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Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025 made official, driver to part ways with Mercedes at end of 2024 season

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has now been made official for 2025 as the six-time World Champion will leave Mercedes after the 2024 season.

In Short

  • Hamilton won 6 World Championships with Mercedes
  • Hamilton said leaving Mercedes was one of the toughest decisions he has made
  • Hamilton’s move to Ferrari also confirmed Carlos Sainz’ exit from the team at the end of 2024 season

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season has now been made official with the British driver parting ways with Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season.

Reports emerged on February 1, Thursday, that the 6-time World Champion is on the verge of completing a move to Ferrari. Hamilton had signed a two-year contract last August, but there was a release option that could be activated to allow him an early release.

Hamilton has now used the option, which means that the 2024 season will be his last with the Silver Arrows.

“The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last August and this season will therefore be his last driving for the Silver Arrows.”

“The news brings an end to what is currently a 17-year long relationship in F1 with Mercedes-Benz and an 11-year long partnership with the works team,” read the statement from Mercedes.

Ferrari have now confirmed the move for Hamilton in a statement on X.

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Hamilton will race alongside Charles Leclerc at Ferrari while Mercedes are on the hunt for a new driver for the 2025 season.

Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract,” read the statement.

Decision to leave was one of the hardest ones I have ever had to make: Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton explained the call to end his stay at Mercedes as one of the hardest decisions he has ever made. The 6-time World Champion, however, stated that the time was right for him to take a new challenge.

“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”

Hamilton won six World Championships during time with Mercedes, who he had joined from McLaren in 2013. Hamilton’s move meant that Carlos Sainz would announce he would be leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season as well.

The Spaniard would put out a statement on X to confirm the decision.

This article was originally published on India today

Interim Budget 2024 | 6 key takeaways from Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech!

Budget 2024: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman made no changes in the taxation structure in which can be seen as a relief to taxpayers.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled her last Budget or Interim Budget on Thursday before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections this year, announcing a double-digit boost to infrastructure spending and flagging the government’s “golden moments” ahead.

Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed a scheme that will allow people to buy or build their own homes, free electricity as part of a new rooftop solar programme and increased medical coverage for some government workers.

Nirmala Sitharaman also announced plans to increase milk and dairy production in the country. India is the largest milk producer in the world but there is low productivity, Sitharaman said. The finance minister also said a strategy will be developed for Atma Nirbharta for oilseeds production. Efforts of the value addition in the agriculture sector and increase farmers’ income will be stepped up, the minister said.

Full coverage of Union Budget 2024

The finance minister made no changes in the taxation structure in which can be seen as a relief to taxpayers. Follow Updates on Budget 2024

“In keeping with convention, I do not propose to make any changes relating to taxation and propose to retain the same tax rates for direct and indirect taxes including import duties. However, certain tax benefits to startups and investments made by sovereign wealth or pension funds as also tax exemption on certain income of some IFSC units are expiring on March 31 2024; to provide continuity, I propose to extend the date to March 31 2025,” she said.

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Budget 2024: Six key takeaways

1. Nirmala Sitharaman stuck to fiscal prudence with a lower-than-expected fiscal deficit of 5.8 per cent (of GDP) in FY24 and an estimated 5.1 per cent next year – lower than estimated.

2. There are no sops or big rural transfers, but she announced building 2 crore more houses for the rural poor in the next five years under the continuing PM Awas Yojana (Grameen).

Sitharaman said the government is close to achieving the target of 3 crore affordable houses.

3. The country’s capital spending for 2024-25 has been raised 11 per cent to ₹11.11 lakh crore, or 3.4 per cent of GDP.

4. No changes to direct or indirect tax rates. No change in tax structure.

5. The government will set up ₹1 lakh crore corpus with 50 50-year interest-free loan – long-term financing or refinance with long tenor and low or nil interest rates: to scale up R&D in sunrise sectors.

6. Average real income of people increased by 50%

This article was Originally published on Hindustantimes New!

Also Read : Delhi Police on alert ahead of AAP vs BJP protests today, ITO security tightened!

Delhi Police on alert ahead of AAP vs BJP protests today, ITO security tightened!

The Delhi Police said that it has not permitted any demonstration by the political parties in the capital!

