News Highlights: AAP leader Sanjay Singh hits out at J-K 'house arrest'

LIVE updates today: Catch all the latest developments here

11:17 PM

Punjab govt releases ₹679 cr payment for sugarcane growers

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday announced that the state government has released ₹679.37 crore towards sugarcane payments for the 2024-25 crushing season.

10:45 PM

Delhi Police busts 'Khilafat' terror module linked to Pakistan, 5 held in multi-state raids

The Special Cell of Delhi Police has uncovered a Pakistan-backed pan-India terror module that was plotting to establish "Khilafat" in the country through violent means, officials said on Thursday. In coordinated raids across Delhi, Jharkhand, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, police arrested five radicalised men and seized arms, ammunition and bomb-making materials.

9:58 PM

Low-intensity blast in J-K's Doda; no one injured

Two people were detained on Thursday after a low-intensity blast in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir sparked panic in the area, sources said. The explosion occurred in Dumri-Thukar Mohalla near Jamia Masjid, but no injuries were reported, they added

9:20 PM

J-K LG says new criminal laws reflect India's collective vision of justice

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said the introduction of the three new criminal laws has transformed the criminal justice system, making it more victim-centric and focused on delivering justice.

8:25 PM

Delhi police arrest man from Rajgarh over terror module linked to Pakistan

Delhi Police on Thursday arrested a 26-year-old man from Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh in connection with a recently busted terror module and brought him to the national capital, an official said.

7:49 PM

India's leadership on women empowerment a global model: UN official

Christine Arab, Regional Director of UN Women for Asia and the Pacific, said India’s initiatives to enhance women’s participation in the workforce and political decision-making are establishing global benchmarks.

7:13 PM

Maharashtra govt signs MoUs worth ₹1.08 trn; move will create 47k direct jobs, says CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government has signed Memorandums of Understanding worth ₹108,599 crore across sectors such as information technology, food processing, warehousing, data centres and logistics hubs. The agreements are expected to generate around 47,000 direct jobs.

5:55 PM

Veteran Congress leader PP Thankachan dies at 86

Veteran Congress leader and former Kerala Assembly Speaker P P Thankachan passed away on Thursday at a private hospital in Aluva. He was 86. Hospital authorities said Thankachan, who had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments over the past month and was also battling a chest infection, was on ventilator support and died around 4.30 pm.

5:39 PM

Punjab CM Mann discharged from hospital

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was released from Fortis Hospital in Mohali on Thursday, a few days after being admitted due to exhaustion and a low heart rate.

5:13 PM

Delhi HC protects Aishwarya Rai's personality rights

The Delhi High Court has upheld the personality rights of Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, restraining online platforms from exploiting her name or images for unauthorized commercial purposes.

4:50 PM

Primary, upper primary teaching job aspirants protest before West Bengal Assembly

Around 200 people, all claiming to have qualified in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exam of 2022, demonstrated before the West Bengal Assembly on Thursday, demanding immediate recruitment in primary and upper primary schools across West Bengal.

The protestors, who held a rally from Dorina Crossing, Esplanade to the Assembly, scuffled with police as cops tried to stop them before converging near the Assembly gate.

4:37 PM

Cuba hit by island-wide blackout amid fuel shortages

Cuba experienced a total blackout on Wednesday, the latest in a series of power outages attributed to ageing infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants. This marks the second nationwide outage this year, following three others reported late last year. The Ministry of Energy and Mines stated on the social platform X that the latest blackout could be linked to a malfunction at one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants.

4:06 PM

Sanjay Singh meets Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar, protests Mehraj Malik’s detention

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday afternoon scaled the gate of a guest house in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, to meet National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. Singh, present in Srinagar to protest the detention of the party’s only J-K lawmaker Mehraj Malik, accused Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of ordering his house arrest.

3:32 PM

3 killed in clashes in Nepal prison; 15,000 flee prisons as unrest engulfs Nepal

Three inmates were killed on Thursday during violent clashes with security forces at a prison in Nepal, as unrest spread across the country. Since anti-government protests began on Tuesday, over 15,000 prisoners have escaped from more than two dozen jails. The latest fatalities bring the total number of prisoners who have died in confrontations with security personnel to eight amid the ongoing turmoil.

3:19 PM

Indian border guards nab 60 inmates who escaped in Nepal jailbreak

The Sashastra Seema Bal that guards the India-Nepal border has caught about 60 persons from various locations along the international front, officials said. Most of them are Nepalese who are suspected to have escaped in jailbreaks during the unrest in their country, officials said. SSB troops caught them from border points in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal over the last two days. 

