Several residents of Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district were jolted awake on New Year’s morning by a loud explosion near the local police station. The blast, which could be heard from up to 400–500 metres away, resulted in property damage but no injuries. The blast occurred in a lane adjacent to the Nalagarh police...

NEW DELHI: The ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) on Thursday denied reports claiming that it had directed edits to the blockbuster Hindi film Dhurandhar, asserting that no instructions were issued by the government to mute words or revise dialogues.Responding to reports that the Ranveer Singh–starrer’s theatrical cut was altered following ministry intervention, the I&B...

A Kalaburagi court on Thursday sentenced a revenue officer to four years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 after finding her guilty of accepting a bribe for facilitating mutation of houses sanctioned by the Karnataka Housing Board. The convicted officer has been identified as Ningamma Hanumanthraya Biradar who was serving as a revenue...

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the state government has decided to initiate the process of “pushing back” people into Bangladesh within a week of them being declared a foreigner by Foreigners’ Tribunals. He said this was aimed at preventing the process from getting “prolonged” by “them going to the High Court...

Moments after oil marketing companies hiked the price of 19-kg commercial LPG gas cylinders by Rs 111, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday called it a “New Year’s gift” to Indians from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking a dig at the Centre, the AAP took to X and wrote, “A New Year’s gift to...

An iconic church in Amsterdam was partially destroyed after a fire tore through its spire in the early hours of New Year’s Day.The Vondelkerk, located next to the city’s well-known Vondelpark, collapsed in on itself as 2026 celebrations were underway. The fire is believed to have broken out shortly after midnight and was quickly declared...

North East students union members hold placards during a protest against the killing of Tripura student Angel Chakma, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, on December 31, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday (January 1, 2026) said people in the rest of the country should be educated about...

UPSC Issue at a Glance is an initiative by UPSC Essentials aimed at streamlining your UPSC Current Affairs preparation for the prelims and mains examinations by focusing on issues making headlines. This week, we cover the important reports and indices from a broader perspective. Let’s get started. What is the issue? As we enter 2026, various global and national reports...

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has dismissed the electoral prospects of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Speaking to the media, Chidambaram stated, ‘India Koottani is a strong Koottani… I have complete faith that India Koottani will win.’ He clarified that the Congress remains firmly within the...