Top News of the Day – Evening News Wrap 4th Dec 2025 : India & World
Top News of the Day – Evening News Wrap: India & World
Hey folks, it’s that time again – wrapping up the day’s biggest stories from across the globe and right here at home. We’ve got everything from old spy scandals resurfacing to fresh economic wins, plus some sky-gazing magic tonight. Grab a cup of chai, settle in, and let’s dive into what mattered most on December 4, 2025. I’ll break it down story by story, keeping it real and straightforward.
INDIA NEWS
Deadly Gas Scare Hits Jharkhand Mining Villages
Tragedy struck in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district today, where a suspected toxic gas leak from old coal mines claimed two women’s lives and sent over a dozen folks to the hospital. It happened in Kenduadih Basti, a spot under Bharat Coking Coal Limited’s watch. One woman passed away Wednesday evening; the next followed this morning. Locals blame carbon monoxide seeping from underground shafts – colourless, sneaky stuff that starves your blood of oxygen. Symptoms hit fast: dizziness, nausea, blackout. Officials wait on post-mortems for confirmation, but they’re evacuating over 1,000 people from nearby areas like Rajput Basti and Masjid Mohalla. Protests erupted, with villagers blocking the Dhanbad-Ranchi road and burning tires, demanding quick relocation. BCCL’s moving fast to clear danger zones for about 10,000 residents. It’s a tough wake-up for mining towns – safety checks can’t come soon enough. Heart goes out to the families.
Shastri’s Sharp Words: Hands Off Kohli and Sharma, BCCI
Cricket’s family drama heated up with Ravi Shastri throwing his weight behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The former coach didn’t hold back, telling the BCCI to quit poking at the duo’s spots in the white-ball team. “These guys are giants in ODIs,” he said flat out. “Don’t mess with players like them. If they flip the switch – agar in dono ka dimaag kharab ho gaya – the noise will vanish overnight.” It comes amid chatter about their form post-Test retirements and the 2027 World Cup push. Shastri, who’s tight with both, sees no need for the constant second-guessing. Rohit jumped back into domestic cricket to meet BCCI rules, while Kohli took some convincing. Fans love the loyalty – it’s like watching a big brother step up. Makes you wonder if this quiets the selectors or just stirs the pot more. Either way, these two aren’t done yet.
India Bags $2B Sub Deal from Russia as Putin Lands
India sealed a $2 billion lease for a nuclear attack sub from Russia today, timed with Putin’s Delhi visit – his first since the Ukraine invasion. After 10 years of haggling over price, it’s done. The sub’s bigger than India’s current pair, mainly for crew training, not frontline fights. Delivery in two years, tops. Naval chief Dinesh Tripathi hinted at it earlier. Modi and Putin will chat defence, energy, and trade – India’s Russia’s top oil buyer. Trump’s slapped 50% tariffs to curb that, but Modi’s holding India’s line. This boosts sea power in the Indian Ocean. Smart play for self-reliance. Exciting times for the navy.
Congress Boots Kerala MLA Over Rape Charges
Kerala’s Congress kicked out Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from the party today after a court nixed his anticipatory bail in a rape case. The 30-something Youth Congress star, elected in a 2024 bypoll, faces claims from a woman he knew: assault, forced abortion, even drugging. Audio leaks back her story. He’s in hiding; cops hunt him. A second rape FIR hit too, from a 23-year-old abroad. KPCC chief Sunny Joseph called it primary membership cut, with AICC nod. Leaders say he should quit as MLA next. From social media darling to this – a fast fall. Party’s drawing a hard line on scandals. Justice now rests with courts. Tough day for politics.
Supreme Court: BLOs Must Pitch In, But Get Backup If Strapped
The Supreme Court ruled today that government workers loaned to the Election Commission for voter list updates – Special Intensive Revision, or SIR – have to do the job. No dodging. But if Booth Level Officers like teachers or anganwadi workers buckle under the load, states must step up with extra hands. BLOs juggle this with day jobs, and some have died by suicide from stress. Court wants case-by-case swaps for the sick or pregnant. SIR’s on in 12 states now; FIRs fly if folks skip out. Deadline’s tight, but this eases the crunch. Fair call – duty’s duty, but burnout’s real. States, make it work.