2:54 PM

Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu reduced to ruins amid Gen Z protests

Once the tallest building in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Hilton Hotel now lies in charred ruins. The five-star property was set ablaze on Tuesday by ‘Gen Z protesters’ agitating against the Nepal government. The fire continued to rage for two consecutive days, leaving the landmark structure devastated.

2:36 PM

Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai asks officials to ensure safe return of Chhattisgarh tourists stranded in Nepal

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has directed officials to ensure the safe return of tourists from the state stranded in Nepal in the wake of violent protests in the Himalayan nation, a government official said on Thursday. Their safety is our top priority, and instructions have been issued to concerned officials to take immediate measures to ensure their safe return, Deo Sai said.

2:25 PM

Vehicles block pedestrian paths, old Shimla losing charm, needs restoration: Himachal Pradesh HC

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has lamented the situation in Shimla Town owing to the traffic situation and said it is losing its culture of "walking with umbrella and jacket" akin to Uttarakhand's Mussoorie while underscoring the need for restoration. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma was hearing a PIL when it recently directed the state home secretary and the superintendent of police Shimla to file a status report on vehicle passes issued for sealed roads besides elaborating on the criteria and categories of pass holders.

2:19 PM

Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan demits office due to his election as Vice President

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat to discharge functions of the Governor of Maharashtra. 

1:59 PM

2 CRPF personnel injured as IED planted by Naxalites explodes in Dantewada district

The incident took place near Saatdhaar bridge on the Indravati river at around 10.30 am, when a team of CRPF's 195th battalion was out on an area domination operation from its camp in Malewahi police station area. When the patrolling team was cordoning off the area near Saatdhaar, a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded, causing injuries to Inspector Diwan Singh Gurjar and constable Alam Munesh, both belonging to CRPF's 195th battalion, an official said. 

1:45 PM

Union minister Gadkari says 'paid political campaign' targets him amid ethanol fuel pushback

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday alleged that he was targeted by a "paid political campaign" on social media, amid strong criticism of the government’s ethanol-blended fuel initiative. Speaking at the 65th annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in Delhi, Gadkari asserted that concerns regarding E20 petrol, which blends 20 per cent ethanol with conventional fuel, were being deliberately exaggerated online.

1:05 PM

Delhi Police Special Cell busts terror module, five suspects held after multi-state raids

A Pakistan-based terror module was busted and five operatives were arrested after the Special Cell of Delhi Police and Central agencies carried out coordinated raids across multiple states, an official said on Thursday. The module was planning a major attack in the country, he said. The mastermind, identified as Ashar Danish, was apprehended from Jharkhand's Ranchi, while two suspects -- Aftab and Sufiyan, both residents of Mumbai -- were arrested from Delhi on Tuesday.

12:00 PM

Brazil Supreme Court justice breaks with 2 peers, votes to absolve Bolsonaro as trial continues

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice voted Wednesday to acquit former president Jair Bolsonaro of all charges in his alleged coup trial, in the first dissenting vote since the final judicial proceeding began, giving some respite to the far-right leader and potential arguments to his defence team for an appeal after a final verdict. The 70-year-old ex-leader faces a five-member panel of justices who started voting Tuesday on accusations he attempted to illegally hang onto power after his 2022 electoral defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

11:14 AM

Nepal Army extends curfew in Kathmandu, other districts amid ongoing unrest

The Nepalese Army said that essential service vehicles and institutions would be allowed to operate. The Nepalese Army has extended the prohibitory order and curfew in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts until 6 am on Friday, September 12. To ease the difficulties for residents, shops selling daily necessities will remain open from 6 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 7 pm today, with people urged to shop in small groups.

11:12 AM

South Korea president says Korean companies will hesitate to invest in US without better visa system

South Korea's president said Thursday that South Korean companies will likely hesitate to maintain or make direct investments in the United States if the US fails to improve its visa system for Korean workers. President Lee Jae Myung made the comments in a televised news conference while he spoke about the detention of more than 300 South Korean workers after the September 4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction. 

10:49 AM

Massive gas tanker explosion in Mexico City kills 3 people, injures 70 others

Mexico City's mayor said late Wednesday that three people had died and 70 were injured in the explosion of a gas tanker truck along a major Mexico City highway. Mayor Clara Brugada called the explosion under a highway overpass an “emergency” that burned 18 vehicles and left 19 of those injured in grave condition.

9:16 AM

ED conducts raids across multiple states in Rs 650 crore fake ITC case

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted multi-state searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged fake GST input tax credit claim of Rs 650 crore, news agency PTI reported.