Viral Tadka

A SpaceX rocket lifts off from its launch tower at Starbase, Texas. On Saturday, the Starship spacecraft returned from orbit and was caught mid-air by the tower's giant mechanical arms. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) SpaceX has done something no one has ever done before. On Saturday, its Starship spacecraft returned from orbit and was caught in mid-air by the giant mechanical arms of its launch tower in Texas — the first time a spacecraft flying back from space has ever been captured this way. The 52-metre-tall Starship dropped out of thick clouds over SpaceX's Starbase launch site, reignited its engines to flip itself upright, and slowly descended into the tower's "Mechazilla" arms. Charred from the blazing heat of its return through Earth's atmosphere, the ship shut down its engines and hung still, suspended several hundred feet above the ground, as crowds watching from the Gulf of Mexico coastline erupted in cheers. A 22-Hour Mission Around the ...

An Indian Railways train at a station platform. The Railways is reviewing its decades-old RAC system, under which two passengers share a single berth while paying full fare. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) If you have ever travelled overnight on an Indian train, you probably know the three letters every passenger dreads — RAC. It stands for Reservation Against Cancellation, and for decades it has meant the same thing: you are allowed to board, but you may have to share one berth with a complete stranger, even though you paid the full ticket fare. Now, Indian Railways is examining whether to scrap the system — a change that could transform how millions of people book train tickets. What Is RAC, and Why Is It Under Review? Under the RAC system, a passenger who cannot get a confirmed berth is still given a seat — usually half of a side-lower berth — and is allowed to travel. If a confirmed passenger cancels, the RAC holder may be upgraded to a full berth. But if no berth frees ...

Passengers wait at airport gates. The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop on Friday after a communications failure hit air traffic control centres. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) On Friday afternoon, the United States did something it almost never does — it stopped every single aeroplane from taking off. At 3:54 p.m. Eastern Time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop after a communications failure hit air traffic control centres across the country. Planes already in the air were allowed to land, but nothing on the ground could leave. For more than four hours, the busiest aviation system in the world stood still. A Shutdown Ordered in Minutes The FAA's order was blunt: all departing traffic at every airport in the United States was to remain on the ground until further notice, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety". At the moment the order was issued, 4,042 flights were already airborne and ...

Two young boxers trade punches in the ring. India's Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan won the country's first-ever Youth Olympic boxing golds in Dakar. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) Indian boxing has a new golden chapter. On Thursday, two teenagers in Dakar, Senegal, did what no Indian boxer had ever done before — win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games. And they did it twice in a single day. Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei, a 17-year-old from Manipur, opened India's account with a hard-fought 3-2 split-decision win over Ireland's Kristian Jubani in the men's 50kg final. Hours later, Gunjan dominated Algeria's Bensalah Bouthaina 5-0 in the women's 48kg final to complete a historic double. Together, they gave India its first two gold medals of the Dakar 2026 Games — and its first-ever boxing golds at the Youth Olympics. A Split Decision That Made History Ambekar's final was a thriller from the first bell. The youngster from Manipur, who trains at th...

A batsman takes guard in a packed stadium. India face Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup final in Oman today. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) It is the fixture every cricket fan in South Asia waits for, and this time it comes with a trophy on the line. India Under-19 face Pakistan Under-19 in the final of the ACC Men's Under-19 Asia Cup 2026 at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Saturday, November 14. For India, it is a shot at revenge and a record ninth title. For Pakistan, it is a chance to defend the crown and finish the tournament unbeaten. The match begins at 10:30 AM IST, with the toss at 10:00 AM. It will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Network and streamed on SonyLIV. The forecast in Al Amerat is sunny, around 29 degrees, with only a small chance of rain. A Final With a Score to Settle India have more than a trophy to play for. In last year's Under-19 Asia Cup final, Pakistan did not just beat India, they dismantled them. Sameer Minhas smashed 172, P...

A yellow taxi on a busy Indian street. The CCPA has fined Ola Rs 10 lakh over its pre-ride tip prompts. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) India's consumer protection regulator has fined ride-hailing platform Ola Rs 10 lakh for asking passengers to pay a "tip" before their cab was even confirmed. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) ruled that the pre-ride payment prompts misled consumers, amounted to an unfair trade practice and used a prohibited dark pattern. The order, dated November 10, 2026, was passed against ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates Ola, by CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra. Ola must stop the practice immediately, pay the penalty and file a compliance report within 15 days. It was made public on Friday, November 13. What Ola's App Was Doing While customers waited for a driver to accept their booking, the Ola app showed messages such as "Adding a tip might help increase the chance...

