IBTimes

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has become Asia's richest individual, with his wealth crossing $105 billion. The 43-year-old entrepreneur overtook Gautam Adani after ByteDance's AI and short-video businesses boosted his fortune.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76 on September 17, with political leaders from across parties extending birthday greetings. Rahul Gandhi, Rajnath Singh, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Kiren Rijiju and Raghav Chadha wished Modi good health and a long life.

The decision comes amid reported differences with Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata over leadership and the potential listing of Tata Sons. Tata Group shares gained following the announcement as investors reacted to the leadership continuity and renewed focus on a possible Tata Sons listing.

India termed the incident unacceptable and unprofessional and cited the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement requiring naval vessels to maintain a minimum distance of three nautical miles in international waters. New Delhi also directed its diplomat in Islamabad to raise the matter with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

ITC has raised prices of select cigarette brands, including Classic Connect and Gold Flake Super Star. Classic Connect's 20-cigarette pack now costs Rs 428, up from Rs 390, while Gold Flake Super Star's 10-cigarette pack has increased to Rs 89 from Rs 79.

The US House of Representatives passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, including India and China. India said it will take necessary steps to protect the country's trade and economic interests.

Katrina Kaif faced body-shaming and trolling on social media after her appearance at the Ganesh Utsav celebrations at Antilia. While some users criticised her post-pregnancy weight gain amid massive trolling, Alia Bhatt also showed her support by liking Katrina's latest pictures.

On Hindi Diwas 2026, Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted India's linguistic diversity and said Hindi has played an important role in connecting people across communities. He stressed that Hindi's growth should go hand in hand with respect for all Indian languages.

The drive was conducted by 962 police stations across the state, during which 16,951 premises were checked at various districts. Legal action was also initiated against those who employed children as labourers, they said.

A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the alleged sexual assault, illegal termination of pregnancy and death of a 12-year-old tribal girl and her stillborn child in Kishtwar's Chatroo. Meanwhile, the Tribal Gujjar Bakarwal Welfare Foundation has demanded protection for the victim's family and strict action against those allegedly attempting to hush up the case.

The JERC's decision to raise electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir by an average 6.83 per cent from September 1 has triggered a political storm, with opposition parties accusing the National Conference government of betraying its promise of 200 units of free electricity. BJP, Apni Party, Peoples Conference and PDP leaders have criticised the hike, while trade bodies have warned that it could add to the financial burden on consumers and further strain the region's economy.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha took an apparent swipe at former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over her past remarks on the Tricolour, saying the national flag is today being held high with pride across Jammu and Kashmir. He also called for a united societal effort to combat terrorism, narco-terrorism, substance abuse and corruption.

The BJP faced another embarrassment in Jammu and Kashmir after police registered an extortion and fraud case against Pulwama Kisan Morcha vice-president Aijaz Ahmed Shah. The development comes days after the party suspended its Pulwama district president Showkat Gayoor following an extortion case against him.

Jammu and Kashmir has 5,138 unaudited functional cooperative societies, accounting for more than 56 per cent of the UT's total functional cooperatives, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha. The Ministry of Cooperation said only 3,994 of 9,132 functional societies in J&K have been audited.

Jammu and Kashmir's cultivable land increased from 10.74 lakh hectares in 2020-21 to 10.97 lakh hectares in 2024-25, registering a rise of 23,000 hectares, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha. The figures also show that the average monthly income of an agricultural household in J&K was Rs 18,918, significantly higher than the national average of Rs 10,218.

Ganderbal Police have uncovered an alleged conspiracy to falsely implicate a poultry businessman in a drug case, with his wife's alleged former lover suspected of orchestrating the plot. Police intercepted a courier from Kanpur containing cocaine, charas and diclofenac tablets and have detained a suspect from Srinagar. The roles of the woman, her alleged lover and other suspected conspirators are under investigation.

J&K Police have issued a public advisory cautioning citizens that scammers are exploiting AI-powered deepfake and morphing tools to misuse publicly shared photos, videos, reels, and voice clips creating fake identities and impersonation scams that appear alarmingly authentic. The advisory urges the public to limit exposure of personal content, use masked copies of sensitive documents like Aadhaar, enable two-factor authentication, and report suspicious accounts or DMs promptly.

Counter-Intelligence Kashmir arrested Siraj Nabi Parray of Budgam for allegedly running a social media account glorifying terrorists and inciting youth toward terrorism. In a parallel pre-dawn operation, J&K Police's Counter-Intelligence Wing raided locations in Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag, Kupwara and Bandipora.