Highlights: Israeli military says it killed Hezbollah drone commander in airstrike on Beirut

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Slamming the BJP, former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal asserted that he will ensure that all development and welfare works stalled due to his arrest are back on track at the earliest. Addressing the Delhi Legislative Assembly for the first time since his resignation, he lashed out at the BJP accusing it of stalling various schemes like old age pension, pilgrimage for elderly, and free medicines at hospitals, among others.

Interacting with Haryana BJP workers through the NaMo app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed fieldwork at the booth level for the upcoming state polls and encouraged BJP workers to devise a strategy for the party to win the election. While alleging the Congress has failed as an opposition in the past 10 years, PM Modi claimed the grand old party's maximum time goes into infighting and taking on each other.

A Mumbai court on Thursday sentenced Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut to 15 days simple imprisonment in a defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's wife Medha Somaiya. The metropolitan magistrate (Sewree court) convicted the Rajya Sabha member under Indian Penal Code Section 500 (punishment for defamation) and also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him. Medha Somaiya, in her complaint filed through advocate Vivekanand Gupta, had alleged that Raut made baseless and completely defamatory allegations against her and her husband.

The top court has granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in connection with a money laundering case. The top court had reserved its verdict on August 12 after hearing submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and senior advocates Mukul Rohatagi and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Balaji.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pune has been cancelled due to the heavy rain situation in the city. PM Modi was set to to flag off a Metro train in Pune on Thursday, alongside unveiling multiple development projects valued at over Rs 22,600 crore.

Extensive flooding, severe traffic congestion and disruptions to Central Railway services affected Mumbai as parts of the city were hit by over 200mm of rain over a five-hour span starting at 5 pm on Wednesday. Additionally, 14 flights had to be diverted. Due to a red alert issued until 8:30 AM Thursday, officials in Mumbai and Thane declared a holiday for schools and colleges.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Mumbai and its adjoining districts Thane, Palghar, and Raigad for Thursday morning. The Mumbai civic body and police have advised all people in the city and surrounding areas to stay indoors as much as possible. Mumbaikars, if not required, avoid stepping out of home, the BMC posted on X. 

The US, France and other allies have jointly called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days. The joint statement, negotiated on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation. We call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy, the statement reads. 

 

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a reply to bail plea of former Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case. Special CBI judge Rakesh Syal granted time to counsel for Jain to argue the matter and listed the matter on October 5 along with the main case. Advocate Vivek Jain appeared for Satyendar Jain and informed the court that the reply has been received an hour ago.