Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was laid to rest in Dhaka on Wednesday with full state honours. The 80 year old BNP leader was buried beside her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, at Manik Mia Avenue near parliament. Thousands of supporters and foreign guests attended the funeral. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India and met Zia’s son and acting BNP chief Tarique Rahman before the ceremony. He handed over a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar also met Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Leaders from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives were also present. (PC: India Today)

Russia has released a night video showing a damaged drone in a snowy forest area. The defence ministry said the drone was launched by Ukraine towards President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region. Moscow earlier claimed that 91 long range drones were used in the attack and that all were shot down. The Kremlin called it a “terrorist act” and a personal attack on Putin. Ukraine has denied the charge and said there is no proof it carried out such a strike. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the claim as fake and urged allies to verify Russia’s account.

The small atoll of Kiritimati in the Pacific nation of Kiribati has become the first place in the world to welcome 2026. The island, also called Christmas Island, lies south of Hawaii and north east of Australia. Kiribati is made up of many coral atolls spread across almost 4,000 kilometres of ocean. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1979 and has a population of about 116,000. Many islands are very low lying and face rising sea levels. New Year events will reach other parts of Kiribati and then move west across the globe. (PC: BBC)

In the high-profile murder of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, prime accused Faisal Karim Masud has publicly denied any involvement, claiming in a viral video message that he is in Dubai, not India as alleged by Bangladeshi police, and was wrongly accused. He said his ties with Hadi were business-related and blamed a radical political group for the killing. Masud insists his family is being harassed and released evidence of his UAE visa on social media. Bangladesh authorities maintain suspects fled via the Meghalaya border; India has rejected those claims. Hadi was shot in Dhaka on Dec 12 and died later abroad. (PC: X)

Police in Rajasthan’s Tonk district arrested two men and seized about 150 kg of explosive material from their car on New Year’s Eve. The action followed a tip-off received by the District Special Team. The suspects were stopped in the Baroni police station area. Officers found ammonium nitrate hidden in sacks marked as urea fertiliser. Police also recovered 200 cartridges and around 1,100 metres of safety fuse wire. The car used to carry the material was seized. The accused, both from Bundi district, were allegedly taking the consignment to Tonk for supply. Police are questioning them to find the source and purpose of the material.

A US District Court has upheld the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications. The US Chamber of Commerce has filed an appeal against the ruling. The fee was announced in September through a presidential order and aims to limit misuse of the visa system. The H-1B programme allows US firms to hire skilled foreign workers. Judge Beryl Howell of the District of Columbia court ruled on December 23 that the president acted within legal authority. The Chamber says the sharp hike breaks immigration law. Similar lawsuits have been filed by states, unions, and staffing firms. The case may reach the US Supreme Court. (PC: India Today)

Gelsenkirchen are hunting thieves who drilled into the underground vault of a Sparkasse bank branch and stole about €30 million in cash and valuables. The crime was found early Monday after a fire alarm went off. Officers say the suspects broke into more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes. They likely entered and escaped through a nearby parking garage during the quiet Christmas days. Witnesses saw several men carrying large bags in the garage stairwell. Video shows a black Audi RS6 leaving the area. No arrests have been made. The branch remains closed and customers were told to contact the bank. (PC: BBC)

Israel will revoke the licences of 37 aid groups working in Gaza and the West Bank from January 1, ending their operations within 60 days. The list includes ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee and the Norwegian Refugee Council. Israel said the groups failed to meet new registration rules, including sharing full staff details. Ten foreign ministers, including from the UK and France, said the move would harm access to health care and other basic services. Israel said aid would continue through approved channels and denied that assistance would be disrupted. UN-linked groups warned the rules threaten vital humanitarian work across Gaza. (PC: BBC)

Eurostar disruption entered a second day after a power fault in the Channel Tunnel forced major delays and cancellations. Some passengers were stranded on trains for more than six hours overnight. A traveller on a 19:01 London-Paris service said the train was still waiting near the tunnel at 03:00 GMT. Getlink, the tunnel operator, said engineers worked through the night to fix damaged overhead cables. Only one tunnel line was open for part of Tuesday. Eurostar said it plans to run all services on Wednesday but warned of delays and last-minute cancellations. At least a dozen trains were cancelled on Tuesday. (PC: BBC)

Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir hosted a low-profile wedding for his third daughter, Mahnoor, on December 26 at the Pakistan Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi, marrying her to his nephew, Abdul Rehman, the son of his brother, according to multiple reports. The ceremony was attended by top political and military figures, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, the ISI chief and senior army officials, but no official photos were released due to security. Abdul Rehman is a former army captain now serving as an assistant commissioner through a military quota, and about 400 guests were present at the event, which was kept discreet amid tight security. (PC: Reuters)