India has recorded its highest-ever monthly export earnings, with total exports touching $89.99 billion in October 2026. The figure, announced by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday, November 13, marks a sharp 29.9 per cent jump over the same month last year and signals strong momentum in the country's trade performance. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal shared the numbers during a virtual media briefing on Friday, describing October as a record month for Indian exports. The growth was driven mainly by a surge in merchandise shipments, supported by steady services exports. ## Goods Exports Lead the Record Surge Merchandise exports rose 45.06 per cent to $49.47 billion in October, up from $34.11 billion in the same month last year. This is also the highest monthly value ever recorded for India's goods exports, and the third-highest monthly growth rate in the last five years. Services exports were estimated at $40.51 billion, up from $35.17 billion a year earlie...

A container port loaded with cargo. The US has assured India of lower tariffs than rival exporting nations under the proposed trade deal. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain — representative image) In a major breakthrough for the long-running India-US trade negotiations, the United States has assured India of a comparative tariff advantage over its competing countries under the proposed bilateral trade agreement. The assurance, shared by a senior Commerce Ministry official on Friday, November 13, removes a major hurdle and brings the first phase of the deal closer to completion. Indian officials have repeatedly said New Delhi would move ahead only if Washington guaranteed that Indian exporters would face lower tariffs than rival economies. That condition was first agreed in the February 2026 joint statement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, on preferential market access for each other. What the Assurance Means for Indian Exporters The promise...

Mauricio Pochettino on the touchline during the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). Representative image. Manchester United have turned to Mauricio Pochettino to rescue their season. The Premier League giants announced on Friday that the 54-year-old Argentine will become their new head coach, replacing Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday after a disastrous start. Pochettino will leave his job as head coach of the United States national team to take on one of the toughest jobs in world football. A Club in Crisis Pochettino arrives at Old Trafford with United in deep trouble. The club have managed just one win and eight points from their first 10 Premier League games — their worst start to a league season in 40 years — and sit in the relegation zone. It is a remarkable fall for a club that once dominated English football, and his first task will be to stop the slide. The scale of the challenge is clear. United have spent heavily in recent years, yet...

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Photo: NASA (public domain). Representative image. From the silence of space to the cheers of Fifth Avenue, Sunita Williams has added another historic honour to an extraordinary career. The Indian-origin NASA astronaut and retired US Navy captain served as Grand Marshal of New York City's 107th annual Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, leading a procession of around 20,000 participants through Manhattan in a tribute to generations of American veterans. A Parade Down Fifth Avenue The parade, organised by the United War Veterans Council, stepped off at 26th Street and marched up Fifth Avenue to 50th Street, bringing together veterans, active-duty service members, military vehicles, marching bands, community groups, schools and law enforcement contingents. It is the largest Veterans Day event in the United States, held every year on 11 November. Williams, who was joined at the parade by Indi...

Microsoft's Building 92 at its Redmond campus. Photo: Coolcaesar, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Representative image. Millions of people around the world started their Friday without email. A major outage in Microsoft 365 knocked out Outlook, Teams, Copilot and other workplace tools on Thursday night, and the disruption was still continuing into Friday. From offices and banks to airports, the failure showed just how deeply everyday work now depends on a handful of cloud services. In India, the outage even grounded flights, with SpiceJet cancelling three services out of Delhi. What Went Down — and When The first complaints appeared on outage tracker Downdetector at 11.02 pm IST on Thursday, 12 November. Within an hour, the disruption had gone global, hitting users in 74 countries and territories across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Reports of Outlook problems peaked at nearly 140,000 on Thursday evening. The affected services include Outlook, Teams, Copilot, ShareP...

It was a Friday the 13th horror show for Indian cricket. Chasing 334 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, India were bowled out for just 89 — their sixth-lowest total in ODI history — as New Zealand stormed to a crushing 244-run victory in the fourth ODI on Friday, 13 November 2026. A First Over India Will Want to Forget Matt Henry produced one of the most devastating opening overs in ODI history. The New Zealand pacer removed Rohit Sharma with the very first ball of the chase, then dismissed Virat Kohli for a four-ball duck and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for a golden duck on the final ball — a triple-wicket maiden that left India reeling at 0 for 3 after one over. It was only the second time Rohit and Kohli have both been dismissed for ducks in the same ODI; the previous instance came against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2010. India never recovered from that start. Henry's Six Wickets and a Brief Fightback Henry was not finished. He went on to take six wickets as India slipped to 9...

A Namma Metro station in Bengaluru. The new Pink Line stretch connects Kalena Agrahara to Tavarekere in south Bengaluru. (Photo: Sunnya343 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — representative image) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Bengaluru on Friday, November 13, for one of the biggest infrastructure days the city has seen in years. The headline event is the inauguration of the elevated section of Namma Metro's Pink Line, alongside development projects worth more than ₹15,600 crore spanning metro and rail connectivity, renewable energy, power transmission and petroleum infrastructure. The Prime Minister landed at HAL Airport at 10:05 am and began the day at the golden jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram at S-VYASA University in Jigani. A New Pink Line for South Bengaluru At 12:45 pm, the Prime Minister flags off services on the new Pink Line stretch from Tavarekere station and takes a metro ride to the IIM Bangalore station. The 7.5-kilometre elevated section, built at...

