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PM Modi to launch development projects, flag off four new trains in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in the Kerala state capital on Friday to launch various developmental projects and flag off new train services in the poll-bound state, with the BJP planning a grand welcome, including a massive road show, for him.

Modi will flag off four new train services, including three Amrit Bharat Express trains, to enhance regional rail connectivity between Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

In addition to that, he will lay the foundation stone for a CSIR-NIIST Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub in Thiruvananthapuram and launch the PM SVANidhi Credit Card -- UPI-linked, interest-free revolving credit facility.

Besides these, he will also lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Radiosurgery Centre at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology here and inaugurate the new Poojappura Head Post Office.

As this is Modi's first visit after the BJP won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending over four decades of Left rule, the party has planned a massive road show from the Thampanoor overbridge to the Putharikandam Maidan where the PM will address around 25,000 workers who are expected to be gathered there to greet him. 

PM Modi offers tributes to Balasaheb Thackeray on birth centenary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered rich tributes to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray on his birth centenary, and hailed him as a towering figure who profoundly shaped Maharashtra's socio-political landscape.

Thackeray, he noted, was known for his sharp intellect, powerful oratory and uncompromising convictions and commanded a unique connect with the people.

"On the birth centenary of the great Balasaheb Thackeray, we pay tribute to a towering figure who profoundly shaped Maharashtra's socio-political landscape," Modi said in a post on X.

"In addition to politics, Balasaheb was deeply passionate about culture, literature and journalism. His career as a cartoonist reflected his keen observation of society and his fearless commentary on various issues," the prime minister said.

Federal officers detain 5-year-old boy allegedly used as ‘bait’

A 5-year-old boy arriving home from preschool in Minnesota was taken by federal agents along with his father to a detention facility in Texas, school officials and the family's lawyer said, making him the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks.

Federal agents took Liam Conejo Ramos from a running car in the family's driveway Tuesday afternoon, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik told reporters Wednesday. The officers told him to knock on the door to his home to see if other people were inside, “essentially using a 5-year-old as bait," she said.

The father told the child's mother, who was inside the home and has not been named, not to open the door, Stenvik told reporters Thursday.

School officials said the agents wouldn't leave Liam with another adult who lives at the home or an official from the school district. But on Thursday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an online post that the father asked for the child to stay with him and that they are together at an immigration lockup in Dilley, Texas.

The family, who came to the U.S. in 2024, has an active asylum case and had not been ordered to leave the country, Stenvik said.

Trump administration halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH-funded research

The Trump administration announced Thursday that human fetal tissue derived from abortions can no longer be used in research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The policy, long urged by anti-abortion groups, expands restrictions issued during President Donald Trump's first term.

The government has funded research involving fetal tissue for decades, under both Republican and Democratic administrations. The tissue, which otherwise would be thrown away, has been critical for certain research, including ways to fight HIV and cancer. Opponents of fetal tissue use say there are now alternatives, although many scientists say there aren't always adequate substitutes.

In a statement on Thursday, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya acknowledged the agency “has long maintained policies governing the responsible and limited use of human fetal tissue in biomedical research.” Its use has declined since 2019. The USD 47 billion agency counted just 77 projects funded in 2024 that included fetal tissue.

The first Trump administration ended the use of fetal tissue on NIH's campus and set up additional hurdles for non-government scientists seeking NIH funding, restrictions that were subsequently lifted by the Biden administration. Thursday's new policy covers all NIH-funded research.

TikTok finalises deal to form new American version of the app

TikTok has finalised a deal to create a new American version of the app, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the US that has been in discussion for years.

The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form the new TikTok US joint venture. The new app will operate under “defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurances for US users,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

Adam Presser, who previously worked as TikTok's head of operations and trust and safety, will lead the new venture as its CEO. He will work alongside a seven-member, majority-American board of directors that includes TikTok's CEO Shou Chew.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed — and President Joe Biden signed — a law that would ban TikTok in the US if it did not find a new owner in the place of China's ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the law's January 2025 deadline.

For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration sought an agreement for the sale of the company.

3,200 individuals arrested in three-day operation against gangsters

More than 3,200 people have been arrested by the Punjab Police in a 72-hour-long operation against gangsters, a senior police official said on Thursday.

State police chief Gaurav Yadav said the crackdown against gangsters is a sustained campaign that will continue with full force until Punjab is completely cleansed of the menace.

Over 2,000 police teams, comprising 12,000 personnel, were deputed across the state under 'Operation Prahaar' to conduct raids at identified and mapped locations linked to associates of 60 foreign-based gangsters.

Sharing the outcomes of the three-day-long operation, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla said a total of 4,871 individuals were rounded up across the state, of which 3,256 have been arrested.

Police teams have recovered 69 weapons, 6.5 kg heroin, 10.5 kg opium, 5,092 intoxicant pills, 72 kg poppy husk and Rs 2.69 lakh cash from their possession, he said.

Gulmarg, other areas in Kashmir receive fresh snowfall

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg and a few other areas in the Kashmir valley received fresh snowfall on Thursday with high-speed winds sweeping Srinagar and other plains, officials said.

Fresh snowfall started in Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on late Thursday evening, the officials said, as a strong western disturbance made an impact in Jammu and Kashmir.

While a couple of inches of fresh snow has accumulated in the resort, moderate snowfall was going on when last reports came in. Other areas, especially the higher reaches, in Kupwara, Baramulla and Shopian also received fresh snowfall, the officials added. Many areas in the plains of the valley, including Srinagar, were lashed by rains, which continued till last reports, the officials said.

They said strong, high-speed winds swept many places of Kashmir, including Srinagar. Trees have been uprooted at many places, while electricity was snapped in such areas as a precautionary measure, the officials said.

Manipur man killing case handed over to NIA: Governor

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Thursday said that the case of the murder of a Meitei man by suspected Kuki militants in Churachandpur has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a thorough probe, a Lok Bhavan statement said.

The governor expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. He said that the case has been handed over to the NIA.

The governor further said that an intensive combing operation has been launched since Wednesday night to apprehend those responsible, with coordinated efforts involving both state and central forces and operations are being undertaken on a war footing. He also reiterated that all necessary measures are being taken in accordance with law and expressed profound regret over the tragic loss of life.

A man belonging to the Meitei community was shot dead after being abducted by suspected Kuki militants in Churachandpur district, in a fresh escalation of the tensions in restive Manipur, police said.

Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh was abducted from his home in the Tuibong area on Wednesday and shot dead in the vicinity of Natjang village, a senior officer said.

Delhi govt's new food security rules to focus on quota, eligibility

Aiming to reform the food distribution system, the Delhi government is planning to issue ration cards based on a quota set for each district that will be determined by the population, a senior government official said on Thursday.

In the national capital, ration is distributed through e-PoS (Point of Sale) devices after biometric (Aadhaar) authentication of beneficiaries.

"Under the new rules (Delhi Food Security Rules, 2025), the Delhi government will be allocating ration card quotas based on each district's population. For now, the existing census will be the guide," the official said.

The Delhi government will also be verifying ration card holders to weed out ineligible beneficiaries, aiming to benefit those truly in need.

Earlier, in a high-level review meeting headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, a new policy, Delhi Food Security Rules, 2025, was approved, which includes a 'family income certificate' to establish eligibility.

Trump sues JPMorgan for $5 billion, alleges the bank closed his accounts for political reasons

President Donald Trump sued banking giant JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for USD 5 billion on Thursday over allegations that JPMorgan stopped providing banking services to him and his businesses for political reasons after he left office in January 2021.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County court in Florida, alleges that JPMorgan abruptly closed multiple accounts in February 2021 with just 60 days notice and no explanation. By doing so, Trump claims JPMorgan and Dimon cut the president and his businesses off from millions of dollars, disrupted their operations and forced Trump and the businesses to urgently open bank accounts elsewhere.

“JPMC debanked (Trump and his businesses) because it believed that the political tide at the moment favored doing so,” the lawsuit alleges.

In the lawsuit, Trump alleges he tried to raise the issue personally with Dimon after the bank started to close his accounts, and that Dimon assured Trump he would figure out what was happening.

The lawsuit alleges Dimon failed to follow up with Trump. Further, Trump's lawyers allege that JPMorgan placed the US President and his companies on a reputational “blacklist” that both JPMorgan and other banks use to keep clients from opening accounts with them in the future.