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The US House Budget Committee voted late on Sunday night to advance President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which would make sending money back home more expensive for thousands of Indian residents and non-resident Indians (NRIs) living in America.

The bill proposes a 5 per cent tax on all international money transfers made by non-US citizens, including non-immigrant visa holders (like H-1B) and green card holders. If passed, the law would withhold 5 per cent of the remitted amount at the point of transfer. No exemption threshold limit has been set, meaning it would even apply to transfers of small denominations.

The section on remittances in the 1,116-page legislation, however, specified that the 5 per cent clause will not apply to any remittance transfer by a ‘verified US sender’, meaning if the sender is a US citizen or national of the United States.

The law could come as a massive financial blow to nearly 45 lakh Indians living in the US, including nearly 32 lakh persons of Indian Origin. 

According to a remittance survey published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in March, of the total $118.7 billion remitted in 2023-24, nearly 28 per cent or $32 billion came from America. Taking this figure as the benchmark, the Indian community may have to pay $1.6 billion (5 per cent of $ 32 billion) as remittance tax if the law is enacted. 

The proposed tax is not limited to monetary remittances and would also affect transfers of investment income or proceeds from stock options — means often used by non-resident Indians to support families back home or make investments in their home country.

A journalist was shot in the head by unidentified assailants in Haryana’s Jhajjar district late Sunday night and later succumbed to his injuries during treatment, police officials confirmed on Monday.

The victim, Dharmendra Singh Chauhan, a long-time journalist and resident of Luhari village in Jhajjar, had returned home after work on Sunday evening.

After dinner, he stepped out for a walk when he was attacked and shot by unknown individuals who fled the scene immediately after the incident, according to the officials.

Locals who heard the gunshot rushed to the spot and found Chauhan lying on the ground in a pool of blood. They immediately informed his family and rushed him to a hospital in Pataudi.

Given the severity of his condition, he was referred elsewhere for advanced care, and the family opted to shift him to a private hospital in Gurugram.

He was admitted to Ganesh Ji Hospital in Gurugram, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The family said he had sustained a bullet injury to the head, which left his condition extremely critical from the outset.

Upon receiving the information, a team from the police and forensic department arrived at the crime scene and began an investigation. Evidence was collected from the spot, but no leads have emerged yet regarding the identity of the attackers or the motive behind the murder.

Chauhan’s family, still in shock, remains unable to identify any potential suspects.

Investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.

The gruesome murder has triggered widespread outrage among media circles and local journalists’ bodies.

Several journalist organisations have condemned the killing and urged the state government and police authorities to act swiftly.

“The attackers must be identified and brought to justice immediately,” demanded representatives from press groups, calling for strict and prompt action against the perpetrators.

T-72 tanks had rolled up to the Line of Control and took part in the May 7 Operation Sindoor that had destroyed terror bases in 9 locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, an officer of the Indian army has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The tanks – and the BMP-2 armoured personnel carriers – still deployed along the LoC — indicate the high prepared status of the army despite the ongoing ceasefire with Pakistan.

Speaking to NDTV, a Colonel, whose name is not being revealed due to security concerns, said they were put in position ahead of Operation Sindoor to take on specific targets marked out by the army. 

In the operation, their key role was to destroy the routes through which terrorists could infiltrate into India – as a pre-emptive measure.

“We also hit enemy posts which were facilitating infiltration. We know which posts are used as bases for infiltration by the enemy. An informed call was taken — and the targets were hit,”
Given their deadly accuracy, the tanks, he said, were used sparingly to prevent escalation.

There was no ‘nuclear signalling‘ by Islamabad during the military conflict with Pakistan earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told Parliament Monday evening.

Mr Misri told the House’s Standing Committee on External Affairs the conflict remained “conventional” and that Islamabad’s use of Chinese-made weaponry – including the HQ-9 missile defence system – was irrelevant because “what matters is we hit their air bases hard…”

However, he declined to comment on any Indian fighter jets that may have been shot down, citing national security constraints. There were reports Pak shot down five Indian jets.

Concerns that nuclear facilities – for weapons or civil use – may be targeted, deliberately or inadvertently, were red-flagged during the conflict. Such concerns were also shouted out by Pakistan in an attempt to paint India as the aggressor and ‘blackmail’ the Indian armed forces into submission.

Mr Modi had said India will not be intimidated by ‘nuclear blackmail’. “Any terrorist safe haven operating under this pretext will face precise and decisive strikes,” he declared.

The Indian Air Force earlier trashed rumours its strikes had hit Pak’s Kirana Hills, where that country’s nuclear facility is reportedly based. In a humorous aside, Air Marshal AK Bharti told reporters he hadn’t even heard of Kirana Hills and thanked the press for the ‘tip’.

‘No Trump, US Role In Ceasefire’

In a detailed briefing about Operation Sindoor – India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack – Mr Misri also said the United States had no role to play in the May 12 ceasefire.

This was in response to questions about US President Donald Trump’s claims about having averted a ‘nuclear war’ between India and Pakistan, and having ‘solved’ the Kashmir issue.

The Committee was told Pak had reached out first; this was on the afternoon of May 10 and after precision strikes by the Indian military hit Pak military installations, including the Chines-made HQ-9 system in Lahore and the strategically important Nur Khan air base.

Mr Misri told the Committee a plea for a ceasefire came from Islamabad, specifically from Pakistan’s Director-General of Military Operations, who reached out to his counterpart in Delhi.

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