J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday rebuffed the senior National Conference (NC) leader and MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on the reservation issue in government jobs and professional colleges in J&K.

In his strongest reaction to the MP's statements on reservation, Abdullah said: "I am not afraid of anyone’s threats, nor will I take any wrong decision under pressure. I don’t know what you think of yourself."

The Chief Minister said matters like the reservation policy cannot be settled through intimidation or street pressure and must be addressed within the constitutional and legal framework after proper consultation with all the stakeholders.

The Delhi Assembly's Winter Session will begin on January 5, 2026, with Lt Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena issuing the summoning order for the sitting, an official said on Friday.

In the order, the L-G said: "In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section 6(1) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 (Central Act No. 1 of 1992), I hereby summon the Fourth Session (Winter Session) of the Eighth Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to meet at the Assembly Hall, Old Secretariat, Delhi-110054, on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 2.00 p.m."

The AAP-ruled Punjab government has been providing free 600 units of electricity to every household per billing cycle since 2022, enabling 90 per cent of them to avail the facility, besides releasing Rs 968 crore for crop loss in monsoon floods, reducing the cost of doorsteps delivery of services from Rs 120 to just Rs 50, clearing dues 

Women working on the night shift or frequently flying across time zones, where they experience an irregular sleep schedule, may increase their risk of aggressive breast cancer, according to a study.

The team from the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences explained that circadian disruptions change the structure of mammary glands and weaken the immune system's defenses, all the while pointing toward a new way to counteract these effects.

Aggregate small‑business credit exposure in India reached Rs 46 lakh crore, up 16.2 per cent year‑on‑year, a report said on Friday.

The report from CRIF High Mark and SIDBI said that active loan accounts grew 11.8 per cent to 7.3 crore, supported by policy measures and government credit schemes for micro, small and medium enterprises.

The number of beneficiaries under the government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, aimed to ensure universal access to clean cooking fuel, touched 10.35 crore as on December 1, 2025, according to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday.

Affordability of LPG was supported through a targeted subsidy of Rs 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to nine refills per year for PMUY beneficiaries. This intervention resulted in a steady rise in LPG consumption. Average per capita consumption increased from about three refills in 2019-20 to 4.47 refills in FY 2024-25 and further to a pro-rated level of about 4.85 refills per annum during FY 2025-26, indicating sustained adoption of clean cooking fuel.

Two people were killed when a car fell into a ditch following a collision with an unknown vehicle on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur, police said on Friday.

The accident occurred near pillar number 246 around 11 p.m. on Thursday. Both the men in the car were residents of Gujarat.

After receiving information about the accident, the Baunli Police reached the spot and took the deceased and the injured to the Baunli Community Health Centre (CHC).

According to the information, the two young men in the car were going to Gujarat.

The overall sales value of housing units in India’s top seven cities rose 6 per cent to over Rs 6 lakh crore from Rs 5.68 lakh crore in 2025, a report said on Friday.

The report from real estate services firm ANAROCK showed that sales volumes eased 14 per cent to about 3,95,625 units in 2025 from 4,59,645 units in 2024, as hardening property prices, IT sector layoffs, geopolitical tensions and other uncertainties dented demand.

A severe cold wave accompanied by chilly winds has tightened its grip over Rajasthan, causing a sharp dip in temperatures across the state. The Meteorological Department on Friday forecast intensified cold conditions over the next three to four days and issued a yellow alert for 11 districts in northeastern Rajasthan.

Karauli in eastern Rajasthan recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 3.6 degrees Celsius, while Pali in the western region registered 5.2 degrees C. Other districts also witnessed biting cold, with Churu at 6.4 degrees C, Nagaur at 6.6 degrees C, Jalore at 6.9 degrees C, Dausa at 5.0 degrees C, Anta-Baran at 5.2 degrees C, and Alwar at 6.0 degrees Celsius.

Actress Preity Zinta added a dose of warmth and festive joy to the holiday season as she offered a heart-melting glimpse into her Christmas celebrations.

The Soldier actress took to social media to share adorable moments of her children, soaking in the magic of Christmas. Taking to Instagram, Preity posted a couple of images and simply captioned them as, “Merry Christmas and happy holidays from ours to yours. Wish you all loads of love, light and happiness always #Ting #family.”

The first image shows Preity smiling as she poses alongside her husband, Gene Goodenough. The actress is seen resting her head on his shoulder. The next candid click features Preity’s daughter, Gia, dancing in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Another photo shows her son playing with his father, with the duo twinning in matching outfits.

Preity Zinta often shares heartwarming glimpses of her kids on social media.

