THE HEADLINES:
- ISRO to launch United States’ AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite from Sriharikota this morning.
- RBI to infuse three trillion rupees liquidity in the banking system through open market operations and forex swap to ease liquidity conditions.
- Commission for Air Quality Management issues show cause notices for environmental violation to six thermal power plants to curb pollution in the national capital region.
- Trump Administration changes US H-1B work visa process, replacing lottery system with wage and skill based selection.
Government launches comprehensive internship policy to build next generation of sports professionals.
- In Women’s cricket, India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in 2nd T20 International to take 2-0 lead in 5-match series.
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India is set for another important space mission as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), through its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited, prepares to launch United States’ AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 8:55 this morning.
“ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle, LVM3 will place the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite into Low Earth Orbit. This will be the sixth operational flight of LVM3, highlighting ISRO’s proven and reliable launch capability. The mission is notable as BlueBird Block-2 is the largest commercial communication satellite deployed in Low Earth Orbit. It is also the heaviest payload launched by LVM3 from Indian soil. BlueBird Block-2 belongs to AST SpaceMobile of the United States. The satellite is part of a global LEO constellation. With ISRO’s support, the system will enable direct-to-mobile connectivity, providing 4G and 5G calls, messages, video and data services worldwide. Allu Murali, Akashvani News, Vijayawada.”
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Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully completed the User Evaluation Trials of Next Generation Akash missile (Akash-NG) system. In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that during the trials, the missiles successfully intercepted aerial targets at different range and altitude including the near-boundary-low-altitude and Long Range, high altitude scenarios. Akash-NG is a potent system for ensuring air defense against different types of aerial threats. It is equipped with indigenous Radio Frequency seeker and propelled by solid rocket motor.
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Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that India has been re-elected to the International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO Council with one of the highest mandates. In a social media post, the Minister said that Indian aviation has earned significant global recognition under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Naidu informed that he undertook a review of India’s support to ICAO’s ‘No Country Left Behind initiative’ yesterday.
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Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu has informed that in the last one week, he held meetings with teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies. These airlines include Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress. In a social media post, the Minister further informed that these airlines have already received NOC from the Ministry.
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The Reserve Bank of India has announced a fresh set of measures to ease tight liquidity conditions in the banking system. It has unveiled a plan to inject nearly three trillion rupees over the coming weeks through a combination of open market operations and a foreign exchange swap. Under the proposed plan, the central bank will purchase government securities worth two trillion rupees through open market operations.
“After a review of current liquidity and financial conditions, the RBI has decided that the government securities purchases will be conducted in four tranches of 50,000 Crore Rupees each which will be held on 29th December 2025, 05th of January , 12th of January and 22nd of January 2026. The Dollar Rupee Swap auction will be held on January 13, 2026. The Reserve Bank has said it would continue to monitor evolving liquidity and market conditions and take measures as appropriate to ensure orderly liquidity conditions. Prarthna, Akashvani News, Mumbai.”
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In a bid to curb pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Adjoining Areas has issued show cause notices to six thermal power plants within 3 hundred kilometer radius of Delhi. These have been issued for non-compliance of biomass co-firing norms, notified under the Environment (Utilisation of Crop Residue by Thermal Power Plants) Rules, 2023.
“The Statutory provisions under the rules were notified with the objective of promoting ex-situ management of paddy straw, reducing incidents of stubble burning, and mitigating air pollution in NCR and Adjoining Areas. The compliance status of these power plants has found to be unsatisfactory during the previous financial year, with biomass co-firing levels remaining well below the mandated thresholds of more than 3-5 per cent according to material. The total Environmental Compensation proposed for all 6 Thermal Power Plants amounts to more than 61 crore rupees. The Commission directed the concerned Thermal Power Plants to submit their written explanations within 15 days from the date of issue of the Show Cause Notices. It added that failure to comply will result in strict action. With ADARSH KUMAR, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Panchkula today to take part in a series of official programmes covering a conference on the cooperative sector and Haryana Police passing-out parade. He will also unveil the statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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To create awareness among the people about the Viksit Bharat Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Mission Grameen – Viksit Bharat G RAM G, special Gram Sabhas will be organised in Chhattisgarh. Under this initiative, special Gram Sabhas will be held today, on the occasion of National PESA Day in villages of Scheduled Areas, while in the remaining Gram Panchayats, these special Gram Sabhas will be organised on the 26th December.
During these Gram Sabhas, discussions will be held on the provisions of the G RAM G Act, the enhanced employment guarantee, and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
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In United States, Trump Administration has announced sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa selection process, replacing the long-standing random lottery with a weighted system that prioritises higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. Department of Homeland Security said, the moveis aimed at better protecting the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers, while strengthening the integrity of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser said, the existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by US employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers.
