US President Donald Trump said that America is headed for an “economic boom” in the upcoming year. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday (local time), Trump highlighted his achievements of during the second term and outlined the administration’s plans for the economy, border security and the United States’ role on the global stage.For the upcoming year, Trump made a range of promises, ranging from lower mortage for Americans to expanding the country’s energy resources.

‘More money in your wallets’

Trump said that the country would begin to see tangible financial benefits from his policies. He told viewers, “You will see in your wallets and bank accounts in the new year, after years of record-setting falling incomes, our policies are boosting take-home pay at a historic pace.”

Impact of tax cuts

Looking ahead, Trump pointed to tax policy as a central pillar of his economic agenda. He said the next year would reflect the impact of what he called “the largest tax cuts in American history”, delivered through “our great, big, beautiful bill — perhaps the most sweeping legislation ever passed in Congress”.

Electricity prices to fall

On energy, Trump said his administration was preparing for an unprecedented expansion in electricity production. He claimed that “within the next 12 months, we will have opened 1,600 new electrical generating plants”, describing it as a record unlikely to be surpassed soon. According to Trump, “prices on electricity and everything else” will also “fall dramatically”.

Lower interest and housing reforms

The President also focused on interest rates and housing, saying he would soon announce a new chair of the Federal Reserve who supported significantly lower borrowing costs. “And I’ll soon announce our next chairman of the Federal Reserve, someone who believes in lower interest rates by a lot,” he said, adding that mortgage payments would continue to come down. He further promised major policy changes in the property sector, saying that early in the new year he would unveil “some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history”. Turning to America’s standing abroad, Trump said the country had regained respect under his leadership. “America is respected. And our country is back, stronger than ever before,” he said, claiming the US was on the brink of an economic expansion “the likes of which the world has never seen”.

Leadership is often discussed as a skill set, but it is usually experienced as a mental state. Pressure builds quietly. Decisions carry consequences. Doubt creeps in when clarity is expected. The Bhagavad Gita begins in a moment like this. Arjuna stands ready, yet unable to act. Krishna does not accuse him of weakness. He speaks to the confusion itself. That response is what keeps Krishna’s leadership relevant even now, in offices far removed from battlefields but filled with similar tension.

Why Lord Krishna’s words still feel relevant in modern work life

When responsibility matters more than applause

Krishna’s best-known words appear early in the Gita, when he reminds Arjuna where attention truly belongs.Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana(Gita 2.47)

The verse is often shortened or misused, but its meaning is practical. Action is required. Obsession with reward is not. In corporate spaces, leaders frequently begin chasing validation instead of doing the work well. Decisions start revolving around visibility, ratings, or fear of criticism. Teams sense this quickly. When leadership focuses on responsibility rather than applause, work becomes steadier. People know where they stand.

Why copying leadership styles usually backfires

Another verse quietly addresses imitation, something common in professional environments.Shreyān sva-dharmo vigunah para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt(Gita 3.35)Krishna warns that walking another person’s path creates fear. In offices, leadership styles are borrowed all the time. Assertiveness is forced because it looks decisive. Calmness is performed because it seems mature. The result is confusion. Authority weakens when it feels artificial. Leadership becomes more believable when it fits the person holding the role, even if it is imperfect.

Calm leadership is not silence, it is steadiness

The Gita speaks often about emotional balance, not as detachment but as control.Duhkheshu anudvigna-manah sukheshu vigata-sprhah(Gita 2.56)Workplaces amplify emotion. Stress at the top spreads downward. Panic becomes urgency. Leaders who remain emotionally steady do not make problems disappear, but they prevent unnecessary chaos. Krishna’s idea of steadiness is quiet. It allows others to think instead of react. In practice, that calm often matters more than bold speeches.

Guidance only works when control is released

Towards the end of the Gita, Krishna offers advice and then steps back.Vimrishyaitad asheshena yathechchhasi tatha kuru(Gita 18.63)After everything is explained, the choice is left untouched. This moment reflects a kind of leadership rarely practised at work. Constant oversight is mistaken for responsibility. Over time, it weakens initiative. Krishna’s approach is slower. Clarity comes first. Trust follows. Capability develops later.