Seven people were killed and five others were injured in two separate road accidents in Andhra Pradesh early Friday morning, police said.

Three people were killed and three others injured when a car in which they were travelling was hit by a private travel bus in Guntur district.

The accident occurred near Ankireddypalem under the limits of Nallapadu Police Station when the car driver stopped the vehicle by the roadside. The private travel bus rammed into the car from behind.

Actress Saiyami Kher, who has officially wrapped up the shooting schedule of Haiwaan, has talked about Priyadarshan and said that working with the filmmaker was a lesson in clarity.

Speaking about collaborating with Priyadarshan, Saiyami told: “Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan has given me many firsts, my first film with Priyadarshan sir, Akshay sir, and Saif sir. It’s also my first time in this genre. So I’m pretty excited to be a part of this film”

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt spent Christmas 2025 wrapped in warmth and togetherness, celebrating the festive day with mother Soni Razdan, sister Shaheen Bhatt, husband Ranbir Kapoor and their daughter Raha.

Alia shared a string of images from her Christmas celebrations, which also included Neetu Kapoor and sister-in-law Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.

For the caption, she simply wrote: “Wrapped in love, Christmas 2025.”

The death toll in the bus tragedy in Karnataka's Chitradurga mounted to seven after the ill-fated bus driver succumbed to injuries in the wee hours on Friday.

At least six people were burnt alive, and 21 others suffered burns after a sleeper coach bus caught fire following a collision with a container truck in Chitradurga district of Karnataka on Thursday.

The bus driver, 42-year-old Mohammad Rafeeq, a resident of Shiggaon in Haveri district, was admitted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi city.

The gold prices surged over 0.5 per cent to record highs on Friday, due to rising geopolitical tensions and expectations for more US rate cuts next year.

MCX gold February futures rose 0.72 per cent to a record Rs 1,39,091 per 10 grams, while MCX silver March futures jumped 3.56 per cent to a record Rs 2,31,759 per kg, as of 10.10 am. Earlier in the day, silver futures had touched an intraday high of Rs 2,32,741 per kg.

Tension gripped Chomu town in Rajasthan's Jaipur district early Friday morning after a dispute over the installation of an iron railing outside a mosque escalated into violent clashes between rioters and the police.

The incident, which took place around 3 a.m. near the Chomu bus stand, led to stone-pelting, injuries to several policemen, and the use of tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

According to police officials, at least six policemen were injured in the violence and have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Most of the injured personnel sustained head injuries, though their condition is reported to be stable. Several police vehicles were also damaged during the stone-pelting.

Domicile certificates issued by the West Bengal government after July 2025, which will be provided as identity documents during the hearing sessions on claims and objections on the draft voters' list in West Bengal starting from Saturday, will be under the special scanner of the Election Commission of India.

The Commission had already directed the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal to ensure that the District Magistrates, also the District Electoral Officers and their subordinate electoral officers to check the authenticity of the domicile certificates that are furnished as identity documents for the "unmapped" voters, those not having links with the 2002 voters' list be it through "self mapping" or through "progeny mapping".

The minimum temperature in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city rose above the freezing point, while at Gulmarg ski resort and Pahalgam hill station it remained below the freezing point on Friday.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department officials said, “Seasonal precipitation (October 1- December 25) remained -44 per cent (Kashmir Division) departure from normal, which is a deficit and -9 per cent (Jammu Division), which is normal. A spell of light snow (higher reaches) and light rain at scattered to many places of J&K during December 31 to January 1 and improvement thereafter.”

The foreign investors’ inflows in the Indian domestic equities is bouncing back and the long-term outlook for markets is robust, a report showed on Friday.

The weakness in the rupee may keep foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) away, with a return expected only after the currency stabilises for an extended spell (1-2 months), according to the note by Emkay Global Financial Services.

“However, we believe this is a temporary wobble. The long-term outlook for domestic flows is robust, in our view,” it added.

The national capital witnessed a marginal improvement in air quality on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) falling into the ‘poor’ category and averaging 292, according to official data.

The improvement comes after Delhi recorded ‘severe’ air quality levels earlier this week, with the AQI touching 412 on December 23. Over the past two days, a gradual decline in pollution levels has been observed across several parts of the city.

 Indian benchmark indices opened flat with a mild negative bias on Friday, as markets are apparently in the consolidation phase amid lack of major cues.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex edged down 83 points, or 0.09 per cent to 85,325 and Nifty eased 17 points, or 0.06 per cent to 26,124.

Main broadcap indices outperformed benchmark indices in terms of gains, with the Nifty Midcap 100 advanced 0.35 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 0.27 per cent.