India’s Ministry of Power approved expedited electricity exports to flood-hit Nepal, where devastating floods destroyed hydropower infrastructure and killed more than 1,300 people. The approval allows India to export power to Nepal for 18 hours a day from September 13 through December 31, 2026. The Power Ministry said the move would help Nepal meet its power requirements during the difficult period and further strengthen close, longstanding energy cooperation between the two countries. The decision comes as Nepal works to recover from the floods, which affected its power infrastructure. India’s approval is intended to support Nepal’s electricity needs while recovery efforts continue following the devastating flooding and its impact on hydropower infrastructure.

Tamil Nadu announced investment commitments worth around Rs 12,300 crore during Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s four-day UK visit. The projects are expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs. Samvardhana Motherson International will invest Rs 11,000 crore over five years. It plans to create about 7,000 jobs in manufacturing, engineering and logistics. A UK-based communications company will invest Rs 1,000 crore and create over 2,000 jobs through a Global Capability Centre. Sigma Technology Group and Wilson Power Solutions also signed agreements. The announcements came after Opposition parties criticised Vijay’s visit and questioned its purpose after photos of him with actor Trisha surfaced.  

The BJP has taken the lead in Rajasthan’s urban local body elections, winning 4,179 wards against Congress’s 3,613. The BJP secured majorities in Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota and Bhilwara municipal corporations. Congress won a majority in Bikaner and emerged as the largest party in Ajmer, where it won 37 of 80 wards. Jodhpur remained a close contest, with BJP and Congress winning 44 wards each. Independents won 2,273 wards across the state. Congress also scored a major win in Jhalawar, a stronghold of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Counting continued in some wards across Rajasthan’s 309 urban local bodies.  

Sia’s family has spoken about her condition after her motorcycle was allegedly chased and hit by a car in Gurugram. Her brother said she is experiencing something similar to “trauma”. He claimed four people were inside the car and “all of them were drunk”. Sia had said the car followed her on Golf Course Road and its occupants made offensive gestures before hitting her bike. She fell but was not seriously injured. Police registered an FIR after her video about the incident went viral. The accused denied intentionally hitting her. He claimed he lost control near a U-turn and was unaware of the collision.  

Crude oil prices surged more than 3% as strikes on Saudi Arabian energy infrastructure and attacks on ships in the Middle East intensified supply concerns. Brent crude futures rose $3.21, or 3.1%, to $107.82 per barrel by 1218 GMT, after reaching $108.65. US WTI futures gained $2.77, or 2.8%, to $102.82. Oil prices have climbed around 9% in a week as Middle East attacks intensified. Brent has remained above $100 a barrel for the first time since July and reached its highest level since May, at around $110. Meanwhile, India’s retail inflation increased to 4.82% in August, driven by higher food prices, while the Consumer Food Price Index stood at 5.95%. (PC: Times Now)

China has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that India follows an independent foreign policy and that its engagement with Beijing is not influenced by any third country. Beijing described the message as significant for the future of China-India relations. The comments followed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. It was Xi’s first bilateral visit to India in seven years and the leaders’ third interaction in three years. Beijing described the meeting as another important step towards improving bilateral ties. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the talks reaffirmed the direction of relations, from restarting engagement in Kazan to further progress in Tianjin and now New Delhi. (PC: Reuters)

Three Italian nationals flew from Delhi to Munich without undergoing immigration at Delhi airport on September 4, prompting the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to issue a show cause notice to Air India. The passengers had flown from Amritsar to Delhi on an Air India domestic service before boarding a Lufthansa flight to Munich. They were not eligible for Air India’s “Easy Connect” hub-and-spoke arrangement, which allows eligible passengers to complete immigration at their origin airport. Their boarding passes carried the D designator, requiring them to exit arrivals and undergo immigration at Delhi. MoCA issued the notice on September 12, seeking explanations over the incident, ground handling and passenger-data reconciliation. Air India has not responded. (PC: Zee Business)

US President Donald Trump claimed Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, although neither side has confirmed the understanding. Trump made the claim Monday on his social media platform, saying Ukraine agreed not to target Russian energy facilities and Moscow agreed to do likewise. His statement came a day after he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and diesel infrastructure. Trump argued such strikes were contributing to a shortage and pushing diesel prices higher. He said halting attacks on energy targets could help ease pressure on global diesel supplies. The claim follows concern over rising diesel prices in the United States. 

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed Congress welfare schemes in Karnataka have inspired similar plans in other states and the US. Referring to Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 payment for American adults, Shivakumar said, “Now they copied us in Maharashtra, copied us in Madhya Pradesh, in Rajasthan, in Bihar, and now Trump is copying us.” Trump announced the proposed payment if Republicans retain control of both houses of Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. Shivakumar also accused the BJP of using religion for politics. He alleged that money meant for the Ram Temple was misused. The BJP has not responded to these specific claims.  

US tech stocks fell after AI company leaders called for a slower pace of AI development. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said development should slow to reduce the risk of serious problems. Elon Musk agreed, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said current safety standards are not ready for much faster progress. The Nasdaq fell 1.2% in early trading. The S&P 500 dropped 0.7%, while the Dow Jones fell 0.27%. Hewlett Packard shares fell 10%, while Intel and Sandisk dropped 7%. Nvidia fell 3%. US President Donald Trump rejected calls for stronger AI guardrails and said the US must stay ahead of China.