A large number of people took to the streets as protests erupted in Iran after the country’s currency registered a historic low against the US dollar.Rallies were held in other major cities, including Isfahan in central Iran, Shiraz in the south and Mashhad in the northeast. In some parts of Tehran, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.As the protests gathered pace, Iran’s Central Bank chief Mohammad Reza Farzin resigned.

Monday’s protests were the biggest since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. She was arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly, the Associated Press reported.According to the report, traders shut their shops on Monday and asked others to do the same. The semi-official ILNA news agency said many businesses stopped trading, even though some kept their shops open.‘Listen to the legitimate demands’Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian called on his government to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands”.“I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters by engaging in dialogue with their representatives so that the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly,” Pezeshkian said, according to the official IRNA news agency.What’s fuelling the unrestThis comes after Iran’s rial plunged to 1.42 million to the dollar. On Monday, it traded at 1.38 million to the dollar.The rapid depreciation is compounding inflationary pressure, pushing up prices of food and other daily necessities and further straining household budgets — a trend that could worsen with a gasoline price change introduced in recent days.Reports in official Iranian media that the government plans to increase taxes in the Iranian New Year beginning March 21 have added to concerns.Iran’s currency was trading at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of the 2015 nuclear accord that lifted international sanctions in exchange for tight controls on the country’s nuclear programme. That deal unravelled after US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States in 2018.Interestingly, merchants at the market played a crucial role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy and brought Islamists to power.

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to suicide.Nandini CM, a prominent face in the South industry, has passed away at the age of 26. She starred in shows and projects such as ‘Jeeva Hoovagide’, ‘Sangharsha’, and ‘Gauri. The actress was found in her PG accomodation with a suicide note.

More about the actress

Nandini was born in Karnataka’s Ballari district and completed most of her education near her home. She later moved to Bengaluru to pursue higher education in engineering. However, upon reaching the big city, acting became more appealing to her, and she started training for it formally in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.According to Moneycontrol, after her father’s passing, Nandini was offered a government job, which she ended up refusing. She became more serious about her acting career and gave all of her time to practicing the art.

What happened

Nandini CM passed away at the age of 26 by suicide on December 29. The Kannada and Tamil television star was a well-known face in the South and was known for her feature in ‘Gauri.’ As per Deccan Herald’s report, the actress breathed her last at her PG accommodation in Bengaluru. Her friend had called the PG owner to check on her after she had been unreachable. She shifted to that area in August earlier this year. News18 reported that a note was found at the premises, which mentioned issues with family, being asked to marry again and again, and emotional distress, amongst other matters. Kengeri police have registered a case of death by unnatural causes andan investigation into the matter is underway. DISCLAIMER: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, or mental illness, please seek professional help immediately from a doctor, mental health expert, or NGO. Helplines are also available.

Stock market today: Indian equity benchmark indices, Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, opened in red on Tuesday on weak global cues. While Nifty50 went below 25,950, BSE Sensex was down over 120 points. At 9:19 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,902.85, down 39 points or 0.15%. BSE Sensex was at 84,567.40, down 128 points or 0.15%.According to experts, the stock market is expected to remain range bound in the near term, with investors closely tracking macroeconomic cues and institutional fund flows for direction.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “The year-end trend, though weak, doesn’t indicate a directional change in the market. The advance-decline ratio was far in favour of declines and this led to decline in Nifty by 100 points yesterday. But it is important to note that this decline happened on thin volumes. A clear directional change will happen only early in the new year when large institutions are back in action.”“It would be better for investors to watch the market now and wait for new triggers and new directional moves. However, weakness in the market can be used to nibble at high quality large caps. The auto sales numbers expected in two days will give an indication of the sustainability of the consumption boom in the economy. This is significant from the economic growth perspective, too.”Global cues were mixed as Wall Street’s key indices ended lower on Monday, starting the final week of the year on a weak note. The decline was led by heavyweight technology stocks, which retreated after last week’s rally had pushed the S&P 500 to record highs.Asian markets on Tuesday mirrored the cautious sentiment, with a seven day rally in regional stocks coming to a pause as technology led losses in the US spilled over. Precious metals also showed volatility, with gold and silver fluctuating after slipping from fresh all time highs.In currency markets, the US dollar traded steady on Tuesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s release of minutes from its December policy meeting. On the domestic front, foreign portfolio investors continued to pare their exposure, selling equities worth Rs 2,760 crore on Monday. Domestic institutional investors, however, provided support to the market, emerging as net buyers to the tune of Rs 2,643 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

