1.Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday warmly welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as he kick-started a nearly 27-hour visit to India.

2.As many as 18,822 Indian nationals have been deported by the United States since 2009, including 3,258 since January 2025, the government informed the Rajya Sabha.

3.India abstained in the UN General Assembly from a draft resolution that demanded that Russia ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported since the start of the war.

4.The Odisha government sanctioned Rs1 crore for Bargarh’s Dhanu Jatra, during which the town transforms into an open-air theatre with the life of Lord Krishna being enacted over 11 days.

5.The country’s largest airline IndiGo cancelled more than 550 domestic and international flight

6.Lightning strikes have claimed the lives of 92 people in Odisha this year, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told the Assembly Thursday.

7.On the charge of sexually harassing a girl student, Satrughna Samal A guest lecturer of state government-run Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya was arrested .

8.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Odisha will soon get its rights over Mahanadi River waters through a legal and amicable solution to the dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

9.The Odisha Police has put in place elaborate security arrangements for the India–South Africa T20 International cricket match scheduled at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack December 9. Over 70 platoons of police force will be deployed as part of the extensive security plan.

10.Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said that India has achieved the fastest rollout of 5G services globally, supported by over 1.23 billion telecom subscribers and nearly 99 per cent 4G coverage.

11.Taking note of a plea alleging extreme work pressure faced by the booth level officers (BLOs) engaged in the time-bound special revision of the electoral rolls, the Supreme Court directed the states Thursday to consider deputing additional employees for reducing their working hours.

12.The Russian Education Agency, a joint initiative of Synergy Corporation and Innopraktika.India, announced Thursday the opening of its branch here to deepen cultural and educational ties between India and Russia and support Indian students seeking admission to Russian universities.

13.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav Thursday released three cheetahs into the wild at the Kuno National Park (KNP) on the occasion of International Cheetah Day

14.Foreign investors have pulled out Rs13,121 crore ($1.46 billion) from Indian equities in the fi rst four days of December, taking the total outfl ow for 2025 to Rs1.56 lakh crore ($17.8 billion), data from NSDL showed Thursday.

15.India has found its youngest chess record-holder. Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha, just three years, seven months and 20 days old, has become the youngest player in world chess history to earn an official FIDE rating.