Defence Minister Rajnath Singh proposed adding a fundamental duty to the Constitution, mandating equal respect for ‘Vande Mataram’ as the national anthem. He accused Congress of communalizing the song due to appeasement politics, urging parliamentarians to restore its glory and honor its author. Singh highlighted historical attempts to truncate the song, deeming it an injustice to national identity.

NEW DELHI: Accusing Congress of portraying ‘Vande Mataram‘ as “communalist” on account of its own appeasement politics – which made it see the national song through the lens of MA Jinnah – defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged parliamentarians across party lines to restore its glory by adding a new fundamental duty in the Constitution that mandates according the same respect to ‘Vande Mataram’ as is given to the national anthem.“My request to all members is that we all come together and consider whether we can add a new fundamental duty under Article 51A of the Constitution – that all citizens shall accord the same respect to ‘Vande Mataram’ as we accord to the national anthem. If we do this, it will be a perfect tribute to ‘Vande Mataram’, its author, and Bengal’s great nationalist thinker Bankim Chandra Chatterjee,” Singh said while participating in a discussion in Lok Sabha on the 150th anniversary of the national song.Singh said that after Independence, it was decided that the national anthem and the national song would be given equal status, but only the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana‘ became an integral part of the country’s consciousness, while the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ was treated like an “extra”.“On the very soil where ‘Vande Mataram’ was composed, the Congress took the decision to truncate the song in 1937. Every generation must know about the political deceit and injustice done to ‘Vande Mataram’. This injustice was not only to a song but to the people of independent India and the freedom fighters who fought for freedom with chants of ‘Vande Mataram’,” he said.‘Vande Mataram’ is complete in itself, yet attempts were made to make it incomplete. “However, it has remained the immortal song of our nation, and it will remain so,” he added.Singh emphasised that future generations must understand the mentality of those who undermined the song, calling it an injustice to India’s cultural and national identity.Earlier, LS Speaker Om Birla described ‘Vande Mataram’ as a reflection of India’s harmony and strength. In his opening remarks, Birla said that as the country commemorates the 150-year glorious journey of ‘Vande Mataram’, it remains etched in the heart of every Indian even today. Former Union minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, “Vande Mataram’ is not just a song; it is a ‘Maha Mantra’. It is neither a religious song nor a party, nor individual, song. ‘Vande Mataram’ represents national pride and Indian culture.”

KOLKATA: Pilots in IndiGo Airlines have questioned how the shortage of 65 captains and 59 co-pilots following the implementation of the revised flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms could have triggered the cancellation and delays of thousands of flights and alleged that the crisis was engineered to bring the country to its knees and force the govt to put the FDTL norms in abeyance.“IndiGo operates around 2,200 flights a day. It has 2,357 captains on its rolls and 2,194 first officers. Hence, there are 4,551 pilots while the deficit is 124 pilots or 5%. When the new norms came into effect, it should have affected 5-7% of the flights, i.e., 110-150 flights at most. Then why were several hundred flights delayed and cancelled each day?” a veteran pilot pondered.

