December 30, 2025 07:33 AM IST First published on: Dec 30, 2025 at 06:43 AM ISTThe Pakistan President, Zia-ul-Haq, has appointed new governors for the Punjab, North-west Frontier and Baluchistan provinces as preparations were made for the lifting of the country’s longest-ever martial law rule. Zia is understood to have told some members of the national assembly that he would introduce “undiluted democracy”.Plan to revamp CongressIn its historic centenary year, the Indian National Congress once again reverted to the principle of intra-party democracy, with the party chief, Rajiv Gandhi, announcing the decision to hold the organisational elections after a prolonged interlude of two decades. Summing up the party’s introspectional outlook on its growth, accomplishments and failings at the close of the three-day centenary celebrations at the Brabourne Stadium, the Prime Minister announced amidst cheers that the organisational elections would be held as a first step to revamp the party.Centenary stampsAdvertisementThe Department of Posts could have found its own way to cut Gandhi to size. The occasion was the release of its new stamp to mark 100 years of the Indian National Congress. The department had announced on June 1 a competition for a set of stamps to be issued to mark the centenary. Four prizes of Rs 5,000 each for prize-winning entries and 10 consolation prizes of Rs 500 each were announced. The department suggested to applicants that they design a maximum of four stamps that would bring out the “mass movement nature of the Indian National Congress.”Star wars bombA buried hydrogen bomb was detonated in the Nevada desert in a test of “star wars” technology, officials said. The bomb, with a payload the equivalent of 150,000 tons of TNT, was detonated 1,800 feet beneath a desert. Code-named Goldstone, it had an explosive punch 10 times the force of the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima during World War II.