Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, "led to separatism," hours after the Supreme Court upheld the Centre's move to revoke it four years ago. "There are other states with more Muslim population than Kashmir. Then why only J&K was suffering from terrorism? It was because Article 370 led to separatism," Shah said, noting the court called it temporary to ease J&K into India. Shah, who announced Article 370's revocation, said the order vindicates the government though Congress disagrees. He argued that mainstreaming J&K has improved lives, as "Kashmiris don't listen to talks of terrorism and separatism" anymore and stone pelting is down with disincentives. adding: "We are close to a terrorism-free Kashmir."

Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated Mohan Yadav after he was elected BJP legislative leader and next Madhya Pradesh chief minister, saying: "I congratulate my dedicated colleague...I am sure under PM Modi's leadership, you will take MP to new development heights." The 58-year-old Yadav, an OBC leader and Ujjain MLA, was the Higher Education Minister under Chouhan, whose welfare schemes helped his party tap the women's votes in the last elections. Chauhan expressed confidence in CM Yadav to "create new records in the field of public welfare" under the "guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi". Yadav won recent elections by nearly 13,000 votes. His name ended 10-day BJP suspense over the top post after the election, as he was a surprise against other names floated.

The BJP has named Mohan Yadav, 58, a leader from the Yadav OBC community, as the surprise new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Although Yadavs are not the most influential, the OBCs make up over half the state's population. On Monday, Mr. Yadav was elected as the BJP legislative party leader just 15 days after the party's big state election win. The outgoing Higher Education Minister thanked the party, saying "I am a small party worker...I thank the party for this opportunity." Emphasizing unity, Mr. Yadav was nominated by outgoing CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and supported by other senior leaders. State BJP boss VD Sharma said Prahlad Patel, Narendra Tomar, and Kailash Vijayvargiya "supported the proposal."

The BBC has learned about 200 Afghan special forces soldiers, trained and funded by the UK, now face deportation from Pakistan to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who served the British Army in Afghanistan for over 12 years, calls it a "betrayal" and "disgrace" after the UK failed to relocate the commandos, saying the cost would be these soldiers dying or jailed. In 2021, Boris Johnson told Parliament their service was "incredibly important", adding the UK would do "whatever we can" to get "safe passage" for them. It comes amid revelations the UK rejected calls to offer asylum to 32 key Afghan civilian leaders who aided UK-US operations. Barrons says the failure to protect Afghan allies is "unacceptable" and "reflects that either we're duplicitous as a nation or incompetent."

Keeping his Sunday tradition, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan greeted fans outside his Mumbai home on Sunday. But this week fans got a surprise when his grandson Agastya Nanda also waved alongside the proud grandfather. Bachchan tweeted the photos with "Sunoo," referencing a song picturized on Agastya in his Netflix debut The Archies. Agastya plays Archie Andrews, who goes to great lengths to save a park from being demolished. His praiseworthy performance comes after last week's Mumbai screening attended by the Bachchans and Nandas supporting his big moment. Sr Bachchan's iconic weekend fan ritual was made even more special with his grandson by his side to see the cheers, also being seen by many as an act of handing over the baton to the next generation.

An Arkia Airlines flight landed safely at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Friday as Hamas rockets targeting central Israel flew by. Passengers watched in shock from the windows as the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted the barrage. Sirens sounded in towns surrounding the airport, alerting residents to take shelter. Tel Aviv, Rehovot, and Bat Yam were also targeted but no casualties were reported. Retired Air Force commander Eitan Ben Eliyahu said that while passenger planes can't dodge missiles, pilots can climb to higher altitudes or divert to other airports. Videos released over the weekend showed Iron Dome interceptions as frightened passengers expressed awe. Dozens of airlines have canceled Tel Aviv flights since Hamas's October 7 attack and the ensuing Gaza war. [Video Courtesy: @N12News]

The Australian government will halve the annual migration intake to 250,000 within two years in an attempt to fix the country's "broken" immigration system, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil announced Monday. A recent review found the current system inefficient and overloaded, with a record 510,000 migrants entering in the past year. Among the new measures are tougher minimum English-language requirements for international students, and more scrutiny of those applying for a second visa - they must prove that any further study would advance their academic aspirations or their careers.  The new plan will target improving pathways for high-demand roles like tech and care workers. O'Neil said the changes will get "numbers back under control" and attract the workers Australia needs most. 

The Central Election Commission of Russia has announced its intention to conduct the presidential elections in four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—which were annexed by Russia last year. Notably, Russia's control over the entire territory remains incomplete. President Vladimir Putin confirmed his candidacy for the March 2024 elections on Friday. Concurrently, Ukrainian military reports indicate a significant offensive by Russian forces on Avdiivka, with 610 artillery shellings reported near the eastern Ukrainian town in the past day. Ukrainian officials also claimed eight long-range ballistic missiles hitting Kyiv before dawn on Monday, injuring four, marking the first major attack on the Ukrainian capital in recent months. On the other hand, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claims to have cracked a network of Ukrainian agents in Crimea, involved in attempts to assassinate pro-Russian figures. Meanwhile, Britain has delivered two mine-hunting ships to Ukraine to bolster its position in the Black Sea.

Israel bombed southern Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis on Monday after Hamas warned that no Israeli hostages would leave the territory alive unless its demands for prisoner releases were met. On Sunday, Hamas said: "Neither the fascist enemy... nor its supporters can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation." The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday that dozens of people have been killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip. A report also said Palestinian militants Islamic Jihad claimed that they had blown up a house where Israeli soldiers were searching for a tunnel shaft. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people including children, raping women, and taking about 240 hostages. Israel has responded since with strikes that have reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed at least 17,997 people, mostly women and children.

A four-foot deep pit was found yesterday under the boundary wall of the Hindan Air Base near Delhi, "raising serious security concerns that a suspected attempt was made to dig a tunnel" at the "strategically important" base that operates MiG-29 jets and C-17 aircraft. After locals informed police of the pit's discovery, a police team immediately reached the spot. "A case has been registered and strict action will be taken against those responsible," the Deputy Superintendent of Police said. A team from the Indian Air Force reached the spot and the pit was filled with mud. Anil Kumar, who lives near the base, said the pit was being dug "after breaking the base of the thick boundary wall." The Hindan Air Base operates under the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force and is one of the biggest and largest air bases in Asia.