PM Narendra Modi at SRCC Centenary as BJP Steps Up Youth & Gen Z Connect

Trouble has mounted for Swatantra Bhardwaj after the Lok Janshakti Party lodged a police complaint against him at Parliament Street police station for misusing Union Minister Chirag Paswan's name. In a viral podcast video, Bhardwaj claimed political protection and alleged connections to prominent political leaders after boasting about an assault. Chirag Paswan and his party clarified they have no association with Bhardwaj and demanded strict legal action against him. Delhi Police subsequently detained Bhardwaj from a friend's residence in Nathla village in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. The development follows an ongoing probe into a June 23 assault at Jantar Mantar, where a protester's father was struck with a metal kada, sustaining head wounds. Authorities have booked Bhardwaj under various legal provisions, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, wrongful restraint, hurt, and criminal intimidation.

The US and Israel conflict with Iran has entered its seventh month following the initial strikes on February 28. Although 18 US service members have been killed and intermittent strikes continue on both sides, peace talks between the United States and Iran remain deadlocked after previous rounds and a Memorandum of Understanding stalled. The US controls the Strait of Hormuz, which has contributed to a global fuel crisis over the past seven months. Amid warnings of potential strikes on Iran's nuclear hub at Pickaxe Mountain, economic operations and financial pressure continue alongside military actions.

Speculation has surfaced over a possible political understanding between the Samajwadi Party and student group CJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. This follows a meeting between SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and CJP representative Ashutosh Ranka. The Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party have both played down the significance of the meeting, while the Congress has supported the outreach. The meeting has triggered discussion regarding the potential launch of a student movement in Uttar Pradesh, given CJP's national prominence following youth protests in Delhi.

In Nepal, rescue teams have pulled two hydropower workers alive from a tunnel nine days after catastrophic flash floods triggered by an August 26 glacier collapse. The rescued individuals have been identified as mechanical foreman Sanjay Shah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Mahajan, who were trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project on the Trishuli River. The breakthrough occurred after rescuers heard voices from deep within the debris. The disaster has claimed over 1,300 lives with thousands still missing. Authorities continue intensified search operations under difficult conditions to locate other stranded survivors.