IndiGo’s Rough Day: 200+ Flights Grounded, Airports in Turmoil
Travel nightmares unfolded at Indian airports today as IndiGo axed over 200 flights – the third straight day of mess. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru took the worst hit: 191 gone there alone. Blame new pilot rest rules clashing with a software patch for safety. Crew shortages snowballed; on-time rate tanked to 19.7% at big hubs. Passengers fumed in lines, some stuck 24 hours with slim updates. DGCA hauled IndiGo in for a 2 p.m. grilling. Other airlines held steady. Holiday rush plus fog? Brutal timing. Apologies won’t fix lost plans, but fixes better come quick. Fly safe out there.
Fitch Bumps Up India’s Growth Call to 7.4% for FY26
Good vibes from Fitch Ratings: India’s economy should hum at 7.4% growth next fiscal, up from their old 6.9% guess. Credit goes to folks spending more – real incomes rising, plus GST tweaks slashing prices on basics. Q2 already clocked 8.2%, best in six quarters. Inflation’s low at 0.3%, so RBI might trim rates once more to 5.25% this month. But FY27 dips to 6.4% as boosts fade. Private cash could flow freer later. Solid news amid global wobbles – consumption’s carrying the load. Keeps India in the fast lane. Optimism feels earned.
Census Countdown: Homes First in ’26, Full Count in ’27
India’s gearing up for Census 2027 – first with caste data in decades, all digital via apps and self-fills. It splits in two: house listing and housing census from April to September 2026, wrapping in 30 days per state. Then population tally in February 2027, pegged to March 1 midnight. Snowy spots like Ladakh or Himachal shift to September-October. Questionnaire’s finalising now; public input soon. Delayed forever, but this roadmap brings relief – better planning for jobs, schools, you name it. Everyone counts. Mark your calendars.
WORLD NEWS
UK Inquiry Points Finger at Putin in 2018 Spy Poisoning
A UK probe just dropped a bombshell on the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury. It says Russian President Vladimir Putin greenlit the whole thing – using Novichok on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The pair collapsed on a bench after the poison hit their door handle. Worse, an innocent woman, Dawn Sturgess, died months later from the same batch, hidden in a fake perfume bottle. The report calls it reckless, with enough toxin to wipe out thousands. Skripal and Yulia pulled through, but a cop who rushed to help got seriously sick too. This isn’t the first time Putin’s linked to hits on UK soil – remember Litvinenko? The inquiry notes no one saw it coming, since Skripal wasn’t in immediate danger. UK PM Keir Starmer slammed it as proof of Russia’s brutal playbook. It’s a stark reminder of how far state ops can go.
Catch the Cold Moon: Your Guide to Tonight’s Supermoon Show
Step outside tonight for the year’s last supermoon – the Cold Moon lighting up the December sky. It peaks at 8:13 p.m. EST, but you’ll spot it rising big and bright over the eastern horizon right at sunset. Why supermoon? It’s at perigee, our satellite’s closest swing to Earth, making it look 10% bigger and brighter than usual. This one’s the third in a row, after October’s Harvest and November’s Beaver. Native folks call it Cold Moon for winter’s chill; old English names it Moon Before Yule. Best views? Clear your eastern skyline – no trees or buildings in the way. It’ll climb high in Taurus, outshining nearby stars. Phone cameras might catch the glow, but binoculars amp up the craters. If clouds roll in, check Friday too; it’ll still dazzle. Perfect end to a busy day – nature’s free light show. Who’s joining me?
Pakistan’s Big Sell-Off: PIA Up for Grabs, Military Ties in Play?
Pakistan’s pushing to offload its cash-bleeding national airline, PIA, in a live auction on December 23. It’s a must-do for that $7 billion IMF lifeline – first major privatisation in 20 years. Four groups made the cut: Lucky Cement team, Arif Habib crew, Air Blue, and Fauji Fertiliser, linked to the army’s Fauji Foundation. Army chief Asim Munir doesn’t sit on the board, but the military’s grip means indirect sway. Rules keep majority stakes Pakistani; no foreign bosses. Last year’s try flopped with a lowball bid. PIA’s drowned in debt, but this could steady the economy if it lands right. Wonder if Fauji wins – it’d mark the army’s aviation debut. Tough spot for a flag carrier, but maybe a fresh owner turns the page. Fingers crossed for smoother skies ahead.
