Almost 50,000 people have been isolated by rising floodwaters in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said on Wednesday afternoon that over 48,800 people and 23,200 dwellings have been cut off by flooding in the state's Mid North Coast region, over 200 km northeast of Sydney.

The Mid North Coast and surrounding regions have experienced four consecutive days of heavy rainfall, causing widespread record-breaking flooding.

Speaking at the Asia Leadership Conference (ALC) in South Korea, AAP MP Raghav Chadha declared that Operation Sindoor was not just a military strike—it was a message. “India does not seek conflict, but will never shy away from defending its people,” Raghav Chadha said, calling for a united global front against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Hailing the operation as proof that India can strike deep and dismantle terror safe havens, he asserted, “Zero tolerance is India’s new doctrine.”

Addressing the Asian Leadership Conference—Asia’s premier global forum dubbed the “Davos of the East”—MP Raghav Chadha emphasized the need for global solidarity in the fight against terrorism. “India, for the last several weeks, has been mourning the tragic loss of 26 innocent civilians who were brutally killed in a terrorist attack in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in a place called Pahalgam. But even as we mourn these lives lost, India has emerged as a decisive, resolute nation, demonstrating a paradigm shift in the way we deal with terrorists, terror infrastructure, and rogue nations,” he said.

Displaced residents of Russia's Kursk region will be able to return home safely despite ongoing challenges, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during his visit to the region.

The President assured that citizens that have been temporarily displaced following Ukraine's incursion into the region would return home, noting that it is important to ensure security by demining populated areas, local media reported Wednesday, citing the Russian leader during a meeting with local officials.

A 2023 Australian army helicopter crash that killed four soldiers was caused by the pilot becoming disoriented, an investigation has found.

The Department of Defence on Wednesday publicly released the aviation safety investigation report into the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crash in July 2023. All four soldiers on board, including pilot Danniel Lyon and co-pilot Maxwell Nugent, were killed when the helicopter crashed into the ocean off Australia's east coast during a late-night defence training exercise in July 2023.

The 228-page report found that the primary cause of the accident was Lyon suffering from an unrecognised loss of spatial orientation.

"This refers to a situation where a pilot is unaware of their actual orientation in relation to the earth's surface and the surrounding environment," the Department of Defence said in a statement. The helicopter with the callsign "Bushman 83" was third in a formation of four MRH-90s that were conducting various manoeuvres during the exercise.

At least 17 school children sustained injuries after a pickup van transporting them plunged into a pond in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

According to local sources, the van was returning to the children’s village after school when the accident occurred near Khutra village in the Ichak police station area.

The vehicle, reportedly speeding, lost control while negotiating a sharp turn and veered off the narrow road, falling into a pond approximately 15 feet deep.

Upon hearing the crash, area residents rushed to the scene and began rescue efforts.

In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police’s Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in a joint operation with Faridkot Police have arrested two associates of foreign-based gangster Arsh Dala, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

Those arrested have been identified as Vishal Singh, a resident of Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Onkar Singh, a resident of village Gamewala in Ferozepur.

Police teams have also recovered two .30 bore pistols along with six cartridges from their possession.

Defence stocks continued their strong upward momentum on Tuesday, with several leading companies clocking gains of up to 5 per cent during intra-day trading session.

Companies like Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Solar Industries, Bharat Dynamics, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) witnessed sharp rallies amid robust investor sentiment.

BEL led the charge, closing 5.26 per cent higher at Rs 382.26 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) after touching a fresh all-time high of Rs 383.90 during the trading session.

The stock has surged nearly 28 per cent over the past month -- reflecting strong institutional interest.

Solar Industries, a major private-sector defence player, also rose 5.26 per cent to end at Rs 14,198.

The Odisha Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested two more accused -- Dwipika Bhanjo and Tandra Bhanjo -- from Kolkata in connection with a multi-crore ponzi scam, the agency said in a statement.

The duo was produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barasat, in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas on Tuesday and brought to Bhubaneswar on a three-day transit remand.

The case was registered based on a complaint by Bhubaneswar resident Manmohan Dora, who alleged that Harit Krishi Nidhi Ltd, Transvision Dream Multi Trade Pvt. Ltd., and its Director Tushar Bhanjo duped him and thousands of others by promising high returns on investments.

Maoist commander Gautam Yadav, who was injured in a recent police encounter in Jharkhand and had been on the run since then, was arrested from a hospital in Varanasi, officials said on Wednesday.

According to Palamu Superintendent of Police Rishma Rameshan, Gautam Yadav had checked into the hospital under a false identity, registering himself as Mithilesh Yadav to avoid detection.

He was undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound to the abdomen sustained during an encounter with security forces in Palamu district on May 15.

Yadav, a zonal commander of the banned Maoist outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), was injured during a fierce gun battle between TSPC cadres and police in the forests of Baskatiya under the Manatu police station limits.

Multiple rounds were exchanged in the encounter, following which Yadav fled in an injured condition, reportedly aided by a relative.

The Maoists had gathered in the area to plan a major operation, according to police.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to transfer a bumper dividend to the Central government -- in the range of Rs 2.5-3 lakh crore – which has led to a rally in short-term bonds, analysts said on Wednesday.

The RBI dividend would represent a sharp jump from last year’s dividend transfer which was at Rs 2.1 lakh crore.

“The dividend is also likely to be higher than the FY26 budgeted amount of Rs 2.6 lakh crore (Rs 2.6 trillion) expected from the RBI, nationalised banks and financial institutions collectively. The key determinant likely for such a huge dividend could be the upbeat gains from dollar sales,” said Rajani Sinha, Chief Economist, CareEdge Ratings.