M. John Harrison in 2017. The 81-year-old British author has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel The End of Everything, becoming the oldest winner in the prize's history. (Photo: Virtual Futures / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0) At 81, British author M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his dystopian novel The End of Everything, becoming the oldest winner in the history of one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. The announcement was made at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London on Monday, November 9 — and the win has set the literary world talking, not just because of Harrison's age, but because his book is the first work of science fiction ever to take the prize. Harrison takes home £50,000 (about $67,000) and the Booker trophy, named Iris. The judges, chaired by historian and broadcaster Mary Beard, chose his novel unanimously from a six-book shortlist, calling it a book that can be read as "a thriller, a mystery, a satire, a dystop...

A packed stadium under floodlights during a night football match. India suffered a 5-0 defeat to New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday, November 12. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) India's men's football team suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat to New Zealand in an international friendly at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, November 12, in what was the Blue Tigers' first-ever match on New Zealand soil. An early own goal set the tone for a difficult night, and the hosts never loosened their grip on the game. A Nightmare Start in Auckland The damage began within five minutes. Indian defender Bijoy Varghese turned the ball into his own net in the fifth minute, handing New Zealand an early lead and silencing the visiting side before it could settle. Jesse Randall then took over, scoring twice in the space of nine minutes — in the 34th and 43rd minutes — to send the All Whites into half-time with a commanding 3-0 advantage. India made several changes at the break...

Jensen Huang at Stanford University in April 2026. The Nvidia co-founder resigned as chief executive on November 12, ending his 33-year run at the top of the company. (Photo: Anders Eidesvik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) Jensen Huang, the co-founder who built Nvidia from a small graphics-chip start-up into the world's most valuable chipmaker and the engine of the global artificial intelligence boom, resigned on Thursday, November 12, ending a 33-year run at the top of the company. The resignation came after days of mounting pressure over his personal conduct and a board investigation into whether he had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. A Sudden End to a 33-Year Run Huang, 63, stepped down as chief executive, president and a member of Nvidia's board with immediate effect, the company said. He co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led it through the rise of computer graphics, gaming and, most recently, the artificial intelligence revolution that made its chips ...

The new Parliament House in New Delhi. The government is planning a special session of Parliament to pass a Constitution amendment bill linked to women's reservation. (Photo: PIB / Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, GODL-India) The Union government is planning to convene a special session of Parliament to pass a Constitution amendment bill that would finally put the 33 per cent women's reservation law into action — by expanding the Lok Sabha from 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through delimitation. Government sources say they are confident of winning the vote by a margin of 15 to 18 votes, though the dates and duration of the proposed session have not been disclosed. What the Amendment Proposes The proposed amendment seeks to raise the strength of the Lok Sabha from the present 543 seats to a maximum of 850 through delimitation, the redrawing of constituency boundaries. Once the House is expanded, 33 per cent of seats would be reserved for women in Parliament and state legis...

The Manila skyline. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Philippine capital from November 16 to 18 for the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Manila next week for a packed three-day diplomatic visit, headlining the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit — with a meeting of Quad leaders also likely on the sidelines. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the visit on Thursday, November 12, calling it a key moment for India's engagement with Southeast Asia at a time of rapid geopolitical change. The Prime Minister will be in the Philippines from November 16 to 18, 2026. The main summit sessions take place on November 17, hosted by the Philippines in its capacity as the ASEAN Chair for 2026. Three Summits in Three Days Modi will attend the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit on November 17. His programme also includes a dinner hosted by Philippine President F...

Young cricketers in action on the field. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) India's young cricketers have set up the final every fan wanted. A commanding eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in the semi-final on Thursday has booked India's place in the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2026 final, where arch-rivals Pakistan await on Saturday, November 14. It is a repeat of last year's title clash — and a chance for India to settle two scores at once. A Captain's Knock Seals the Semi-Final Captain Lakshya Raichandani led from the front at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman, scoring a superb 93 off 90 balls as India chased down Afghanistan's total with more than 13 overs to spare. His innings, studded with 13 fours and a six, anchored the chase and earned him the Player of the Match award. India finished on 230 for 2 in just 36.5 overs, losing only two wickets along the way. A six from VK Vineeth sealed the victory in style and confirmed India's place in the summ...

