1.The state government Tuesday reinstated journalists’ access to Lok Seva Bhawan (Secretariat) here. The curbs on Lok Seva Bhawan entry were partially lifted in 2022 for accredited journalists, but they were still prevalent for many media personnel.

2.On the last day of the year, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh expressed ‘regret’ and ‘apologised’ for the ethnic strife that has gripped the state since May 3, 2023, leaving 250 dead and rendered thousands homeless.

3.In a first, Odisha will host the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar from January 8 to 10.

4.Residents of 52 villages across three panchayats – Sunabeda, Soseg and Michhapali—within Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in this district are struggling to fulfi ll their basic needs, as the benefi ts of several government schemes fail to reach the forest dwellers residing 36,000 feet above sea level.

5.Wildlife have reportedly disappeared from Daringbadi in Kandhamal district due to increasing noise pollution arising out of largescale human activities during this ongoing picnic season.

6.The Punjab government Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefi nite fast for over a month, has agreed for medical aid given the Centre accepted his proposal to hold talks.

7.Manipur, which has been witnessing prolonged ethnic violence between majority Meitei and tribal Kuki communities, accounted for about 77 per cent of the total violence in the entire northeastern region in 2023, according to the latest annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

8.Community leaders, campaigners, academics and medics are among over 30 Indian-origin professionals to be recognised in King Charles’ 2025 New Year Honours List released in London in time for New Year’s Eve.

9.The social media accounts of the Sri Lankan police and the offi cial website of the government’s Printer Department were targeted by cyberattacks Tuesday.

10.The Centre’s fi scal defi cit at the end of the eighth month of fi nancial year 2024-25 touched 52.5 per cent of the full-year target, government data showed Tuesday.

11.National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has lifted the limit from onboarding UPI users for the third-party app provider WhatsApp Pay with immediate effect.

12.Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali surprised herself with a stellar performance to enter the quarterfi nals of the World Blitz Championship here, even as recently-crowned rapid champion Koneru Humpy made an early exit.

13.The rupee depreciated 13 paise to close at fresh record low of 85.65 (provisional) against the US dollar Tuesday, ending the year with a sharp 3 per cent loss on signifi cant foreign fund outflows and a strong greenback in global markets.

14.The stomach infection norovirus is causing alarm in the United States, with the fi rst week of December seeing more than 90 cases recorded.

15.Venezuela’s Supreme Court has issued a $10 million fi ne against TikTok for “not implementing measures” to prevent viral video challenges that have allegedly led to the deaths of three Venezuelan children recently.