US President Donald Trump on Monday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, over the Gaza peace plan but steered clear of announcing any progress on the next phase of the ceasefire.The two leaders held a private lunch at Trump’s Florida residence, with the US President saying ahead of the meeting that he planned to discuss “five major subjects,” including Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Iran.While Trump later suggested that several issues were quickly narrowed, no concrete decisions were unveiled after more than an hour of talks.

Gaza ceasefire: Phase two still elusive

A central focus of the meeting was the stalled second phase of the US-brokered Gaza truce, which is meant to pave the way for an interim Palestinian administration, an international stabilization force and reconstruction of the region which is in shambles after over two-years of current war. Trump played down the lack of visible progress, saying he was “not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing” and asserting that Israel had “lived up” to its commitments.He placed responsibility squarely on Hamas, warning: “If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them. They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.”Hamas’s armed wing reiterated on Monday that it would not surrender its weapons. Trump nevertheless insisted, “Israel’s lived up to the plan 100 per cent,” adding, “They’re strong. They’re solid,” reported CNN.

Praise-heavy optics, divisions beneath

The talks at Mar-a-Lago were dominated by mutual praise. “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House. It’s not even close,” Netanyahu said on arrival. Trump returned the compliment, calling their ties “extraordinary” and remarking, “If you had a weak man, you wouldn’t have Israel right now. Israel, with most other leaders, would not exist today.”Netanyahu announced that Israel would award Trump its highest civilian honour, marking the first time it would go to a non-Israeli. “President Trump has broken so many conventions to surprise people, so we decided to break a convention or create a new one,” Netanyahu said.Trump said the recognition was “really surprising and very much appreciated,” and described Netanyahu as a “wartime” leader.However, Trump acknowledged lingering differences, particularly over the West Bank. “We’ve had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank, and I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100 per cent,” he told CNN, reiterating his opposition to annexation.

Trump’s assertion on Netanyahu’s pardon

Trump also weighed in on Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial, saying a pardon was imminent. “How do you not give a pardon? He is a wartime prime minister who is a hero,” Trump said. “I spoke with President Isaac Herzog. He tells me it is on its way,” as he talked about his lobbying attempt to secure Netanyahu a Presidential pardon. However, Israel president quickly disputed the claim. In a clarification cited by CNN, Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said, “There has been no conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” adding that any decision would follow standard legal procedures.Netanyahu is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to face criminal charges. He is on trial in three cases filed in 2019 alleging bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which he denies. On November 30, he formally sought clemency, arguing that court proceedings hamper his ability to govern. While Israel’s president has the power to grant pardons, there is no precedent for doing so while a trial is ongoing.

Clear red lines from Washington for Iran

Trump’s most aggressive remarks were reserved for Iran, amid Israeli concerns that Tehran is rebuilding its ballistic missile capabilities following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year on its nuclear facility.“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said, adding, “We’ll knock the hell out of them.” He warned of “very powerful” consequences if Iran pursued new nuclear or missile sites, though he said he still believed Tehran might be open to a deal. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader responded that any aggression would face an “immediate harsh response,” AFP reported.

Broader regional focus

Beyond Gaza and Iran, the talks touched on Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump said he hoped Netanyahu could “get along” with Syria’s new president, who came to power after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad last year.Netanyahu’s visit capped a busy diplomatic stretch for Trump at Mar-a-Lago, following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite repeated references to reconstruction and future governance in Gaza, Trump offered few specifics, leaving the path ahead – in Gaza and across the region – uncertain.