Avoidance damages culture more than mistakes

Krishna is direct about action.Niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hy akarmanah(Gita 3.8)In offices, avoidance often hides behind delay or politeness. Issues are postponed. Conversations are softened until they lose meaning. Ethical leadership usually feels uncomfortable in the moment. Avoiding action feels easier, but it erodes trust quietly. Krishna’s reminder is simple. Responsibility does not disappear because it is ignored.

Change works only when balance stays intact

Krishna repeatedly returns to balance while acting.Yogasthah kuru karmani siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva(Gita 2.48)Modern organisations change constantly. Strategies shift. Roles evolve. Leaders who change direction without inner steadiness unsettle teams. Krishna’s idea is not rigidity. It is balance. Adapt actions when needed, but remain anchored. People tolerate change better when something stable remains underneath.Leadership lessons from Lord Krishna endure because they were never about authority or performance. They speak to inner discipline, emotional steadiness and responsibility under pressure. Those qualities continue to define leadership people trust, even now.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) announced a one-time $1,776 “warrior dividend” for American military troops for Christmas, indicating that tariffs were funding the payments.

Flanked by two Christmas trees and a portrait of George Washington, Trump speaking at the White House said that around 1.45 million service members would receive the payment, with the money reaching them before the holidays, suggesting that the bonus would help ease financial pressures on military families.

Tariffs are paying US military $1,776 ‘warrior dividend’

Trump said, “Because of tariffs, along with the just-passed one ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ tonight, I am proud to announce that more than 1,450,000 military service members will receive a special ‘warrior dividend’ before Christmas.”“In honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776, and the checks are already on the way. We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs, and nobody deserves it more than our military…” he stated, referring to the GOP’s major tax cuts legislation passed earlier this year.“Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations,” Trump added.

Who is eligible for the ‘warrior dividend’?

According to the announcement, the one-time payment will be given to:

The announcement comes at a time when many Americans are struggling with high costs of groceries, housing, utilities and holiday expenses. Inflation remains elevated and the labour market has weakened in recent months, trends that followed Trump’s tariff hikes and slower hiring.

Tariffs, websites & more: Key highlights from Trump’s address

Trump further promised an economic boom in 2026 but acknowledged concerns over inflation, while blaming his predecessor, former US President Joe Biden for current challenges. “Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” he said. “We’re poised for an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen,” he continued.Defending his trade policy, Trump insisted tariffs were delivering results. Calling tariffs his “favorite word,” he said the levies imposed on imports from China, Canada, Mexico and other trading partners were generating unexpected revenue.“Nobody can believe what’s going on here,” Trump said. “It’s not done yet, but boy are we making progress,” he added.Trump also pointed to his administration’s efforts to cut drug prices, saying tariffs were used as leverage in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and foreign governments.“I negotiated directly with the drug companies and foreign nations, to which we’re taking advantage of our country for many decades, to slash prices on drugs and pharmaceuticals by as much as 400, 500, and even 600 percent,” he said.“In other words, your drug costs will be plummeting downward. And I used the threat of tariffs to get foreign countries who would never have done it to pay the cost of this giant dollar reduction. They stopped ripping us off. And it began as of four days ago,” Trump added.He said the first round of price reductions would be available starting in January through a new website, trumprx.gov. “And these big price cuts will greatly reduce the cost of health care. The money should go to the people,” he said.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has once again cautioned that many artificial intelligence companies with very-high valuations will not survive in what he described as a “hyper competitive” industry. As reported by CNBC, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Finance Week in an interview with CNBC’s Tanya Bryer, Gates said that the investors should brace themselves for corrections as the fear of an AI bubble is intensifying day-by-day. Gates also highlighted that the hyper-competitive nature of AI means that only a fraction of companies will emerge as long-term winners. Gates said that “a reasonable percentage of those companies won’t be worth that much.”

Bill Gates on AI valuations

“AI is the most important thing going on,” Gates said, but stressed that inflated valuations do not guarantee success. “Does it mean all of these companies with high valuations will be winners? No, it’s going to be hyper competitive,” he explained. He added: “AI is only a bubble in the sense that not all of these valuations will end up going up. Some of them will go down… A reasonable percentage of those companies won’t be worth that much.”Companies like Tesla, Palantir presently trade at price-to-earnings ratios above 200 compared with an S&P 500 average of about 25. The disparity has fueled investor concerns, with global markets dipping in November amid fears of an AI bubble.

