A BBC investigation suggests that Georgian police used a World War One-era chemical, known as camite, on protesters in Tbilisi last year. Demonstrators reported severe burning sensations, coughing, vomiting and breathing issues that lasted for weeks. A doctor who studied nearly 350 protesters found long-term symptoms and heart signal issues in many of them. Whistleblowers from the riot police said the chemical was mixed into water cannon tanks. Chemical experts told the BBC that the evidence strongly points to camite, a powerful and outdated agent. Georgia’s government denied the findings and called them “absurd”. (PC: BBC)

The BCCI has called an urgent meeting with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar before the second ODI against South Africa. According to reports, the meeting will also include BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and other officials. The board wants clarity on team selection, long-term plans, and recent on-field decisions. The move comes after India lost the home Test series to South Africa and amid talk about the future of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Officials said they want “selection consistency” and clear planning with major tournaments coming up. (PC: NDTV)

Delhi saw slight relief from pollution on Monday as strong northwesterly winds pushed the city’s air quality into the ‘poor’ category after 24 days of ‘very poor’ levels. The overall AQI stood at 300 at 8:05 am, up from 279 on Sunday. Nehru Nagar recorded the worst AQI at 354, while NSIT Dwarka had the best at 202. Experts said steady winds helped clear pollutants across Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana. However, the cold tightened its grip. Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 5.7°C, the lowest of the season and the lowest November reading since 2022. (PC: HT)

The 15-day winter session of Parliament of India commenced amid a tense backdrop, with the government set to introduce 14 Bills including the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025 and the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025. Opposition parties demanded urgent debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing deaths of Booth Level Officers, and flagged the deadly Delhi blast and Delhi’s air-pollution crisis as key national-security concerns. The government urged cooperation while insisting agenda decisions rest with the Business Advisory Committee. (PC: India Today)

Following a 17-run victory over South Africa national cricket team in the opening one-day international, KL Rahul lauded the performance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, describing their approach as “fun to watch… with that freedom.” Kohli smashed an excellent century while Rohit contributed a solid 57, forming the backbone of the Indian total of 349. Rahul also highlighted young pacer Harshit Rana as “special and full of potential” for his effective new-ball spell in the game. (PC: ANI)

Devastating floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains and a tropical storm have killed more than 900 people across Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand. Sri Lanka has recorded 334 deaths, its worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami, with large parts of Colombo submerged and 148,000 people displaced. Indonesia reported over 442 deaths and 402 missing as remote areas of Sumatra remain cut off, forcing survivors to shelter in makeshift tents. Thailand confirmed at least 162 deaths amid rising criticism of its flood response. Rescue efforts are hampered by damaged roads, communication breakdowns and severe weather, raising fears of a further rise in casualties. (PC: Reuters)

India is set to propose a fresh defence procurement engagement with Russia during Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit, according to a Bloomberg News report. The discussions are expected to centre on the acquisition of Russian Su‑57 stealth fighter jets and the advanced S‑500 missile defence system, under the framework of the nations’ Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The deal is still subject to verification and official confirmation. (PC: Reuters)

The government plans to introduce Central Excise Amendment Bill, 2025 and Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025 in parliament to replace the existing GST‑compensation cess on tobacco, cigarettes and pan masala. Currently, these “sin goods” carry 28% GST plus a compensation cess — a 2025 tax overhaul after most goods shifted to lower GST slabs. The new bills aim to maintain high tax incidence on tobacco and pan masala by replacing the cess with either excise duties or a special “health and security cess.” The revenue collected will help fund public‑health and national‑security expenditure while ensuring that prices of harmful products don’t drop after cess expiry. (PC: PTI)

The cyclone has weakened into a deep depression about 30 km off the north-coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In Sri Lanka the storm left at least 334 people dead and around 370 missing, destroying nearly 20,000 homes and forcing over 100,000 into shelters. In Tamil Nadu, heavy rains and gusty winds of 60-80 km/h triggered the deaths of three people in rain-related incidents; authorities issued alerts for coastal districts including Chennai, Kanchipuram and Vellore. Emergency teams from disaster relief units are on standby and over 400 stranded Indians were evacuated from Sri Lanka via air. 

In a rare personal revelation on the podcast hosted by Nikhil Kamath, Musk disclosed that his partner, Shivon Zilis, is half-Indian. He further shared that one of their sons carries the middle name “Sekhar”, chosen in honour of Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics. Musk explained that Zilis grew up in Canada after being adopted as a baby while her Indian heritage comes via her biological father, reportedly an exchange student in Canada.