‘Dhurandhar’ the spy-thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles, has emerged as a blockbuster at the Indian and worldwide box office. The film that entered its fourth week at the box office, has been rewriting several long-standing records along the way.Dhurandhar Movie Review

‘Dhurandhar’ box office collection Day 25

On its fourth Monday, ‘Dhurandhar’ saw a dip in collections at the box office. However, it still managed to stay above the Rs 10 crore mark. As per early reports on sacnilk, the film earned around Rs 10.50 crore India net. With this, the film’s total domestic net collection has crossed Rs 701 crore in just 25 days. As per the report, the film’s new net total surpassing the Rs 700 crore mark, has made it the highest-ever net total for a Bollywood film.

‘Dhurandhar’ Occupancy

On Monday, ‘Dhurandhar’ recorded an overall Hindi occupancy of 21.39%. While the morning shows began with a modest 11.98% occupancy, its evening shows witnessed the highest footfalls at 26.67%.

‘Dhurandhar’ week-wise collections

As per reports, the film earned an estimated Rs 207.25 crore in week one and followed it up with good growth in week two, earning a record-breaking total of Rs 253.25 Crore. Week 3 saw the film earn an estimated Rs 172 Crore collection. Meanwhile, the current total of week 4 currently stands at an estimated Rs 68.5 crore. With the New Year’s break coming up, it remains to be seen if the film can get one more big boost to push it past the Rs 100 crore mark for the fourth consecutive week.

‘Dhurandhar’ gross collections

In India, ‘Dhurandhar’ has already become the biggest Bollywood grosser of all time, with its gross collections reaching approximately Rs 841.6 crore in just a total of 25 days and still three days to go before it wraps up week 4.

‘Dhurandhar’ overseas collections

Overseas, the film has registered a good performance with its collections thus far, standing at around Rs 237 crore. This takes the film’s worldwide cumulative total to an impressive Rs 1078 crore.

‘Dhurandhar’ crosses Rs 1000 crore mark

The film crossed the Rs 1000 crore gross mark during its fourth weekend and has since overtaken the Prabhas and Deepika Padukone starrer, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ which had a total collection of Rs 1040 crore . It also beat the likes of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ total collection of Rs 1055 crore to become the seventh biggest Indian grosser of all time. The film is now chasing the lifetime collections of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ which earned Rs 1160 crore. Should it be able to hit the mark the end of this week, the film would go on to become the biggest Bollywood grosser of all time.

‘Dhurandhar’ global box office

At this pace, ‘Dhurandhar’ is heading towards a lifetime global box office collection of Rs 1200 crore. As per sacnilk, the film can look forward to ending its theatrical run as the fourth biggest Indian grosser of all time, and possibly even overtake the south blockbusters like ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ which earned Rs 1215 crore and ‘RRR’ whcih earned an impressive Rs 1230 crore.

‘Dhurandhar’ highest fourth week box office

The film that has so far scored a current week 4 total of Rs 68 crore, has also gone on to add a page to the history books and register the biggest fourth week at the Hindi box office. The film has now comfortably surpassed Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2 – The Rule’, which earned an estimated Rs 53.75 crore net in its fourth week.

