Live! Hormuz Strait closed only to ships from US, Israel, Europe, allies: Iran

US rules out ground troops in Operation Epic Fury

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a regular press briefing that sending ground troops was not part of the plan for Operation Epic Fury.

US says carrier strike groups increasing pressure on Iran

The US Central Command said the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is conducting round-the-clock operations from the Mediterranean in support of Operation Epic Fury, as Washington increases military pressure on Iran.

Residents evacuated near US Embassy in Doha as precaution

The US Embassy in Doha said Qatari authorities were evacuating residents living near the mission as a temporary precaution and advised people to avoid the area.

UP: 11 injured in clash during Holi in Barabanki village

 At least 11 people were injured after a dispute over playing with colours on Holi escalated into a violent clash between two groups here in a village, police said.

The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon in Tikaria village in Uttar Pradesh.

According to police, an argument between the two sides over playing with colours quickly turned into a bloody confrontation, with both groups allegedly attacking each other with sticks, batons and iron rods for about 10 minutes, creating panic in the area.

Locals intervened and tried to bring the situation under control. Police officers who arrived at the spot after being informed pacified both sides.

Villagers said eight people from one side and three from the other have sustained injuries. All the injured were sent for medical examination, police said.

JD(U) supporters back Nitish as Bihar CM, oppose Rajya Sabha move

JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Patel, along with party supporters, raised slogans in support of Nitish Kumar outside the Chief Minister’s residence.

People of Bihar want Nitish as CM; JD(U) won’t oppose Rajya Sabha move: Sanjay Singh

JD(U) leader Sanjay Singh has said that if Nitish Kumar had decided to go to the Rajya Sabha, the party would not oppose the move, but added that the people of Bihar wanted him to continue as Chief Minister.

Kurdish dissident groups say they are preparing to join fight against Iran with US support

Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran, and the US has asked Iraqi Kurds to support them, Kurdish officials told The Associated Press.

The Kurdish groups are widely seen as the most well-organised segment of the fragmented Iranian opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters. Their entry into the war could pose a significant challenge to the embattled authorities in Tehran and could also risk pulling Iraq further into the conflict.

Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, based in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, said Wednesday that some of their forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby.

He said Kurdish opposition group leaders had been contacted by US officials regarding a potential operation, without giving more details.

Asked about reports that the Trump administration was considering arming Iranian Kurdish groups, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday: “None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force. So, what other entities may be doing, we're aware of, but our objectives aren't centred on that.” Before the US and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, triggering a new war in the Middle East, the PAK had claimed attacks on the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran's violent crackdown on protests. But an official with the group said it had not sent forces from Iraq into Iran.

If the Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups were to join the war, it would be the first entry of a significant ground force into the battle. The Kurdish groups have battle experience from the fight against the Islamic State group.

Congress fields Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Vem Narender Reddy for Rajya Sabha polls

The Congress on Thursday released its list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, fielding Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy from Telangana.

Two charred bodies recovered after fire breaks out in Delhi's Paharganj building

Two charred bodies were recovered from the fourth floor of a building after a fire broke out in central Delhi's Paharganj area, a DFS official said on Thursday.

A call regarding the blaze was received at 4.38 pm on Wednesday. The fire had broken out in a toy godown located on the fourth floor of the building. "Twenty-five fire tenders were rushed to the spot after receiving the call," the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officer said.

The building comprises a ground floor and four upper floors. A temporary structure had been erected on the fourth floor, where the toy godown was operating, the officer said.

Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before bringing it under control. "The fire was finally extinguished at around 3.20 am (on Thursday), after which two charred bodies were recovered from the godown," the officer said.

The identity of the deceased and the cause of the fire are yet to be ascertained, he said, adding that further investigation is underway. More details are awaited. 

China hikes defence budget to USD 275 billion

China on Thursday hiked its defence budget to USD 275 billion, about USD 25 billion more than last year as it ramped the modernisation of armed forces to catch up with the US military.

Roughly 1.9 trillion yuan (about USD 275 billion) will be allocated to national defence, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced in his work report presented to the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday.

The report said China's defence spending remains comparatively modest across key relative indicators, including its share of GDP, per capita defence expenditure, and defence expenditure per military personnel, it said.

Last year China announced a 7.2-per cent increase for its national defence budget to USD 249 billion for 2025 which is a USD 17 billion rise compared to 2024.

China’s defence spending, only second to that of the US, has been growing over the years putting enormous pressure on India and other neighbouring countries to scale up their defence budgets in the face of economic challenges.

In 2024, China increased its defence budget by 7.2 per cent to about USD 232 billion (1.67 trillion yuan) -- over three times that of India -- as it continues with the massive modernisation of all its armed forces.

China's defence budget figures are viewed with scepticism in the light of massive military modernisation, including building aircraft carriers, rapid construction of advanced naval ships and modern stealth aircraft being carried out at a feverish pitch by the Chinese military.