Maldives President Muizzu’s diplomatic U-turn, appeals Indian tourists to…
Muizzu’s visit comes amid perceptions of him being ‘pro-China’ after he campaigned on an ‘India Out’ platform
Ratan Tata rushed to hospital, admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy
Ratan Tata has been admitted to Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai.
IAS officer loses cool over ‘Bilseri’ water bottle, busts fake Bisleri racket
Baghpat’s District Magistrate ordered a probe after he was served a counterfeit water bottle imitating the original brand — Bisleri.
From Ram Navami to Diwali: Check state-wise list of bank holidays in October 2024
In October, banks across India will remain close for a total of 11 days due to various regional festivals, which differ by state. Additionally, banks will be closed on Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s holiday calendar, these closures will affect cities nationwide. Customers planning to visit bank branches should carefully review the holiday schedule, as it varies from one state to another.
Explosion kills one, injures several, near Pakistan’s Karachi airport
Pakistani secessionist group Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the blast. At least one person has been killed and 10 others injured in an explosion near the international airport in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, local broadcaster Geo News reported, less than two weeks before a regional summit slated to be held in the capital Islamabad. Citing a provincial official, Geo News added that at least one foreigner was among the injured. The nature of the blast, which took place on Sunday night, was not immediately clear. Television footage and videos on social media showed large plumes of smoke at the site on Model Colony Road, though airport buildings and installations were safe. According to the Pakistan daily Dawn News, airlines’ schedules at the Jinnah International Airport have not been affected by the incident. The Sindh province’s home minister, Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, told Geo News that the explosion was caused by a suspected improvised explosive device (IED). Earlier, a statement from his office had said that the blast was due to an oil tanker explosion. A massive explosion struck a high-security convoy near Karachi airport, engulfing multiple vehicles, including those of security forces, in flames. pic.twitter.com/dymz0D8kXd — Mamoon Durrani 🇦🇫 مامون دُرانی (@MamoonDurrani) October 6, 2024 In a statement emailed to journalists, the armed group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying the attack was carried out using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers. BLA is a banned secessionist armed group that is part of a broader rebellion in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan. In August, it launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed. Similar past attacks in Balochistan have been claimed by the BLA, such as the killing of seven barbers in Gwadar in May, or the April killings of several people abducted from a highway. The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests – in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea – accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province. The group has also killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 955
As the war enters its 955th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Monday, October 7, 2024. Fighting Russia unleashed an overnight drone attack across Ukraine targeting the capital Kyiv and hitting infrastructure in the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said. The State Emergency Service said one person was injured and warehouses and cargo trucks damaged in Odesa during the multi-wave attack, which kept much of the country under air-raid alert for several hours. The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian attack involved 87 attack drones and four missiles. Air defence units destroyed 56 of the drones and two of the missiles, the Air Force said. Anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin, who was jailed in Russia for protesting against President Vladimir Putin, was killed on the front line in Ukraine where he was fighting alongside Kyiv’s forces, his relatives and Russian media said. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said one of its units destroyed a Russian automated air defence unit with a first-person view drone. The agency released video of the attack but did not say where or when it took place. Politics and diplomacy Ukraine may be offered “more concrete steps” towards joining NATO at the Ramstein summit that starts in Germany on October 12, The Washington Post reported, citing a diplomat it did not name. Russia arrested Yegor Guzenko, the administrator of the Telegram channel Thirteenth, who has previously criticised the Kremlin and Russia’s Ministry of Defence for not being tough enough in Ukraine. The arrest was reported by military bloggers and opposition media, some of whom said the ultranationalist had been detained after refusing to take a drug test following an altercation with police. Weapons Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans made a surprise visit to Kyiv and announced that the Netherlands would invest 400 million euros ($440 million) in advanced drone development with Ukraine. He said he could also confirm that the country had delivered its first F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv and more would be sent in the coming months. For the first time, I can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine. This is urgently needed. In Kharkiv, I saw the damage from Russian airstrikes and heard frequent air raid alarms. The rest of the 24 jets will follow in the coming months. pic.twitter.com/Oq6IbxQyWP — Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) October 6, 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
China says two citizens killed, one injured, in Pakistan ‘terrorist attack’
