The Election Commission is set to publish the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal on Tuesday following the completion of the statewide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. The publication of the draft rolls will mark the end of the enumeration phase and the beginning of a far more contentious stage - claims, objections and hearings that will stretch into February 2026.
The Left government in Kerala has granted sanction to the state police to seek Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) from the United States in the probe into a Facebook post allegedly made from the account of former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, following the twin bomb blasts at a Jehovah's Witnesses convention in Kalamassery that killed eight people on 29 October 2023.
Giving details of how she silenced three hostile posts resorting to unprovoked firing on her position during Operation Sindoor, she said, "I had three posts falling in my area. I pinned down the people at all three hostile locations. We hit them with every weapon we had. They were forced to flee their posts."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Aroop Biswas's resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress said.
A woman in Bengaluru has been booked for allegedly harassing a police inspector with a love proposal and threatening suicide if he refused. The inspector claims she repeatedly contacted him, sent inappropriate messages, and threatened to use her connections to force him to accept her proposal.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
The year began on an unusually dull note with boxers absent from most international competition in the aftermath of a medal-less Olympic campaign.
A protest march towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka was halted by police, prompting India to express strong concerns about the security of its mission. The protesters demanded the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and others involved in the 'July Uprising'.
The Delhi high court has directed the Centre to facilitate communication between actress Celina Jaitly and her brother, a former army officer detained in the UAE. The court is addressing a plea by Jaitly seeking legal representation for her brother, who has been detained since September of last year.
A man and his wife in Sirsa, Haryana, allegedly strangled his mother and their neighbor to death after finding them in a compromising position. They then confessed to the crime at a police station.
A Rapido bike taxi rider was arrested in Kalyan, Thane, for allegedly molesting a 26-year-old woman passenger and stealing Rs 1000 from her. The incident has also raised concerns about unauthorized bike taxi services and violations of transport regulations.
The US has postponed thousands of H-1B visa interviews in India, citing enhanced vetting measures including scrutiny of social media profiles. The delays are impacting applicants who were scheduled for interviews from December 15 onwards, with new dates being pushed back by several months.
'This will split the Marathi and Shiv Sena vote.' 'The BJP has conducted 3 surveys indicating they shall secure 109 seats in the BMC.' 'They do not wish for the Shinde Sena to demonstrate excessive strength in the BMC.' 'If the Thackerays secure 60-70 seats, that will affect Shinde's seats.'
The survivor of the 2017 Unnao rape case has vowed to challenge the Delhi High Court's decision to suspend the jail term of Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Supreme Court, calling the decision a 'death' for her family. The survivor and activists are protesting the decision, citing safety concerns and a weakening of faith in the justice system.
The in-charge principal of a government school in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district was removed for allegedly pressuring students to raise the Islamic slogan 'Allahu Akbar' at a 'Gita Jayanti' event.
It's 'not looking like a Diwali lineup, which is usually grand and has superstar movies.'
The high-value Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 5,884 crore are still in circulation, according to official data released on Wednesday.
Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) such as Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance, Muthoot Finance, and IIFL Finance have regained their growth momentum after losing market share to banks in the post-Covid period. The growth surge is being led by diversified lenders and gold-loan companies while development-finance institutions such as Power Finance Corporation (PFC), REC, and Housing & Urban Development Corporation (Hudco) continue to grow at a slower pace.
Both the life and non-life insurance segment posted over 20 per cent premium growth in November for the first time in this financial year (FY26), supported by the reduction in goods and services tax (GST) on premiums from 18 per cent to zero and a favourable base effect.
A Trinamool Congress councillor in West Bengal protested being listed as deceased in the draft electoral rolls by walking into a crematorium, highlighting concerns about voter list accuracy ahead of state elections.
As she looked down at the Thames, she thought of the Brahmaputra. As she landed, smiling, it was clear that flying had never left her.
'The move to appoint a person with a profile, markedly lower than the leader Nitin Nabin will replace, has the potential to put the brakes on the careers of several others in the party and government in the positions they currently hold,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
With winter holidays approaching, some Indian travellers will venture abroad. Many will be underprepared for medical and other travel-related risks. Trip disruptions, missed connections, and steep medical costs in developed countries can leave travellers exposed if they underestimate the coverage they need.
'Our problem is not a budget deficit but a trust deficit. We need to trust our institutions and industries to innovate and lead. That is the way forward for India.'
Make sure the rider adds value rather than just adding to cost.
A 28-year-old revenue officer (lekhpal) in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide a day before his wedding, allegedly due to excessive work pressure related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The incident has triggered protests and accusations of harassment by revenue staff.
Pakistan's former spy chief Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years in jail by a military court after being found guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act and engaging in political activities. This marks the first time a former ISI chief has been convicted.
Ghosh's elder son, Biswajit, claimed that this was a planned attempt to murder his father, and alleged that Shahjahan pulled strings sitting in jail to carry out the crime.
Two more individuals have been arrested in Arunachal Pradesh on charges of espionage, bringing the total number of arrests to four. The individuals are accused of sharing sensitive security information with Pakistani handlers.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on December 10 to select and recommend names for the post of Chief Information Commissioner and information commissioners of the Central Information Commission (CIC).
Developers are entering one of the busiest construction cycles, with the top four firms planning launches worth Rs 1.13 trillion over the near to medium term, even as execution faces pressure from approval delays, labour shortages, rising costs, and contractor capacity limits across the industry.
The Railway Ministry has decided to increase coaches in premium trains to accommodate travelers affected by Indigo airline's flight disruptions.
Right now, the most important thing is clarity -- for you and for her, advises rediffGURU Kanchan Rai.
Speculation of Tendulkar being next BCCI Prez unfounded, says India legend's management firm
Investors seeking higher returns at relatively higher risk should consider allocation to smallcap equity funds.
According to the boy's complaint, he was shown the radicalising content while the family was living in the United Kingdom.
Maruti Suzuki India plans to localise battery production and other critical components over the next few years as part of strengthening the overall EV ecosystem in the country. The company, which plans to launch its first electric vehicle - e VITARA in the domestic market next year, is looking to instill confidence in the buyers as it looks to strengthen the overall EV ecosystem.
Security has been tightened in Beldanga, West Bengal, ahead of a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a proposed mosque, modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid. The area has been placed under high security with additional forces deployed.
The DMK may consider a two-tier campaign, where they keep the focus on Chief Minister Stalin, as a senior statesman with 50-plus years of political experience, and let EPS and the BJP shout in the wilderness. In such a case, the second-tier may project Udhayanidhi as the contender and chosen obstructionist in Vijay's path. The attempt, if any, would be to reduce Vijay to Udhayanidhi's level when the former is aiming at Stalin and Stalin alone in the state's political horizon, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's advisor asserts he will complete his term amid power tussle within the Congress party.
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