Under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Government of Maharashtra inaugurated the state-level sports initiative ‘Project Mahadeva’ in Mumbai yesterday.

‘Project Mahadeva’ is being implemented with the participation of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF), Western India Football Association (WIFA), CIDCO, and the Sports Department of the Government of Maharashtra.

The project was inaugurated at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai yesterday in the presence of Global football icon Lionel Messi, former Argentine players Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, popular Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri, Indian football team captain Rahul Bheke, along with many other dignitaries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday welcomed the release of a commemorative postal stamp in honour of Emperor Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, also known as Suvaran Maran.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Glad that the Vice President, Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji, released a stamp in honour of Emperor Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II (Suvaran Maran). He was a formidable administrator blessed with remarkable vision, foresight and strategic brilliance. He was known for his commitment to justice. He was a great patron of Tamil culture as well. I call upon more youngsters to read about his extraordinary life.”

The commemorative postage stamp was released on Saturday at the Vice-President’s Enclave in New Delhi. Speaking at the event, Vice-President Radhakrishnan appreciated the Union government’s efforts under the leadership of PM Modi to promote Tamil culture and language, and to recognise historical figures who had not received adequate acknowledgement in the past.

Retired IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission on Monday.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Raj Kumar Goyal at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President CP Radhakrishnan was also present at the occasion.

"President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Shri Raj Kumar Goyal, Chief Information Commissioner, at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the X handle of the President of India said.

Today is National Energy Conservation Day. This day is annually observed to raise awareness about the importance of energy conservation and to highlight the nation’s achievements in energy efficiency.

On the occasion, President Droupadi Murmu felicitated the winners of the National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) 2025 and National Painting Competition on Energy Conservation 2025 in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that energy conservation is no longer just an option but a necessity of the present time. President Murmu emphasised that every unit of energy saved reflects a sense of responsibility towards nature and demonstrates care and sensitivity for future generations.

November helped offset the losses recorded in October, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday, as India’s merchandise trade deficit narrowed to a five-month low of $24.53bn on the back of a rebound in exports.

The country's merchandise imports stood at $62.66bn in November, while exports were at $38.13bn, according to government data. In this period, merchandise exports to the US, India's largest export market, also rose over 21% year-on-year to $6.98bn against $5.70bn last year.

"November has helped offset the losses recorded in October, and the overall trade position for the first eight months of the year appears to be on a steady footing," Agrawal notes while presenting the data.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is set to pause its usual government operations next week as it prepares to celebrate two of its most significant annual occasions. Citizens and residents will have the opportunity to honor the nation’s progress and leadership, as the government announces official public holidays for National Day and the Accession Day of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, issued a circular confirming that all ministries, government departments, and public institutions will be closed on Tuesday, December 16, and Wednesday, December 17, 2025. The announcement applies to every government agency, public authority, and institution across the Kingdom.

This circular formalizes the observance of the holidays, ensuring that both days are recognized nationwide for all government operations.

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a major change in India’s insurance rules by allowing full foreign ownership in insurance companies. The decision aims to bring more capital, improve competition, and strengthen customer services across the sector.

The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025 is expected to be introduced in the ongoing Winter session of Parliament, which ends on December 19. A Lok Sabha bulletin lists it among the key legislative items planned for discussion.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier proposed raising the foreign investment limit from 74% to 100% as part of wider reforms in the financial sector.

India’s retail inflation rose to 0.71 per cent in November this year on an annual basis, up from a record low of 0.25 per cent recorded in October. According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, inflation in rural areas edged up to 0.1 per cent, and to 1.4 percent in urban regions. The food inflation rate, based on the All India Consumer Food Price Index, witnessed narrower deflation of 3.91 per cent last month as compared to deflation of five per cent recorded in October. It stayed in negative zone for the sixth consecutive month.

The corresponding food inflation rate for rural areas also decelerated to 4.05 percent. Meanwhile, deflation in urban areas moderated to 3.6 percent during last month. According to the Ministry, the decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of November is mainly attributed to increase in inflation of Vegetables, Egg, Meat and fish, Spices and Fuel and light.

The Department of Posts (DoP), Ministry of Communications and the stock exchange BSE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in line with the Budget 2025-26 announcement, which emphasised leveraging India Post's vast postal network as a catalyst for economic activity in rural and semi-urban regions.

With its extensive presence across the country, India Post continues to play a pivotal role in deepening financial access and enabling inclusive growth. This "strategic partnership" enables India Post to act as a distributor of mutual fund products through its vast postal network, significantly benefiting citizens in rural, semi-urban and underserved regions, the Ministry of Communications said in a statement Friday.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved a proposal to conduct the Census of India 2027, allocating ₹11,718.24 crore for what will be the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.

The Census will be carried out in two phases: Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027. In Ladakh, and the snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Population Enumeration will be conducted earlier, in September 2026. Nearly 30 lakh field functionaries will be deployed to complete the massive nationwide exercise.

The allocation of ₹11,718.24 crore would be spent to fund the two phases of Census, said Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday who briefed reporters on the decisions taken by the Cabinet.