As of January 3, 2026, the official death toll in the Indore water contamination tragedy has risen to six, according to District Collector Shivam Verma. However, local residents of the Bhagirathpura area claim at least 16 people have died, while the Congress party alleges 15 deaths. Currently, over 200 people are hospitalised.

Mumbai-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Manan Vora has warned against the common misconception that cannabis is a safer alternative to tobacco. In a viral social media video, Dr. Vora emphasized that the human respiratory system does not differentiate between types of smoke; whether it’s weed, tobacco, or hookah, inhalation delivers harmful tar and fine particles that cause lung and heart disease.

A viral video of a man sitting on a car’s bonnet to guide his friend through dense fog with “zero visibility” has sparked serious safety concerns online. The footage shows the individual perched on the front of the moving vehicle, acting as a human navigator because the driver could not see the road ahead.

Starting February 1, 2026, cigarettes, beedi, and pan masala will see a price hike following the passage of two key taxation bills in Parliament. This new “Sin Goods” tax features a capacity-based cess on pan masala manufacturing units and higher excise duties on tobacco products.while maintaining a 40% GST rate on these products.

Shares of Blue Dart Express jumped nearly 9% today after the company received significant relief regarding a tax dispute. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) drastically reduced a tax demand against its subsidiary, Blue Dart Aviation, from an initial ₹421 crore to just ₹65 lakh.

In the first trading session of 2026, the Indian stock markets opened on a weak note, with the Sensex falling over 150 points from its intraday high and the Nifty trading near 26,150. The decline was attributed to five key factors: heavy selling by Foreign Institutional Investors.