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India signs FTA with Oman, receives zero work entree connected 99% of its exports
India and Oman signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) connected Thursday (December 18, 2025), nether which Oman volition supply India duty-free entree to 98.08% of its tariff lines, which covers 99.38% of what India exports to Oman. India, connected the different hand, has offered liberalised tariffs connected 77.79% of its full tariff lines, covering 94.81% of what India imports from Oman. Apart from the tariff removal connected merchandise exports, the woody besides includes respective concessions that are expected to payment India’s work sector, including successful presumption of mobility of workers. Also, PM Modi was conferred with the Order of Oman, the Sultanate’s uniquely chiseled civilian honour, by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for his contributions to strengthening bilateral ties.
Lok Sabha adjourned for the time aft transition of VB-G RAM G Bill amid Opposition uproar
The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the time connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) aft the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill amid Opposition uproar implicit its provisions. The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, seeking to warrant agrarian jobs for 125 days each year, replacing the 20-year-old MGNREGA, was passed connected Thursday (December 18) aft Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan replied to a statement connected it. The Opposition raised slogans against the authorities and tore copies of the Bill arsenic Mr. Chouhan delivered his concluding remarks.
Extend day of submission of SIR enumeration forms, Supreme Court tells ECI
The Supreme Court connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to a “sympathetic view” of pleas to widen the day of submission of enumeration forms nether the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 of the electoral rolls, taking into information the “ground realities” successful assorted States, including Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. The docket for Kerala had been revised earlier, with the enumeration deadline pushed to (Thursday) December 18 and the draught elector database to beryllium published connected December 23. The revised deadline for U.P. was modified to December 26.
India resumes visa centre cognition successful Dhaka, functioning suspended astatine 2 others
Indian connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) resumed operations astatine its visa exertion centre successful Dhaka, a time aft closing it implicit escalated information concerns, but closed 2 different identical facilities successful different parts of Bangladesh, officials and reports said. The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) astatine southwestern Khulna and northwestern Rajshahi were closed connected the aforesaid grounds of information concerns. “Indian Visa Application Centre successful Dhaka is present operational and functioning normally,” an IVAC authoritative told PTI.
Stray dogs case: We volition play video, inquire you what is humanity, Supeme Court tells petitioner
Responding to a petitioner successful the stray dogs lawsuit who objected to immoderate rules framed by the Delhi municipal corp saying “inhuman” attraction was being meted retired to them, the Supreme Court connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) said a video volition beryllium played successful the adjacent hearing, “asking you what is humanity”. Senior advocator Kapil Sibal, who is appearing successful the stray dogs case, told a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a three-judge peculiar Bench which was scheduled to assemble connected Thursday to perceive the substance was cancelled. When the Bench said it would see the substance connected January 7, Mr. Sibal said the authorities volition instrumentality the rules successful December itself. Justice Mehta told Mr. Sibal, “On the adjacent date, we volition play a video for your payment and we volition inquire you what is humanity”.
Parliamentary sheet examining Bills to region PM, CMs gets hold to taxable report
The Parliamentary committee examining Bills to region the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers was granted hold connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) to taxable its study by the past week of the Budget Session adjacent year. Joint Parliamentary Committee Chair Aparajita Sarangi moved a solution successful Lok Sabha seeking clip to taxable its study “up to the archetypal time of the past week of the Budget Session, 2026”. The solution was passed by a dependable vote.
‘BRS Govt did immoderate bully work, but bladed enactment betwixt payment and development’: Kavitha
Former Lok Sabha MP K. Kavitha is each acceptable to contention the adjacent Assembly polls successful Telangana owed successful 2028, declaring that “the remainder is simply a technicality” erstwhile asked astir the quality of her projected caller governmental outfit. Currently connected a yatra crossed each 33 districts of Telangana, nether the aegis of a non-political organisation, Telangana Jagruti, founded by her during the question for a abstracted State, she told The Hindu, “I bash privation to contention the adjacent Assembly polls, the remainder (party name, nature) of it is each technicality.”As for the governmental programme for her caller outfit, she said that portion her father’s Government was bully astatine payment measures similar the Raithu Bharose and others, people’s basal needs were not met, which would beryllium her focus: “drinking water, roads, employment.” She added, “Don’t get maine wrong. The BRS Government has done immoderate bully things. But determination is simply a precise bladed enactment betwixt payment and development. Step retired of Hyderabad and the disparity is great.”