The Delhi Police on Friday said it remains on alert and has beefed up the security around the central parts of the city, including ITO, in view of the demonstrations planned by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the national capital.

The AAP has called for a protest outside the BJP headquarters over alleged cheating in the Chandigarh mayoral election, while the BJP said it will mount a demonstration near the AAP office against the alleged corruption of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann will also take part in the protest, reported claimed.

Incidentally, the protest will take place on the same day that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the AAP, to appear before it in connection with its investigation into a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise police 2021-22.

The Delhi Police said it has not permitted any demonstration by the political parties in the capital.

“Police did not give permission for the demonstration. Police have received information about the arrival of Aam Aadmi Party workers from many areas of Delhi and also from Punjab,” news agency ANI quoted the police as saying.

The police added, “Around 1000 Delhi Police personnel and Paramilitary forces will be deployed. The Delhi BJP has also announced a protest outside the AAP headquarters on February 2, Police have denied them permission.”

A police officer told news agency PTI that they would make adequate security arrangements for the protest and to maintain law and order situation. “Additional forces will also be deployed. No one will be allowed to breach law and order,” the officer said.

This article was Originally published on Hindustantimes New!

Also Read : Interim Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman likely to focus on women, farmers ahead of Lok Sabha polls!

Will the Paytm FASTag cease to function on February 29th? Following the most recent RBI action, here’s what you should do!

RBI’s action targets Paytm’s banking operations, allowing customers to still use Paytm for digital payments as long as their account is connected to an external bank!

RBI on Wednesday took a major action against the Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) directing the company to stop accepting deposits or top-ups in any customer accounts including wallets and FASTags and other instruments after February 29. The action by RBI comes after a system audit report and subsequent compliance validation report of external auditors.

The RBI’s move primarily targets Paytm’s banking operations, allowing customers to still utilize Paytm for digital payments as long as their account remains connected to an external bank.

In a statement about the action taken, RBI said, “No further deposits or credit transactions or top-ups shall be allowed in any customer accounts, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, NCMC cards, etc. after February 29, 2024, other than any interest, cashbacks, or refunds which may be credited anytime,”

Here’s a look at what users should do in case they own a Paytm FASTag.

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What is FASTag? 

Government requirements mandate having a FASTag on the windshield of all your four-wheeler vehicles. FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the NHAI. It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making payments at the toll booths using prepaid wallets.

What happens to your Paytm FASTag after February 28? 

RBI has allowed Paytm FASTag customers to extinguish their balances but they cannot load these instruments with more money starting from March 1.

How to deactivate your Paytm FASTag? 

1) Download the Paytm app on your mobile device and log in through your existing credentials. 

2) Type ‘FASTag’ in the search bar and then tap on ‘Manage FASTag’ under the ‘Services’ section

3) You will be taken to a screen displaying all the active FASTag accounts linked to your Paytm number

4) Navigate to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Help & Support’

5) Now tap on ‘Need help with non-order related queries?’ and select the ‘Queries related to updating FASTag profile’ option. 

6) You should now see a ‘I want to close my FASTag’ option, Click on it and follow the ensuing steps. 

This Article was originally published on Livemint News!

Also Read : 3 killed as speeding car hits e-rickshaw in Jalandhar!

3 killed as speeding car hits e-rickshaw in Jalandhar!

Eyewitnesses said the driver of the speeding Audi lost control over the car and hit the e-rickshaw before ramming into a motorcycle. The two motorcyclists are hospitalised!

Three persons were killed when a speeding car rammed into the e-rickshaw in which they were travelling on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway on Tuesday night, police said.

The accident took place near Bidhipur railway crossing. One of the e-rickshaw passengers died on the spot, while the other two succumbed to their injuries on the way to a local hospital.

Investigation officer Jatinder Kumar said eyewitnesses reported that the driver of the speeding Audi lost control over the car and hit the e-rickshaw before ramming into a motorcycle. The two motorcyclists are admitted to the civil hospital in Jalandhar where their condition is stated to be critical.

“The car driver fled from the spot. The car is registered in the name of a private company in Chandigarh,” Jatinder Kumar said.

The deceased were identified as Paramjit Singh, Jagdish Chandar and Pankaj, all residents of Jalandhar city. The two injured are Govind and Harpreet Singh.

