India's $280-billion IT industry heads into 2026, balancing visa-related headwinds and global trade uncertainty against its biggest-ever push into artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of global capability centres (GCCs). Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme - including a proposed $100,000 fee for new visas and concerns over a potential 25 per cent outsourcing tax - has complicated cross-border delivery for Indian firms, even as companies accelerate efforts to reduce reliance on onsite staffing.
The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires.
The United States Embassy in India on Monday said starting December 15, the United States has 'expanded' online presence reviews to all H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening, and this vetting is being conducted globally for 'all applicants of all nationalities' for these two visa categories.
Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been added to the squad and will link up with the group this week, having been in Australia with the England Lions.
Karbi leader Litsong Rongphor, who was part of the discussions, described the situation in Karbi Anglong as 'extremely critical' following the recent violence.
While the DMK depends on a 'silver sieve' of welfare schemes to stay in power, its support is slowly draining away under the weight of poor governance, corruption, and voters who are no longer satisfied with benefits alone and now want basic administration to work, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'It will increase the contribution to gratuity, which is something the employer has to give.'
This was perhaps a missed opportunity for India to spotlight a core domestic challenge: The scale of workforce preparation required for a young, populous, rapidly growing country seeking to reach net zero, points out Radha Roy Biswas.
Over 70 scientists, environmentalists, and former bureaucrats are urging the Indian government to reconsider the Great Nicobar Island project, citing environmental and social concerns.
The recipe for Indian higher education institutions to succeed in the global markets is excellence in academics, promoting contemporary socially relevant material, and enabling individuals (learners) to realise their full potential, suggests N Ravichandran.
'...the electoral playing field is tilted significantly in its favour.'
'...including my baby sisters, age three and one.' 'My dad was humiliated, and he started screaming at them.'
Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese acquitted Dileep of the offences charged against him in the case after the trial that lasted around eight years.
For decades, the Siliguri Corridor was treated as a geographical vulnerability to be quietly managed. Today, it has emerged as a focal point of eastern geopolitics.
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
The six-page section, titled The Ghaznavid Invasions, states that Mahmud of Ghazni conducted 17 campaigns in India, returning each time with large quantities of treasure. The old NCERT class 7 history textbook had a paragraph on Mahmud of Ghazni.
rediffGURU Anu Krishna explains how to use the cold treatment to block unwanted people from your life.
President Trump announces 100% tariffs on movies made outside the US, potentially impacting the Indian film industry. The move follows similar tariffs on pharmaceutical products.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that demographic manipulation poses a greater threat to India's social harmony than infiltration, emphasizing the importance of unity in diversity.
Avatar: Fire And Ash is visually stunning and emotionally engaging, offering strong performances and thrilling action, notes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'He had a massive impact on me in those early years. I was very realistic about my abilities'
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an integrated audit across 32 states and Union Territories to assess the ease of doing business for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
Tharoor later told reporters in the national capital that he heard about the award on Tuesday and that he was not going for the ceremony.
Shashi Tharoor categorically stated that he would not accept an award named after VD Savarkar, nor attend a related event, even as a senior party colleague wanted the Congress MP to not accept any honour named after the ideologue whom he claimed "bowed before the British."
'10 million Indians are currently living with dementia, and the number is expected to double by 2036.'
Ghazala Hashmi, an India-born American politician, has been elected as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor, marking a historic moment as the first Muslim and South Asian American to hold the position.
'My relationship with my father is complex, like many families navigating change. I hope that one day he will find a way to stand beside me.'
'You were one of my favourite directors who made Indian cinema feel fearless, impolite, and alive. If Dhurandhar has even a fraction of that DNA, it's because your films whispered (sometimes screamed) in my head while I was writing and directing it.'
The services sector employs 188 million people but remains highly informal, trapping most workers in low-wage jobs without social protection.
'...in comparison to his presence in the previous election campaign where he looked robust and vibrant.' 'His television and social media interviews looked dull and predictable.' 'There could be a different kind of fatigue of being out of power for a long time at work here.'
Astrologer Chirag Daruwalla, who is following in the footsteps of his famed astrologer father, the late Bejan Daruwalla, helps you navigate the Naya Saal.
'Removing Nitish Kumar prematurely risks unsettling both the alliance balance and parts of the social coalition that delivered this victory.'
The Indian government has expressed its disagreement with the IMF staff's 'baseline' assumption that the 50 per cent US tariffs on its goods exports 'would remain in place indefinitely', based on which the staff pegged the country's GDP growth at 6.6 per cent this year, and pared its 2026-27 projection by 20 basis points to 6.2 per cent.
I won't be able to play freely if I focus on criticism: Harshit Rana
The new rules allow for a staggered implementation road map, giving companies, data fiduciaries, data principals, and other stakeholders up to 18 months to comply with the administrative guidelines under the DPDP Act.
Companies, particularly those that are notified as Significant Data Fiduciaries, will have to make extensive investments in data mapping, process modification, consent management tools, tools to enable Data Principal Rights, and establish a well-structured Data Privacy Officer organisation.
FIDE files formal complaint with ethics commission against former world champion Kramnik
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
'If Kantara has reached out to such a wide audience, it is God's hand guiding me through my work.'
Bandana Preyashi, the bold IAS officer from Bihar who took on dreaded dons, is the court-appointed mentor to 18-year-old Sakshi, who had fled home to follow her IAS dream.
