Breaking News: Aryan Khan bail order copy accessed by Republic

In a major development in connection with the horrific lynching at the Singhu border, the Punjab Government on Wednesday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the killing of Lakhbir Singh, to find out the real identity of a few Nihang leaders.

FULL STORY HERE 

In the latest development, Kashmir Inspector-general of police Vijay Kumar on Wednesday said that two terrorists who were involved in the murder of two Bihar migrants on October 17 in Wanpoh have been eliminated. One of the eliminated terrorists has been identified as Gulzar Ahmad Reshi, a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander. 

"Police and Army have neutralised LeT district commander (Gulzar Ahmad Reshi) of Kulgam and one other, who were involved in killings of two labourers from Bihar on 17 October at Wanpoh," Kashmir IGP said. 

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On Wednesday, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban's interim government, claimed that Afghanistan is now stable and that no country will have any threat from the war-ravaged country. The Taliban will make all-out efforts in ensuring that there is no threat, he said while speaking at the Moscow Format Dialogue as reported by TOLO News. He called on the international community to recognise the Taliban's interim administration, emphasising that isolating Afghanistan benefits no one. Hanafi also urged the United States to release Afghanistan's financial assets, stressing that coercion had failed to produce results.

Republic Media Network has accessed the 18-page long bail application order copy of the Special NDPS Court that denied bail to Aryan Khan in the Mumbai cruise drug bust case. The order copy explains the reasons why the bail plea was rejected.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK ENTIRE ORDER COPY 

The Maharashtra government is willing to withdraw its May 24 statement assuring no coercive action, including arrest, against former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh in a 2015 case. The former top cop, who has gone missing amid recent corruption allegations, had sought quashing of an FIR filed against him in an atrocities case. 

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India has voiced its strong opposition to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship project - the CPEC - at the just concluded second UN Sustainable Transport Conference where the Indian diplomat's mic curiously went silent while she was highlighting New Delhi's objection to the controversial projects.

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Drone from Pakistan dropped heroin in Amritsar at Indo-Pak border; BSF attempted to fire upon the drone before it flew back to Pakistan. The heroin is about 1 KG, the value of which is close to Rs 6 crore.

Pakistan's Opposition parties on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of selling gifts he received from other countries' heads, including an expensive watch worth USD 1 million. Gifts are routinely exchanged between heads of states or officers holding constitutional positions during a state visit. According to the gift depository (Toshakhana) rules, these gifts remain the property of the state unless sold at an open auction.

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The Ministry of health has mandated a negative RT-PCR test report for all international passengers coming to India, and has divided the arrivals on the COVID-risk nature of their countries.

Here is a flowchart of the process:

Full guidelines by the Ministry of Health for foreign arrivals in India:

Guidelines for International Arrival 20 Th October 2021 by Republic World on Scribd

List of countries segregated by COVID-risk

ListofCountriestobereferredtoincontextofGuidelinesforinternationalarrivalsdated20thOctober2021 by Republic World on Scribd

Higher salaries in India are making a comeback with 9.3 per cent hike being expected in 2022, from 8 per cent in 2021, and with companies planning to give employees larger raises as they face mounting challenges of attracting and retaining employees, according to a report.

Salaries are projected to see a median salary increase of 9.3 per cent next year compared to the actual median salary increase of 8 per cent in 2021, according to the 'Salary Budget Planning Report' by global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson.

India's projected salary increase is the highest in Asia-Pacific for the next year as optimism returns over improved business outlook in the next 12 months, the report added.

The Salary Budget Planning Report is a bi-annual survey conducted online between May and June 2021, with 1,405 companies across sections of industries from 13 markets in Asia-Pacific, including 435 companies in India.
 

(Credits: PTI)

After the Special NDPS court has rejected bail plea of Aryan Khan in the Mumbai cruise Drug Bust case, Aryan Khan's legal team moved the Bombay High Court. The bail application of Aryan Khan is in process for filing before the Bombay HC, likely to be mentioned today to list the matter on board for hearing.

The Mumbai Sessions Court has rejected Aryan Khan's bail plea. In addition, the court has also rejected bail for Arbaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. The lawyers of the three accused will move to the High Court as Mumbai Sessions Court has rejected their bail plea on Wednesday. 

India is set to highlight Pakistan's role at the ongoing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris over its inaction against terrorism. According to sources, India will likely raise the issue of the recent terrorist infiltration attempts in Poonch. Moreover, the anti-money laundering watchdog will also review Pakistan's performance in prosecuting and penalising financing of terrorist groups operating from its soil such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Senior Congress leader and the party's Punjab in-charge, Harish Rawat slammed former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh after he announced his decision to float his own party. Speaking to Republic, Rawat raised the issue of farmers and attacked the BJP over the ongoing protests against the three farm laws. Talking about Singh's statement of allying with the BJP, Harish Rawat said that nobody is stopping Amarinder Singh from standing with the farmers.

"Nobody is stopping Amarinder Singh from standing with the farmers. Will Punjab ever forgive the BJP or the Akali Dal?" questioned Harish Rawat.

