Editors Pick
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 skies over Bihar turned into a battleground for weeks, as helicopters and chartered planes carried top politicians across the state in a campaign of unmatched scale and cost. By Sunday evening, the airborne armada fell silent, marking the end of campaigning for the second phase of assembly elections after more than 450 sorties, according to news sources.
In Bihar’s highest-ever voter turnout, nearly 65% of 3.75 crore electors cast their ballots on Thursday across 121 constituencies in the first phase of the assembly elections — a high-stakes contest seen as a litmus test of the ruling NDA’s popularity.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday once again targeted the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) and electoral irregularities.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has sparked a fresh controversy with his remarks suggesting that only a small section of the population — primarily from upper castes — dominates key institutions in India, including the armed forces, reports said.
Former Kolkata Mayor and once a Trinamool Congress heavyweight, Sovan Chatterjee formally returned to TMC on Monday (November 3, 2025) after a 7-year break. Once a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he had also joined the opposition Bharatiya Janta Party for a brief period, but termed it a “Himalayan mistake” after leaving.
India won the Women’s Cricket World Cup for the first time with a 52-run victory over South Africa on Sunday.
Advertisement
