FEATURE STORY
In a major revision to military recruitment rules, the Union Cabinet has lengthened the service period of Agniveers from four to six years, offering the 75% cohort previously slated for civilian discharge an additional two-year engagement and a subsequent route to regular military enrollment. Announced by CDS General N.S. Raja Subramani just ahead of the first batch’s retirement dates, the overhaul also reverses recruitment stages by putting written tests ahead of physical trials.
Celebrated British actor Sir Patrick Stewart has passed away at the age of 86. Rising from a childhood marked by domestic hardship and going completely bald by age 19, Stewart built a formidable career with the Royal Shakespeare Company before capturing global stardom as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor X in the X-Men franchise. Knighted in 2010, the Yorkshire-born legend proved that classical discipline and character can redefine modern popular culture.
Septuagenarian CPI(M) whole-timer Bipul Dasgupta has emerged as the face of peaceful resistance in West Bengal after standing ground with folded hands against a mob attempting to tear down a Left book stall in Nagerbazar during Durga Puja. The incident, set against a broader ideological row over the festival’s nomenclature, drew widespread condemnation from civil society as well as senior saffron figures including State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta and the RSS, prompting a large solidarity march from Kolkata’s College Street on October 29.
The Democratic Party’s decisive victory in capturing both chambers of the US Congress marks a watershed moment of institutional recalibration against Trumpism. With President Donald Trump framing the midterms as a personal referendum, voters across historically red strongholds—including Texas, Kansas, and the Carolinas—delivered an unmistakable rebuke, restoring constitutional checks and balances and demonstrating democracy’s resilience against extreme polarization.
Dalal Street celebrated an early Diwali on Friday as benchmark indices sealed a seven-session winning streak—their first in three years—defying a global tech rout triggered by the steepest Nasdaq fall in 19 months. The BSE Sensex rallied 1,718.02 points to close at peak at 81,028.02, while the Nifty 50 surged 493.75 points to reclaim 25,030.35. The weekly rally generated ₹28 lakh crore in investor wealth, supported by ₹14,974 crore in single-day FII inflows, crude oil’s steepest weekly fall since 2020, and blockbuster Q2 earnings from Bharti Airtel, Titan, and ONGC.
India’s most expensive cinematic production—a mega-budget retelling of the beloved Hindu epic Ramayana—has divided film critics and cultural purists even as it draws packed crowds across theatres. While audiences have celebrated its ambitious visual scale and star-studded lineup, the film faces sharp pushback over colloquial language, creative departures from classical texts, and an over-reliance on visual effects at the expense of emotional depth.