The domestic equity indices ended lower on Tuesday amid profit booking, FII outflow and concerns ahead of the RBI's key policy meet this week.

Sensex settled at 85,138.27, down 503.63 points or 0.59 per cent. The 30-share index started the session lower at 85,325.51 against last session's closing of 85,641.90. The index declined further amid selling in banking, IT, and other heavyweights, touching an intra-day low at 85,053.0.

Nifty closed at 26,032.20, down 143.55 points or 0.55 per cent.

"Domestic markets continued to witness profit booking amid worries over the weakening rupee and persistent FII outflows. Meanwhile, the NSE’s sectoral index overhaul in line with SEBI regulations led to corrections in major banking counters," said analysts.

 A total of 11,222 MSMEs have been supported by Export Facilitation Centres in the country from 2022-23 to 2024-25, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has established 65 Export Facilitation Centres (EFCs) across the country to provide MSMEs mentoring, handholding support and guidance for undertaking export of their products and services, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question.

"Separately, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has launched the Trade Connect ePlatform as a digital interface to provide exporters — including MSMEs — with information on trade agreements, country-specific market requirements, certification and compliance norms, buyer–seller connect services, and global e-commerce guidance."

Actress Rashmika Mandanna on Tuesday released the trailer of director Sandeep Raj's upcoming romantic action film 'Mowgli 2025', featuring actor Roshan Kanakala in the lead, much to the delight of fans and film buffs.

Taking to her X timeline, Rashmika Mandanna wrote, "This looks so so good. I wish you guys the bestest luck- always!! And biggest hugs!! #Mowgli2025 Starring @RoshanKanakala @SakkshiM09 & @publicstar_bsk #Mowgli2025. A @SandeepRaaaj Cinema. A @Kaalabhairava7 musical."

In a shocking case of violence which emerged from the Mokhampura area near Jaipur, where a couple was allegedly tied and set on fire with petrol, the man, identified as 25-year-old Kailash Gurjar, succumbed to his burns.

His girlfriend, Soni Gurjar, remains in critical condition with approximately 45 per cent burns.

According to Mokhampura SHO Suresh Kumar Gurjar, Kailash, a resident of Barolav village, who received 60 per cent burns, died during treatment at SMS Hospital.

The incident reportedly occurred three days ago while the couple was together on a scaffold installed in a farm.

The Australian government on Tuesday released a national plan to give guidance to industry, researchers, governments and the public on how to safely and beneficially use artificial intelligence (AI).

Under the National AI Plan, the government says it will prioritise supporting and reskilling workers whose roles are affected by AI, boost investment in data centers and share the productivity benefits of AI across the economy.

Tim Ayres, the minister for industry and innovation and minister for science, said that the plan would keep Australians safe as AI technology continues to evolve, News Agency reported.

India's inflation is expected to average just below 2 per cent in FY26 and to remain below the Reserve Bank of India’s 4 per cent target in FY27, a report said on Tuesday.

As the October inflation came in at 0.25 per cent, the report from HSBC Global Investment Research said that only one‑third of the impact of GST tax cuts has shown up in inflation so far and there is room for further decline in inflation.

"We don't think it's only about short-term GST tax cuts and low food prices. We believe the fall in core inflation in this cycle is more long-lasting than past episodes, and that this will influence monetary policy," the report said.

Actor Ranveer Singh, who is facing massive backlash for mimicking Rishab Shetty's Daiva from "Kantara Chapter 1" has now apologized for his act.

Ranveer tried to recreate the sequence from the film where Rishab is possessed by the Chamundi daiva during one of the ceremonies of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025.

Post the event, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) even lodged an official complaint against Ranveer for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

An IndiGo flight from Kuwait to Hyderabad was diverted to Mumbai on Tuesday after authorities at Hyderabad Airport received a bomb threat.

Flight 6E-1234 was diverted midair after a threat message was received at the customer support at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at 05.12 a.m., official sources said.

The flight with 235 passengers was forced into emergency diversion but landed safely at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at 07.47 a.m.

After the landing, the aircraft was moved to an isolated bay as part of emergency procedures. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, with the help of bomb disposal squads, reportedly conducted a thorough check. All passengers and crew were safe.

One more person has been arrested from Karnataka in connection with the gold robbery case in Kolkata, police said on Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Masumbabu Mallick, a resident of Hooghly district in West Bengal.

