplies, writes Tabassum Barnagarwala

The Union government introduced the 2026 Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The amendments would enable the government to act against organisations using foreign funds for activities such as forced religious conversions or actions “against the spirit of the Constitution, the law and the interest of the country”, said Union minister Nityanand Rai.

Among other key provisions of the bill is one that allows the government to take control of an NGO’s foreign funds and assets if its FCRA registration lapses.

Opposition MPs opposed the proposed law, describing it as “dangerous” and “draconian”. Congress MP Manish Tewari said the amendment bill grants “sweeping and disproportionate powers” to the executive. Read on.

How India’s crackdown on NGO funds has crushed key grassroots services and ended livelihoods, reports Kunal Purohit

A Singapore coroner’s inquiry into the death of singer Zubeen Garg has ruled that he died of accidental drowning. There was no reason to disagree with the Police Coast Guard’s conclusion that Garg was “severely intoxicated” and had refused to wear a life jacket, said State Coroner Adam Nakhoda.

The death certificate issued by the authorities in Singapore on September 20 stated the cause of Garg’s death as drowning. The authorities reiterated the findings in October and December. However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly claimed that the singer’s death was not accidental but was a murder. Read on.

The Supreme Court criticised the Haryana Police for allegedly derailing the investigation into the rape of a four-year-old girl in Gurugram. The bench stated that “all-out attempts” were made to “protect the accused” and that the police tried to dilute the gravity of the offence.

It also noted that there was prima facie evidence to indicate that the offence of “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act section 6 was committed. However, the police only registered a first information report for “aggravated sexual assault” under Section 10 of the Act, which is a lesser offence, the court added. Read on.

The National Democratic Alliance formally announced its seat-sharing agreement for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest 27 of the state’s 234 Assembly seats, seven more than it had in the 2021 polls.

The Edappadi K Palaniswami-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is likely to contest about 169 seats – all that have not been allocated to its partners. Read on.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our Daily Brief newsletter.