Nepal flash floods: Death toll rises to 1,344The death toll due to the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,344 on Saturday (September 5, 2026) as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas while thousands remain missing, police said. According to the data released by the Nepal Police, a total of 843 bodies have been successfully recovered, consisting of 758 adults and 85 children.Additionally, authorities also reported having retrieved 501 amputated bodies from the flood-hit areas. The death toll in the flash floods on Saturday (September 5, 2026) rose to 1,344 with the recovery of more bodies, Nepal Police said in a statement. The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, leaving a trail of destruction.Russian President Putin orders 72-hour pause in strikes on KyivRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency Saturday (September 5, 2026). “Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Mr. Peskov said.He said the decision was tied to preparations for U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv for peace talks.Jantar Mantar assault case: Swatantra Bhardwaj arrested, sent to one-day police custodyDelhi Police arrested self-styled Hindutva social media influencer and accused Swatantra Bhardwaj nearly 24 hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protested outside the Parliament Street police station on Friday (September 4, 2026), demanding his arrest and stronger charges. He was remanded to one-day police custody by the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, Delhi police told The Hindu.According to the police, Bhardwaj had claimed that he had “cracked open the skull” of a student protester’s father during the protests at Jantar Mantar in July during an interview available on YouTube. Police officers said he had reached Bulandshahr on Friday (September 4, 2026) amid mounting backlash over his remarks in a video podcast. Later, a team of Delhi Police Crime Branch officials detained Bhardwaj from Bulandshahr.Shape generations of students with scientific outlook, ‘nation first’ spirit: President to teachersPresident Droupadi Murmu on Saturday (September 5, 2026) asked teachers to shape generations of students who develop a scientific outlook and move forward with the spirit of “nation first”.In an article written on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, she said it is the sacred duty of teachers to guide their students to be good human beings. Students who achieve prosperity and glory while remaining ethical in their thoughts and actions are living embodiments of a teacher’s success, the President said.Saharanpur authorities demolish ‘illegal’ mosque; SP MP Iqra Hasan prevented from reaching siteLocal authorities in Saharanpur demolished a mosque located inside the District Magistrate’s office complex on Saturday (September 5, 2026), in the presence of the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the City Magistrate, amid a heavy police presence. The Court of the City Magistrate declared the mosque illegal last month and issued an order for its demolition.Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan from Kairana, who was scheduled to visit Saharanpur on Saturday (September 5, 2026), was placed under house arrest. The MP alleged that as she was leaving her home to travel to Saharanpur, a large police force arrived at her residence and prevented her from leaving. The Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged the BJP is continuously trying to “stoke unrest in the State along communal lines before the 2027 Assembly polls”.CBI books Subhash Chandra, others over alleged ₹1,322-crore loss to LIC Housing FinanceThe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against businessman Subhash Chandra and others for allegedly causing a wrongful loss of over ₹1,322 crore to LIC Housing Finance Limited (LICHFL) through misrepresentation of facts.Those named in the First Information Report (FIR) include Mr. Chandra, Vasant Sagar Properties Private Limited and its director Pankaj Suroliya, Pan India Infrastructure Private Limited, Digital Subscriber Management and Consultancy Services Private Limited and its director Amish Pandya, Spirit Infrapower and Multiventures Private Limited and its director Rajeev Dholakia, and unidentified others.U.S. Ambassador calls for ‘severe consequences’ to stop West Bank violenceThe U.S. Ambassador to Israel on Saturday (September 5, 2026) called for “severe consequences” to stop violence in the occupied West Bank as he met with Palestinians on Saturday (September 5), including the families ⁠of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli settlers, in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank that has been the target of repeated settler attacks.“Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror. When people do it, they should expect that they will have severe consequences,” Mike Huckabee told reporters as he visited the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, which has a high number of U.S. citizens. However, he declined to criticise Israel. Settler violence in the ‌West Bank has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, took office in ‌late 2022.India votes in favour of UNGA resolution endorsing new world mapIndia has voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at correcting the world map to promote a “more accurate representation” of continental landmasses. The 193-member UN General Assembly on Friday (September 4, 2026) overwhelmingly adopted the resolution “Correct the map: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa”. The resolution was sponsored by Togo, receiving 164 votes in favour, with abstentions from Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, and a lone vote against from the United States.The resolution noted that the Mercator projection, designed in the 16th century for navigational purposes, remains widely used in educational, media, digital and official materials, despite the considerable distortion of landmasses to the North and South, far from the equator.Can’t ask mosquitoes not to bite: Bengal Minister’s remark sparks criticismA remark by West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul on the outbreak of vector-borne disease in the State has sparked criticism in the State’s political circles. Ms. Paul who holds the portfolio of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs said that the government will have to step up its efforts to combat the situation as mosquitoes cannot be tamed.“Cannot ask mosquitoes to bite less as the government has changed,” the Minister told journalists. There has been an outbreak of vector borne disease particularly dengue in West Bengal with over 4000 cases of dengue infection being reported and seven deaths over the past few weeks.Union Minister Chirag Paswan files complaint against Swatantra Bhardwaj over ‘misuse’ of nameUnion Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan has filed a complaint with New Delhi’s Parliament Street police against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, accusing him of “falsely and publicly” invoking his name to claim political protection in connection with the assault on the father of a student activist during protests at Jantar Mantar in July.The complaint, dated September 4 and filed by advocate Sushil Kumar, national president of the party’s legal cell, seeks registration of an FIR against Mr. Bhardwaj and strict action against him. It also asks the police to formally place on record that neither Mr Paswan nor the LJP (Ram Vilas) has any connection with Mr. Bhardwaj or the incident.DVAC searches DMK MLA and former Minister K.N. Nehru’s residences in Chennai, TiruchiOfficials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Saturday (September 5, 2026) launched searches at the Chennai and Tiruchi residences of DMK MLA and former Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru on Saturday (September 5, 2026).In Chennai, searches were conducted at four locations – the residence of Mr. Nehru in Mylapore and that of his brother Ravichandran, besides two other places linked to them. In Tiruchi, the DVAC team, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, launched the operation around 6.30 a.m. at the former Minister’s residence at Thillai Nagar.