Rahul Gandhi, stock markets, rupee plunge, Trump's tariffs, Panama Canal & more

In a rare admission on Day 3 of the Parliament's Budget session, Rahul Gandhi stated that neither the Congress-led UPA nor the BJP-led NDA governments have been able to tackle the problem of unemployment. Campaigning for the Delhi Assembly polls came to an end at 5 PM today, followed by a mandatory silence period before voting on February 5. Both Sensex and Nifty fell sharply in early trade today, and the rupee plunged below the 87 level to an all-time low of 87.29 per US dollar. This comes after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China that triggered fears of a global trade war. Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino said his government would not renew a 2017 deal to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative, after US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of reimposing American control over the Panama Canal.