Top news of the day: India says references to Amit Shah ‘absurd and baseless’, summons Canadian envoy; Mumbai Police begin process to bring back Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother from U.S., and more

The major news headlines of the day and more

India-Canada row: India calls references to Amit shah ‘absurd and baseless’, summons Canadian envoy

India had summoned a Canadian diplomat to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Home Minister Amit Shah by Canadian officials, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Mr. Jaiswal said, “Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties.” India also criticised senior Canadian officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison, for leaking “baseless” reports to international media to defame India.

Salman Khan house firing: Mumbai Police begin extradition process to bring back Lawrence Bishnoi's brother from U.S.

The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police have begun the extradition process to bring back Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who is wanted in the firing case outside actor Salman Khan’s house, from the U.S. A senior Mumbai Police official said that the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court has already issued a non-bailable warrant for the arrest of Anmol Bishnoi, as well as a red corner notice to search for him abroad.

Jaishankar, Thai counterpart discuss bilateral ties, multilateral cooperation

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa discussed bilateral ties, multilateral cooperation and regional developments during a meeting in Delhi. Mr. Jaishankar said Mr. Sangiampongsa’s visit for the Royal Kathina ceremony “exemplifies the longstanding historical and cultural relations” between the two countries.

Verification patrolling begins in Depsang: India

The Indian Army has commenced verification patrolling at Depsang, the second friction point in eastern Ladakh, the government said. Replying to a query at a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said following the disengagement agreement with China, the verification patrolling has begun on mutually agreed terms in both Demchok and Depsang.

Terrorist killed, four security personnel injured in Srinagar encounter; two militants killed in Anantnag

A Pakistani terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed and four security personnel were injured in an encounter that broke out in the Khanyar area. In another operation, two terrorists were gunned down by the security forces near Halkan Gali, Anantnag. Meanwhile, terming the recent terror attacks in J&K as “unfortunate”, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there is no security lapse, adding that security forces are giving befitting reply to the terrorists.

Kejriwal promises to waive inflated water, electricity bills if AAP returns to power in Delhi

The AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal promised to waive inflated bills for water and electricity if he comes to power again following next year’s Delhi Assembly elections. He said, “Do not worry. Now I am out and your bills will be waived when the AAP comes into power in February.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticises BJP’s negative ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan

In an apparent reference to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ remark, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said this “negative” slogan is symbolic of the BJP’s “disappointment and failure”. He also claimed this slogan will be recorded in the country’s history as the “worst slogan” and will lead to the BJP’s political downfall.

Arvind Sawant apologises for remark against Shaina, says ‘has never insulted any woman in life’

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant apologised for his alleged insulting remark targeted at rival Shiv Sena’s Assembly election candidate Shaina N.C., a day after a case was registered against him in this connection. Mr. Sawant, however, maintained that he has never insulted any woman in his life and added that controversy was created for political reasons ahead of the Assembly polls.

Police vehicles being used to provide financial aid to candidates of ruling parties, says Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar alleged that police vehicles are being used to provide financial assistance to the candidates of the ruling parties in Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly polls. The former Union Minister said he wanted to speak more on the issue publicly but is refraining from doing so as this would hurt the officials who have shared the information with him.

Iran’s supreme leader threatens Israel and U.S. with ’a crushing response’ over Israeli attack

Iran’s supreme leader threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its October 26 on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people.

Kemi Badenoch elected new leader of U.K. Conservative Party

“Anti-woke” candidate Kemi Badenoch won the vote to become the UK Conservatives’ new leader, replacing Rishi Sunak who quit after the party’s disastrous showing in July’s general election. Ms. Badenoch, 44, came out on top in the two-horse race with former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, winning 57% of the votes of party members.

U.S. regulators reject amended interconnect agreement for Amazon data centre

U.S. energy regulators rejected an amended interconnection agreement for an Amazon data centre connected directly to a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, a filing showed. Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the agreement to increase the capacity of the data centre located on the site of Talen Energy’s Susquehanna nuclear generating facility could raise power bills for the public and affect the grid’s reliability.

Walt Disney forms business unit to coordinate use of AI, augmented reality

Walt Disney is forming a new group to coordinate the company’s use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and mixed reality, as the media giant explores applications across its film, television and theme park divisions. The newly formed Office of Technology Enablement will be led by Jamie Voris, the film studio’s chief technology officer who spearheaded the development of Disney’s app for the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality device, an email seen on Friday by Reuters showed.

Virat Kohli drops hints of completing 20 years with RCB

Virat Kohli has dropped elaborate hints that he would like to continue playing competitive cricket till 2027 with an aim to complete 20 years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru after being retained by the franchise for a hefty fee of ₹21 crore.

Chase won't be easy, we have to bat really well, says Ravichandran Ashwin

Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that a chase of around 150 won’t be very easy for the Indian batters on a not-so-typical Wankhede turner, where the track is behaving differently at two ends. New Zealand ended the second day at 171 for 9 in their second innings with an overall lead of 143 which many like former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble believes is a challenging target if one factors in the track.

Published - November 02, 2024 06:36 pm IST