Haryana Police killed four suspected members of the Deepak Nandal gang in a fierce gun battle in Gurgaon, rescuing a kidnapped businessman. Nandal, a former music producer, is now a wanted gangster operating from abroad, orchestrating extortion and contract killings.
A fire in a three-storey building in Lucknow, India, has killed at least 15 people, mostly students and employees. The structure reportedly lacked emergency exits, renewing concerns about fire safety standards in the country. Four people have been arrested, and four officials suspended.
India has lodged a second protest with the US after three Indian sailors were killed in a US attack on a ship off Oman. The attack occurred more than three months into the Iran war. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to protest. The incident has led to calls for the Indian government to do more to protect its sailors in the Gulf.
India's weather department has warned of heatwaves across northern India including Delhi, where temperatures exceeded 40C on Thursday. The warning extends to central and western states including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for the next two to three days, with temperatures expected to rise another 2-3C. The warning follows a 2024 Lancet report finding climate change drove almost one-third of India's heatwave days, causing $194bn in economic losses from lost labour hours.
