A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. BJP MP Pragya Thakur urges Hindus to keep weapons at home: ‘Even if they [Muslims] love they do jihad in that,’ she said while addressing the Hindu Jagarana Vedike’s South Region annual convention in Shivamogga.
  2. Karnataka makes masks compulsory in public places: Health Minister K Sudhakar said that the New Year celebrations in the state will be allowed till 1 am.
  3. Telangana High Court transfers BRS MLAs poaching case to Central Bureau of Investigation: The court also dissolved the state government-appointed Special Investigation Team that was probing the case.
  4. Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot arrested in ICICI Bank loan fraud case: The development comes three days after the agency arrested former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar in the case.
  5. Minorities in India safer than anywhere else, says Union minister Nityanand Rai: The development came after RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui said that he has advised his children to settle abroad as the atmosphere in the country is not good.
  6. Suspended Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed detained after protesting eviction drive in Assam’s Barpeta: The administration said that 45 families had encroached on close to 400 bighas of government land, due to which they were evicted.
  7. Xi Jinping directs officials to protect lives as Covid-19 cases surge in China: These were his first remarks after Beijing dismantled its ‘Zero Covid’ containment strategy earlier this month.
  8. Declare ‘Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra’ as Union Territory, says Uddhav Thackeray: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the state government will introduce a resolution on the border row on Tuesday.
  9. US winter storm toll rises to 34, thousands left without power: Around 60% of the country’s population faced a winter weather advisory or warning, according to the National Weather Service.
  10. Cold wave to prevail in north India till December 27, says weather department: On Monday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal.