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Published - December 31, 2025 06:22 pm IST

People attend funeral prayers for former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia outside the national Parliament building in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 31, 2025 | Photo Credit: AP

Hundreds of thousands of people on Wednesday bid an emotional farewell to former Prime Minister and BNP patriarch Khaleda Zia as she was laid to rest near the parliament building amid tight security. Zia’s coffin, draped in the national flag, was brought to the funeral site in a convoy from her residence. Thousands of mourners gathered outside the parliament complex to have a last glimpse of their beloved leader.

The Union Cabinet has decided to freeze Vodafone Idea Ltd’s Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues for five years, an official said, giving the telco breathing room as it seeks to regain financial stability and raise funds for its survival. “The Union Cabinet has in pursuance of the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court decided to freeze the AGR dues of Vodafone Idea Ltd as on 31st December 2025 at Rs.87,695 crore,” a senior official said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025).

The BJP on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a visit to the state, and alleged that she has been running a "tanasahi" (dictatorship). Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Ms. Banerjee, while addressing a public meeting in Bankura district, threatened the Home Minister of India that she "allowed" him to come out of the hotel where he was staying in Kolkata.

Ambassadors of the Quad nations, consisting of the U.S., India, Australia and Japan, held a rare publicised meeting in Beijing. "The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a force for good in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Mr. Perdue said in his X post.

Porsche is recalling 173,538 vehicles in the ‌U.S. as the rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse, the ⁠U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025). The recall ⁠affects certain 2019-2025 Cayenne, Cayenne E-Hybrid, 2020-2025 911, ‌Taycan, 2024-2025 Panamera, ‌and 2025 Panamera E-Hybrid models.

Food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy are offering more incentives to their delivery partners, a standard practice they follow during festive periods, to ensure minimal disruptions in services on New Year's Eve amid a strike call by gig workers' unions. Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union (TGPWU) and Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) have claimed that lakhs of workers are set to join the nationwide strike to demand better payouts and improved working conditions.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) approved the widening and strengthening of NH-326 in Odisha, upgrading the existing two-lane stretch to a two-lane highway with paved shoulder from 68.600 km to 311.700 km under the EPC mode. According to an official statement, the total capital cost for the project is ₹1,526.21 crore, which includes a civil construction cost of ₹966.79 crore.

The Indian economy is projected to register high growth, driven by strong domestic consumption and investment despite a volatile and unfavourable external environment, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025). "Maintaining financial stability and strengthening the financial system remains our north star," Mr. Malhotra said in his foreword in the latest edition of the RBI Financial Stability Report.

Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) said the only means to restore peace and normalcy in the ethnic strife-torn State in 2026 is to dissolve the Assembly and hold fresh elections. Mr. Meghachandra told reporters, “While everyone else is celebrating the New Year everywhere, in Manipur, we are not seeing these celebrations. The only solution for the welfare of the people of the State is to dissolve the present Assembly. Our demand is the dissolution of the Assembly and a fresh mandate. It’s the only means to bring peace and normalcy in the State.”

Students from the Northeast on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding justice for Tripura student Anjel Chakma, who died of a stab injury in Dehradun recently. Hundreds of students from the Northeast studying in Delhi University participated in the protest organised under the banner of Northeast Students' Society of Delhi University (NESSDU), demanding a thorough investigation into Chakma’s killing.

The government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) notified the first tranche of guidelines related to market access schemes, under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM). This market access component would be initially allocated ₹4,531 crore over the six years 2025-31, with ₹500 crore being allocated for the current financial year.

Published - December 31, 2025 06:22 pm IST