Breaking News Live Updates: Trump suspends green card lottery programme that let 2 shooting suspects into US

Breaking News Live Updates, December 19, 2025: The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday approved former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the next head of the UN refugee agency, its first from the Middle East since the late 1970s. The 193-member world body elected the 65-year-old Kurdish politician as the UN high commissioner for refugees by consensus and a bang of the gavel by Assembly President Annalena Baerbock. Diplomats in the assembly chamber burst into applause as Salih's election became official.

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'PM Narendra Modi will be the first to offer homage to Bir Swahids': Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tweets, "The Swahid Smarak Kshetra stands as a lasting tribute to our Bir Swahids of the Assam Movement. On Sunday, PM Narendra Modi will be the first Prime Minister to offer homage at this sacred site..."

'Protests against Indian missions are being orchestrated ahead of elections': Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Bangladesh unrest

Nine schools receive bomb threats in Noida,  turns out to be hoax

Nine schools in Noida, including Amity and Shiv Nadar received bomb threat mails on Friday, police said. The threats later turned out to be hoax after police conducted searches at the premises of the schools.

'Sajid Akram hails from Hyderabad': Telangana DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy on Bondi beach attack

On Bondi Beach attack in Australia, Telangana DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy says, "Regarding the incident in Sydney, he (the attacker, Sajid Akram) was born in Hyderabad. He has not been living in Hyderabad, Telangana, India since 1998. He went to Australia in 1998 for further studies and has been living there since then. He came to Hyderabad in 2000, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2016, and once again in 2022. During these visits, on two or three occasions, he came regarding family property matters. He came to resolve those issues. Once, he came a month after his father's death... Currently, no Australian agency or Australian police are in contact with us. And whatever information we have gathered through our inquiry here is because of the central agencies. The central agency informed us that this man is from Hyderabad. Based on that information, we conducted our inquiry..."

'Not a party, but company': BJP MP Biplob Kumar on TMC's protest VB- G RAM G Bill 2025

On TMC's protest VB- G RAM G Bill 2025 passed by Parliament, BJP MP Biplab Kumar Deb says, "This is a two-people party: of aunt and nephew. This is not a party but a company. In a company, whatever is said by the CEO is what is done. Their CEO is 'bhaipo', while she is the chairman. I urge the MPs to save their own existence first...Think about what is happening in Bangladesh. If you have guts, cross the Bangladesh border and save the Bengalis there..."

PDP leader Iltija Mufti lodges police complaint against Nitish Kumar for pulling woman's 'naqab'

PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Friday lodged a police complaint seeking the registration of an FIR against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for recently pulling off the veil from a woman doctor’s face. However, there was no word from the police on whether an FIR has been registered against the JD-U chief.

Trump suspends green card lottery programme that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into US

President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery programme on Thursday that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that at Trump's direction she is ordering the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the programme.

Two killed, one injured after bikes collide, truck runs them over in UP's Banda

Two men were killed, and another was injured after being run over by a truck following a head-on collision between two motorcycles here, police said on Friday.The deceased were identified as Sarwar (25) and Ishrat (30), they said.

US military says 2 strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific

The US military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people. US Southern Command posted on social media, "Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence. It posted videos of each boat speeding through water before being struck by an explosion.

The military said three people in one vessel and two in the other were killed.

Man accused of raping 12-year-old held after encounter in UP's Ballia

A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl, following an encounter, police said on Friday. According to the police, the encounter took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. The accused suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg during the encounter. Police said that a 12-year-old girl from a village in the Ubhav police station area was allegedly raped by a 25-year-old man named Sablu Rajbhar, who took her to a house.

Lok Sabha adjourned sine die; Winter Session concludes

Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, drawing curtains on the 19-day-long Winter Session of Parliament. During the brief session with 15 sittings, key Bills were passed, including the one to open up the civil nuclear sector for private companies.

Canada, US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid-January

Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to the review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said. The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country's point person for US-Canada trade relations, "will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carney's office said in a statement late Thursday.

Australia increases its lead to 204 at tea on Day 3 of third Ashes cricket test

Travis Head scored an unbeaten half-century to guide Australia to 119 for two in its second innings Friday, a lead of 204 at tea on Day 3 of the third Ashes cricket test against England. The Australians went in to bat after dismissing England for 286 just before lunch on Day 3. Ben Stokes inspired a revival in England's Ashes campaign in the morning session with a record 106-run ninth-wicket stand alongside Jofra Archer.

Encounter breaks out between security personnel and Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur

An encounter broke out between security personnel and Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Friday, a police official said. The exchange of fire started in the morning in the forested hills of Bhairamgarh-Indravati area when a District Reserve Guard team was out on an anti-Naxalite operation following inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres in the area, he said.

Parts of Tamil Nadu hit by heavy rains, several areas inundated

As a result of the heavy rainfall that occurred about three weeks ago in the urban areas of Thoothukudi, a large amount of rainwater has stagnated in vacant house plots. This has caused severe hardship to residents living in nearby residential areas.

Dense fog in several parts of North India

Visibility drops as dense fog covers Dausa

TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on January 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.

Witkoff to host new Gaza talks as Israel-Hamas ceasefire appears stalled

President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy on Friday will host top officials from Middle Eastern countries mediating the Gaza ceasefire, a State Department official said, in a bid to push the tenuous agreement into its next phase. The envoy, Steve Witkoff, is Trump's key delegate for handling peace negotiations. He will meet in Miami with officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, said the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview a meeting that has not yet been publicly announced.

Kremlin envoy set to visit Miami for talks on US peace plan for Ukraine

A Kremlin envoy will travel to Florida to discuss a US-proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine, a US official said Thursday, part of the back-and-forth diplomacy as the Trump administration pushes for a potential deal. Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund, is set to meet with US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, according to an American official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview a meeting that hasn't yet been publicly announced.

EU leaders agree on 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine

 European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, EU Council President Antonio Costa said. "We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered,” Costa said in a post on social media, without providing details about how the money would be raised.

EU to slash asylum cases from 7 nations deemed safe

The European Union on Thursday said it would drastically reduce asylum claims from seven nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia by considering them safe countries of origin, prompting widespread outrage from human rights groups on International Migrants' Day. An agreement between European Parliament and the European Council, or the group of the 27 EU heads of state, said that the countries would be considered safe if they lack "relevant circumstances, such as indiscriminate violence in the context of an armed conflict.” Asylum requests by people from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia will be "fast-tracked, with applicants having to prove that this provision should not apply to them,” read the announcement of the agreement. 

Britain names new ambassador to US to replace diplomat with Jeffrey Epstein links

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed a new UK ambassador to the United States on Thursday, replacing a diplomat who was fired over his over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Christian Turner, currently the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, will replace Peter Mandelson, who was sacked in September because of his friendship with Epstein.

Bulgarians protest widespread graft, call for fair election

Tens of thousands of people on Thursday filled the streets of Bulgaria's capital and other major cities in the country, calling for a fair election and an independent judiciary able to effectively fight widespread corruption. The demonstrations in Sofia and elsewhere came after last week's protests sparked by the government's budget plans for higher taxes and spending increases. The government later withdrew the contentious 2026 budget plan, but eventually bowed to people's demands and stepped down.

TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on January 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.

UN elects former Iraqi President Barham Salih as head of refugee agency

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday approved former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the next head of the UN refugee agency, its first from the Middle East since the late 1970s. The 193-member world body elected the 65-year-old Kurdish politician as the UN high commissioner for refugees by consensus and a bang of the gavel by Assembly President Annalena Baerbock. Diplomats in the assembly chamber burst into applause as Salih's election became official.