Mallick had fled to Karnataka after the robbery at the Sinthee area on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

The gold merchant was also a resident of the Hooghly district.

The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be meeting here on Wednesday to take some important decisions, including changes in the job reservation policy.

Official sources said the chief minister has called the meeting at 9 a.m. at the civil secretariat in the winter capital Jammu, where major decisions, including an increase in the open merit quota in government jobs and professional institutions, are likely to be taken.

”To amend the Reservation Rules to rationalise quotas in certain categories, especially Residents of Backward Areas (RBA) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), to accommodate the proposed hike in Open Merit quota by capping the EWS quota at a maximum of 10 per cent, will be announced.

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled the Galaxy Z TriFold, a new foldable smartphone that opens twice to reveal a large 10-inch display.

With this launch, Samsung has expanded its leadership in innovative phone designs for the AI-driven mobile era.

The company said the TriFold builds on a decade of experience in the foldable category and introduces its most advanced engineering yet.

B Praak is set to bring a spiritual spectacular with ‘Sounds of Hari’, an immersive journey designed to awaken devotion, emotion, and inner stillness. The singer-composer says it isn’t about entertainment as it is about surrender.

Speaking about what makes Sounds of Hari different, B Praak, known for belting out hits such as “Teri Mitti”, “Mann Bharya”, “Dholna” and “Baarish Ki Jaaye”, said: “I have performed on countless stages, but ‘Sounds of Hari’ is special. It comes from a sacred place inside me. This is not about entertainment, this is about surrender.”

“I want people to walk in with the weight of the world and walk out feeling light, healed, and connected. Even if one moment of this experience brings someone peace, that will be my true achievement.”

A fresh spell of cold winds has begun sweeping across Rajasthan, marking the onset of severe winter conditions.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a cold wave alert for Jhalawar, Sawai Madhopur, and Churu districts, starting Wednesday.

According to the weather office, temperatures in the Shekhawati region are likely to dip further, reaching as low as 4–5 degrees Celsius between December 2 and 4.

A total of 84 missing or kidnapped individuals, including 30 children, were traced and reunited with their families in November under 'Operation Milap' carried out by the South West District Police in the national capital, officials said on Tuesday.

With this, the total number of rescued missing or kidnapped people by the district police this year has reached 1,201, comprising 399 children and 802 adults.

According to a statement issued by the police, search operations were initiated immediately upon receiving reports of missing or kidnapped persons.

After the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) initiated an investigation into an Air India aircraft that was not airworthy but still flew at least eight times before it was grounded, the airline on Tuesday said the incident was “regrettable” and it has initiated a comprehensive internal investigation.

The Airbus A320 in question was operated with an “expired airworthiness licence” at least eight times last month before the lapse was discovered and the aircraft was grounded. The A320 remains grounded pending DGCA investigation.

The Certificate of Airworthiness is issued by the DGCA, and is renewed every year only if the aircraft in a safe condition for flight.

As per the trend of digitisation of the enumeration forms collected by the booth-level officers (BLOs), the Election Commission of India (ECI) has estimated that 43.30 lakh names will be excluded from the draft voters' list, set to be published on December 16.

However, sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, pointed out that this estimated figure is based on the trend of digitising the collected enumeration forms till Monday evening, and the final number might increase after the digitisation process is completed.

The total number of voters in West Bengal, as per the electoral roll as of October 27, is 7,66,37,529.

 Around 15,000 additional polling booths, a large chunk of which is likely to be within the private housing complexes, will be set up for the 2026 Assembly in West Bengal, sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) have said.

It is learnt that during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the total number of polling booths in West Bengal was 80,681, which will increase to 95,668 for the Assembly elections next year. This means that there will be 14,987 additional polling booths in the state next year.

Amid this increase, instructions from the Election Commission of India (ECI) have already reached District Magistrates (also the District Electoral Officers), to identify big housing complexes with high-rise towers where the election booths could be set up.

Indian stock markets opened with a sharp gap-down on Tuesday but soon recovered some losses as investors continued to book profits after the recent rally.

The Sensex was trading at around 85,508, down 134 points or 0.16 per cent, while the Nifty slipped 31 points or 0.12 per cent to 26,145.

"The Nifty's positional trend remains bullish, with strong support at the 26000-26050 zone. On the higher side, 26300 could offer resistance on a closing basis," market watchers added.