Under the new regulation, H-1B visas will no longer be awarded through a purely random draw, as has been the practice over the past two decades.
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The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan has warned that a climate of entrenched impunity is fuelling mob violence in Bangladesh.
“UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has warned that freedom of expression in Bangladesh is under sustained attack from both state and non-state actors. Citing United Nations data, she said that since August 5, 2024, hundreds of journalists have been arrested on politically motivated charges, many subjected to arbitrary detention, and several killed. Khan accused the interim government of fostering a culture of impunity, where threats and violent attacks against journalists, artists and civil society actors continue without accountability. However, observers have noted that while highlighting attacks on media and cultural institutions, Khan’s statement did not reference the very recent incident of mob lynching of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh over allegations of blasphemy. Navalsang Parmar, Akashvani News, Dhaka.”
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Still with Bangladesh, at least five people were shot dead and more than 10 others injured in violent clashes between two rival groups over control of char land in Noakhali’s Hatiya upazila yesterday. Police said, the violence erupted on Jaglar Char, a newly emerged island in the Meghna River, where a long-running dispute between the Kopa Shamsu alias Shamsuddin group and the Alauddin group escalated into repeated clashes and exchanges of gunfire.
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Libya’s Army Chief of Staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, and four others were killed in an air crash near Turkey’s capital city, Ankara. Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah termed it a tragic accident, stating that the crash happened yesterday while the officials were returning from a visit to Turkey.
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The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched a Comprehensive Internship Policy aimed at creating a structured, large-scale platform for nurturing young talent and strengthening the country’s sports ecosystem. The Ministry said the initiative will provide meaningful internship opportunities to college and university students across the Ministry and its autonomous bodies, offering them first-hand exposure to sports governance, administration and allied professional domains. The initiative aims to build a robust talent pipeline in sports governance, administration, sports science, anti-doping, event management and athlete support services.
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In Women’s cricket, India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the 2nd T20 International of the five-match series in Visakhapatnam last night. Chasing the target of 129 runs set by Sri Lanka, India reached the target in 11.5 overs. For India Shafali Verma scored a blistering unbeaten 69 runs off 34 balls. With this win, India is leading the five-match series 2-0.
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In Chess, Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri’s Alpine SG Pipers clinched the Global Chess League 2025 Season 3 title beating defending Champions Triveni Continental Kings in the finals in Mumbai yesterday.
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Cold wave conditions along with dense fog continue to intensify across Madhya Pradesh. Our correspondent reports that several districts in the state are experiencing severe cold.
“According to the Meteorological Centre, Bhopal, cold day conditions were reported in Rewa, Nowgong and Damoh districts during the last 24 hours. Pachmarhi remained the coldest place in the state, with the minimum temperature dropping to 4.2 degrees Celsius, while Kalyanpur in Shahdol district recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius. Very dense fog was observed in Datia, Rewa and Satna districts, leading to the poor visibility. The weather department said that minimum temperatures may fall further by one to two degrees Celsius in the coming days. With the report of Vipin Mishra, Abhishek Katiyar, Akashvani Bhopal.”
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The India Meteorological Department has forecast dense to very dense fog at isolated places over Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh today. It also predicted dense fog conditions over Northeast India including Odisha, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, and Uttarakhand.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS, HEADLINES:-
⦁ All the dailies have referred to the first phase of roll revision exercise completed by the Election Commission. Hindustan Times writes “Draft rolls for three states, One Union Territory released after SIR.”
⦁ “India , Bangladesh summon envoys as protests on both sides test ties” says The Indian Express.
⦁ Reaffirming its role as the island nation’s ‘first responder’, “India announces relief package to help cyclone-hit Lanka rebuild itself” cites The Tribune.
⦁ The Statesman says “NTA to introduce facial biometric checks, live photography across entrance exams from 2026.”
⦁ Dailies have also noted the passing away of Celebrated writer,Jnanpith awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla.
⦁ A Financial Express headline says “Indians up global markets; investments rise 54 percent.”
⦁ And Finally, “Cash transfer schemes for women have gone from 1 to 15 states in 5 years” becoming the fastest-growing welfare promise reshaping household power and state finances, reports The Times of India.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- ISRO to launch United States’ AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite from Sriharikota this morning.
- RBI to infuse three trillion rupees liquidity in the banking system through open market operations and forex swap to ease liquidity conditions.
- Commission for Air Quality Management issues show cause notices for environmental violation to six thermal power plants to curb pollution in the national capital region.
- Trump Administration changes US H-1B work visa process, replacing lottery system with wage and skill based selection.
Government launches comprehensive internship policy to build next generation of sports professionals.
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