LIVE news updates: Nirav Modi fails to convince UK judge that he’s not a flight risk

People in West Bengal on Thursday paid homage to Asia's first Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his 158th birth anniversary, with his songs, poems and plays reverberating across the state.

Born on Vaisakha 25, 1320, according to the Bengali calendar (May 7, 1861, according to the Roman calendar), Tagore in 1913 became the first Asian Nobel laureate and the first non-European to win the prize for literature.

It has been an age-old custom to celebrate Tagore's birthday as per the Bengali calendar.

Tagore, who holds the unique distinction of having composed the national anthems of two countries - India and Bangladesh - was also remembered in Bangladesh and many other countries of the globe by Bengali culture enthusiasts.

A UK judge who denied bail to Nirav Modi for a third time remained unconvinced that his community ties to Britain were strong enough to not make him a flight risk even though the fugitive diamond merchant was willing to double his security to 2 million pounds and live on a strict 24-hour curfew at his posh apartment in London.

Modi, clean-shaven and smartly dressed for court, sat in the dock and took notes as the prosecution painted a picture of a "diabolical" mastermind behind the “luring away” of witnesses, mostly his former employees, to far off destinations and destruction of potential evidence.

There were moments during the hearing of his third bail application at court when it seemed like Judge Arbuthnot might be persuaded to allow him out of prison on a "24-hour curfew" at his Centrepoint apartment in London.

European powers on Thursday rejected "ultimatums" from Tehran but vowed to fight to save the Iran nuclear deal, as tensions with the US soar.

Iran said it would defy some restrictions agreed under the 2015 accord and threatened to go further if Europe, China and Russia fail to deliver sanctions relief within 60 days.

Tehran says it is responding to unilateral US sanctions imposed by Washington after President Donald Trump ripped up what he called a "horrible" deal, dealing a severe blow to the Iranian economy.

Europe has stressed the importance of the deal -- in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief -- for its own security, and EU president Jean-Claude Juncker said it would be on the agenda at Thursday's summit in the Romanian town of Sibiu.

The NHRC has issued a notice to the Delhi government and city police commissioner over the death of two labourers while cleaning a septic tank at an under-construction house.

On Tuesday, two contractual workers died and three others were hospitalised after apparently inhaling toxic gas when they were cleaning the septic tank in northwest Delhi's Rohini area. Due to negligence by authorities, a large number of people are dying every year in such painful incidents, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The rights panel said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of media reports that two labourers, died while three others are battling for life after they entered an unauthorised 10-foot-deep septic tank at an under-construction house in Prem Nagar, Rohini, Delhi, on May 7".

The Congress on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleging that the late Rajiv Gandhi used INS Viraat as "personal taxi" on a family vacation, saying he is a "serial liar" who does not have the courage to fight elections on issues such as unemployment and demonetisation.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said retired Indian Navy Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha has clarified that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was on an official visit on INS Viraat and not on a vacation.

"But facts don't matter to Modi. He doesn't have anything to talk about his own achievements. Rahul Gandhi has been challenging him for last six months now to debate on Rafale deal, demonetisation, unemployment, but Modi does not have the courage to speak," he said at a press conference.

Petitioners have filed affidavit in SC Rafale review petition against the court's Dec 2018 judgement upholding the deal. Petitioners say, "Centre has misled and suppressed material facts in the note it had submitted and obtained impugned judgement on basis of fraud played upon the court".

A Pakistani national was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) at the international border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district.

Muhammad Afzal, belonging to Narowal in Pakistan, was apprehended late on Wednesday when he was crossing over to the Indian side of the border, BSF sources said.

Afzal would be questioned before he is handed over to the local police, they added.

At least five people were killed on Thursday in a major fire that engulfed a well-known saree shop, police said.

According to an official of Pune Police (Rural), the fire was reported at around 5 a.m. in the Rajyog Saree Centre, when the workers were asleep in a room above the shop located in the Devachi Uruli area on the outskirts of the city.

The blaze quickly spread from the shop to the room above and the five workers sleeping there were suffocated to death, said investigating officer SB Bandkar.

Fire breaks out in engine and generator room of Kamakhya Express in Kailahat; the driver has separated the generator room and the parcel coach from the train. No injuries reported. Delhi-Howrah route affected. More details awaited.

Supreme Court today asked Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to declare 2017 result for recruitment in Central Govt jobs; also appointed a high power committee headed by retd SC judge to suggest measures to make conduct of entrance exams for jobs and admission in educational institutions foolproof.

The Supreme Court also said that the 7-member committee headed by retired SC judge GS Singhvi will also comprise of former Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and scientist Vijay Bhatkar.

Supreme Court says it wants to meet Sreyashi Dutt, wife of former senior police officer Gaurav Dutt, who allegedly committed suicide and named West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in suicide note. SC says it wants to ascertain why she wants to withdraw her plea for independent inquiry.

Sreyashi Dutt sought to withdraw her petition saying she wasn't in a proper mental condition when she agreed to file the case. Gaurav Dutt was found with a slit wrist at his home on February 19, 2019.

The Kedarnath temple in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand was re-opened for pilgrims on Thursday.

Amid chanting of vedic hymns and religious rituals, an idol of Lord Shiva was placed in the temple and the gates were thrown open at 5.35 a.m.

Built by Adi Shankracharya, the temple, which is said to be 1,200 years old, was decorated with 10 quintals of flowers provided free by a Rishikesh-based NGO, said Mohan Lal Thapliyal, Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.

Supreme Court Collegium comprising five judges recommends elevation of Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai and Justice Surya Kant as judges of the Supreme Court.

The death toll rose to 11 on Thursday in the powerful suicide blast outside one of Pakistan's oldest and most revered Sufi shrines in Lahore as another policeman succumbed to his injuries, officials said.

The attack, which occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, was carried out by a teenage Taliban suicide bomber who blew himself up outside the densely-populated 11th century shrine on Wednesday.

So far, 11 people, including six police commandos, have lost their lives, Geo News reported, adding that as many as 26 others have been injured.

At least four people were killed on Thursday in a major fire that engulfed a well-known saree shop, police said.

According to an official of Pune Police (Rural), the fire was reported at around 5 a.m., when the workers were asleep in a room above the shop located in the Devachi Urli area on the outskirts of the city.

The blaze quickly spread from the shop to the room above and the workers were suffocated to death.

The police said they are trying to verify whether there were more workers sleeping there amid fears the toll could go up. At least five fire tenders were deployed to battle the blaze, the cause of which remains unknown.