A case was registered under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the unidentified car driver.

This Article was originally published on Hindustantimes News!

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INDIAN ARMY ISSUES RFI FOR OUTSOURCING OF OVERHAUL OF T-72 TANKS; SUPPLYING MAJOR ASSEMBLIES & SPARES!

INDIAN ARMY

Indian Army invites Request for Information (RFI) from the interested bidders for undertaking the Overhaul of Armoured Fighting Vehicles i.e. Tank T-72 including the provisioning of major assemblies/ sub-assemblies and spares.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify prospective vendors (DPSUs / Private Indian Vendors) to undertake the Overhaul of Tank T-72 Tanks on a complete outsourcing model and facilitate preparation of Request for Proposal (RFP).Indian Army stated that all DPSUs and Private Indian Vendors are eligible to respond to this RFI and participate in this project.

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Objectives

Base overhaul to be carried out to ensure restoration of equipment to as good as new condition, rendering a fresh lease of life for enhanced serviceability and operational reliability for residual life of the equipment. This is a well-planned and comprehensively executed activity, to neutralize effects of age, usage and restoration of the equipment to near Zero Hour, Zero Kilometer state of operational! readiness.

Process of overhaul of Tank T-72 should include stripping of the tank, removal of assemblies, stripping of the assemblies that are repairable, inspection of the components of repairable assemblies, repair the assemblies by replacing the worn-out parts, replacement of assemblies with new ones that are not repairable, 100% replacement of parts that have limited shelf-life/life (gaskets, seals, rings, bearings, fasteners. washers etc), testing of assemblies, integration in tank, testing of systems of the tank, testing complete tank and Quality Assurance by the buyer, in accordance to the governing specifications.

This Article was originally published on hindustantimes!

Also Read : Google spent ₹17,500 crore to lay off 12,000 employees!

Google spent ₹17,500 crore to lay off 12,000 employees!

Google parent Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 job in January 2023, biggest in its history.

google

Google incurred $2.1 billion (around ₹17,500 crore) in severance and related expenses during its 2023 layoffs, which affected over 12,000 employees. In this month alone, the company has already spent $700 million on severance charges for additional layoffs, encompassing more than 1,000 roles. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, disclosed these figures in its fourth-quarter earnings release on Tuesday.

In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6 per cent, of its global workforce. This was the biggest layoff in the history of Google, but was “essential” for the company, chief executive Sundar Pichai had said earlier.

Alphabate posts double-digit revenue growth in 4th quarter

Google’s parent company reported a noteworthy return to double-digit revenue growth in the last quarter of the previous year, with a boost from video-sharing platform YouTube and its cloud computing unit.

The results, announced on Tuesday, marked Alphabet’s third consecutive quarter of increasing revenue growth, primarily driven by Google’s dominance in search and online advertising. This rebound is significant, considering the unprecedented drop in Google’s ad revenue following almost two decades of uninterrupted growth, especially during the initial stages of the pandemic.

Also Read : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister’s jab at Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar, “Born with golden spoon!

Google

However, while Google’s ad sales demonstrated growth, it lagged behind increases in other areas, such as cloud computing and YouTube subscriptions.

Despite the fourth-quarter results exceeding analysts’ expectations, Alphabet’s shares faced a dip of nearly 7 per cent in extended trading.

The company attributed its profit boost in the final quarter to the positive impact of artificial intelligence (AI).

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said: “Each of these is already benefiting from our AI investments and innovation.”

More job cuts ahead in Google

CEO Sundar Pichai has alerted employees to anticipate further job cuts in the upcoming months, aiming to “simplify execution”.

In a memo, Pichai said that the layoffs will concentrate on streamlining operations by “removing layers” from various departments to enhance the company’s efficiency, according to the report. He clarified, “These role eliminations are not at the scale of last year’s reductions, and will not touch every team.”

This article was published on Hindustantimes News!

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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister’s jab at Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar, “Born with golden spoon!

“Rahul Gandhi will never be able to understand the conditions of this place because he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth,” Bihar Deputy CM Sinha said!

