Mob lynching: Kerala government announces Rs 30 lakh aid to victim's family and vows legal action.
Kerala announced Rs 30 lakh from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund for the family of a man allegedly killed in a mob lynching: Rs 5 lakh each to the wife and mother, Rs 10 lakh each for two children, with the children's Rs 20 lakh placed in fixed deposits and interest paid to the mother. The state committed to pursue legal safeguards to ensure prosecution of those involved and warned against communal violence and divisive propaganda.

85-year-old professor duped in digital arrest scam, transferred Rs 9 crore after police impersonation and false terrorism claims.
Fraudsters impersonated police and used a so called digital arrest claim that the victim's identity was linked to money laundering and terrorism funding; they obtained banking and investment details and induced transfers of Rs 9 crore by promising return after verification. The victim later reported the fraud to cyber police and an investigation is underway.

LVM3-M6's heavy-payload launch advances India's capacity for national orbital projects and satellite-based telecom services.
The LVM3-M6 launch placing a 6,000 kg US communication satellite into low Earth orbit demonstrates India's enhanced heavy-payload launch capacity, supporting planned national projects like an orbital station and lunar follow-on missions, enabling direct-to-mobile satellite telecoms, and exemplifying public-private participation and integration of space applications into national infrastructure programmes.

Northeast agri-horti strategy targets value-chain gaps with product-specific, cluster-driven plans to boost farmer incomes.
The High-Level Task Force recommended a structured programme to strengthen the agri-horti ecosystem through a product-specific, cluster-driven strategy, diagnosing bottlenecks across production, post-harvest, processing, marketing and logistics, and prioritising reductions in post-harvest losses and marketing costs. It proposed a blueprint-based, phased approach beginning with one priority product per state, defining short-, medium- and long-term targets and investment needs, mapping strategic infrastructure for export readiness, promoting cluster development for scale and market alignment, quantifying farmer engagement, and measuring ensuing income gains.

Universities must provide conducive academic environments and promote research, discipline, green campuses, and adopt e filing systems.
Universities must foster a conducive academic environment that supports research with broad societal impact, maintain clean, green campuses, promote student discipline and wellness practices, and require faculty to uphold dignity and decorum. Administrative governance should modernize through tools such as e filing systems and published academic calendars, while routine governance functions include conferment of degrees and recognition of academic merit.

Luxury car seized as proceeds of mining cooperative fraud, investigation and arrests remain ongoing today.
The Economic Offences Wing seized a luxury vehicle believed to have been bought with proceeds from alleged misappropriation at a state-run cooperative tied to an iron ore mine; investigators have established misappropriation exceeding Rs 32 crore and suspect diversion in the Rs 40-50 crore range, and five accused are in judicial custody while the probe continues.

Wall Street premarket largely unchanged before holiday-shortened session, with a major Dynavax acquisition and gold rally.
Equity futures were flat in premarket ahead of a holiday-shortened trading day, with abbreviated market hours for Christmas Eve and a full closure on Christmas; Sanofi's announced USD 2.2 billion acquisition of Dynavax drove a large single-stock move, while macro indicators, commodity rallies in gold and silver, dollar weakness versus major currencies, and modest oil gains were notable market drivers.

BJP recalibrates alliance with Shiv Sena ahead of BMC polls, limiting seat offer to around 60.
BJP is recalibrating its alliance with the Shiv Sena for the BMC elections, proposing no more than 60 of 227 wards and shifting from a solo-contest posture after surveys showed pockets of sustained Sena strength; priorities include control over ward allocation and candidate selection to prevent Sena expansion and preserve BJP organisational growth, while Sena leaders object to dictated seat choices and perceived placement in difficult, Muslim-majority wards.

Odisha renewable energy hub plans attract investors through policy clarity, project-ready sites and investor-friendly approach.
Odisha is positioning itself as a renewable energy hub by offering policy clarity, project ready sites and an investor friendly approach to attract investment in solar manufacturing, floating solar and pumped storage, supported by system scale planning and sound fiscal fundamentals.

Wuxiang New District uses targeted policy support and approval green channels to grow high-tech clusters and cross-border AI cooperation.
Wuxiang New District applies precision-targeted policy support, approval green channels, and park-level special policy measures to reduce enterprise entry and operating costs, retain and attract high-tech and technology-based SMEs, and promote industry cluster formation across sectors-notably electronic information, advanced manufacturing, cultural industries, and AI-while using national-level platforms and the South AI Center to advance cross-border technology exchange, joint R&D, and commercialization aligned with ASEAN market needs.

