Morning Digest: Delhi election results today to reveal who will govern national capital; Cabinet clears new income tax bill, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on February 8, 2025

The counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly election held on February 5 is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday (February 8, 2025) across 19 counting centres. The results, expected to be declared by afternoon, will determine which of the three main parties — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress — will govern the national capital.

The Union Cabinet on Friday (February 7, 2025) approved the new income tax bill, which will replace the six decades old I-T Act, sources said. The new bill seeks to make direct tax law simple to understand and not to impose any new tax burden. It will not have provisos and explanations or long sentences.

The Union government has decided to restructure its skilling initiatives, combining three of them into the Skill India Programme, a Central Sector scheme, with the Cabinet on Friday approving an outlay of ₹8,800 crore for a three-year period ending in 2025-26. The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme will now become the three key components of the composite Skill India Programme.

The U.K. , under the Labour government, remains “committed” to negotiating a trade deal with India, Downing Street has said, as it confirmed that U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit India at the end of the month for the re-launch of negotiations.

Indian investigative agencies are anticipating a favourable decision soon from the newly elected U.S. government on the extradition of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana to India. On January 21, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 63-year-old Rana’s review petition against his extradition.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) reached Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in the national capital on Friday (February 7, 2025) afternoon for an inquiry into the AAP’s claim that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to poach their candidates.

Hamas’ armed wing released the names of three captives it said would be freed on Saturday (February 8, 2025) in a fifth hostage-prisoner swap as part of an ongoing agreement with Israel for a Gaza ceasefire.