In this issue

Highlights of India Today 4th December 2023: In this week’s issue, the rising problem of deepfakes is front and centre. We take a look at what deepfakes are, what laws we have to protect ourselves and what else we may do to not fall victim to them. Also in the magazine are poll updates, India’s World Cup campaign, India’s ties with Maldives, smart financial planning, and much more.

LENDING SOBRIETY

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deemed it fit to tighten the screws on a certain sense of festival abandon that had gripped retail loans.

3 mins

FROM ALI TO HARI

Get set to rewire your mental map once again. The BJP-controlled Aligarh Municipal Corporation has passed a resolution to rename the town as 'Harigarh'.

4 mins

WHAT'S IN A RENAME?

On October 17, while inaugurating a Durga Puja in Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee decided that a slum should no more be called a basti-the Bangla word used for a slum, which has gathered all the usual socio-economic connotations reserved for words marking out the poor.

3 mins

AFTER SHAVE

It might be all the rage in the Indian cricket team, but in politics a beard still carries the old sense of renunciation or penance.

1 min

THE POSTMAN RINGS THRICE

Is Shivraj Singh Chouhan already contemplating a quiet, retired life looking at the grass grow on a colonial bungalow's lawn?

1 min

Clearance Sale

Indian gods can be moody.

1 min

SHE'S IN THE LOBBY

Vasundhara Raje may be off the roster as the BJP's main face but she's the only local eminence there for other candidates, even if only those on her side are being graced with a rally (she's doing 60) in her whirlwind state tour.

1 min

Who Two?

Don't know Rajasthan Congress beyond Ashok Gehlot and D Sachin Pilot?

1 min

DEEPFAKES-CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

FROM BOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES TO POLITICIANS, NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO THE MENACE OF DEEPFAKES. IN THE WRONG HANDS, THEY ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO FOMENT UNREST. HOW DO WE GUARD OURSELVES AGAINST IT?

10+ mins

"WE'VE WARNED PLATFORMS OF PROSECUTION FOR DEEPFAKES"

As the menace of deepfakes mounts across India, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics, Information Technology and of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, spoke to Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa about the Modi government's concerns, the actions it has taken and modifications in the law that are on the anvil. Excerpts:

9 mins

THE CENTRE'S PROXY WAR

Governors in Opposition-ruled states are again in conflict with the elected governments there, forcing the judiciary to step in. A constitutional ambiguity has helped them sit endlessly on bills passed by the state legislatures

7 mins

NITISH CASTS A LONG SHADOW

Having delivered on the promise of a caste-based survey in his state and proportional quota, the Bihar chief minister proceeds to make some electoral capital out of it

5 mins

THE SHIFTING WIND IN MALE

Indian aid and support for the Maldives have marked close ties between the two nations. But newly elected, pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu's 'India Out' campaign and demand for the withdrawal of Indian personnel have New Delhi worried

8 mins

THE BURDEN OF THE SANDWICH GENERATION

Juggling your financial needs with those of your children and aging parents is a challenge that can be overcome with a little bit of prudence

10+ mins

EASY TRANSFER OF MUTUAL FUND HOLDINGS

A recent SEBI circular introduces smooth transmission of investments to family members after an investor's demise

4 mins

SHOULD YOU INVEST IN A NEW FUND?

Go for a new fund offer only if the investment idea is different from the existing schemes or you wish to put your money in a scheme run by a particular fund manager

3 mins

A DEGREE OF SELF-INSURANCE

How you can reduce your premium outgo with certain types of insurance policies by opting to pay a portion of your claim

2 mins

GAINS OF A LOSS

A TACTICALLY BRILLIANT AUSTRALIA AND AN ILL-CHOSEN PITCH MAY HAVE BEEN THEIR UNDOING IN THE FINAL, BUT INDIA 2023 WAS A TEAM THAT HAD MUCH GOING FOR IT

8 mins

Ocean of Stories

A podcast series on Audible, a new book on Jainism, and numerous books in the pipeline-Devdutt Pattanaik keeps the narrative flowing

3 mins

Maximum Drama

Lindsay Pereira's The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao is a modern retelling of the Ramayana set in Mumbai in the 1990s

2 mins

All Dressed UP

An upcoming exhibition in Goa will shine a light on the late costume designer and painter Bhanu Athaiya’s oeuvre

3 mins

THREADS OF HERITAGE

The third edition of Sutr Santati: Then.Now.Next in Mumbai showcases an impressive repertoire of India's contemporary handmade textiles

2 mins

GOING THE DISTANCE

SHEER GRIT ENABLED PARALYMPIAN AND JAVELIN THROWER SUMIT ANTIL TO BAG GOLD AT THE ASIAN PARA GAMES IN HANGZHOU LAST MONTH

2 mins

Play, the Beloved Country

In addressing the gender inequality plaguing Indian sport, this book by Sohini Chattopadhyay does not mince any words

2 mins

Read all stories from India Today

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