A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. Use masks in crowded places, get precaution dose, says Centre amid China’s Covid surge:There is no change in the guidelines for international air travel yet, the government said.
  2. Strict action will be taken against NGOs seeking to change country’s demography, says Amit Shah: Amit Shah demands proof of illegal surveillance after Congress MP raises Pegasus issue in Lok Sabha.
  3. Taliban ban university education for women in Afghanistan: The restriction on higher education came nearly three months after several women and girls took university entrance exams across the country.
  4. Nepal Supreme Court orders release of serial murderer Charles Sobhraj on health grounds: He has been in a Nepal jail since 2003 on charges of having murdered two tourists from the United States of America and Canada.
  5. Private cryptocurrencies will constitute next financial crisis, warns RBI governor: Central bank chief Shaktikanta Das also said that the cryptocurrencies should be banned.
  6. No plan to reduce age of consent for sexual acts, Centre tells Parliament: To a question on whether the age of consent can be reduced to 16, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said ‘the question does not arise’.
  7. ‘Like China entered India, we will also go to Karnataka,’ says Sanjay Raut amid state border dispute: The Rajya Sabha MP claimed that there was a weak government in Maharashtra that was not taking a stand on the matter.
  8. Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter CEO after finding someone ‘foolish enough’ to take the job: The billionaire’s comments came after 57.5% users out of over 17 million had voted in favour of Musk’s ouster in a Twitter poll on Monday.
  9. Bombay High Court extends stay on Anil Deshmukh’s bail order till December 27: The former Maharashtra home minister was granted bail on December 12.
  10. Government not allowing debate on Chinese incursions shows disrespect for democracy, says Sonia Gandhi: However, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that it is not good to rake up such sensitive issues in Parliament.