Trump warns Hamas, Iran after Netanyahu talks

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking at a news conference with Mr. Netanyahu in Florida, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.

Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s residence so Moscow’s negotiating stance under review

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine had tried to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region and so ​Moscow’s negotiating position would ⁠be reviewed. Mr. Lavrov said that on December 28-29, Ukraine had attacked the Russian president’s ​state residence in ⁠the Novgorod region with 91 long-range drones which were all destroyed by Russian air defences.

Fake demands under MGNREGA will not be entertained: Centre

The Rural Development Ministry informed the parliamentary standing committee that it was coordinating with the State governments to ensure that no “fake demand” was raised under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) during the interim period before the implementation of The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB – G RAM G Act, 2025, the new legislation that would replace the rural employment guarantee scheme.

Australia to remove tariffs on 100% of Indian exports from January 1, says Piyush Goyal

Australia will provide duty-free access to all Indian exports from January 1, 2026 under the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between the two countries, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. The Minister was commenting on the third anniversary of the deal, which came into effect on December 29, 2022. The ECTA was an ‘early harvest’ deal, covering a few of the trade-related issues between the two countries, with both sides currently engaged in negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that will be broader and deeper in scope.

India said to claim $30 billion from RIL, BP on gas output

India is seeking over $30 billion in compensation from Reliance Industries and BP in an arbitration case for gas. It says the companies failed to produce from offshore fields, as per three people with knowledge of the matter. A tribunal has been hearing the dispute in India since 2016 over gas produced from two deepwater fields, D1 and D3, in the D6 block of the Krishna Godavari basin, seven individuals with knowledge of the proceedings said. Final arguments took place on November 7, they said.

DRDO successfully tests 120-km strike range Pinaka rockets

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR–120) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha’s Chandipur. Earlier in the day, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the planned procurement proposals worth ₹79,000 crore, including Long Range Guided Rockets-120. Later in the evening, the DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the LRGR.

PM Modi to meet economists ahead of 2026-27 Budget

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet eminent economists and sectoral experts on Tuesday to seek their views on the upcoming Budget, a senior government official said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the Union Budget for 2026-27 on February 1, 2025. She will present the Budget against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties and a steep 50% U.S. tariff on shipments from India.

Identity cards of delivery executives blocked by aggregator companies after they take part in strike

Around 20 delivery executives from Bengaluru who work with online food delivery platforms have alleged that their IDs have been blocked by the aggregator companies after they participated in a nationwide strike on December 25. Screenshots of a conversation between a delivery executive and what appeared to be the support team of a food delivery platform showed that the worker’s ID was terminated for being a “strike enabler.”

U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbour’s land by force. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Mr. Zelenskyy at his Florida resort and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement.

Supreme Court pauses own judgment defining Aravalli, moots formation of high-powered panel to do a re-think

The Supreme Court on Monday (December 29, 2025) kept in abeyance its November 20 judgment upholding a government expert panel definition restricting the world’s oldest surviving mountain systems, Aravalli, to hills sporting an elevation of 100 metres or above and hill clusters, slopes and hillocks located within 500 metres of each other.

Lalit Modi issues apology after ‘biggest fugitives of India’ remark in viral video with Vijay Mallya

IPL founder Lalit Modi on Monday (December 29, 2025) apologised for calling himself and Vijay Mallya the “two biggest fugitives” of India in a video posted on social media and said that his statement was “misconstrued”. In the now-deleted video from Mallya’s 70th birthday celebrations in London, Lalit Modi joked about the pair’s status as the “two biggest fugitives” of India.

IIP growth jumps to 25-month high of 6.7% in November 2025, driven by manufacturing recovery

Growth in the Index of Industrial Production surged to a 25-month high of 6.7% in November 2025, driven by a broad-based improvement led by the manufacturing and capital goods sectors, data released by the government on Monday (December 29, 2025) shows.

Protests erupt in Tripura over murder of student Angel Chakma in Uttarakhand

The Tripura Chakma Students Association on Sunday (December 28, 2025) requested intervention from the Central Government following alleged persistent attacks on students and youth from the Northeast in various parts of the country. The demand was made during a press conference in Agartala, where the organisation highlighted the case of Angel Chakma, a student from Tripura who was severely assaulted in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, and later died in the hospital.

Amit Shah unveils new Guwahati Police Commissionerate building, city surveillance system

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (December 29, 2025) inaugurated a ₹111-crore permanent building of Guwahati Police Commissionerate and a surveillance system, comprising 2,000 CCTVs, for the city. Mr. Shah also inaugurated an exhibition on new criminal laws, organised by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), at the newly unveiled Guwahati Police Commissioner’s office.

Thailand army accuses Cambodia of violating truce with over 250 drones

Thailand’s army on Monday (December 29, 2025) accused Cambodia of violating a newly signed ceasefire agreement, reached after weeks of deadly border clashes, by flying more than 250 drones over its territory. The Thai army said “more than 250 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were detected flying from the Cambodian side, intruding into Thailand’s sovereign territory” on Sunday (December 28, 2025) night, according to a stateme