Death toll successful Yamuna Expressway pile-up astatine Mathura rises to 19
The toll successful the multi-vehicle pile-up connected the Yamuna Expressway successful Mathura has risen to 19, officials said connected Thursday (December 18, 2025). District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh told PTI Videos that 4 of the deceased person been identified, portion DNA samples of the remaining victims person been collected and are being matched. “Nineteen radical person mislaid their lives successful the accident. Identification of 4 victims has been completed and DNA samples of the remaining bodies person been taken,” helium said. Mr. Singh said astir 90 radical were injured successful the accident, astir of whom person returned location aft receiving aesculapian attention.
Air India Express Flight from Jeddah makes ‘precautionary’ landing successful Kochi aft tyre burst
A large aviation mishap was averted erstwhile an Air India Express formation headed to Kozhikode from Jeddah successful Saudi Arabia, had to beryllium diverted to the Kochi airdrome successful Kerala wherever it made a landing nether exigency conditions connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) morning. The flight, IX 398, with 160 passengers aboard made an exigency landing astatine 9:07 a.m. Initially, a method snag involving the close main landing cogwheel and tyre nonaccomplishment was identified for the diversion and consequent exigency landing. Later, a post-landing inspection confirmed that some right-side tyres had burst.
Australia’s Bondi formation shooting: Alleged shooters holed up successful edifice during Philippines visit
“The father-and-son duo alleged to person gunned down 15 radical connected Australia’s Bondi Beach holed themselves up successful a Philippines hotel for weeks and near a extremity connected their mode out,” the unit told AFP connected Thursday (December 18, 2025). Australian authorities are investigating whether Sajid Akram and his lad Naveed trained with extremists past period during a travel to the confederate Mindanao portion wherever determination is simply a agelong past of Islamist insurgencies. The Philippines says determination is nary grounds to suggest that the state was being utilized to manager terrorists. Also, a 34-year-old Indian-origin antheral who helped restrain 1 of the alleged shooters of the Bondi Beach onslaught successful Australia said helium wanted to assistance bring 1 of the assailants down and assistance anyone who needed help.
U.S., Russia to clasp talks connected Ukraine successful Miami: White House
U.S. and Russian officials volition conscionable successful Miami this play for caller talks connected President Donald Trump’s program for ending the Ukraine war, a White House authoritative told AFP. The talks travel aft Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed advancement during 2 days of meetings successful Berlin betwixt Kyiv and Mr. Trump’s envoys, portion informing that Moscow was preparing for a “new twelvemonth of war.” Mr. Trump’s roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to instrumentality portion connected the U.S. side, portion Mr. Putin’s economical envoy Kirill Dmitriev is acceptable to beryllium successful the Russian delegation, Politico reported.
Rare smog spike hits Beijing aft years of contamination clean-up
Beijing was shrouded successful dense smog connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) with Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to “very unhealthy” levels of 215, a uncommon spike successful contamination successful the Chinese superior aft years of costly cleaning up. China’s nationalist observatory issued a yellowish alert for dense fog successful immoderate parts of the country, saying that thick fog is expected to shroud parts of Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, the Sichuan Basin and Chongqing connected Thursday (December 18, 2025). The smog with polluted aerial prime is uncommon these days successful Beijing, which utilized to witnesser precise dense contamination earlier the authorities initiated a bid of steps, including closure and relocation of dense polluting industries successful 2016, spending billions of dollars.
Israel launches aggravated airstrikes successful Lebanon arsenic deadline looms to disarm Hezbollah
Israel carried retired a bid of airstrikes connected confederate and northeastern Lebanon connected Thursday (December 18, 2025) arsenic a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah radical on the tense frontier. The strikes came a time earlier a gathering of the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest warfare betwixt Israel and Hezbollah a twelvemonth ago. The Israeli subject said the strikes deed Hezbollah infrastructure sites and launching sites successful a subject compound utilized by the radical to behaviour grooming and courses for its fighters. The Israeli subject added that it struck respective Hezbollah subject structures successful which weapons were stored, and from which Hezbollah members operated recently.
Dubious hat-trick: India worst doping offender for 3rd consecutive year, says WADA
India tops the rankings of planetary sports cause cheats for a 3rd consecutive year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said, marking a dubious hat-trick for the country. India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) collected 7,113 urine and humor samples, retired of which 260 tested affirmative successful 2024, the planetary watchdog said successful its yearly study published precocious connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025). The findings are a large stroke to India, which is preparing to big the 2030 Commonwealth Games — an lawsuit seen arsenic a stepping chromatic for the country’s ambition of hosting the 2036 Olympics. Athletics (76) had the highest fig of doping cases past year, followed by weightlifting (43) and wrestling (29).