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi mocked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for rejoining the NDA on Tuesday, deputy CM Vijay Sinha came out in defence of the CM. Sinha said that Rahul Gandhi ‘was born with a golden spoon in his mouth’ and that ‘he would never understand the pain of the public.’ “Those who spend time on the ground understand the situation,” Sinha said.

Addressing reporters in Patna, Sinha said, “Rahul Gandhi will never be able to understand the social and geographical conditions of this place because he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Those who spend time on the ground understand the situation. Dynastic families with criminal and corrupt mindsets can never understand the pain of the public.”

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for “taking a U-turn each time little pressure is exerted” by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing the public in Bihar’s Purnea Rahul said,” Right now Baghel ji (former Chhattisgarh CM) told me a joke. The joke goes like this…Your chief minister took oath at Governor’s house. Some of his ministers also took oath. Celebrations were going on. Nitish Kumar decided to go back to his home. Suddenly while going back he realised he has left his shawl at the Governor’s house. He went back and met the Governor. Governor was shocked and said you came back so quick this time.”

So this is the condition of Bihar a little pressure is exerted, and he (Nitish Kumar) makes a U-turn,” Gandhi said. Taking a dig at the Congress leader Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary said that it is “Rahul Gandhi who is solely responsible for the current condition of Lalu Prasad Yadav.”

On Sunday, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for the ninth occasion at Raj Bhawan in Patna, marking another shift in alliances as he joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance once again. It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar switched political affiliations, marking his fifth crossover in just over a decade.

This article was Originally published on Hindustantimes News!

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Elon Musk Announces Neuralink’s Successful brain implant procedure in first human recipient!

Neuralink was given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans!

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Neuralink, announced on Monday that the first human recipient of an implant from the brain-chip startup underwent the procedure on Sunday and is recovering well.

Taking to social media, X, Musk posted, “The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.

Neuralink was given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk’s post added.

According to Neuralink’s website, it has received approval from the independent institutional review board.The PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) – an investigational medical device trial for fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) – aims to evaluate the safety of our implant (N1) and surgical robot (R1) and assess the initial functionality of our BCI for enabling people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts, according to the company’s website.

During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant’s ultra-fine and flexible threads in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. Once in place, the N1 Implant is cosmetically invisible and is intended to record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes movement intention. 

The initial goal of our BCI is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone, it also said.

The PRIME Study is being conducted under the investigational device exemption (IDE) awarded by the FDA in May 2023 and represents an important step in our mission to create a generalised brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs, it added.

Musk and his company have already faced massive criticism for the trial of “brain chips” on lab animals. In February 2022, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine submitted a complaint alleging that Neuralink did “invasive and deadly brain experiments.”

By December of that year, the company was being investigated by federal authorities for potential violations of animal welfare standards, with documents indicating that the company had murdered around 1,500 animals, including rats, monkeys, pigs, and mice, since 2018.

Neuralink fought back against these very serious allegations claiming that the rhesus macaque monkeys under its care were “respected and honoured” by the team. 

This article was originally published on Hindustantimes!

Also Read : Budget 2024 LIVE updates: Centre convenes all-party meeting today!

Budget 2024 LIVE updates: Centre convenes all-party meeting today!

Stay informed with live updates on Budget 2024 as the Centre hosts an all-party meeting today. Get exclusive insights and analysis as key stakeholders gather to discuss the nation’s financial direction!

Budget 2024 LIVE updates: The budget will be ‘interim’ in nature as the government is set to face a general election in April-May this year.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the budget for Financial Year 2024-25 on February 1. This will be the final annual financial statement of the BJP-led PM Narendra Modi government’s second term. Last week, the traditional pre-budget ‘halwa’ ceremony was held- beginning a ‘lock-in’ period for officials involved in budget preparation to maintain confidentiality until the document’s tabling in the Lok Sabha.

This budget is also ‘interim’ in nature as the government is set to face a general election in April-May this year. The full budget will be presented in July by the incoming government. In India, the financial year starts on April 1 and ends on March 31 the following year.

Follow all the updates here:

  • Jan 30, 2024 09:02 AM ISTBudget 2024 LIVE Updates: Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi to meet floor leaders of parties todayParliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi will hold a meeting with the floor leaders of political parties in both houses of Parliament before the start of the upcoming Budget Session.

This article was originally published on Hindustantimes News!

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