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The much-anticipated India-Pakistan showdown at the 2026 T20 World Cup has hit a major roadblock, with Pakistan announcing they will boycott the fixture in a decision that threatens to overshadow the tournament.

Budget 2026 sticks to fiscal discipline, shuns populist measures despite five key state elections coming up, but ends up rattling stock markets with a higher transaction tax on derivatives trading.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced an increase in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on Futures and Options trade with a view to discouraging small investors from speculative trading in derivatives, which led to a...