Netcore appoints Jayesh Bhatt as CISO to lead enterprise cybersecurity, risk management and data protection.
Netcore appointed Jayesh Bhatt as Chief Information Security Officer to lead global cybersecurity, directing security governance, enterprise risk management, alignment with global security standards, data privacy protections, and secure-by-design product development while scaling global security teams to support regulated markets and AI-driven customer engagement.

Chitkara University storytelling festival unites designers, filmmakers, and students for interdisciplinary workshops and industry engagement.
Chitkara University hosted the two-day Never Ending Story festival, convening design practitioners, academicians, filmmakers, musicians, and storytellers to combine keynote dialogues on the future of design education with hands-on student workshops in AI and design, storytelling methodologies, sound design, narrative gaming, bookbinding, illustration, and a student short film showcase, emphasising experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and industry engagement to develop students' creative and professional capacities.

NTPC Green Energy begins commercial operation of a 69 MW solar unit at Khavda under the CPSU scheme, increasing installed capacity.
NTPC Green Energy Ltd will commence commercial operations of a 69 MW solar unit at Khavda under the CPSU scheme Phase II Tranche III, formalising the capacity's entry into the company's operational fleet and increasing NTPC Green Energy's and the NTPC Group's reported installed capacity.

Being Human Clothing launches a Salman Khan birthday sale with 50% off in stores and online for a limited period.
Being Human Clothing is offering a time limited promotional sale tied to Salman Khan's birthday: a flat 50% off in exclusive brand stores, department stores and multi brand outlets from 25-27 December 2025, and a minimum 50% off online at the brand website from 24-27 December 2025, covering menswear, womenswear, accessories and everyday essentials.

Dadu's Pune melds artisanal mithai, couture gifting, and reliable large-scale wedding catering for modern celebrations.
Dadu's Sweet Emporio positions itself as a wedding-focused mithai house combining small-batch artisanal production with design-led gifting and large-scale catering. The brand preserves traditional techniques through multi-generational artisans and lists operational commitments-shelf-life guidance, allergen transparency, PAN India delivery, fast turnarounds, and coordinated approval workflows-to deliver consistent flavour and presentation across multi-event weddings. Offerings include couture gifting, seasonal flavour lines, luxury mithai counters, live sweet stations, and fully customised dessert menus that align with wedding aesthetics and planner requirements.

Angel One's ISO 22301:2019 certification reinforces its business continuity and operational resilience for critical services.
ISO 22301:2019 certification confirms Angel One's implementation of a Business Continuity Management System aligned to international standards, evidencing structured risk assessment, incident response, recovery planning, and governance across its technology infrastructure, core operations, and third party dependencies to ensure continuity of critical services.

The Deltin, Daman offers ticketed Christmas and New Year events; prices exclude taxes and are subject to terms and conditions.
Announcement of ticketed Christmas and New Year hospitality events at The Deltin, Daman, including buffet and brunch packages and a New Year's Eve celebration with live entertainment; stated prices are exclusive of taxes, beverage selections are limited to selected brands, bookings require contacting provided reservation numbers or the events webpage, and the publisher disclaims editorial responsibility while offerings remain subject to terms and conditions.

Hong Kong New Year Countdown combines live performances and a citywide immersive light show, broadcast globally to welcome 2026.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board will stage a New Year Countdown at Chater Road combining live performances, a three-minute immersive light projection across eight landmark fac ades, synchronized giant countdown displays at multiple venues, and simultaneous satellite and online broadcasting; ancillary countdown activities across the city and a one-stop HKTB portal will facilitate public participation and visitor planning.

EU warns action after US bars five Europeans accused of pressuring tech firms to suppress American viewpoints.
The United States barred five Europeans accused of pressuring U.S. technology firms to censor American viewpoints, invoking immigration law and alleging foreign-driven censorship campaigns, while the European Commission and member-state leaders condemned the move as unjustified extraterritorial interference and defended the Digital Services Act and the EU's regulatory autonomy, warning of a swift response to protect digital sovereignty.

Digital economy MoU to expand district-level cluster development, MSME digitisation and investment readiness beyond metro hubs.
The MoU creates a formal collaboration to translate policy into execution by aligning ecosystem development with industry participation, focusing on district-level and cluster-based initiatives to advance MSME digitisation, startup growth, investment readiness, and skills development across IT/ITeS, Global Capability Centres and emerging technology sectors.