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.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tapping his mobile phone, claiming the device holds proof supporting his political allegations while renewing his challenge for a one-on-one public debate. BJP leaders, including Kerala unit chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, dismissed the surveillance allegation as baseless and urged the Leader of the Opposition to raise his arguments inside Parliament
Dalal Street snapped its nine-session winning streak on Friday the 13th as benchmark indices succumbed to profit-booking, surging retail inflation, and a rebound in global crude oil prices. The BSE Sensex fell 318.56 points to settle at 81,592.45, while the Nifty 50 slipped 155.05 points to 25,144.30. With October CPI breaching the RBI’s 6% upper tolerance limit at 6.09% and Brent crude rising past $95 amid stalled US-Iran diplomacy, rate-sensitive realty, auto, and banking stocks led the decline.
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.