A colonel, a major, and a deputy superintendent of police were killed in an encounter with terrorists in Anantnag, J&K. Col Manpreet Singh, Major Aashish Dhonchak and DSP Himanyun Muzamil Bhat lost their lives during the Kokernag gunfight. Col Singh was the commanding officer of the Army's 19 Rashtriya Rifles counter-insurgency unit. Their bodies were retrieved from the dense forests. Top officials including 15 Corps Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai rushed to the site. Troops had launched an operation on terrorist inputs and came under heavy fire, critically injuring the 3 officers. Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter which is still underway. This was the second encounter in 24 hours after 1 soldier died in a separate Rajouri gunfight. [Photo: representational photo]

Varun Dhawan is the latest to join the bandwagon of celebrities praising Shah Rukh Khan's blockbuster Jawan. Varun, who worked with SRK in Dilwale, wrote on social media that Jawan is 'blockbuster stuff' with Shah Rukh delivering as ‘actor and superstar.’ He called each moment of the film 'beautifully executed' and wrote " So much fun I felt Like a kid in a candy store." Varun's instant hit post follows praise from RRR director SS Rajamouli who termed SRK the 'Baadshah of box office' for Jawan's record opening. The outpouring from celebs across generations like Akshay Kumar and Mahesh Babu shows Jawan has struck a pan-India chord.

The Kerala government confirmed in the state assembly that the recent deaths due to the Nipah virus in Kozhikode were caused by the 'Bangladesh variant' of the brain-damaging virus. Health Minister Veena George said this strain has a high mortality rate but is less infectious compared to other variants. This marks the fourth Nipah outbreak in Kerala since 2018, which has so far claimed 25 lives out of 27 infected. The virus, which spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or humans, has no vaccine or treatment available yet. Kerala first reported Nipah in 2018 when 21 out of 23 infected people died. In 2019 and 2021, two more lives were lost to Nipah outbreaks in the state. 

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at fans accusing that India 'tried to lose' against Sri Lanka to eliminate Pakistan in the Asia Cup match yesterday. Akhtar said India was not trying to lose deliberately after being bowled out for 213, praising Sri Lanka's bowling effort. He questioned why India would want to lose and not confirm a place in the final. Akhtar slammed fans messaging him that India fixed the game, calling it nonsense. He praised India spinner Kuldeep Yadav's 4-wicket haul that helped spin the match in India's favor. Akhtar lauded Sri Lanka's fight and 20-year-old Dunith Wellalage's all-round show in the match. CLICK on the window to watch Akhtar's video message.

The Centre has called an all-party meeting of floor leaders on September 17, a day before the start of a special 5-day Parliament session. The agenda for the session, beginning September 18 ‘amid Amrit Kaal', has not been specified yet, leading to speculation it could cover women's reservation bill, uniform civil code or simultaneous polls. Opposition parties have criticized the government for not revealing the agenda with just few days left. It is also expected Parliament proceedings will shift from the old building to the new one during this session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on X, he looks forward to “fruitful discussions and debates.”

London homes in more than 50 postcode areas (SW, TW, W1 H-M-N, W2-W14)  have been left without water or with low pressure after a fault at a treatment plant in the capital. Schools will stay closed on Wednesday amid the widespread disruption. Thames Water said it is bringing in tankers to support hospitals as thousands are impacted. The company expects water to return later on Wednesday but children have already missed school due to the chaos. Thames Water apologized to affected customers in West London experiencing no water or low pressure. MPs called on the utility to update residents on when supplies will normalize.

Senior Indian diplomat Gopal Baglay was appointed the next High Commissioner to Australia. Baglay, currently serving as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, will succeed Manpreet Vohra. A 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Baglay has held various positions in the Ministry of External Affairs including spokesperson and joint secretary handling Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran affairs. He also served as joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office before taking over the Colombo assignment in May 2020. The 1966-born Baglay holds a Masters in chemistry and speaks several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Ukrainian, and Russian. [Image: ANI]

The Indian Air Force (IAF) received its first C-295 military aircraft from Airbus in Spain today as part of a deal to procure 56 planes to replace the aging Avro fleet. Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari received the aircraft being built at the Airbus plant in Seville. The plane is expected to land at the Hindon air base in UP next week and will be officially inducted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. While 16 aircraft will be ready-to-fly from Airbus, 40 will be manufactured in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited under the 'Make in India' initiative. The manufacturing facility in Vadodara, spread over 1.2 million sq meters like Airbus' Spanish facility, will be operational by November 2024 with the first India-made plane expected in 2026.

An Indian-origin man was arrested in Hong Kong for molesting a South Korean vlogger during her livestream. The man approached the woman asking for directions before grabbing her hand and groping her, despite her repeated pleas for him to stop. He later forcefully pressed her against a wall, grabbed her chest, and kissed her. The distressed woman cried for help as the man fled. The man, identified as Amit Jariyal, was detained on suspicion of indecent assault. The distressed vlogger showed her bruises during another livestream in Macau after the attack.

The NIA has identified 15 people involved in the violence at the Indian High Commission in London during protests in March. After releasing photos of 45 suspects earlier, the agency will now prepare to issue Look Out Circulars against the identified 15. This is part of the NIA's probe into the attack on India's mission. In related news, 4 Khalistan supporters who targeted the San Francisco consulate in July have also been identified. An NIA team will visit Canada next month to investigate the Khalistani attack on the High Commission there. Getting the UK to act against identified suspects will be challenging due to lack of laws like India's UAPA.