NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||05/12/2025.

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||05/12/2025.

WEDNESDAY| VOL—IV/2025/DECEMBER

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

न गतं कर्तुं कश्चिद् धनवान्,

परिश्रमेण तु भविष्यं लभ्यते।

No one is rich enough to buy the past;

but with effort, the future can be won.

INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

PREWSIDENT OF RUSSIA LANDED ON INDIA. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to inaugurate the broadcasting of Russia Today's RT India news channel on Friday.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov participated in the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation meeting in New Delhi. The outcome may remain confidential.

The number of operational airports the country has more than doubled in the Last Eleven Years from 74 to 164. Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol said this in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha .

IndiGo cancels over 300 flights at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and  other airports amid crew shortage following new pilot duty norms.

The Punjab Regimental Centre (PRC), one of the oldest and most prestigious regiments of the Indian Army, recently marked a significant milestone by inducting 962 Agniveers at its base in Ramgarh district, Jharkhand. This momentous occasion unfolded during a vibrant passing out parade, symbolizing the culmination of an intense 31-week physical and mental training regimen.

 *DRDO Delivers New Multispectral Camouflage Software and Tank Mock-up to Indian Army:*

WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

Israel and Lebanon held their first direct civilian talks in decades yesterday as part of a U.S.-backed effort to reduce tensions threatening their year-old ceasefire. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the talks near the countries’ border an “initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation,” while Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was more cautious, telling reporters that Lebanon was “far” from diplomatic normalization with Israel but that the talks were aimed at “defusing tension.” He added that Lebanon is open to having French and U.S. troops on the ground as part of efforts to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Iran has intercepted a large shipment of weapons from Turkey. In addition to firearms, the shipment contained over 100 explosive devices intended for targeted assassinations. Iran's security apparatus says this was a Mossad Operation

Défense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated department policy and risked endangering troops by sending plans to bomb the Houthis via Signal in March, according to multiple media outlets describing a new report from the Pentagon’s inspector-general.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Texas to use a congressional map that will boost President Donald Trump’s effort to keep Republicans in control of Congress, blocking a lower court decision that found the new boundaries were likely unconstitutional because they were drawn based on race.

The United States is uninviting South Africa from next year’s G20 summit in Miami and inviting Poland in its place, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement yesterday. A RANK BAD DIPLOMACY.

European Union (EU) leadership yesterday proposed two options for funding a large-scale loan to Ukraine after Belgium voiced concerns over using frozen assets that it holds. One proposes using as much as $245 billion in Belgian and other European-held frozen Russian assets to back a loan to Kyiv, while the other would use funds drawn directly from the EU budget. The options are expected to be discussed further at a December 18-19 meeting.  An unprincipled action from EU.

France and China will work together to allow more Chinese direct investment in Europe, while China voiced openness to reducing trade barriers for French products, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Beijing. Macron also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to support efforts for peace in Ukraine, though Xi only briefly mentioned the issue in his public statements.

The Trump administration will intensify vetting of applicants for H-1B skilled worker visas by reviewing their social media accounts, Reuters reported.

Black Sea Attacks: Turkey’s foreign minister condemned what he said were attacks on ships in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, saying they proved the Russia-Ukraine war is expanding. Ukraine has acknowledged attacking some Russia-linked oil ships in the Black Sea, where the cost of shipping insurance has risen.

Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista flew to Caracas last week to try to persuade Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down, Bloomberg reported. The Trump administration was reportedly aware of Batista’s actions, though the Batista family holding company said he was not acting as a representative of any government. Batista personally mediated bilateral tensions between Trump and the Brazilian government earlier this year.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

Security forces have discovered the bodies of at least 18 Maoists, who were killed in an exchange of fire during an anti-Naxal operation along the Bijapur-Dantewada border in the Bastar region.

MISHAPS: -

A goods train derailed near the Panvel railway station in Raigad district on Thursday afternoon, affecting railway traffic on the busy Mumbai-Goa route. Nobody was injured in the incident.

ENVIRONMENTAL: -

More than 1,500 people have reportedly been killed in recent flooding across South and Southeast Asia, with authorities saying 836 people died in Indonesia, 481 in Sri Lanka, 185 in Thailand, and at least three in Malaysia. In many of the flood-affected areas, it has taken rescuers days to reach rural villages and assess the damage.

A mild earthquake of magnitude 4.1 shook Bangladesh early Thursday, with tremors felt in the capital Dhaka and neighbouring districts.

WEATHER:

IMD has forecast cold wave conditions over Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Delhi for next two to three days. According to IMD, dense fog conditions are likely to prevail over Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Odisha till Saturday.

TECHNOLOGY:

As humans continue building bridges, the bridges keep getting bigger. And no country is making them quite like China, which is not only home to half of the 10 longest bridges in the world but also recently broke its own record by once again building the world’s highest bridge. Here’s where you can find this marvel of engineering and why it’s worth seeking out on your future travels.

Vaccine advisers to the CDC delayed until Friday morning a vote that could lead to dramatic changes to hepatitis B vaccination practice in the United States. IS PHARMALOBBY WORKING AGAINST?

 DAS KAPITAL:

Parliament passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 with the Rajya Sabha approving and returning it to the Lok Sabha. The legislation is aimed to amend the Central Excise Act, 1944, specifically to raise excise duties and cess on tobacco products.

*USD*  ₹ 89/-*Euro* : ₹ 103/-*China¥* : ₹ 12/-

 *BSE SENSEX* 85,265.32 +158.51 (0.19%)

 *NIFTY* 26,033.75 +47.75 (0.18%)

 *GOLD* : ₹ 13,100/ 01gm (24 krt)

 *SILVER* : ₹ 2,01,000/KG

The Reserve Bank will announce the bi-monthly monetary policy on today, amid forecast of a 25-basis point reduction in interest rate.

WHAT IS NEXT:

Today, a parliamentary election runoff in Egypt ends.

Tomorrow, a UN environment assembly focusing on cities and regions takes place in Nairobi.

 

THE END.