A Delhi court on Monday sent self-styled right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj to 14-day judicial custody in an alleged assault case linked to a June protest at Jantar Mantar. Bhardwaj was accused of beating and injuring Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist, during a protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party. He was detained in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday after protesters demanded his arrest. Police later added provisions of the SC/ST Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR. Bhardwaj had claimed he acted in self-defence after allegedly saying he had “cracked the skull” of Kumar. (PC: X)

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said India buys Russian crude to meet its own energy needs and support national development, not to help Moscow fund the Ukraine war. “India does not buy Russian oil for the sake of helping Russia. It is buying oil for itself and its own national development,” Alipov told DD News. He said Russia remained ready to supply as much oil as India required despite Western sanctions and tariffs. India has consistently maintained that its oil purchases are guided by national interest, energy security and affordability. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict. (PC: X)

Iran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” near the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days or weeks, targeting vessels Tehran believes are attempting to pass through the waterway. Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the zone would extend from the reported US naval blockade toward the strait and into the Persian Gulf. His remarks came after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers following Iranian missile launches at US warships. The US says more than 20 warships are supporting its blockade, which has redirected 92 commercial vessels. Iran’s plans add to tensions around the crucial global shipping route.

The owner of the five-storey PG building that collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, killing seven people and injuring five, has been detained from Bhiwadi near Gurugram. Hariram Gupta was traced after Delhi Police issued a lookout circular and launched a manhunt. Several police teams conducted raids at suspected locations as authorities searched for him. The building, which housed a boys’ PG called Hostel Daze, collapsed on Sunday while repair work was underway. Rescue teams from multiple agencies are continuing operations at the site. The exact cause of the collapse remains under investigation, while the MCD has ordered action against illegal constructions. (PC: India Today)

Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Remman killed at least nine people, including a child, two women and a paramedic, Lebanon’s health ministry said. One overnight strike destroyed a three-storey residential building, killing eight people and injuring 11 others, including four children. A second strike hit a vehicle carrying paramedics, killing another and injuring two. Israel’s military said it was looking into the reports, while its foreign ministry accused Hezbollah of repeated drone attacks and rebuilding its military capabilities in southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that the escalation could threaten the US-brokered ceasefire. (PC: BBC)

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said NASA has officially invited ISRO to join its Moon base programme as the US prepares for expanded lunar exploration under the Artemis missions. Speaking at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026, Gor said Washington wants India “by our side” on the lunar surface. He highlighted growing India-US space cooperation through the NISAR mission and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission to the International Space Station. Gor also encouraged Indian space startups to enter the US market and cited companies including Pixxel, GalaxEye, Digantara, Bellatrix, Skyroot and Agnikul. He said both countries are also working on global space governance and cooperation.

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has scored a major election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, securing 43.8% of the vote, preliminary results showed. The conservative CDU came a distant second with 17.2%. Despite its strong performance, the AfD is projected to win 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, short of the 42 needed for a majority. AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund called the result “sensational” and said the party had received a mandate to govern. However, other major parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, leaving negotiations over the state’s next government uncertain. (PC: BBC)

Singapore has launched an investigation into racist and xenophobic online remarks targeting people of Indian origin, including comments linked to the Nepal-Tibet flash floods and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India. Senior Minister K Shanmugam called the posts “shameful” and “totally unacceptable”, while Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned that prejudice against any community must not become normalised. Authorities highlighted around 20 racist comments, including slurs targeting Indians and references to the Singapore-India trade agreement. Shanmugam also condemned cyberbullying of Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara over his Indian heritage and alleged bias towards Air India, calling the attacks vile and libellous. (PC: NDTV)

6 people have died after a five-storey boys’ PG building collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday, with a lookout circular issued against owner Hariram Bansal. The building, near Delhi University’s South Campus and opposite Sri Venkateswara College, collapsed around 1:30 pm while repair work was reportedly underway in the basement. Ten people were rescued and taken to hospital. Rescue teams from the NDRF, Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police continued operations overnight. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry, while police registered an FIR against the owner. The Delhi High Court will hear a PIL concerning the collapse.  

The United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution on September 4 encouraging a shift from the Mercator projection to the 2018 Equal Earth map. Sponsored by Togo and spearheaded by the African Union, the resolution passed 164-1, with six abstentions; India voted in favour while the United States opposed it. The initiative seeks to represent Africa and Global South regions accurately and challenge Eurocentric cartographic conventions. Mercator preserves angles and directions for navigation but enlarges areas near the poles, making Africa appear comparable to Greenland despite being 15 times larger. Supporters argue such distortions can reinforce perceptions of Western cultural, economic and geopolitical dominance, making cartography a tool of power.