A passport held at an airport gate. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) Planning a trip to India is about to get much simpler. The Government of India has overhauled the country's visa system, cutting the number of visa categories, shrinking the application forms by up to 70 per cent, and renaming the familiar Tourist Visa as the Visitor Visa. The changes, announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, are aimed at making it easier for foreign nationals to visit India for tourism, business, medical treatment, education and more. Nine Categories Instead of Thirteen Under the revised framework, the number of main visa categories has been reduced from 13 to nine, and the sub-categories have fallen from 49 to 23. The nine categories now are Business, Diplomatic, Work, Journalist, Medical, Official, Student, Visitor and Miscellaneous visas. The Ministry said the changes were introduced on August 27 this year and are meant to make the visa regime "...

Fresh vegetables at a market in New Delhi. Food prices were the main driver behind October's inflation surge. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) India's retail inflation has climbed to 6.09 per cent in October 2026, breaching the Reserve Bank of India's upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent for the first time in two years. The sharp rise, driven mainly by costlier food, means household budgets are under fresh pressure — and another interest rate hike is now widely expected next month. Data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Thursday, November 12, showed inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising from 5.54 per cent in September. The October reading is the highest in about two years and the first time the headline number has crossed the RBI's comfort band since October 2024. Food Prices Lead the Surge Food inflation was the biggest culprit. The Consumer Food Price Index rose to 8.94 per cent in October, up sharply fro...

An aerial view of Visakhapatnam's coastline, the host city of the 31st CII Partnership Summit. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) Andhra Pradesh has announced investment proposals worth ₹9.89 lakh crore through 303 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) at the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu made the announcement on Thursday, 12 November 2026, calling it the biggest investment figure announced by any Indian state. The two-day summit is jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the theme "Trade, Technology, Trust and Thought Leadership in a Changing Global Landscape". Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan and IT Minister Nara Lokesh attended the inaugural programme. A Record Investment Pipeline According to...

  A packed stadium during a night cricket match in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo: Ajay Parab, Pexels — representative image) The biggest trade in Indian Premier League history is now official. Mumbai Indians have traded their captain Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2027, with India pacer Arshdeep Singh moving in the opposite direction in a stunning player-for-player deal. The IPL confirmed the blockbuster swap on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, just days before the retention deadline — and it has already set social media on fire. The Trade in Numbers Both players will command a fee of Rs 18 crore. Pandya joins Punjab Kings at a revised fee of Rs 18 crore, up from his existing Rs 16.35 crore at Mumbai Indians. Arshdeep Singh, meanwhile, moves to the five-time champions at his existing fee of Rs 18 crore. The deal was completed ahead of the retention deadline, which the BCCI has extended to November 17, giving franchises more time to finalise their squads. The IPL mini-auction...

A packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during a big night match. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) The Indian Premier League will stay a 10-team tournament for now. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has firmly ruled out reports that two new franchises could join the league from the 2028 season, ending days of speculation that had set fan groups and franchise circles buzzing. The Report That Started the Buzz A report published on Wednesday claimed that the BCCI was exploring the addition of two new teams from IPL 2028, which would have taken the league from 10 teams to 12. Pune and Vadodara were named as the leading contenders to host the new sides, with each franchise reportedly valued at more than $1 billion. The idea quickly caught fire online, with fans debating which cities deserved a team and how a bigger league would change the format and schedule. BCCI's Firm Response BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia moved swiftly to shut down the speculation. Speaking ...

Mumbai's skyline, home to the headquarters of the Tata Group. (Photo: Pexels — representative image) One of India's biggest business groups has begun a major leadership transition. Noel N. Tata stepped down from the boards of six Tata Group companies on Thursday, November 12, 2026, as he turned 70, triggering a series of carefully planned succession moves across the conglomerate. A Planned Exit, Not a Sudden One The exits follow the Tata Group's governance guidelines, which prescribe retirement at the age of 70 for non-executive directors. Noel Tata had already signalled his intention to step down while addressing shareholders at Trent's annual general meeting in June this year, so the changes announced this week came as no surprise to investors. The transition is orderly. Each company has named a successor, and the new appointments take effect from November 12. The group has stressed that the exits are part of its established governance practice and are unconnecte...

A clean, tree-lined street in an Indian city. (Photo: Pexels) India has a new cleanest city. Navi Mumbai has topped the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, the central government's annual cleanliness survey, ending Indore's remarkable eight-year run at the top of the national rankings. The results were announced on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the awards at a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. A New Name at the Top Navi Mumbai secured the first position in the Clean City League, the survey's top category, followed by Surat in Gujarat in second place and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in third. The city's municipal corporation celebrated the win publicly, calling it the number one position in the country under Swachh Survekshan 2025-26. Navi Mumbai Mayor Sujata Patil accepted the award from the President at the ceremony. The result is a major moment for the planned city across the harbour from Mumbai, which has steadily built a reputat...