Bill Gates emphasised that AI remains a transformative force

“AI is a deeply profound technology that will reshape the world. There’s not the slightest doubt about that,” he said. He pointed to AI’s potential in healthcare, education, and agriculture, areas where his foundation is actively investing.Despite all these concerns, Gates has reaffirmed his belief in the transformative potential of AI. He also described it as “a deeply profound technology that will reshape the world,” with applications across health, education, and agriculture.“Is this profound and real and is going to provide all of these benefits? Absolutely, nobody should have any doubt about that,” Gates said. As 2026 approaches, Gates’ vision is clear: AI must be used not just to drive profits, but to deliver tangible benefits for humanity.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) addressed the nation, outlining what he described as major achievements on foreign policy, the economy, border security and domestic governance during his presidency. The 47th POTUS began his address by lashing out at his predecessor, Joe Biden for what he called the “worst” border crisis in US history.“We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country,” he said.“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump said.

In his address, Trump claimed credit for resolving multiple international conflicts and reshaping US global standing. “I restored American strength, settled 8 wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza – bringing for the first time in 3000 years peace to the Middle East and secured the release of the hostages, both living and the dead,” he said. The US president also highlighted economic gains, attributing investment inflows to his trade policies. “Already I have secured a record-breaking 18 trillion dollars of investment into the United States, which means jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings and far greater national security. Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs; my favourite word – tariffs, which for many decades have been used successfully by other countries against us. But not anymore,” Trump said. He added that companies were increasingly shifting manufacturing back to the US. “Companies know that if they build in America, there are no tariffs. That’s why they are coming home to the USA in record numbers. They are building factories and plants at levels we haven’t seen,” he said. Trump also spoke about narcotics control and cultural issues, claiming sharp reductions in drug inflows. “Drugs brought in by Ocean and Sea are down 94%. We have broken the grip of sinister woke radicals in our schools,” he said, reiterating, “I’ve restored American Strength, settled 8 wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran Nuclear Threat, and ended the war in Gaza—bringing, for the first time in 3,000 years, Peace to the Middle East.” On immigration, Trump said his administration had transformed border security. “We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country. In other words, in a few short months, we went from worst to best,” he said. The president concluded by contrasting his leadership with that of previous administrations. “For the last four years, the United States was ruled by politicians who fought only for the insiders, illegal aliens, career criminals, corporate lobbyists, prisoners, terrorists, and above all, foreign nations, which took advantage of us at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “But now, you have a president who fights for the law-abiding, hardworking people of our country—the ones who make this nation run.”

Director Aditya Dhar’s spy action thriller ‘Dhurandhar’, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, continues its historic run at the box office despite registering its first noticeable drop in collections. Nearing the end of its second week in theatres, the film has already rewritten several records and stands among the biggest Hindi successes of 2025.Dhurandhar Movie Review

‘Dhurandhar’ box office collection Day 13

According to early estimates by Sacnilk, ‘Dhurandhar’ collected approximately Rs 25.5 crore net on Wednesday (Day 13). This marks the first dip in its second-week run, with the film entering the Rs 20 crore range after consistently posting figures above Rs 30 crore on most days.

‘Dhurandhar’ week 1 performance

The film opened to a strong Rs 100 crore weekend and went on to close its first week with an impressive Rs 207 crore net. Starting with an estimated Rs 28 crore on Day 1, collections steadily climbed, with the film maintaining figures of around Rs 27 crore for three consecutive days, reflecting sustained audience interest.

‘Dhurandhar’ week 2 surge

‘Dhurandhar’ witnessed remarkable growth in its second week. It began Week 2 with a robust Rs 32 crore on Friday and followed it up with a blockbuster second weekend. Early estimates peg Saturday’s collection at around Rs 53 crore and Sunday’s at approximately Rs 58 crore.The film’s second Monday and Tuesday collections are identical at an estimated Rs 30.5 crore, which reflected extraordinary word of mouth and growing interest among moviegoers.With Wednesday adding another Rs 25 crore-plus, the film’s second-week weekday collections have remained higher than its opening day figures. With one day still left in Week 2, ‘Dhurandhar’ has already amassed around Rs 230 crore net and is comfortably heading towards the Rs 250 crore net mark for its second week. This represents an extraordinary jump of nearly 20% over its first week, making it the only Hindi film to post a higher second week than its first after opening above Rs 100 crore net.