Putin’s Tough Take: Ukraine Peace Called ‘Hard Grind’
Vladimir Putin sat down for a five-hour chat in Moscow with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – no big wins on ending the Ukraine war, but he called it “constructive.” The trio hashed over four peace docs, fresh from Witkoff’s Ukraine talks. Putin dubbed wrapping up the fight “difficult work,” hinting at no quick fix. Russia’s held 19% of Ukraine, pushing hard this year. Europe floated counters, but Putin shot them down as “unacceptable.” Ukraine’s foreign minister sees it as proof Moscow’s not serious yet. Witkoff and Kushner strolled Red Square pre-meet, but talks dragged past midnight. Analysts say Putin might bite on a holiday ceasefire if Trump leans in. Four years in, it’s a slog – families torn, cities scarred. Hope these back-and-forths inch toward quiet. We’ll watch close.
Jaguar’s Design Chief Out After Bold Rebrand Backlash
Gerry McGovern, the creative force behind Jaguar’s big shift, got the boot from JLR this week. The 69-year-old steered designs for hits like the Evoque and Defender over 21 years. But his hand in last year’s “woke” rebrand – ditching the leaping cat logo and teasing pink-blue EVs like Type 00 – drew fire from fans and big names like Elon Musk. Internal gripes leaked too: his team fumed over outsourcing to Accenture. McGovern, a Ratan Tata favourite, left right after new CEO PB Balaji took over. Escorted out, they say – ouch. JLR’s betting on EVs, but sales lag. This shake-up signals a pivot. Will it claw back the old magic or double down? Car lovers, sound off. Change stings, but maybe it’s the spark needed.
Rubio’s Alert: Radical Islam’s Reach Called Urgent Risk
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded the alarm on radical Islam today, labelling it a “clear and imminent threat” to America and the West. In a Fox News chat, he said these groups aren’t content with pockets of power – they aim to grab more land and sway. “They see the US as evil’s root,” he noted, pointing to plots from terror hits to state-backed kills. Iran’s in the mix too. Rubio tied it to visa curbs for anyone funding or backing attacks on Christians, like in Nigeria’s Boko Haram fights. Over 15 years, that’s killed thousands there. It’s revolutionary, he stressed – no borders respected. Bold words from the new admin. Makes you think about global ripples. Stay vigilant, but let’s hope it sparks smart action over fear.
Netanyahu Stands Firm: NYC Trip on, But With a Catch
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he’ll head to New York despite mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s arrest threat over an ICC warrant. Mamdani, who blasts Israel’s Gaza ops as genocide, vows NYPD will nab Netanyahu at the airport if he shows. The ICC eyes war crimes charges tied to post-October 7 strikes. Netanyahu shrugged it off at a DealBook event: “I’ll come, of course.” But he set a line – no sit-down with Mamdani unless the mayor drops the ICC push. US feds handle borders anyway, and Trump’s crew backs Israel hard, even sanctioning ICC folks. NYC’s got the world’s biggest Jewish community outside Israel, plus the UN. Bold move amid his own legal messes at home. Tensions high, but Netanyahu’s not backing down. What’s next in this standoff?
Trump’s Team Tightens Screws on H-1B Visas
The Trump administration rolled out tougher checks for H-1B visas today – key for tech hires from places like India and China. A State Department memo flags anyone tied to “censorship” of US free speech for denial. That means digging into LinkedIn, resumes, even family – spotting roles in content moderation, fact-checks, or misinformation fights at social media or finance firms. It’s for new and renewals. Already hit student visas with social media scans. New $100K fees kicked in September too. Tech bosses backed Trump, but this could snag talent. Free speech push or hiring hurdle? Debates rage. Watch for ripples in Silicon Valley.
There you have it – the evening’s roundup. From cosmic highs to earthly lows, it’s been a full plate. What caught your eye? Drop a comment, share your take. Stay curious, stay connected. See you tomorrow for more. Good night!”
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