Breaking News, October 19 | LIVE UPDATES

Merging state-run schools with low enrolment will solve most of the problems in the public education system, Arunachal Pradesh's Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona said.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra has sent notices to various social media platforms, asking them to take down a total of 1,752 posts that contained fake news and were meant to create confusion among voters. More than 300 of these posts were deleted after they were flagged by the poll body, an official release said here on Friday. The notices were sent under section 79(3) (b) of the Information Technology Act, which empowers law enforcement agencies to order intermediaries to remove any content that can be used for unlawful activities.

Two militants were arrested in Manipur's Imphal East district, police said on Saturday. Those arrested were identified as Mutum Inao Singh (31) and Khwairakpam Rajen Singh (25) of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (People's War Group), they said. They were arrested from the Pureiromba Khongnangkhong area on Friday on charges of extortion and "other prejudicial activities", police said. A two-wheeler, three mobile phones, and Rs 7,600 in cash were seized from them.

Two more people were arrested on Friday for allegedly pelting stones at a police party outside the Dasna Devi temple here during a protest against priest Narsinghanand Saraswati’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad, police said. The arrested individuals have been identified as Momin (32) and Wahid (35), police said. Wave City police station's Station Officer (SO) Ankit Kumar said that based on precise information and CCTV footage, the police identified the accused and arrested them. The incident occurred on October 4.

North Korea said Saturday it found the remains of a South Korean drone during a search in its capital, Pyongyang, claiming the drone proved the South's military was behind the alleged drone infiltrations over the city's skies earlier in the month. The North's official Korean Central News Agency released photos showing a seemingly damaged aircraft with wide, V-shaped wings and winglets. It said a joint investigation by North Korea's military and state security agencies concluded that the aircraft, which it said was found on Oct. 13, was the same type of drone that appeared in a South Korean military parade earlier in October.

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been seeking justice for their deceased colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Friday threatened to hold a strike by all medics in the state on October 22 if their demands are not met. Stating that they are in talks with their colleagues in other states, the medics said there may also be a country-wide strike by doctors on Tuesday over the issue.

Three people were killed and 24 sustained injuries after a bus fell into a drain while trying to avoid hitting a cyclist here on Friday evening, police said. The bus, which had 53 people on board, was on its way to Siddharthnagar from Balrampur. They said The incident occurred in the Dhebaruwa area of Siddharthnagar district. According to Superintendent of Police Prachi Singh, the driver lost control of the bus while trying to save a cyclist. However, the bus hit the cycle before falling into the drain near Chargahwa, police said.

A London-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt on Friday following a bomb threat. In a statement early Saturday morning, an airline spokesperson said the flight landed safely at the Frankfurt airport and mandatory checks are being conducted. The flight will continue to its destination once cleared by the security agencies. "Vistara flight UK17 operating from Delhi to London on October 18, 2024 received a security threat on social media. In line with the protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and as a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to divert the flight to Frankfurt," the spokesperson said. According to an official in the know, the flight had received a bomb threat.