Others also questioned why IndiGo was allocated hundreds of additional slots in the winter schedule despite knowing that the airline was short of pilots.Pilots allege the crisis that brought India to its knees was engineered to sabotage the rollout of new safety norms.“FDTL exists for the safety of passengers and not for the comfort of pilots. It is to ensure pilots are not fatigued when they have to make decisions that could impact the lives of 180 or more passengers in the aircraft and their families. By forcing the rollback of the revised FDTL norms that were announced two years ago, the airline is putting flight safety at risk. Yet the airline has gone to extraordinary lengths to have its way and put profits before safety,” said Airlines Pilots’ Association of India president Sam Thomas.Sources in IndiGo said SOPs that were meticulously followed to ensure on-time performance consistently over the years were deliberately tweaked to cause delays and trigger chaos so that the new norms were kept in abeyance.So how did the airline engineer the chaos that disrupted the lives of over 1 lakh people daily? Pilots said there have been multiple instances in the past few days in which captains and first officers standing in dispatch were asked not to go to the aircraft. While that was blatant, there were other ways in which crew reporting was delayed.“Usually, there are pilots on standby who are called in when a rostered pilot is unable to report for duty. If a standby is not available, then a pilot who has a day off is requested to fill in. Usually, this call comes 5-6 hours before the departure time. But suddenly, these calls were coming barely 1-2 hours before departure. There have been many instances in which captains have reported 10-15 minutes late but the flight has been delayed by an hour or more because of other factors that were created,” said a pilot.Citing a situation that had unfolded in Kolkata, another pilot said that while he has seen IndiGo planes parked next to each other in remote bays, he had suddenly found the planes parked at different points over the past few days. “If planes are parked in contiguous bays, it facilitates quicker turnaround time as ground crew can service the aircraft simultaneously. Suddenly, we found planes parked in different bays that were far apart. With a speed restriction of 10 kmph in the apron area, it meant more time for the plane to offload passengers and baggage on arrival and more time for refueling and boarding,” the pilot pointed out.While an official inquiry is now underway, the aviation ministry will have to determine whether IndiGo miscalculated, mismanaged, or deliberately let the crisis escalate. An increasing number of pilots are also demanding a forensic investigation into what precipitated the crisis over the past five days and say those behind the design must be prosecuted.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are entering the IPL 2026 mini-auction poised for a complete overhaul, armed with an unprecedented INR 64.30 crore, the largest available purse among all franchises.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Armed with the biggest purse ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction

Their disappointing 8th-place finish in IPL 2025, coupled with major releases (including Andre Russell and their frontline keepers), signals a determined shift in strategy. Under new head coach Abhishek Nayar, the focus is squarely on filling the massive structural vacancies: a long-term pace-bowling all-rounder, an express pace attack leader and an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. This massive financial advantage allows KKR to dominate the bidding for five marquee players who can immediately transform the squad’s balance, pace depth, and top-order firepower, ensuring they aggressively pursue a fourth IPL trophy.

5 players Kolkata Knight Riders can target in the IPL 2026 mini-auction

1. Cameron Green (Overseas Pace-Bowling All-Rounder)

Cameron Green is anticipated to be KKR’s absolute top priority and the primary recipient of their massive purse. The Australian all-rounder is a generational talent, combining explosive, high-strike-rate batting (IPL SR over 153) with genuine fast-medium pace bowling. His acquisition instantly transforms KKR’s structural balance, providing a stable, multi-utility pillar who can bat high up the order or finish innings. KKR are prepared to set the overseas ceiling price (around ₹18 crore) to secure Green, solving their most crucial high-impact vacancy that was previously filled by Andre Russell.

2. Matheesha Pathirana (Overseas Express Pacer)

Following the release of multiple overseas pacers, KKR desperately needs a specialist quick, particularly one who excels in the death overs. Matheesha Pathirana, released by CSK, is the ideal candidate. Known for his unique sling-shot action and lethal death-overs yorkers, Pathirana is an irreplaceable, high-volume wicket-taker who solves a crucial structural weakness in KKR’s pace attack. KKR’s financial advantage makes them favourites to secure the young Sri Lankan pacer for a high price, giving them a genuine wicket-taking option for the crucial final five overs of an innings.

3. Anrich Nortje (Overseas Pace Attack Leader)

Anrich Nortje is a vital target for KKR despite his release, as the team needs a proven leader for their pace attack who can deliver express pace and consistency in the middle and death overs. The South African speedster was retained for a substantial sum in the past, reflecting his status as an elite foreign quick. While Nortje has faced fitness concerns, his ability to clock speeds over 150 km/h and disrupt opposition momentum is unmatched. Reacquiring him secures a world-class strike bowler who can mentor the young Indian fast bowlers and provide a vital wicket-taking option, should KKR choose to partner them.

Also READ: 5 players Delhi Capitals (DC) can target in the IPL 2026 auction

4. Venkatesh Iyer (Indian Batting All-Rounder)

The release of Venkatesh Iyer was a calculated financial risk, as KKR is expected to aggressively buy him back at a more reasonable price than his previous ₹23.75 crore retention fee. Iyer offers the indispensable dynamic left-handed top-order batting and can contribute overs of medium-pace, addressing the need for versatile Indian all-rounders. His high ceiling as a match-winner remains crucial to KKR’s domestic core, and his reacquisition ensures a strong, proven domestic talent is immediately injected back into the top half of their batting line-up, which is essential for team balance and continuity.

