Source: The Hindu , Indian Express and others

Govt withdraws mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on phones

The Ministry of Communications on Wednesday (December 3, 2025) reversed its decision to mandate pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones, just days after the order sparked widespread criticism from digital rights groups and opposition parties. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had on Monday (December 1) issued a directive requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install the cybersecurity app on all devices from March 2026 onwards, citing concerns over handsets with duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers posing threats to telecom security.

afeguarding India-Russia ties from Trump pressure is top priority for Putin, says Russian analyst

Protecting Russia’s relationship with India from the pressure of the United States administration is a top priority for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a leading analyst in Moscow. Mr. Putin is set to arrive in Delhi on Thursday (December 4, 2025) for his first state visit to India since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.

Law Commission to brief joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls on December 4

The Constitution amendment bill that seeks to lay down a legal framework to hold simultaneous polls does not require ratification by at least 50% of the state legislatures to come into force, the Law Commission has told a joint committee of Parliament examining the draft legislation. Member Secretary Anju Rathi Rana and Joint Secretary Varsha Sinha will brief members on the finer legal points on Thursday (December 4, 2025).

Labour codes likely to be fully operational from April 1, 2026, Govt to pre-publish draft rules soon

The four labour codes ushering another wave of reforms in the country are likely to be fully operational from April 1, 2026, as the ministry has begun the process for enforcing rules under the notified law. The four labour codes — Code on Wages, 2019, Industrial Relations Code, 2020, Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 - were notified on November 21.

Prohibitory orders clamped in Tirupparankundram, litigants not allowed to light lamp at pillar

The Madurai district administration clamped prohibitory orders in the temple town of Tirupparankundram late Wednesday evening amid protests by Hindu outfits to permit lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp at the ‘dheepathoon’ (pillar) atop the hill, close to a dargah, as directed by Justice G R Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.

India committed to the idea of oceans remaining open, stable and rules-based: President Droupadi Murmu

India is committed to the idea of the oceans remaining “open, stable and rules-based”, President Droupadi Murmu said here on Wednesday, drawing attention to the strategic and critical importance of the Indian Ocean Region as a maritime space. Ms. Murmu was speaking at an Operational Demonstration organised by the Indian Navy at Shanghumughom beachfront here in connection with this year’s Navy Day celebrations.

South Indians don’t want to be isolated because they don’t know Hindi: Supreme Court judge B.V. Nagarathna

South Indians do not want to be isolated because they do not know Hindi, Supreme Court judge B.V. Nagarathna said on Wednesday (December 3, 2025). Responding to a question on the use of Hindi in the judiciary, Justice Nagarathna clarified that she does not mean politics and said India is a subcontinent and one cannot be very exclusive in one’s language.

Centre agrees to bring back pregnant woman, child deported to Bangladesh

The Union Government on Wednesday (December 3, 2025) agreed to bring back a pregnant woman and her eight-year-old son deported to Bangladesh on solely “humanitarian grounds” following an intervention by the Supreme Court. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi recorded in the order the Centre’s assurance that the woman, Sonali Khatoon, would be provided free care and the necessary facilities, taking into consideration her medical condition. The court further asked the authorities to provide day-to-day care of the child too.

Rupee breaches 90-mark against dollar; falls 25 paise to close at all-time low of 90.21

The rupee breached the 90-a-dollar level for the first time to settle at a fresh all-time low of 90.21 (provisional) on Wednesday (December 3, 2025), down 25 paise from its previous close, amid sustained foreign fund outflows and higher crude oil prices. Uncertainty over the India-U.S. trade deal, along with the lack of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) effort to stop the slide in the local unit, put further pressure on the rupee, according to forex traders.

Both Houses adjourned; Lok Sabha passes Central Excise (Amendment) Bill and Rajya Sabha adopts Water Bill resolution after voice vote

Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a law to levy a higher excise duty on tobacco and related products once the GST compensation cess ends. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by a voice vote in the lower house. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a resolution through voice vote to extend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, to Manipur, which is currently under the President’s rule.

Five Maoists, one jawan killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur

Five Maoists and a jawan of the police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday (December 3, 2025), officials said. Another jawan suffered injuries in the gunfight, they said, adding that the operation was still underway.

SC turns spotlight on glitches in pay-outs, free critical care to acid attack victims

The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to look into a plea that acid attack survivors, mostly young women, have neither been paid the full minimum ₹3 lakh in victim compensation nor provided free critical care by private hospitals. A Bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna decided to examine what ails the disbursement of victim compensation to acid attack survivors despite repeated judicial orders from the top court spanning years.

Cyclone Ditwah impact: India sends mobile field hospital, over 70 medical personnel to Sri Lanka

India’s medical aid in the wake of the damage caused by cyclone Ditwah arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday (December 3, 2025), the Sri Lankan President’s office said in a statement. The supplies included advanced medical equipment and field hospitals. “An Indian Air Force C-17A aircraft carrying urgent medical assistance arrived in Sri Lanka last evening (December 2, 2025). The consignment comprised critical medicine, advanced medical equipment and deployable field facilities to support the country’s ongoing rescue and relief operations,” the statement said.

Spam calls: DoT to mandate display of KYC-registered names on incoming calls

In the next few months, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will mandate telecom operators to show the KYC-registered name of all incoming callers using Indian phone numbers. Currently, a trial for this is ongoing in Haryana alone. The feature, known as Caller Name Presentation (CNAP), will use the same technology that telecom operators such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel use to flag certain calls as “Suspected” or “Suspicious,” but instead of those words, the caller ID will display the name a number was registered with.

Russia focused on increasing trade with India despite ‘obstacles’ by third countries: Dmitry Peskov

Some countries are trying to create “obstacles” in India-Russia trade. Still, the two sides are focused on overcoming the challenge and expanding bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next five years, said Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Iran’s currency falls to a new low as nuclear sanctions squeeze its ailing economy

Iran’s rial currency fell on Wednesday (December 3, 2025) to a new low of 1.2 million to the U.S. dollar as nuclear sanctions squeeze Tehran’s ailing economy. Traders offered the new exchange rate as attempts so far to restart negotiations between America and Iran over its nuclear program appear stalled.

Search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 to resume on Dec. 30, over a decade after it disappeared

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will resume on December 30, Malaysia’s transport ministry said on Wednesday (December 3, 2025), more than a decade after the Beijing-bound flight disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.

As cyclone impact unfolds, Sri Lanka braces for daunting recovery

As the extent of devastation from Cyclone Ditwah begins unfolding in Sri Lanka, amid a mounting death toll — 479 confirmed deaths till date — the island is bracing for a daunting period of recovery from what appears to be its worst natural disaster since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

IND vs SA 2nd ODI: Markram-inspired South Africa pulls off a big chase

When you silence a full house, you must have played out of your skin. South Africa did exactly that — initially through opener Aiden Markram’s sensational hundred and later through Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis. The Proteas’ clinical chase — a four-wicket win with four balls to spare — in the second ODI pulled them level 1-1 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).