1.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Friday extended the service period of Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja for a period of one year from January 1, 2025, official sources said

2.The rupee fell the steepest in almost two years to hit its lifetime intraday low of 85.80 before a suspected central bank intervention helped recover some of its losses and settled 21 paise lower at a record low of 85.48 against the US dollar, Friday.

3.Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here recently installed a state-of-the-art Xenon Chloride Fusion Cardiac Laser Machine – a fi rst in eastern India — to treat complex heart diseases and reduce the use of stents.

4.In the aftermath of crop loss due to unseasonal rain in state, Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta Friday directed the insurance companies to conduct field survey to assess the crop damage and release compensation to farmers as soon as possible.

5.The Union government Friday said that it has issued allocation order for a coal mine in the state to Aditya Birla Group firm Hindalco Industries Ltd.

6.The Odisha Police has arrested two persons from Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The complainant, Arun Kumar Mandal, had alleged that the duo cheated him of Rs 23 lakh through online transactions.

7.Ancient sculptures, including remnants of Shaivite and Buddhist deities, have been found along the banks of the Baitarani river in Bhadrak district, researchers said.

8.Twelveyear-old Ayaan Sajad from Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district was Thursday awarded the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024 by President Droupadi Murmu for his extraordinary accomplishments in the fi elds of art and culture.

9.As night temperatures continued to remain several notches below the freezing point in Kashmir, the famous Dal Lake has frozen solid at the top.

10.Manmohan Singh preferred his modest Maruti Suzuki 800 over luxury BMWs even when holding the offi ce of prime minister as it reaffi rmed his connection with the middle class and commitment to work for the common man.

11.The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Centre on the improper disposal and recycling of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

12.Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops.

13.The Pakistan Army Friday accused India of 25 violations of the Line of Control (LoC) during the past year and threatened a quick response if Indian forces attack.

14.India’s current account defi cit (CAD) moderated marginally to $11.2 billion or 1.2 per cent of GDP year-on-year in the July-September quarter of 2024-25, according to Reserve Bank data released Friday.

15.The Reserve Bank Friday allowed prepaid payment instruments holders to make and receive UPI payments through third-party mobile applications.