‘Dhurandhar’ gross collections cross Rs 500 crore

The film’s record-breaking run has pushed its India gross collections past the Rs 500 crore milestone. As per trade estimates, ‘Dhurandhar’ has now earned approximately Rs 524.5 crore in India gross, with collections continuing to rise despite fresh competition approaching theatres.

Highest-grossing Ranveer Singh film

‘Dhurandhar’ has also emerged as the highest-grossing film of Ranveer Singh’s career at the worldwide box office. Reports suggest the film has collected an estimated Rs 140 crore from overseas markets, taking its worldwide total to around Rs 664.5 crore.With this, the spy action thriller has officially surpassed the lifetime worldwide collections of ‘Padmaavat’, in which Singh played the antagonist opposite Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. ‘Dhurandhar’ reportedly outgrossed ‘Padmaavat’ (Rs 585 crore worldwide) within just 11 days of its release.

‘Dhurandhar’ eyes Rs 1000 crore club

Having already crossed the Rs 500 crore worldwide milestone, ‘Dhurandhar’ now appears firmly on track to enter the coveted Rs 1000 crore club. Given its current trajectory and sustained audience interest, trade analysts believe the landmark figure may be only a matter of time.

US President Donald Trump is set to deliver a televised address to the nation Wednesday, outlining plans to strengthen America amid declining popularity over economic concerns. Trump previewed his speech to reporters, saying, “The message this evening is we inherited a mess, and we’ve done a great job, and we continue to, and our country is going to be stronger than ever before very soon.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also announced the speech would highlight Trump’s achievements in fighting inflation and immigration, which he attributes to his predecessor Joe Biden’s policies.“The president would also talk about his plans to continue delivering for the American people over the next three years,” Leavitt said on Tuesday.Trump, the oldest elected president in US history, has consistently praised his administration’s economic performance, recently giving it an “A++++” rating and dismissing affordability concerns as a Democratic hoax.Recent polls indicate growing public dissatisfaction with Trump’s economic management, however. A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll showed 57 percent of Americans disapproving of his handling of the economy.The president also faces criticism from within his MAGA movement for prioritising international issues like peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza, and tensions with Venezuela, over domestic concerns.Recent Republican losses in local elections, including mayoral and gubernatorial races, have prompted Trump’s team to shift focus toward domestic issues.The president has increased his domestic travel schedule to promote his economic message, promising to “make America affordable again” during a Pennsylvania visit last week, with another rally planned in North Carolina.

Nagpur: Comptroller and Auditor General of India Sanjay Murthy on Wednesday flagged serious gaps in the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system, stating that thousands of crores of rupees were flowing into beneficiary accounts without mandatory checks due to weak data integration and siloed functioning within departments.“There are significant gaps in the level of checks to prevent duplication, and cross-verification of data. Govt departments are working in silos to such an extent that different joint secretaries in a single department do not refer to the same database,” Murthy said while addressing the inaugural batch of IRS officers, who will begin training at the National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur. “We talk about Jan Dhan-, Aadhaar- and mobile phone-linked database connectivity. Still, if looking at the maturity level at which the databases are deployed, especially from reports we generate, there is a huge gap,” he said.India is a vast nation, can’t have same yardstick everywhere: CAGWe say these are all Aadhaar-based beneficiaries, but the amount of de-duplication or cross-database verification mandated by the DBT mission is missing. Still, there are thousands of crores going into the system without basic checks in financial inclusion schemes,” the CAG said.Talking to TOI about the need to plug the huge DBT gaps, Sanjay Murthy said, “India is a vast country and we cannot have the same yardstick everywhere. Southern states have a head start in the application of technology, leading to availability of more mature data for audit.” It would be worthwhile to examine whether basic checks and balances are followed while implementing a govt scheme, he said, adding though the negligence may not be deliberate there should be a level of accuracy in implementation.Talking to IRS probationers, Murthy said his department’s officers would share their experiences with taxmen for further scrutiny. Databases from agencies like ministry of road transport and highways, Goods and Services Tax or a state’s integrated financial management system can be a mine of information.On social sector audit, the CAG said technology has cut audit time drastically, allowing completion in 45 days. Now the department seven schemes can be audited at a time. The CAG, as an outsider, can access the database of different schemes and correlate, he said.