Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), the flagship initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a new benchmark, with registrations crossing 3 crore participants as of December 30, 2025, according to the Education Ministry.

The registrations include students, parents and teachers from across the country, marking the highest participation since the programme’s inception. The surge reflects the initiative’s growing reach and its role in addressing issues related to exam stress, mental well-being and positive learning attitudes among students.

Online registrations for Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 opened on December 1, 2025, through the MyGov portal. Organised annually by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, the programme has evolved into a nationwide platform for open dialogue on examinations and education-related challenges.

The Delhi Government has approved the Delhi Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026. Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta informed that the Bill, approved by the Delhi Cabinet, aims to simplify compliance procedures and decriminalise minor violations, reduce the number of cases in the courts and enhance administrative efficiency.

She said that the Bill will be passed in the upcoming winter session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly starting from the 5th of next month. Mrs Gupta said that through this legislation, the Delhi Government is fully committed to promoting Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living.

The Chief Minister said that the Bill is not intended to encourage lawlessness, but to ensure proportionality in punishment. The Bill also proposes an automatic 10 per cent increase in the amount of fines every three years after its implementation, so that penalties remain effective in line with inflation and rising costs.

An international team of researchers has discovered a new method to fight cancers that no longer respond to treatment.

The team, led by Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, used mutations that make tumours drug-resistant to turn them into a potential therapeutic advantage, Xinhua news agency reported.

One of the biggest challenges in cancer care is when a therapy stops working. In many metastatic cancers, drugs that initially show positive results lose their effectiveness over time as cancer cells mutate and continue to grow.

The new study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, proposes a novel way to confront cancer resistance by harnessing the very mutations that allow tumours to evade treatment.

Aryaman Financial Services Ltd (AFSL) said its wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) Aryaman Finance (India) Ltd has received a Certificate of Registration (CoR) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to commence the business of a Non-Banking Financial Institution.

Mumbai-based AFSL is a SEBI registered Category-I merchant banker involved in the business of lead management and syndication of Small and Medium Sized (₹10 crore to ₹200 crore) IPO’s, FPO’s, Rights Issues, Composite Issues, QIP’s, PIPE (Private Investment in Public Equity) deals, VC funding and other forms of fund raising.

AFSL, in a regulatory filing, said its WOS has received the CoR to commence/carry on the business of a Non-Banking Financial Institution (Category: Type II NBFC-Non-Deposit taking-Investment and Credit Company)

Bhutan spinner Sonam Yeshey has scripted history by becoming the first bowler to take eight wickets in a men's T20 International match.

The left-arm spinner achieved the unprecedented feat during the third T20I against Myanmar in Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan, on December 26, according to ESPNCricinfo.

The 22-year-old returned remarkable figures of 8 for 7, bowling Myanmar out for 45 in response to Bhutan's 127 for 9.

"A spell for the ages! Sonam Yeshey’s unbelievable 8/7 in four overs goes down as a world record," Bhutan Cricket posted on their X account.

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the 2025 Most Achieved Chinese Award (MACA) ceremony was held in Hong Kong, drawing global attention to Chinese elites who have made extraordinary contributions to human progress. At the event, Zhang Damo, a renowned artist and Co-President of the Future Living Art Institute at One Heung Kong, was honored with the MACA award, becoming the first painter to receive this globally prestigious honor since its establishment. This marks the highest-level cross-cultural endorsement of the personal accomplishments and international influence of a Chinese ink painting artist.

The MACA award is known for its strict selection process and benchmarking significance, with the core tenet “Recording Cultures, Transmitting Values”. Its past winners include legends such as Yuan Longping, I. M. Pei, and Yang Liwei, who have advanced national and global civilization. Zhang Damo’s selection was no accident. He has pushed the boundaries of traditional Chinese painting with his “combined meticulous and freehand” technique, infusing his works with profound Eastern philosophy and the spirit of the times. Additionally, as a long-serving “cultural ambassador”, he has spent decades spreading Chinese ink painting art across the globe and fostering cultural exchanges.

Gautam Adani Sunday termed NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar his mentor, as the industrialist inaugurated the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence in Baramati.

Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule praised Adani while highlighting the close bond between the two families. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also praised the industrialist, saying that the Adani Group is doing everything possible to help the poor.

Describing Sharad Pawar as his mentor, Adani said, “I have been blessed to have known Pawarsaheb for over three decades. What I have learnt from him has no parallel. Beyond his knowledge, it is his wisdom, his affection and deep empathy that leave the strongest imprint. That is why he has always been a mentor in the truest sense.”

Former England cricketer Hugh Morris passed away at the age of 62 yesterday. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in January 2022.

Morris was a prolific opening batter who won three Test caps in 1991 and also led England A on tours to South Africa, the West Indies and Sri Lanka. As a Cricket administrator, Morris served as the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri, who played alongside Morris at Glamorgan, paid his condolences to his family. In a social media post, Shastri said that he is really gutted to hear of the passing of teammate and captain Hugh Morris.

Renowned art director and designer K Shekhar, 72, best known for his path-breaking work in ‘My Dear Kuttichathan,’ passed away on Saturday morning at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

Shekhar was the art director of My Dear Kuttichathan, India’s first 3D film. He is especially remembered for designing the famous rotating bedroom set seen in the song ‘Aalipazham Perukkan,’ where children appear to walk on walls and the ceiling.

The scene was created using a real mechanical rotating room with the camera mounted to move in sync with it - a pioneering visual effect in Indian cinema at the time.

A postgraduate in journalism from the University of Kerala (1979), Shekhar entered the film industry as costume publicity designer for Padayottam, Malayalam cinema’s first 70mm film directed by Jijo.

The Bombay High Court has reiterated that civilian honours like Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharat Ratna are not official titles and cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to names of the awardees.

While hearing a petition involving a 2014 Padma Shri awardee Dr Sharad Hardikar, a single-judge bench of Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan objected to the case title in the writ petition, which read, “Dr. Trimbak V. Dapkekar versus Padmashree Dr. Sharad M Hardikar & Ors", LiveLaw reported.

The bench objected to Hardikar being referred to as “Padma Shri Dr Sharad Moreshwar Hardiker" in the case records and directed that the award prefix be removed.