At least 10 people were hurt after a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near Karachi airport. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan has said at least two of its citizens were killed and a third injured after their convoy was attacked near Karachi airport. The embassy said the attack took place at about 11pm on Sunday (18:00 GMT) close to the Jinnah International Airport, and targeted the Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company. Geo News, a Pakistani news broadcaster, reported at least 10 people were injured. In the statement early on Monday, the Chinese Embassy said it strongly condemned the “terrorist attack” and requested “the Pakistani side to thoroughly investigate the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take all necessary measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan”. Hassaan Khan, a rescue official, told Dawn.com that 10 vehicles were damaged in the fire caused by the explosion and that four cars were completely destroyed. In a statement emailed to journalists earlier, the armed group the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) said it was behind the attack, which involved an improvised explosive device (IED). The BLA wants independence for Balochistan and is part of a broader rebellion in Pakistan’s largest and least-populated province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan. It has been banned by the government in Pakistan. In August, the BLA launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed. It has claimed attacks in Balochistan including the killing of seven barbers in Gwadar in May and the April killings of several people abducted from a highway. The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests – in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea – accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province. In March this year, five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani national were killed in an attack near the China-backed Dasu hydropower project. Nine Chinese engineers were killed in a similar attack near Dasu in 2021. The BLA has also attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. The Port Qasim project involves the construction of two power plants near Karachi and is funded by China. The Chinese Embassy statement reminded its citizens, companies and projects to “be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions”. Pakistan is due to host the summit of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in two weeks’ time. Adblock test (Why?)
Mumbai Metro-3 opens today: Check timings, fares of city’s first underground metro
The Aqua Line spans 33.5 km and has 10 stations, set to open to the public on Monday (October 7), according to an official statement from Mumbai Metro-3.
Speaker Johnson addresses claims FEMA diverted funds to immigration efforts: ‘American people are disgusted’
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed claims that the Biden administration diverted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to immigration efforts, saying the pools of funds are “different,” but that he understands why Americans are “frustrated.” “The streams of funding are different, that is not an untrue statement, of course,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “But the problem is with the American people, see, and what they’re frustrated by, is that FEMA should be involved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, their mission is to help people in times like this of natural disaster. Not to be engaged in using any pool of funding from any account for resettling illegal aliens who have come across the border. That’s what the Biden administration, Kamala Harris and Secretary Mayorkas have been engaged in.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last week denied that FEMA resources were going to migrants, but cited FEMA funds for migrants in 2022. “Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants. How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter asked during a Friday press conference. FEMA HAS FUNDS NEEDED FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY,’ DESPITE MAYORKAS’ WARNING “I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded. Critics have since compared her statement to comments made in 2022, where she cited FEMA resources were available to illegal immigrants. “FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate – to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at a Sept. 16, 2022, press conference. “Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added. FEMA has a pool of funds explicitly used for natural disasters, while Congress called on FEMA in 2022 to disseminate funds from Customs and Border Protection to assist American communities affected by the immigration crisis. KJP SLAMMED AFTER HURRICANE HELENE OVER MIXED MESSAGES ON WHETHER FEMA RESOURCES USED FOR MIGRANTS FEMA’s website currently has a “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” page to address false claims surrounding recovery efforts, including a rebuke of the claim that FEMA diverted disaster response funds to “border related issues.” “This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA posted in response to the claim. Hurricane Helene has left more than 220 people dead after flooding devastated towns and cities across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas drew national attention last week when he indicated that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which typically wraps up in November. LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he said Wednesday, heightening concerns around funds for Americans left displaced by the hurricane. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” The DHS, however, said the following day that FEMA has the funds needed to assist those currently affected. “FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said on X. “As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it.” FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS Johnson said during his interview Sunday that when citizens take public transportation and spot illegal immigrants traveling the nation, their tickets are “gleefully” paid for by the Biden-Harris administration via non-governmental organizations. “When you see illegals in your local airport and you see them being transported around the country with planes, trains and automobiles to every community, everywhere, every state’s a border state now, because of that. That’s the NGOs, the non-governmental organizations mostly, that are transporting those people around. And then they send the receipts to the federal government,” he continued. “And Biden, Harris and Mayorkas gleefully pay those receipts because they open the border intentionally. The American people are disgusted by this. They’re fed up with it, and so are Republicans in Congress. And it’ll stop after Nov. 5 because we’re going to have a unified government with Republicans in charge, and we will bring sanity back to this situation,” he added. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Battleground state under fire for scheduling voter registration site to go dark same day as Butler rally
