General
India-Russia friendship remains steady like the pole star, says PM
Appreciating Russian President Vladimir Putin for taking the India-Russia relationship to “new heights” over the past quarter of a century, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out an expansive canvas of energy and trade collaborations between the two countries, stretching to 2030. Addressing the media after bilateral talks at Hyderabad House on Friday (December 5, 2025), Mr. Modi described the India-Russia friendship as a “guiding star” and called for a peaceful solution to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
2026 World Cup draw is kind to favourites as Trump takes limelight
Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony at which U.S. President Donald Trump received FIFA’s new peace prize. The event at the Kennedy Centre in Washington started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup.
FIFA gives President Donald Trump Peace Prize in departure from its traditional focus on sport
President Donald Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize on Friday (December 5, 2025) at the 2026 World Cup draw — giving the spectacle to set matchups for the quadrennial soccer tournament even more of a Trumpian flair.
IndiGo cancels 1,000 flights, gets exemption on night duty limits for pilots
IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday (December 5, 2025) and will axe hundreds more on Saturday (December 6, 2025), crippling air travel across India and sending airfares skyrocketing, which prompted the government to exempt the country’s largest airline from meeting new rules until February 10.
‘Reworking’ procedures to resume MGNREGS in West Bengal: Centre informs Rajya Sabha
The Union Ministry of Rural Development is currently in the “process of reworking and refining the necessary modalities and procedures” to resume the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in West Bengal, it told the Rajya Sabha on Friday (December 5, 2025).
Prasar Bharati signs MoUs with Russian media organisations
Prasar Bharati entered into memoranda of understanding with Russian media organisations during Russian President Putin’s State visit to India, for cooperation in the field of broadcasting, content sharing and information exchange.
Bengal woman Sunali Khatun returns to India after being forced into Bangladesh
Sunali Khatun, the pregnant woman from West Bengal who was allegedly pushed into Bangladesh five months ago, returned to India on Friday (December 5, 2025). She entered the country with her minor child through the Malda district on the India–Bangladesh border, following intervention by the Supreme Court.
Adani coal mine: Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs protest felling of nearly 6 lakh trees in Singrauli
Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Friday (December 5, 2025), the last day of the Winter Session, in protest against the felling of around 6 lakh trees for a coal block of the Adani Group in Singrauli district.
Frank Gehry, the most celebrated architect of his time, dies at 96
Frank Gehry, who designed some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. He was 96. Gehry died on Friday (December 5, 2025) in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP.
MCD budget: no new taxes, focus on sanitation, health
Presenting a ₹16,530-crore budget for 2026-27, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner Ashwani Kumar said on Friday that the civic body will focus on boosting revenue from existing resources, with no proposal for new taxes or rate hikes.
Path paved to link India’s skill base with Russia’s demand for labourers
India and Russia on Friday (December 5, 2025) signed two agreements that will enhance the mobility of Indian semi-skilled and skilled workers to Russia, as official sources indicated that New Delhi will increasingly utilise India’s “strength” in the category of “semi-skilled workers” in the coming years.
Petition seeking legal abolition of polygamy in India signed by 300 leading progressive figures
More than 300 leading Muslim activists and secular progressive citizens from across India—including women’s rights activists Zakia Soman and Noorjahan Safia Niyaz, social activists Medha Patkar, Javed Anand, Tushar Gandhi and film-maker Anand Patwardhan—signed a petition on Friday (December 5, 2025), seeking a complete legal abolition of polygamy in the country.
Israel’s cabinet approves 2026 budget with a hefty $35 billion for defence
Israel’s cabinet has approved the 2026 state budget, the Prime Minister’s office said on Friday (December 5, 2025), including 112 billion shekels ($35 billion) for defence, an increase from the 90 billion shekels budgeted in an earlier draft.
Kharge, Rahul not invited to Putin banquet: Congress
The Congress on Friday (December 5, 2025) said party President and Leaders of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and his Lok Sabha counterpart, Rahul Gandhi, were not invited to the official banquet hosted in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin.