Feb 4 News Live |Turkish Airlines Kathmandu–Istanbul flight diverted to Kolkata after engine fire

Turkish Airlines flight from Kathmandu makes emergency landing in Kolkata

A Turkish Airlines flight operating from Kathmandu to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport on Wednesday after the pilot reported a possible fire in the aircraft’s right engine.

The flight, Turkish 727, carrying 236 passengers, landed at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at around 2.49 pm after the Kolkata air traffic control was alerted mid-air. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection, officials said, reported the Hindustan Times.

The incident triggered an emergency shortly after departure from Tribhuvan International Airport, with officials saying the right engine caught fire within minutes of take-off. “The Turkish Airlines with flight number 'THY-727' caught fire within four minutes of the take off, the right engine caught fire. The flight took off at 1:28 PM (Local Time),” airport general manager Teknath Sitaula told ANI.

After the fire, the pilot diverted west of Kathmandu, shut down the affected engine and held the aircraft in the air for about 10 minutes. “The pilot informed the Kathmandu tower and continued flying on a single engine,” said Gyanendra Bhul of Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority.

After assessing the situation, the crew decided against a long-haul journey and diverted the flight to Kolkata, officials said.

Union Budget: Sitharaman challenges Rahul Gandhi to prove claims

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman challenged Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to prove his claim that the Union Budget was “uninformed”, calling the allegations baseless and asking him to point to any specific paragraph supporting them. Read the full story 

Israeli strikes kill 17 in Gaza despite ceasefire, women and children among dead

Israeli fire across Gaza killed at least 17 Palestinians on Wednesday, most of them women and children, hospital officials said. Israel said the strikes followed militant fire on its troops that seriously wounded one soldier.

Hospital officials said the dead included seven women and five children, among them a five-month-old infant and a baby just 10 days old. The deaths come amid a fragile ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, but has been repeatedly disrupted by deadly Israeli strikes. Gaza’s health ministry said more than 530 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began.

“The genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip continues,” said Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, in a Facebook post. “Where is the ceasefire? Where are the mediators?”

Early Wednesday, Israeli troops fired on a building in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood, killing at least 11 people from the same family, Shifa Hospital said. The dead included two parents, their newborn daughter, a five-month-old cousin and their grandmother.

Israel’s military said its aircraft and armoured units returned fire after militants shot at troops, badly wounding a reservist. It described the attack as a violation of the ceasefire.

Hospital officials said Israeli fire continued elsewhere in Gaza. An airstrike on a family tent in Khan Younis killed three people, including a 12-year-old boy, according to Nasser Hospital. Tank shelling in Gaza City’s Zaytoun area killed three more, including a married couple, Shifa Hospital said.

The Gaza health ministry said more than 71,800 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

109 Nigerians detained in Nalasopara, 2 kg cocaine seized in police drive

Police on Wednesday detained 109 Nigerian nationals during a crackdown on foreigners allegedly living illegally in the district and seized around 2 kg of cocaine in the Nalasopara East area, an official said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Poornima Chowgule-Shringi said teams of the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police launched a combing operation at around 6 am to verify documents of foreign nationals residing in the area. “In one place, we seized 2 kg of cocaine from a person, and an offence is being registered,” she said.

According to police, none of the detained persons has so far produced valid travel or residential documents. Foreign nationals from Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana living in Nalasopara, Achole and Tulinj have repeatedly been found involved in drug peddling, the official said.

Chowgule-Shringi said authorities had also received information about illegal shops operating in these localities, prompting coordinated action involving the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. The detained persons have been given an opportunity to submit valid documents. “Those who fail to do so will face further legal action, including repatriation,” she said, adding that low rents attract foreign nationals to these areas.

US, UN launch $700 million fund to boost aid for war-hit Sudan

The United States and the United Nations on Tuesday moved to mobilise global support for humanitarian assistance to Sudan, launching a new Sudan Humanitarian Fund with initial pledges totalling $700 million from the United Arab Emirates and the US.

The Trump administration said it would contribute $200 million from a $2 billion pool earmarked late last year for humanitarian efforts worldwide, while the UAE committed $500 million. Saudi Arabia and other participating countries indicated they would also contribute, though no figures were announced.

“Today we are signalling that the international community will work together to bring this suffering to an end, and to ensure lifesaving aid reaches communities in such desperate, desperate need,” said Tom Fletcher, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Fletcher co-hosted the event in Washington with US adviser Massad Boulos.

Fletcher said the start of Ramadan on February 17 had been set as a target to show tangible progress. Boulos said Washington had put forward a “comprehensive proposal” for a humanitarian truce.

Sudan has been engulfed in war since 2023, with fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military leaving more than 40,000 people dead, according to UN estimates. The conflict has displaced over 14 million people and triggered famine in several areas. Fighting has intensified in Kordofan, where the army recently reopened a key road to the besieged city of Kadugli, even as RSF drone strikes killed civilians, including children, officials said.

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Rahul Gandhi should've been allowed to quote Naravane's 'memoir' in LS: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should have been allowed in the Lok Sabha to quote from an unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief MM Naravane.

The controversy on the memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny', centres on the events of the Indo-China stand-off in 2020.

A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Gandhi sought to quote from the unpublished "memoir" of former Army chief Naravane, but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, strongly opposed it and accused the Congress leader of "misleading" the House.

Pawar said Gandhi "should have been allowed" to speak on the subject in Parliament during the Budget session.

"If the former Army chief has written something and if the leader of the opposition is saying something, then it is his (Gandhi's) right and he should have been given that opportunity," the Rajya Sabha member said at a press conference in Baramati.

He said that an atmosphere of suspicion should not prevail unnecessarily in the country.

"The former Army chief has written something in the book which shows there was some concerning situation. If a discussion had taken place in Parliament on the issue, people could have got a clear picture," Pawar said.

4.1 magnitude earthquake hits Arunachal's West Kameng