Breaking News, September 27 | HIGHLIGHTS

The US soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago was released into American custody, the White House announced Wednesday. Earlier, North Korea had said it would expel Pvt. Travis King — though some had expected the North to drag out his detention in hopes of squeezing concessions from Washington at a time of high tensions between the two countries.

Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday extended the deadline for mutual fund account holders till January 1, to nominate a beneficiary or opt out of it by submitting a declaration form, failing which their folios will be frozen.

Tension flared up in Visheshwarganj area here after some members of Hindu community objected to putting up of "green" flags on the pillars outside their houses and a temple by Muslim youths for Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, police said on Wednesday.

Heavy rains lashed Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Wednesday, leading to the discharge of water from various dams and subsequent rise of water level in Godavari river, an official said. 

A meeting of opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir has been called at National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah's residence on October 3 to discuss the political situation in the union territory.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Manipur and demanded that he sack the BJP's "incompetent" chief minister as a first step to control the turmoil.

A fire broke out at a chemical factory in Kurali area of Punjab's Mohali on Wednesday, officials said. No casualty has been reported so far, they said.

Terming the dengue situation in West Bengal as "quite alarming", leading doctors of the state said the vector-borne disease this year is not that severe compared to previous years. The experts said they hope the situation will improve soon as the disease had already peaked.

An IAS officer serving in the Arunachal Pradesh government has been compulsorily retired by the government, sources said on Wednesday. Rinku Dugga, a 1994-batch AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre officer, was posted as Principal Secretary, Indigenous Affairs in Arunachal Pradesh.

A team of CBI officials, led by the agency's Special Director Ajay Bhatnagar, will reach Imphal in a special flight on Wednesday to investigate the "kidnapping and killing" of two students who went missing in the northeastern state on July 6, sources said. The decision was taken within hours of the case being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Manipur government.

A court here has sentenced a 25-year-old man to life imprisonment in a 2017 murder case. An additional district judge on Tuesday also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on the convict Shubham Tiwari for the murder of Sandeep Kapoor in Dadabari area here, Additional Public Prosecutor Narendra Malav said on Wednesday. However, the court acquitted another accused Krishan Murari.

 Multi-starrer survival drama "2018-Everyone is a Hero," is India's official entry to the Academy Awards 2024, the Film Federation of India announced here on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, Girish Kasaravalli, noted film-maker and chairman of the selection committee announced that the Malayalam movie has been picked for its very relevant theme on climate change and the travails of people vis-a-vis what has been understood as development in society.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that the ruling BJD will launch a ‘Jan Sampark Padayatra’ from October 2 to October 11 to highlight the state government’s welfare programmes among people. Patnaik, in an open letter to all the party functionaries, said the ‘padayatra’ will cover every nook and corner of the state.

Shares of ethnic apparel retailer Sai Silks (Kalamandir) Ltd made its market debut with a 4 per cent jump against the issue price of Rs 222 today. The stock listed at Rs 230.10, a gain of 3.64 per cent on the BSE. It further climbed 9.84 per cent to Rs 243.85 later in the trade.

E-commerce platform Zepto, which has turned unicorn recently, has emerged as the top startup in India in terms of professionals' preferred workplace, according to a list by a top recruiting platform. Startups that followed the e-grocery app in the ranking include EV cab aggregator BluSmart, fintech company Ditto Insurance, audio OTT platform Pocket FM and Skyroot Aerospace, respectively.

The situation remained calm but tense in Singjamei area of Imphal on Wednesday morning after a clash between students and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel left 45 protesters injured the previous night. Manipur Police, CRPF and RAF personnel were seen deployed in strength throughout Imphal Valley in anticipation of possible protests and violence.

A group of six persons allegedly attacked a 26-year-old shopkeeper in Maharashtra's Latur city with sharp weapons after he refused to pay 'protection money' to them, police said. The shopkeeper was injured in the incident which took place in Mataji Nagar near Kavha Naka, they said. The accused went to the victim's pan shop and demanded Rs 2,000. When the victim refused to pay the money, they threatened him saying they would not allow him to operate to shop, a police official said.

A woman sustained minor injuries when a local train climbed onto a platform at the Mathura Junction Railway Station, an official said. The Railways has ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter, he said. According to the official from Agra division, the electric multiple unit (EMU) train arrived on platform 2A from Shakurbasti at 10.
50 pm on Tuesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency on Wednesday carried out raids at multiple locations in the valley in connection with the killing of a bank guard earlier this year, officials said. The raids are being conducted in the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian, they said. According to the officials, the raids are a part of the central agency's investigations into the killing of bank ATM guard Sanjay Sharma.

A 39-year-old murder convict, who was absconding for the last 12 years after jumping parole, has been arrested by the Mumbai police's crime branch from Telangana, a police official said. The convict, Ashok Hanumanta Kajeri alias V Shiva Narsimullu, was staying in Mahabubnagar town of Telangana by changing his name and identity, the official said. He was arrested by the Mumbai police in a case of murder which took place in 2007, said the official.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has accused the BJP of exploiting the natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir to benefit "crony capitalists". She was reacting to media reports that the lithium reserves found in the Jammu region will be auctioned soon.

A man arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl was injured in an encounter with police after he tried to escape from custody by snatching the pistol of a head constable in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district.  According to police, the girl was molested by Afzal during a Ganesh Visarjan Yatra on Monday. Locals caught hold of the man and handed him over to police.

Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested Kamal Rajput (50), brother of drug lord Kailash Rajput. Kamal was arrested from Vasai and produced in the court. According to the Mumbai Police, he has been sent to police custody till September 30. 

A 34-year-old Indian national died in an accident at a construction site here, officials said. The incident occurred in the afternoon on Sunday in Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1, when a steel stand that was supporting a cable drum gave way, the Ministry of Manpower said. A cable drum is a round, cylindrical object used to carry wound-up wires and cables, reported The Straits Times.

Underscoring the transformative momentum in the India-US relationship, officials of the two nations held discussions on opportunities to further strengthen interoperability and logistics cooperation. During the India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue held here on Tuesday, the officials also discussed combined maritime engagements in the Indian Ocean Region, as well as expanded cooperation in the space and cyber domains, the Pentagon said.