Evening news wrap: EAM Jaishankar meets BNP’s Tarique Rahman in Dhaka; Centre bans high-dose Nimesulide & more

Here are the top five stories of the dayA 25-year-old woman who accepted a lift in a van on Monday night was allegedly raped and assaulted by two men inside the moving vehicle before being thrown out on the Gurgaon–Faridabad road, suffering severe facial injuries that required 12 stitches. Police said she was held captive for nearly three hours as the van travelled through isolated areas of Faridabad amid dense fog. A case was registered at Kotwali police station following a complaint by her family, and a crime branch team detained two suspects on Tuesday.Read full storyZomato and Swiggy have announced enhanced incentives for delivery partners on New Year’s Eve, describing it as a “standard festive protocol,” as gig workers’ unions call for a nationwide strike on December 31.The companies say the move is aimed at minimising service disruptions during one of the busiest ordering days of the year. The strike, backed by groups including the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, is demanding better pay, safer working conditions and greater dignity at work.Read full storyExternal affairs minister S Jaishankar met BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Wednesday and delivered a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying India’s condolences on the death of former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.The meeting took place shortly after Jaishankar arrived in the Bangladeshi capital to attend Khaleda Zia’s funeral, marking India’s official representation at the ceremony.Read full storyThe Centre has barred the manufacture, sale and distribution of immediate-release oral Nimesulide formulations exceeding 100 mg, citing potential risks to human health. In a notification issued by the health ministry, the government said it was satisfied that such doses could be harmful and noted that safer alternatives to the drug are available.Read full storyRussia’s defence ministry has released night-time footage it claims shows debris from a Ukrainian drone shot down near one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences in north-west Russia, escalating tensions amid fragile peace talks on the Ukraine war.Moscow termed the alleged incident a “terrorist act” and a “personal attack” on Putin, accusations Kyiv has dismissed as fabricated. The video, published on Wednesday, shows a damaged drone lying in snow, with officials saying it was intercepted during a reported mass launch targeting the Novgorod region on the night of December 28–29.Read full story