5. Kartik Sharma (Indian Wicketkeeper-Batter)

The most pressing vacancy for KKR is a frontline Indian wicketkeeper-batter after releasing all their keepers. Kartik Sharma, an uncapped 20-year-old and former DC player, is widely tipped to be the highest-paid uncapped player and KKR’s primary target for this role. Sharma is praised for his fearless, power-hitting ability (T20 SR over 162), making him a potential middle-order finisher alongside Rinku Singh. Securing this highly-rated domestic talent not only solves the crucial Indian keeper vacancy but also strengthens their death-overs batting firepower at a low base price, providing excellent value for a franchise looking to build for the long term.

Also READ: 5 players Chennai Super Kings (CSK) can target in the IPL 2026 mini-auction

Home loan borrowers are set to get relief as several major banks have started cutting lending rates after the Reserve Bank of India lowered the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25% on December 5, 2025. Following the repo rate cut from 5.50%, lenders have moved to reduce MCLR-, RLLR- and RBLR-linked rates, paving the way for lower equated monthly instalments (EMIs) or shorter loan tenures for eligible borrowers, depending on individual loan terms. HDFC Bank has reduced its Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending Rates (MCLR) by up to 5 basis points across tenures. After the revision, HDFC Bank’s MCLR now ranges between 8.30% and 8.55%, compared with 8.35% to 8.60% earlier, benefiting borrowers with loans linked to this benchmark, according to an ET report. Punjab National Bank has cut its Repo Linked Lending Rate (RLLR) from 8.35% to 8.10%, inclusive of a 10 basis point Benchmark Spread Premium, with effect from December 6, 2025. In a notification to the BSE, the bank said the revision followed the RBI’s repo rate cut announced on December 5. Bank of Baroda has revised its Benchmark Retail Loan Lending Rate (BRLLR), lowering it from 8.15% to 7.90%, according to a disclosure on the BSE website, offering marginal relief on retail loan interest costs. Indian Bank has also reduced its repo-linked benchmark lending rate, cutting RLLR from 8.20% to 7.95%. The revised rates came into force on December 6, 2025, and apply across the bank’s assets portfolio, as per an official press release. Bank of India announced a reduction in its Repo Based Lending Rate (RBLR) from 8.35% to 8.10%, effective December 5, 2025. In a regulatory filing, the bank said the rate cut was in response to the RBI’s downward revision of the repo rate. Bank of Maharashtra has lowered its retail loan rates as well, slashing home loan interest rates from 7.35% to 7.10% and car loan rates from 7.70% to 7.45%. The bank has also waived processing fees on these loans, reducing upfront costs for borrowers, as per a post shared on X by the lender. With multiple banks realigning lending rates after the RBI’s policy move, borrowers linked to floating-rate home and retail loans can expect EMIs to ease in the coming months as the rate cuts reset across loan benchmarks.

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indigo-ceo-coo-file-replies-to-aviation-regulators-show-cause-notice-9774141” on this server.

Reference #18.e1cc517.1765212771.6f3ca02a

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.e1cc517.1765212771.6f3ca02a

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/owners-fled-country-hours-after-fire-at-goa-club-that-killed-25-9773565” on this server.

Reference #18.2ef63717.1765209474.1169e599

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.2ef63717.1765209474.1169e599

TOI correspondent from Washington : Tariffs? What tariffs? In a resounding rebuff to US efforts to corral its manufacturing might and gargantuan growth, China announced a $ 1 trillion trade surplus with the world on Monday, leaving Washington, New Delhi, Brussels among others capitals wringing their hands. It is the first time in human history that any country has crossed the $ 1 trillion milestone – which means China exported more (approximately $3.6 trillion worth of goods) than it imported (about $ 2.6 trillion) – cementing its standing as a manufacturing superpower. The watershed moment came despite Trump’s tariff tentacles as Chinese manufacturers slipped through the American grab, diversifying their markets, lessening dependence on the US, and demonstrating resilience in the face of headwinds, something India is struggling to do. Trade figures show exports from China to the US plunged nearly 29% year-on-year in November 2025, marking the eighth consecutive month of double-digit decline, but Beijing more than made up for it by cranking up exports to EU, South East Asia, India, and Africa. In November 2025 alone, Chinese exports rose by 5.9% year-on-year, while imports grew just 1.9%, generating a monthly surplus of roughly $111.7 billion — one of the largest monthly surpluses China has ever logged.While the U.S whittled down Chinese imports to a degree, New Delhi, like much of the world, was at the receiving end of Beijing’s export boom. India’s imports from China in fiscal year 2024-25 surging to $113.45 billion, while its exports to China dwindled to just $14.25 billion – a staggering trade deficit of nearly $ 100 billion. It is the largest deficit New Delhi has ever had with any trading partner as Indians sucked up Chinese electronics, cell phones, toys, machinery, batteries, and solar cells, some of it vital to India’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.Economists and policymakers were gobsmacked by the sheer scale of China’s surplus, particularly in light of Trump tariffs. The $1.076 trillion figure in 2025 overshoots by far the previous record of $ 992 billion under more propitious circumstances in 2024, underlining how resilient and broad China’s export engine has become — even as trade tensions and tariffs persisted. In 2024, roughly one-third of China’s total surplus — about $360 billion — came from trade with the US It ran up a similar surplus with the EU. In fact, there is no widely-reported country or bloc to which China runs a consistent large-scale trade deficit in goods. Instead, most major economies — from the US and EU to India — run substantial deficits with China.Much of China’s growing trade surplus despite U.S tariffs came from rerouting shipments to other destinations. Chinese exports to the EU surged 15% from a year earlier. While exports to the US for November plunged 29% from a year earlier, Beijing posted an overall 5.9% increase in exports to rest of the world, with Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America accounting for 26%, 14% and 7.1% increase respectively.The widening imbalances risk reshaping global manufacturing geography, amid fears that China is not only dominating low-cost production, but also high-tech supply chains, locking in dependencies for years, as it demonstrated with its stranglehold on rare earths product supply. The $1 trillion-plus surplus also gives Beijing room to absorb domestic economic weakness — notably weak consumption and a troubled property sector — without relying on foreign debt or capital inflows like most other countries. Such has been the Chinese dominance that even U.S commentators expressed grudging admiration for its powerhouse push. “China established itself as a maker of cheap wigs, sneakers and Christmas lights in the 1980s and 1990s, earning a moniker as the world’s factory floor. But that was just the beginning… In recent years, its leading-edge companies have established themselves as dominant players in solar panels, electric vehicles and the semiconductors that power everyday household items,” the Wall Street Journal acknowledged, noting that China is making itself an indispensable cog in global supply chains spanning technology, transport, medicine and consumer goods.Beijing itself was modesty personified as it broke new barriers. “We want to be lowkey, but our capabilities is just too much,” the country’s office of foreign liaison posted on X. “The Chinese century is being imposed upon us, we have no choice but to take the mantle of responsibility,” it added.

Hardik Pandya of India (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

India’s premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya is closing in on a major T20I milestone as he gears up for the five-match series against South Africa beginning on December 9. The 32-year-old has a chance to complete the rare double of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets in the shortest format. Pandya enters the contest needing 140 more runs to touch the 2,000-run mark in T20 internationals. With the ball, he sits just two wickets short of becoming only the second Indian to claim 100 T20I wickets. At present, he is India’s third-highest wicket-taker in this format with 98 scalps at an average of 26.58. With the bat, he has scored 1,860 runs from 120 matches, averaging 27.35 with a strike rate of 141.01, including five half-centuries.

He returns to the national side after a quadriceps injury cut short his Asia Cup 2025 campaign, ruling him out of the title-winning final against Pakistan and the subsequent white-ball tour of Australia. Pandya proved his fitness in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, smashing a 42-ball 77 to help Baroda chase down Punjab in a thriller. His availability is a significant boost for India as they move closer to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The series against the Proteas begins in Cuttack on Tuesday, followed by matches in Mullanpur on December 11, Dharamsala on December 14, Lucknow on December 17 and Ahmedabad on December 19.India squad for T20I series against SA: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington SundarNote: * Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE.