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A light howitzer imported by India from the US has emerged as the centrepiece of the army’s weapon deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh to counter the Chinese military build-up, with the gun’s tactical mobility - it can be transported by Chinook helicopters - giving the army multiple options for a firepower boost in remote areas, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The M777 ultra-light howitzers have given the army the capability to move heavy firepower with ease across multiple valleys in Arunachal Pradesh, said Major General MS Bains, the commander of Dinjan-headquartered 2 Mountain Division whose elements (including the guns) are deployed along LAC.

The Dinjan base in Assam is one of the army’s nerve centres of operations along the China border across which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has ramped up military activity, amid the lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh, the officials said.

The tussle between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is intensifying amid the Dussehra rally row. Meanwhile, the two factions are also fighting for the label of the 'real' Shiv Sena. According to reports, the Uddhav camp may suffer a blow soon as around 15 leaders may join the Shinde camp next month.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's group has decided to establish itself as the real Shiv Sena by holding the Dussehra Mela, which is the political identity of the Shiv Sena. It is understood that the Shinde group is trying to get logistics from BJP along with MNS chief Raj Thackeray for this. Eknath Shinde went to 'Shivatirth' and met Raj Thackeray. Shinde, while talking to the media, commented on the arguments that are being made about whether Raj Thackeray will also attend the Dussehra gathering of the Shinde group or not.

Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory ahead of the inauguration of the Central Vista Avenue on Thursday, (September 8) asking commuters to avoid certain routes across the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Central Vista Avenue, now called the "Kartavya Path" on Thursday evening. The inaugural function is scheduled to be held at the C-Hexagon. A large crowd including VIPs and invitees are expected to attend the event.

In a tweet, Delhi Police said they are making elaborate arrangements to facilitate the safety of pedestrians, including children, and to ensure smooth movement of traffic in the New Delhi district. People have been advised to avoid using their private vehicles to travel to the location and use public transport instead.

The Supreme Court Wednesday said that the question in the Karnataka Hijab ban matter is only about the restriction in schools as nobody is prohibited from wearing it anywhere else they want. The apex court was hearing arguments on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia was told by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, who appeared for one of the petitioners, that the matter be referred to a five-judge constitution bench. He argued that if a girl, in the exercise of her rights under Articles 19, 21, or 25 of the Constitution, decides to wear a Hijab, then can the State put a prohibition that will violate her rights.

The bench orally observed "The question is nobody is prohibiting you from wearing Hijab. You can wear it wherever you want. The only restriction is in the school. We are only concerned with that question."

Enrolment of students in Bihar’s rural schools has increased but a steep fall in attendance, especially in the Magadh division, has become worrisome for the administration, officials said on Wednesday. Besides, a declining turnout of students is also a problem in government-run colleges in rural Bihar, they said.

Despite having a better pupil-teacher ratio in several rural schools, the attendance in classes varies from five to 10%, an education department official said. During surprise checks conducted recently by senior officers of the department, it was found that “classrooms in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th standards were almost empty in several government schools in rural areas”, he said.

“Our team members got surprised to find that less than ten per cent of students were present in Class 9 and 11, while the attendance was less than five per cent in 10th and 12th standards,” the official said on condition of anonymity.