On Tuesday 11 September 2001, hijackers seized US passenger jets and crashed them into two New York skyscrapers, killing thousands of people. A third plane destroyed the western face of the Pentagon - the giant headquarters of the US military just outside the nation's capital, Washington DC. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. It is thought the hijackers had meant to attack Washington's Capitol Building. The BBC spoke to Americans in Washington about what they were doing on that day and how 9/11 has changed the country.

Houthi threat to Red Sea draws US military support for Saudi Arabia (Reuters photo)US provides battlefield targeting supportShipping routes face fresh riskMore than 100 US military advisers are in Saudi Arabia helping the kingdom with intelligence and targeting as it battles Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, five sources familiar with the operations told CNN.The US personnel are working under a joint forces command established in recent weeks, amid concerns that Iran is increasing its support for Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. One US official put the number of American troops involved at about 200.The deployment comes as fighting intensifies across the Arabian Peninsula and threatens to widen into a broader conflict. It also raises fears that another major shipping route out of the Middle East could be disrupted.The US military has helped Saudi Arabia use a system that gives commanders a real-time view of battlefield developments, one US official told CNN. Iran responded that “Ir­an does not control the Houthis”.Pakistan said on Thursday that there had been no discussions about a military response under the Mecca agreement following the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. It added, however, that Pakistan would act when the “time comes”.

The devotees stranded at Faisalabad International Airport. AMRITSAR: In a fresh setback to Pakistani Sikh pilgrims hoping to undertake the pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib in India, Pakistani authorities on Friday prevented a jatha from travelling to India, leaving the devotees stranded at Faisalabad International Airport after they were asked to produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which the pilgrims claimed was not required for their journey.Jatha leader Papinder Singh informed in early Friday that the group was scheduled to fly from Faisalabad to Sharjah at 2.10am and then travel onwards to Delhi.However, immigration officials at the airport stopped them and sought an NOC before allowing them to board the flight.Papinder Singh said that, before the pilgrims reached the airport, Pakistan Punjab,s Sikh minority minister and president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Ramesh Arora, along with Evacuee Trust Property Board deputy secretary Nasir Mushtaq, had met them at Nankana Sahib and allegedly pressured them not to travel to India by air and instead assured them to send via road through the Attari-Wagah land border.“The issue of the NOC was never raised with us before, but when immigration asked for NOC weasked Arora to provide them with NOC but he expressed his helplessness ",said he.The pilgrims, who were issued Indian visas covering Delhi, Amritsar, Sri Anandpur Sahib and Sri Hemkund Sahib, were waiting at Faisalabad airport for permission from the Pakistan government to travel to India.“We have already missed our Faisalabad-Sharjah flight and will also miss our onward flight from Sharjah to Delhi.Had we been allowed to travel as scheduled, we would have reached Delhi by Friday evening,” Singh said.The latest development comes amid continuing difficulties faced by Pakistani Sikh pilgrims following the closure of the Attari-Wagah land border.Singh said India had issued 92 visas to Sikh devotees seeking to visit Sri Hemkund Sahib, but the pilgrims had been forced to take a costly alternative air route by Pakistan government.They had spent nearly Pak Rs 2 crore on making all the arrangements and were now highly disappointed, praying to Waheguru at the airport, said the Jatha leader.He said they had appealed to the Pakistan government to grant special permission for the pilgrims to cross into India through the Attari-Wagah land route, arguing that this would save them from missing the pilgrimage to Sri Hemkund Sahib.“We are sitting at the airport, waiting for the Pakistan government to resolve the issue and allow us to proceed to India via the land route,” he added further.

The alleged irregularities first came to light after a preliminary inquiry report was submitted by the sports department to the State government in August.

This is to tighten security ahead of the Brics Summit, allowing only scheduled flights and specific exemptions for government and emergency operations.

Bangladesh has decided not to take up India’s invitation to attend the Brics Summit this weekend as the current chair of the regional grouping Bimstec, reflecting the current downturn in relations between New Delhi and Dhaka

India’s per capita CO2 emissions have been among the lowest among most Brics countries, data from the Brics Joint Statistical Publication 2026 showed

China harvested 660.2 million tonnes of cereals in 2025, more than double India’s 324.8 million tonnes, the publication showed.

Join conversation View All Comments → Share your thoughts in the comments Insightful Agree Disagree Skeptical Concerning Promising Worth Reading Big Development Post Comment Be respectful · TOI community guidelinesNEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence that the upcoming Brics summit would see positive and meaningful discussions on various issues with the welfare of the world in mind.In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Over the next few days, leaders from around the world will gather for the Brics summit. ""I am fully confident that the summit will witness positive and meaningful discussions on various issues, with a shared aspiration for global well-being," he added.Prime Minister's message came as world leaders began arriving in Delhi for the Brics summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin reached Delhi early Friday to attend the summit, while China has confirmed President Xi Jinping's participation, marking his first visit to India in seven years.Other leaders expected to attend include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among others.Delhi has been placed on high alert, with tight security arrangements and temporary traffic restrictions in place as India hosts top world leaders at Bharat Mandapam for the summit over the weekend.Around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel, 200 companies of paramilitary forces and more than 500 CCTV cameras have been deployed across the capital ahead of the two-day 18th Brics summit, which begins Saturday.The Delhi Traffic Police has clarified that there will be no shutdown of the city, but commuters should expect temporary stoppages, diversions and restrictions on routes used by VVIP convoys.Traffic will continue to move normally wherever security arrangements permit, officials said. They added that stoppages during the movement of foreign dignitaries would not have a fixed duration, with vehicles being released in phases depending on the security situation and prevailing ground conditions.Arrangements have been made to ensure maximum security for visiting dignitaries while causing minimum inconvenience to the public, officials said.

‘Looked after his food, medicine’: Family of bahu accused of killing bizman denies charges; husband under scanner

Ladak leaders threatened fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 if the Centre fails to give assurances within a week on their demands for greater autonomy and constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.

Issuing notice on a petition filed by a non-profit child rights body, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, “There is need for some safeguards in India. Some firewall is necessary for protecting our children.”

The shift came after a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran questioned the rationale behind the two-phase approach proposed by the food regulator, which had envisaged warnings initially only for products high in two or more nutrients and extending them to products high in a single nutrient at a later stage.

Pro-democracy activists including from left Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung at gathering to mourn Tiananmen massacre. Activists face sentencingHong Kong freedoms under pressureA Hong Kong court is set to sentence on Friday three activists who spent years organising public gatherings to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China.Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho were convicted earlier this year of inciting subversion under the national security law imposed by Beijing. They could each face up to 10 years in prison.The case is being closely watched because it tests how much space remains for dissent in Hong Kong, where authorities have sharply restricted public protests, elections and critical media since the 2019 unrest.The three defendants led the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. Since the 2019 protest movement, however, the authorities have restricted political participation and prosecuted prominent activists and media figures.Several civil society groups have shut down, including the alliance behind the Tiananmen gatherings. In February, former pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the security law.Beijing says the legislation is needed to protect stability.

The lawyer argued that while the police could regulate a protest on law-and-order grounds, they could not direct the closure of a public utility.