Conservatives blasted Pennsylvania’s Department of State this month for scheduling a system maintenance update to its voter registration website the same day former President Trump returned to Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt in July. The operation would have taken the site offline for several hours during the same time frame the Trump campaign expected to register voters. The department, however, moved the window of time for maintenance to later in the night amid an early outcry. “The PA State Department voter registration website will be unavailable on Saturday, October 5th, the day that President Trump will be triumphantly returning to the site of the assassination attempt in Butler County, PA. W/ all eyes on PA, the site will be down. Coincidence?” GOP activist Scott Pressler posted to Instagram on Thursday. Fox News Digital reviewed archived data from the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website and found that it issued a disclaimer to voters that the website would be unavailable on Oct. 5 beginning at 6 p.m. “This website will undergo scheduled system maintenance and be unavailable Saturday, October 5 from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m. We thank you for your understanding.,” the Pennsylvania Voter Registration website stated on Oct. 1, an archived page reviewed by Fox News Digital shows. TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT Trump announced on Sept. 25 that he would make a historic return to Butler on Oct. 5, months after he was shot in the side of the head by a would-be assassin on July 13. The Pennsylvania Voter Registration website announced its scheduled maintenance sometime between Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, archived data for the site reviewed by Fox Digital shows. Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and Pressler sounded the alarm on the scheduled maintenance earlier this month, questioning the timing and slamming the move as election “interference.” “Wow, they aren’t even trying to hide their blatant interference – appreciate you flagging, @scottpresler – @gop legal is on it and formally requesting the ‘system maintenance’ is moved to a different time,” Lara Trump posted to Facebook on Thursday, accompanied by a screenshot of an Instagram post from Pressler asking if the timing of the maintenance was just a “coincidence.” TRUMP’S RETURN TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, IS ‘GUTSY,’ SUPPORTERS SAY Archived records of the website show that Pennsylvania officials updated the page on Oct. 3 – the same day Pressler and Lara Trump publicly posted about the timing of the maintenance – to reflect that the site would undergo maintenance at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., instead of 6 p.m. until midnight. Trump was scheduled to take the stage in Butler at 5 p.m. Saturday, meaning the site would have gone dark as he rallied his base and encouraged residents to register to vote. Pressler joined Human Events’ Jack Posobiec about the matter last week, taking a victory lap that the time was changed to later in the night, following the rally, but added he’s still not “100 percent happy” with the timing of the schedule maintenance. Pressler noted that website updates are typically scheduled for the dead of night, when users are less likely to use the platform. “It was clear that the Pennsylvania Department of State was engaging in election interference, trying to stop all of this national attention from translating into new voter registrations,” Pressler said. ARDENT TRUMP SUPPORTERS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY AT HISTORIC PENNSYLVANIA RALLY Lara Trump also celebrated how the scheduled maintenance moved to later in the night, sharing on Facebook Thursday, “And just like that, we got PA to move it. Great example of what happens when citizens demand fairness.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of State on Sunday for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. The website is working as of Sunday morning, and no longer includes the disclaimer for a scheduled maintenance outage. Fox News Digital did not document the site shutting down for maintenance from Saturday evening into Sunday morning, though screenshots of the site posted to social media show the site’s reported error page for maintenance. TRUMP ANNOUNCES OUTDOOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY TO ‘FINISH OUR SPEECH’ AT SITE OF FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT A review of the Department of State’s social media shows the website has previously shut down for scheduled maintenance at odd hours during the day, including on June 29 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. the following day. The historic rally in Butler drew thousands as Trump made a return to the same grounds where he was nearly killed, as well as short remarks from tech billionaire Elon Musk who stressed the importance of registering to vote. “I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms… They want to take away your right to vote effectively,” Musk told the crowd on Saturday. Musk repeatedly encouraged the crowds to get everyone in their social circles and beyond to register and vote come Election Day. “And honestly, you want to just be a pest. Just be a pest to everyone. You know, people on the street everywhere,” he said. “Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added, referring to how Trump shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowds after he was shot in the ear in July. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.