President Trump has nominated Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a selection that comes amid sustained leadership instability at the agency under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The nomination signals an attempt to stabilize the CDC's top post after a period marked by multiple leadership changes and ongoing disputes over vaccine policy direction. Kennedy, who has long questioned established vaccine science, has exercised broad influence over public health agency priorities since taking the HHS post, generating friction with career officials and prompting departures across the department. Schwartz's confirmation path and her alignment with Kennedy on contested vaccine policy questions will be the immediate focus for public health professionals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and policy analysts tracking the administration's reshaping of federal health infrastructure. Vaccination program continuity, CDC research funding priorities, and enforcement of public health guidance are all subject to directional shifts depending on how Schwartz positions herself within the Kennedy-led HHS framework.
India's government plans to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act to restore UPI merchant discount rates, ending the zero-MDR regime in place since January 2020.
India's government has introduced the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing changes to payments regulation, income tax, and the Finance Act to attract FDI and support Make in India. The Bill's final shape will depend on parliamentary debate and committee review.
The government's Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposes to replace the blanket UPI MDR ban with a system allowing the Centre to notify which payment modes stay fee-free.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 5,000 crore Bhogapuram greenfield airport in Andhra Pradesh, built under a public-private partnership model. He also laid foundation stones for infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the state, signalling a broad investment push for the region.
