Political observers said the announcement assumes significance as the state prepares for the assembly elections, with political parties stepping up outreach to various community groups.
Romance and action rule the roost on this week's OTT special. Take your pick from Sukanya Verma's eclectic menu.
'We are profoundly energy-dependent on the Gulf. That dependency must now be redirected towards the United States, because we require American permission to procure oil.' 'We additionally require Iranian permission to acquire oil from that source. So India now has to seek two separate permissions merely to secure its energy supply.' 'Should we be compelled to source from America, or from Venezuela -- which is, in effect, American-controlled supply -- that will inevitably carry a price premium, an elevated shipping cost, and a considerably extended delivery timeline, given the distances involved.'
'Every day the meter is ticking. Like a time bomb.' Shipping giants are billing Indian exporters up to $3,000 per container in war surcharges -- on cargo that sailed before the war began -- as the Strait of Hormuz shuts down.
Amid rising tensions, Iran threatens retaliation after the United States confirms sinking its warship, IRIS Dena, in international waters, escalating conflict in the region.
'It is too early to conclude that there will be a bloodbath, that there will be no jobs, and that there will be civil unrest.' 'Let's calm down.' 'AI is a tool, it is not a weapon, it is not a virus.'
With the 40kWh battery and 65kW faster charging, it is now a legitimate primary car for a small family that can handle weekend trips easily, says Rajesh Karkera.
'In the past 20 days, I've received everything from kids' piggy banks to Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) through social media. I want to thank them for their sympathy. I also want to ask them to send their bank details. I just need time, but will pay them all back with respect.'
A man was killed, his body chopped into pieces and dumped in the Yamuna River by his friend and his associates after he refused to give them money, according to police. Four people, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the killing.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
Both our families believe firmly in astrology and matching gunas (compatibility attributes). That day, for some strange reason, no one from either family mentioned the janam kundli milan (matching of horoscopes), says Rediff reader Mukesh Soni.
'For Nikam I had to gain around 9-10 kgs and I was eating 2 pizzas and lot of sweets and my fav Aloo Parathas, Biryani...'
By appearing to privilege ideological affinity over strategic balance, India risks eroding the trust painstakingly built across West Asia. Once the perception takes hold that India's friendship is conditional and transactional, rebuilding credibility will be difficult, warns Amberish K Diwanji.
With its Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model Tata Motors just redrew the EV battle lines, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com
The BJP has launched a fresh attack on the Congress, alleging that Jawaharlal Nehru harbored hatred towards Lord Somnath and engaged in appeasement politics.
'The real risk is not that AI will fail to transform India's economy.'
'The risk is that it already is -- while our measurement systems continue to look the other way,' observes Nishant Sahdev, a theoretical physicist at the University of North Carolina.
'The entire US ecosystem built over decades at the bases in the Gulf region, especially the UAE, costing trillions of dollars have been decimated, dealing a mortal blow to the US Central Command's war capability,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Rahul Gandhi hosted the India blind women's cricket team to celebrate their triumph in the T20 World Cup.
Mumbai turned into a full-blown fashion parade at the grand launch of Variety magazine in India.
The Indian Blind Women's T20 World Cup-winning team met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Against Namibia on Thursday, February 12, 2026, Hardik delivered a clinical all-round performance, scoring a brilliant half-century and taking two wickets as India cruised to a commanding 93-run victory.
The Congress party has strongly criticized the Union Budget, calling it 'lacklustre' and 'disappointing,' claiming it fails to address the needs of farmers, unemployed youth, and other key sectors.
India's World Cup winning captains -- Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepika T C and Rohit Sharma -- were honoured by the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai on Monday.
As Assi gets ready for release this week, Deepa Gahlot lists 10 films that deal with rape in different ways.
The teenage girl was sexually assaulted and three women were robbed of gold ornaments by two motorbike-borne unidentified persons when the victims were travelling in a car in the wee hours of Monday on a highway in Daund in Pune district, a police official said.
What began as a mentor-protege relationship between UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has now evolved into a broader contest over influence, strategy, and leadership in the Middle East, points out Asif Ullah Khan.
The Union Budget backs skilling across animation, gaming and comics. But creators and studios confront a hard question: who owns what comes next?
A video of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar recounting a tense helicopter ride with Devendra Fadnavis in July 2024 has resurfaced after Pawar's death in a plane crash. Pawar humorously described his fear during the flight due to bad weather, while Fadnavis remained calm.
All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Ravi Kaushik has sold 70,000 units of air filters through his start-up Airth and aims to sell 10 lakh units in the next five years.
Don't let the subcompact label fool you, the Tata Punch is a real SUV at heart, warns Rajesh Karkera.
'Whether we like it or not, we have been separated by the Meiteis and therefore we have put up our demand for a separate administration in the form of a Union territory with legislature.' 'For us lasting peace is the achievement of our demand.'
Protecting yourself in dense crowds and while facing a fire.
Dhurandhar does not ask audiences to cheer blindly, notes Kumar Abhishek. It asks them to see how power operates in grey zones, and at moral cost.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
'This Budget has a one-year agenda, which you can call the sprint, and the marathon is towards Viksit Bharat.'
'For the first time in a hundred years, the army has been taken out of the political equation. And for the first time ever, there is only one man who calls the shots. Not even Mao had this kind of power.'
A R Rahman: 'I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables me to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices.'