KOLKATA: An 82-year-old jumped on the railway tracks hours before his scheduled appearance at a hearing for the special intensive revision of electoral rolls at Para in Bengal’s Purulia Monday. A septuagenarian from Howrah and another from Kalyani died after receiving SIR hearing notices. Family members of both blamed SIR stress for the deaths.As SIR hearings entered the third day, reports poured in of anxiety gripping “unmapped” voters being asked to appear before EC officials.A 96-year-old man in Cooch Behar, a 90-year-old woman in Katwa and a pregnant homemaker from Taki were among thousands who waited in queues for hearings. EC clarified that, on request, BLOs would visit homes of voters aged 85 and above, and those with disabilities and ailments.TNNElderly deaths, distress reported amid SIR hearings across Bengal Durjan Majhi, 82, jumped onto the railway tracks and was run over by a train at 8.30am, around 5 hours before he was to appear in an SIR hearing at the Para BDO office. His only son Kanai, who works as a day labourer, said, “My father had submitted the SIR enumeration form but his name was not on the draft voters’ list. His name was on the 2002 voters’ list, though. We don’t understand why he was called to a hearing. He had been anxious since getting the hearing notice on Dec 25.“Jamat Ali, 75, passed away at his home in Howrah’s Amta Sunday night, hours after receiving a hearing notice. Howrah DM P Deepap Priya said, “He was already unwell. His kin claimed he was anxious about the hearing. An inquiry is underway.”In Kalyani, Jaharlal Mahato (72) died of cardiac arrest on Monday, 48 hours after he attended an SIR hearing. Son Tamaghlal said, “He had been distressed since the hearing. His name was on the 2002 list, yet he was called to a hearing.At the Dinhata Block 1 BDO office in Cooch Behar, 96-year-old Nikhil Chandra Sarkar had turned up with his wife and son to appear before EC officials. He could barely walk because of his age and physical ailments. “I am the only one in my family to get the SIR notice. My name was not on the 2002 list. I gave them whatever documents I had,” Sarkar said, visibly frustrated.At Katwa I BDO office, one of the people in the queue was a 90-year-old bedridden woman, Muktibala Paramanik, whose house is 4km from the hearing venue. Grandson Paritosh Paramanik said, “This is just harassment. They asked her to sign some documents and let her go.”East Burdwan DM Ayesha Rani said, “We did not get any written instruction that hearings for elderly people should be conducted at home. Even so, I instructed that elderly and infirm people should not be called.”A woman from Taki, who is eight months pregnant, fell ill while waiting in a long queue at Basirhat Block II BDO office. Supriya Mondal got a hearing notice as her name did not feature on the 2002 list. Her mother, Khukurani Das, said, “After waiting for a long time in the crowd, my daughter suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed. Making her stand for hours at such an advanced stage of pregnancy is dangerous for her health.”Scenes in Kolkata were no different. A young woman had arrived at a hearing venue in central Kolkata with her three-month-old child. “We came here around 1pm. While filling the enumeration form, my wife had mistakenly entered her father’s details as per the 2025 voter ID card instead of the 2002 SIR electoral roll. She was called to the hearing because of the mismatch,” said her husband Md Hussain.

NEW DELHI: Industrial output growth surged to a 25-month high in Nov, led by a rebound in manufacturing and mining sectors offsetting the contraction in electricity.Data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday showed the index of industrial production (IIP) rose an annual 6.7% in Nov, higher than the 0.5% recorded in Oct and above the 5% in Nov last year.

Gaining momentum

.The manufacturing sector rose by 8% in Nov, higher than 2% in Oct and above the 5.5% in Nov last year. The mining sector, which had been impacted by unseasonal rains, rebounded and rose by 5.4% in Nov, above the 1.8% contraction in Oct and higher than the 1.9% growth in Nov last year.The highlight for Nov was also the robust expansion in consumer durables and non durables sectors, which grew by 10.3% and 7.3% respectively. “On the demand front, the positive aspect was the improvement in the output of consumer durables and non-durables which grew by 10.3% and 7.3%, respectively, reversing the contraction seen in the previous months. Factors such as GST rationalisation, income tax relief, and easing inflation have boded well for the consumption scenario,” said Rajani Sinha, chief economist at ratings agency CareEdge.“On the investment front, there has been sustained healthy momentum in the growth of infrastructure/construction goods and capital goods output,” said Sinha.The capital goods sector, a key gauge of investment activity, rose an annual 10.4% higher than the 2.1% recorded last month and above the 8.9% expansion in the month of Nov last year.Aditi Nayar, chief economist at ratings agency Icra, said the impact of the US tariffs and penalties is likely to reflect across some of the manufacturing segments, partly offsetting the positive impact of the GST rate rejig. “However, electricity demand has expanded in Dec 2025 after a gap of two months, which should boost power generation in the month, auguring well for IIP growth in the month. We expect the IIP growth to ease to 3.5-5.0% in Dec, as the base effect normalises and the benefit from restocking wanes,” said Nayar.