The IAF contingent has returned to India on December 2 after the successful culmination of the 8th edition of Exercise Garuda, a bilateral Indo-French air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) which concluded at Air Base 118, Mont-de-Marsan, France, Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The exercise between the two forces concluded on November 27.

As per the Ministry of Defence, during the exercise, the IAF participated with Su-30MKI fighters, supported by IL-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft and C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and both air forces conducted a range of complex air operations in a realistic operational environment.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched a pole-mounted mist spray system for dust and pollution control in the ITO area in the central parts of the Capital, an official said.

She said that at ITO, nearly 35 poles have been equipped with mist sprayers.

“The government is preparing to install mist sprayers on 305 poles at nine hotspots where pollution is a very serious problem,” said CM Gupta, referring to the constitution of a panel to tackle the city’s pollution.

Each pole has five nozzles, and each nozzle has six tiny holes, enabling 30 spray points per pole. Every pole uses approximately 84 litres of treated water per hour, supported by four 5,000-litre storage tanks. A similar setup has been installed along a 900-metre stretch on Shanti Path and a 500-metre stretch on Lodhi Road.

AssisTech Foundation (ATF), India's first ecosystem enabler for Assistive Technology (AT), is proud to announce that Prateek Madhav, Co-Founder and CEO at ATF, has been conferred the prestigious National Award for the empowerment of persons with disabilities (PwDs) by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ & E), Government of India.

Prateek Madhav received the award under the Individual Excellence category: Divyagata ke Kheshtra Mein Sarvshresth Anusandhan / Navpravartan / Utpad Vikas (Best Research / Innovation / Product Development in the Field of Disability). He was honoured with this award at New Delhi by the Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions towards the empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (SAM) is proud to announce that its Executive Chairman, Dr. Shardul S. Shroff, has been conferred the prestigious ACES 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, a recognition reserved for leaders whose integrity, governance standards, and long-standing influence have shaped Asia's corporate landscape. The ACES (Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability) Awards are among the region's most respected platforms celebrating leadership and sustainability.

Accepting the accolade at a gala ceremony in Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Dr. Shroff expressed deep gratitude to the ACES jury and to the many individuals who have contributed to his journey. "This award belongs not to me alone, but to every person who has walked this journey with me," he said, acknowledging his family, partners, colleagues, and generations of young professionals who continue to inspire him. Emphasising the values of purpose and courage in a rapidly transforming world, he urged young leaders to "stay curious, stay principled, and be bold."

The central government has so far released around Rs 37,000 crore as grant under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and efficient distribution sector.

The funds released so far account for 38 per cent of the total sanctioned Gross Budgetary Support for the scheme, Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply in Parliament on Thursday.

The release of funds under the scheme is contingent upon distribution companies (DISCOMs) achieving milestones and completing other requirements as per fund release guidelines, without delay.

West Indies right-arm offspinner Sunil Narine has become only the third bowler to take 600 wickets in T20 cricket. The mystery spinner, famous for his variations, reached the milestone during an ILT20 match. Playing for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Narine secured his 600th wicket by dismissing the Sharjah Warriors’ Tom Abell.

Narine is now the second spinner, after Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, and the third bowler overall, after his compatriot Dwayne Bravo, to register 600 or more wickets in T20 cricket. The 37-year-old has represented the West Indies in 51 T20Is, taking 52 wickets.

He has one five-wicket haul in T20s, with his best bowling figures being 5 for 19. Narine averages 22.09 with the ball, and his economy rate of 6.16 is the best among all-time top-ten wicket-takers. Over the years, Narine has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Melbourne Renegades, Oval Invincibles, Sydney Sixers, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Trinbago Knight Riders, and Los Angeles Knight Riders across various global leagues.

Gaganjeet Bhullar, who began the week in a modest manner, closed it in a masterly fashion to become the first player to win three times on IGPL Tour. Bhullar, who opened the week with a round of 1-under 71, that included a hole-in-one, added solid rounds of 67-67 on the last two days to total a winning 11-under at the splendid Glade One Resort and golf club.

The 21-year-old Raghav Chugh gave it all but with three pars in last three holes, he fell one short and ended a creditable sole second. Chugh shot 4-under 68 and totalled 10-under for the week.

Three internationals, Filipino Justin Quiban, Mexican Santiago de la Fuentes and Indian-American Manav Shah, all hoping to become the first international to win on the IGPL were thwarted at the finish, and ended Tied-third at 8-under.

Veteran Tamil cinema producer and owner of AVM Studios in Chennai, M. Saravanan, died on Thursday morning (December 4, 2025) due to age-related illness, his family said. He was 86.

Born in 1939, Saravanan, also known as AVM Saravanan, along with his brother, M Balasubramanian, assisted their father, veteran A.V. Meiyappan, in managing AVM studio since the 1950s. He took over the studio in 1979 after his father’s death.

Under his stewardship, AVM continued as a major production house and diversified its work across Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and other language films.

Former Mizoram Governor and eminent lawyer Swaraj Kaushal, father of BJP Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj and husband of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, passed away here on Thursday at the age of 73.

Kaushal, a Socialist, had several feathers in his cap, though he generally avoided the limelight. He was designated as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court at just 34 and became the youngest person to become Governor when he was appointed the Governor of Mizoram in 1990. Just 37 years old at the time, he remained in the post till 1993.

Born in 1952 in Solan in present-day Himachal Pradesh, Kaushal went to school in Chandigarh and studied law at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He married Sushma Swaraj, who was to later become Leader of the Opposition and Minister of External Affairs, in 1975.

The Parliament today passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 with the Rajya Sabha approving and returning it to the Lok Sabha.

The legislation is aimed to amend the Central Excise Act, 1944, specifically to raise excise duties and cess on tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco, chewing tobacco, zarda and scented tobacco. The amendment is required to give the government the fiscal space to increase the rate of central excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products so as to protect tax incidence, after the cess ends. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary moved the bill.

The Bill is intended to increase central excise duty on unmanufactured tobacco, manufactured tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco substitutes. While the Central Excise Act, 1944 levies an excise duty ranging between 200 rupees and 735 rupees per thousand cigarettes, the enhanced duty under the Bill ranges between two thousand 700 rupees and 11 thousand rupees per thousand cigarettes. The Bill also prescribes higher excise duties for manufactured tobacco products. For instance, the duty on chewing tobacco will increase from 25 percent to 100 percent. Duty on hookah will increase from 25 percent to 40 percent. For smoking mixtures for pipes and cigarettes, the duty is proposed to be increased from 60 percent to 325 percent. The purpose of the bill is to protect people from the ill effects of tobacco and to discourage them from its consumption.