British ex-paratrooper Karl Bushby, who began his Goliath Expedition in 1998 to walk around the world without motorised transport, is nearing the end of his extraordinary 31,000-mile journey. Starting from Punta Arenas, Chile, Bushby has traversed 25 countries, deserts, jungles, war zones, and frozen seas over 27 years. His trek included crossing the Darién Gap, walking the Bering Strait, and even swimming across the Caspian Sea. Despite visa bans, financial crises, and the pandemic, he has upheld his rule of advancing only on foot. Now in Hungary, about 932 miles from Hull, England, Bushby is expected to complete his odyssey by September 2026, marking one of history’s longest continuous treks. (PC: Instagram)

Tamil Nadu's electoral rolls saw 97 lakh voter names deleted following the Special Intensive Revision exercise, reducing the total from 6.41 crore to 5.43 crore voters. The Election Commission's December 19 draft identified 26.94 lakh deceased voters, 66.44 lakh shifted voters, and 3.39 lakh duplicate registrations. Chennai recorded the highest deletions at 14.25 lakh, dropping from 40.04 lakh to 25.79 lakh voters. Coimbatore lost 6.50 lakh, while Dindigul, Kanchipuram, and Karur saw significant reductions. Chief Election Officer Archana Patnaik dismissed allegations of selective community-based deletions, stating due procedure was followed. AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami claimed most deleted votes were fake, criticizing DMK's electoral practices. (PC: The Hindu)

Bangladesh youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi will be buried beside national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on Saturday following his family's request, Inqilab Mancha announced. His funeral prayer will be held at 2 pm at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban's South Plaza after arriving from Singapore on Friday evening. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus confirmed attendees cannot carry bags or heavy items, and drone flying is prohibited near Parliament House. Hadi died Thursday in Singapore after being shot by unidentified gunmen on December 12, triggering nationwide violent protests. Inqilab Mancha urged supporters to ignore instructions from other sources, stating they would gather at Dhaka University Central Mosque demanding justice while occupying streets with slogans. (PC: X)

Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by eight wickets in the Under-19 Asia Cup 2025 semi-final at The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, setting up a final clash with India on Sunday. Pakistan chased down a 122-run target with ease after bowling tightly to bundle out Bangladesh for just 121 runs. Abdul Subhan starred with four wickets as no Bangladesh batter could build a substantial innings. The rain-affected match was reduced to 27 overs per side. Bangladesh had topped Group B with three consecutive wins, while Pakistan finished second in Group A after losing to India. The victory ensures a highly anticipated India-Pakistan final in the youth tournament's title decider. (PC: X)

India defeated South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth T20I at Ahmedabad, clinching the series 3-1. Chasing 232, South Africa reached 201/8 despite Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis smashing 42 runs in two overs during the ninth and tenth. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy's crucial strikes dismissed both batsmen, ending South Africa's hopes. Earlier, Hardik Pandya's explosive 16-ball fifty, India's second-fastest in men's T20Is and Tilak Varma's consistent half-century powered India to 231/5. Pandya smashed 32 runs off his first eight balls after Suryakumar Yadav's dismissal. The all-rounder and Bumrah led India's dominant performance, ensuring South Africa couldn't pull off an upset in the series finale.

Singapore Police stated they "suspect no foul play" in singer Zubeen Garg's death, contradicting Assam's Special Investigation Team's 12,000-page chargesheet charging four with murder. Garg died mysteriously while swimming during the North East India Festival on September 19. The Singapore High Commission urged against spreading unverified information, confirming investigations continue under the Singapore Coroners Act with an inquiry scheduled for January-February 2026. Assam's SIT charged NEIF organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, secretary Siddhartha Sharma, musician Shekharjyoti Goswami, and singer Amrit Prava with murder. Additionally, Garg's cousin Sandipan Garg faces culpable homicide charges, while two PSOs are charged with criminal conspiracy and breach of trust for misappropriating entrusted funds.

The Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 7.93 crore belonging to celebrities including Urvashi Rautela, Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood, Robin Uthappa, Neha Sharma, Mimi Chakraborty, and Ankush Hazra for promoting illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet. The ED investigation revealed celebrities knowingly endorsed the unauthorized platform and its surrogate brands (1xBat, 1xbat Sporting Lines) through social media, videos, and print advertisements. Endorsement payments were allegedly routed through foreign intermediaries to conceal illicit fund origins. Previously, the ED attached Rs 11.14 crore from cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in October 2025. Total attachments now reach Rs 19.07 crore. The agency warned celebrities endorsing illegal gambling platforms face punitive action under applicable laws. (PC: India Today)

YouTube and Google services faced major outages across India and the United States, disrupting millions of users. Downdetector reported over 11,000 complaints within hours, with 73% citing website issues, 18% video streaming problems, and 9% app errors. In India, approximately 3,300 reports logged server connection failures (53%), website problems (34%), and streaming disruptions (13%). Users experienced slow loading, repeated buffering, and complete service failures across YouTube, Google Search, and YouTube TV. American users particularly struggled with YouTube TV live streams. The outage affected core Google services, with search results loading slowly or becoming inaccessible. Google has not issued an official statement confirming the cause or providing restoration timelines for the widespread disruption. (PC: X) 

Hardik Pandya blazed to India's second-fastest T20I fifty off just 16 balls against South Africa in the 5th T20I, earning a standing ovation from coach Gautam Gambhir. Pandya hammered George Linde for 27 runs in one over, including consecutive sixes. Tilak Varma contributed a 30-ball fifty, providing crucial support. Earlier, Sanju Samson's aggressive 37 gave India a flying start after Shubman Gill's injury ruled him out. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav's poor form continued with another failure. Abhishek Sharma departed for 34 after a promising start. Pandya's powerful six accidentally hit a cameraman during his explosive innings. India posted a strong total with the duo's partnership propelling them forward. (PC: X)

Bangladesh's English-language newspaper The Daily Star failed to publish its print edition for the first time in 35 years after violent protesters set fire to its Dhaka office alongside Bengali daily Prothom Alo. The attacks followed student leader Sharif Osman Hadi's killing, leaving both newspaper buildings severely damaged. In a statement titled "A dark day for independent journalism," The Daily Star condemned the violence, declaring it "not merely an attack on two newspapers" but an assault on "independent journalism, freedom of speech, and the sanctity of private property." The BBC reported both outlets suffered extensive damage during the protests that erupted across Bangladesh, forcing the historic disruption of The Daily Star's publication for the first time since its founding.