US military buildup in 2026 sparks global tensions and geopolitical shifts A storm brews, quiet yet sharp. One moment stretches into another - tension building without sound. By 2026, pieces shift on the world stage unlike before. Across distant regions, armies move at once. Not just one front, but several. America watches as challenges rise together - from Beijing, Moscow, and beyond. These forces do not act alone; partnerships tighten under pressure. Venezuela becomes a flashpoint, drawn into wider maneuvers. Data from the CFR shows how likely conflict has become there. So does the standoff near Taiwan. Odds stand nearly fifty-fifty. NATO meets Russian moves with its own. Understanding today’s global power shifts The China Russia Iran partnership challenging US influence Beijing and Moscow aren’t just talking anymore; they are moving in sync. Their militaries train together under the sea, share advanced tech, and run joint drills that push up against other nations’ borders. The ...
GST 2.0
India’s GST has been simplified into two main slabs with a special high slab, and several essentials have moved to lower rates or zero. This post lists all items that received a cut and groups them by the new slabs for quick reference.
GST at a glance
- Two primary slabs now anchor most goods (5% and 18%), with many essentials shifted to 0%, and a special 40% slab for select sin and luxury categories.
- The lists below are formatted for quick scanning and can be reused in social snippets or PDFs.
Table: What moved to 0%:
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Life-saving drugs | 33 life-saving drugs and medicines; cancer medicines; drugs for rare diseases |
| Insurance | Individual life insurance and individual health insurance policies |
| Education supplies | Maps, charts, globes, pencils, sharpeners, crayons, pastels, exercise books, notebooks, erasers |
| Food basics | UHT milk; chena/paneer (pre-packaged and labelled); pizza bread; khakhra; chapathi/roti |
Table: What moved to 5%:
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Personal care | Hair oil, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet soap, toothbrush, shaving cream |
| Dairy and snacks | Butter, ghee, cheese and dairy spreads, namkeens |
| Home & kitchen | Utensils |
| Baby care | Feeding bottles, baby napkins, clinical diapers |
| Health devices | Thermometer, medical grade oxygen, diagnostic kits and reagents, glucometer and test strips |
| Vision | Corrective spectacles and goggles |
| Agriculture inputs | Specified bio‑pesticides, micro‑nutrients |
| Irrigation | Drip irrigation systems and sprinklers |
| Farm machinery | Agricultural/horticultural/forestry machines for soil prep |
| Mobility & farm | Tractor tyres, tractor parts, tractors |
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Table: Common items at 18%:
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Small vehicles | Petrol & petrol hybrid cars, LPG/CNG cars (≤1200 cc & ≤4000 mm) |
| Diesel small vehicles | Diesel & diesel hybrid cars (≤1500 cc & ≤4000 mm) |
| Mobility | 3‑wheelers; motorcycles ≤350 cc |
| Goods vehicles | Motor vehicles for transport of goods |
| Appliances & screens | Air conditioners; TVs >32″ (LED/LCD); monitors & projectors |
| Home appliances | Dish washing machines |
| Heavy road equipment | Road tractors (engine >1800 cc) |
Table: Items under 40% (special high slab):
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Tobacco/sin | Pan masala, cigarettes, gutka, chewing tobacco, bidis |
| Sugary/caffeinated drinks | Aerated waters with added sugar/flavour, caffeinated beverages, and non‑alcoholic beverages |
| Luxury/leisure | Smoking pipes; aircraft for personal use; yachts |
| Firearms | Revolvers and pistols |
| Gaming & betting | Betting, casinos, gambling, horse racing, lottery, online money gaming |
| Motorcycles (high cc) | Motorcycles exceeding 350 cc |
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Sector-wise impact bullets
- Households: Personal care staples like shampoo, toothpaste, and soaps drop to 5%, and breads, milk, and paneer move to 0%, easing monthly budgets.
- Healthcare: 33 life-saving medicines are now at 0%; diagnostic supplies, such as thermometers, kits, and glucometers, are at 5%; individual life and health insurance premiums are also at 0%.
- Education: Classroom supplies (notebooks, pencils, charts, globes, erasers) at 0% reduce school costs.
- Agriculture: Fertilizer‑linked inputs, bio‑pesticides, micro‑nutrients, irrigation systems, and soil‑prep machines at 5% support farm economics.
- Mobility: Small cars (within cc/length caps), 3‑wheelers, and motorcycles up to 350 cc at 18%; goods vehicles at 18% may influence logistics costs.
- Appliances & electronics: ACs, large TVs, monitors, projectors, and dishwashers at 18% lower upfront prices compared to earlier higher slabs.
- Sin/luxury: High 40% slab ring‑fences tobacco, sugary/caffeinated drinks, betting/gaming, high‑cc bikes, and personal-use aircraft/yachts.
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