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India was striving to find a "workable solution" concerning its military personnel stationed in the Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday amid the diplomatic row between the two countries.

The Maldives government, led by President Mohamed Muizzu, has issued a deadline of March 15 for the withdrawal of Indian troops. These personnel are essential for the operation of two advanced light helicopters (ALH) and a Dornier aircraft provided by India, mainly used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Five civilians were killed and three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured in fresh violence that spread through several districts in Manipur on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. This comes a day after two police personnel were killed and six others injured in an attack by armed militants in Tengnoupal on Wednesday morning, taking the toll over the two days to seven dead and nine injured. Across Thursday, there were violent protests in several parts of the state that continued to be tense, with security personnel and the administration struggling to put a lid on violence that has now lasted eight months.

On the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya being labelled as a BJP event by the opposition, a member of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust member on Wednesday raised historical questions about the Congress party's actions regarding the temple.

“In 1949, the Ram Idol surfaced, and the Congress was in government. No one could stand against Nehru. Why did they not take advantage of that opportunity? If they had built the Ram Temple, the BJP would have not needed to speak anything about it…Why did they not do it?” Kameshwar Chaupal, a trust member, asked.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated multiple projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Kerala that include key strategic initiatives at Cochin Shipyard Limited.

He later also addressed booth-level workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kochi.

The major projects dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister are the New Dry Dock (NDD) and the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear petition filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena against the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's verdict declaring the Sena bloc led by CM Eknath Shinde as real political party after its split in June 2022. 

The plea was listed for a hearing on January 19. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Thackeray group, requested the top court that the hearing be listed for Monday next week instead of this Friday.

The bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, agreed to hear the plea on Monday.