Indian travel vlogger Anant Mittal, known online as On Road Indian, said Chinese officials detained him for about 15 hours after his social media remarks on Arunachal Pradesh. The incident happened on November 16. Mittal said he was questioned for hours before being released. In a YouTube video, he said he has no political links and shares travel stories only. He added that he studied in India’s Northeast and feels close to the region. He believes his detention followed a video he made after learning about an Arunachal resident being stopped in China earlier. Chinese officials have not commented publicly. (PC: India Today)

Venezuela accused the United States of “extortion” at an emergency UN Security Council meeting after Washington seized two Venezuelan oil tankers this month. Venezuela’s UN envoy Samuel Moncada said the action was piracy and illegal. The US said it is also tracking a third tanker. President Donald Trump earlier ordered a naval blockade on sanctioned oil ships linked to the Maduro government. He accused President Nicolas Maduro of leading drug groups. The US said it may keep or sell the seized oil and vessels. Russia and China criticised the US move and urged it to stop. The US said the actions target drug trafficking in the region. (PC: BBC)

A 21-year-old woman in Bengaluru was assaulted in broad daylight on December 22 after rejecting romantic advances from a man she met on Instagram, according to police. CCTV footage shows the accused, identified as Naveen Kumar, approaching her near her PG accommodation, taking her purse, groping her and repeatedly slapping and dragging her along the road while bystanders looked on. The encounter, captured on camera, has sparked concerns about women’s safety and online-to-offline harassment. Police have registered an FIR and taken the accused into custody; further investigation is ongoing. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis mocked the newly announced alliance between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, comparing it humorously to “Russia and Ukraine coming together” — implying it was unlikely and overhyped. He said the reunion was driven by political survival, arguing that both parties had lost their identity and vote base, and claimed it won’t affect local civic polls. Fadnavis maintained that people trust the ruling Mahayuti’s development work and predicted its victory. The comment followed the Thackeray cousins’ joint announcement of their alliance ahead of the January 15 municipal elections. (PC: ANI)

Toronto police are investigating the homicide of 30-year-old Indian-origin woman Himanshi Khurana, whose body was found inside a downtown residence after she was reported missing on Dec 19, 2025. Officers classified her death as a homicide following the discovery early on Dec 20. Authorities have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori, believed to have known the victim and suspected of first-degree murder. Police say the case appears linked to intimate partner violence and have released images of the suspect, urging the public to help locate him. The Indian Consulate in Toronto expressed deep sorrow and is assisting the family. (PC: X)

In Pudussery, Palakkad district, Kerala, a man identified as RSS worker Ashwin Raj was arrested for allegedly assaulting a group of children singing Christmas carols and destroying their band set while they visited houses Sunday night, police said. The carol team, which included children, was confronted and attacked after the accused objected to markings on the drum, according to the complaint. A Catholic bishop strongly condemned the incident, calling any attack on carollers unacceptable and urging legal action. Local BJP leaders disputed details, alleging political motives, while youth groups have announced protests over the episode. (PC: The Hindu)

A fresh batch of nearly 30,000 documents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein files includes numerous references to President Donald Trump, showing he flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, sometimes with an unnamed 20-year-old woman and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, according to a senior prosecutor email. The files also contain internal communications and photos tied to Epstein and his circle—but do not allege criminal conduct by Trump. The DOJ labeled many claims involving Trump as “untrue and sensationalist,” emphasizing transparency in releasing the records. (PC: AP)

Several explosions were heard in southern Moscow on Wednesday at the location where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a car bomb days earlier, according to Russian Telegram channels citing eyewitness reports. Unofficial sources said a car detonated nearby and at least two people were seriously injured, though no official confirmation has been issued by authorities. Sarvarov’s assassination came amid a series of targeted attacks on senior Russian military figures since the Ukraine conflict began, with some accusations pointing toward possible involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. (PC: Reuters)

Controversial figures Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya sparked widespread outrage after a viral video showed them at a lavish London party, where Modi referred to both as “the two biggest fugitives of India.” The footage was shared on social media from Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration, capturing the pair joking about their legal status abroad while evading Indian authorities. Their remarks and public display have drawn sharp backlash online, with critics accusing them of taunting India’s law enforcement and judicial processes. Both men have been living overseas amid ongoing legal challenges. 

The Delhi High Court sharply questioned the Centre’s imposition of 18 % GST on air purifiers, urging the government to explain why tax on these essential devices isn’t reduced amid severe air pollution affecting public health. The court, hearing a public interest litigation seeking classification of air purifiers as medical devices (which could lower GST to 5 %), said citizens breathe about 21,000 times a day, highlighting the damage of polluted air and calling the tax “unreasonable” given the failure to provide clean air. The bench asked the government to respond urgently in court.