The US-based social media giant Facebook is planning to change its name. The Facebook name change might be done next week and it will depict the company's idea of building a metaverse. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also reported to talk about Facebook changing name and elaborate on how the Facebook rebrand will facilitate its ambition of creating an advanced metaverse. 

Facebook has long been talking about its intention to create and expand a digital metaverse. The company already has over 10,000 employees working on building AR glasses and accompanying applications. Zuckerberg has previously talked about his interest and fascination with how augmented reality works and the vision to turn it into an active metaverse of multiple digital devices connected via wireless data transfer technology. 

Continuing on the crackdown on terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, a joint team of police and security forces have now neutralised two terrorists in an encounter in the Shopian district. The security forces had earlier launched a search-and-cordon operation in Shopian, after receiving intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the region. Three army jawans have been reported injured from the encounter. The security forces, who jointly held the search operation, have now killed two terrorists in the region. One of the two terrorists killed has been identified as Adil Ah Wani, responsible for the killing of Sagir Ahmad, a carpenter at Pulwama. The encounter began as the terrorists opened fire on the joint team of police and security forces, who hit back with gunfire.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Sri Lanka's Minister Namal Rajapaksa in Kushinagar and gifts him, Bhagavad Gita. PM Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh as the airport is intended to enhance tourism on the Buddhist circuit. Notable monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, and ambassadors from several nations attended the inauguration ceremony and took part in an event commemorating 'Abhidhamma Day' at Mahaparinirvana Temple.

PM Modi laid the foundation stone of 12 development projects worth over Rs 180 crore. He also inaugrated Rajkiya Medical College, Kushinagar which will be built at a cost of over Rs 280 crore. The Medical College will consist of a 500-bed hospital and provide admissions to 100 students in the MBBS course in academic session 2022-2023. 

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday announced the government's plan to set up 17 new Airports in Uttar Pradesh. He stated that a total of 128 airports have been set up in the country. The Kushinagar airport is built at a cost of Rs 260 crores as it becomes the ninth airport of the state and aims to increase the tourist influx in the state, spanning over 3,600 sqm. 

'17 More Airports in Uttar Pardesh': Scindia

"Under Prime Minister's vision and guidance, we have successfully set up the Kushinagar International airport. This is the ninth airport in Uttar Pradesh and the government plans to set up 17 more airports in the state in the near future. In the first 70 years of India's independence, only 74 airports were there in the country. Under PM Modi's guidance, the government has successfully inaugurated 54 airports in the last seven years of his governance in the country. With this, 128 airports have been set up in the country," Scindia said while addressing an event in Kushinagar.

As the Poonch encounter enters day nine, the joint security forces have now deployed specialised drones in the area. The Jammu and Kashmir police and Indian Army have been working together in the area to spot the terrorists who crossed borders and entered the encounter site here. The Indian Army on Monday continued the anti-terror operations at the Poonch encounter site during the night for the first time. The forces have now deployed specialised drones to find the infiltrators. 

The forces carrying out the anti-terror operations at the Poonch encounter site are now on the lookout for more infiltrator posts. Meanwhile, the Punjab police along with the 101 battalions of the intelligence wing seized large arms and narcotic substances near the Indo-Punjab border.

Prime Minister Modi visits the Mahaparinirvana temple, and offers Archana and Chivar to the reclining statue of Lord Buddha in UP's Kushinagar. He will also visit the exhibition of Ajanta fresco paintings, Buddhist Sutra calligraphy, and Buddhist artefacts. Following that, he will lay the foundation for Rajkiya Medical College, followed by the foundation for 12 other development projects worth Rs 180 crore. In the meantime, on the occasion of Abhidhamma Day, the tourist department will host a tourism promoting event in Kushinagar.

NIA conducted raids at 11 places in Jammu and Kashmir in a recent targetted killings of Civilians. Searches are underway in Srinagar, Baramulla, Pulwama, Awantipora, Sopore and Kulgam. The case pertains to the hatching of conspiracy for undertaking violent terrorist attacks by members of proscribed terrorist organizations such as JeM, LeT, HM, Al Badr and their frontal affiliates such as TRF, PAFF.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, near Lord Buddha's Parinirvana, on Wednesday, October 20. The airport is intended to enhance tourism on the Buddhist circuit. On Wednesday, PM Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, notable monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, and ambassadors from several nations attended the inauguration ceremony and took part in an event commemorating 'Abhidhamma Day' at Mahaparinirvana Temple.

Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Dehradun on Wednesday at 5:00 PM along with the officers of central agencies to review the Uttarakhand disaster. According to the Home Minister, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that till now 46 people have died in rain-related incidents, 11 people are still missing and 12 are injured. On Thursday morning, Amit Shah will conduct an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas and might make a big announcement in Uttarakhand.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the issue of the emergency use listing of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin and resumption of supplies of the Serum Institute of India-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine to the COVAX facility among other topics during a telephonic conversation with Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday to inaugurate the Kushinagar International Airport for facilitating the requirements of international Buddhist pilgrims in the country. He will participate in an event marking Abhidhamma Day at Mahaparinirvana Temple. Prime Minister will further attend a public function to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects in Kushinagar.

Ahead of PM's visit Chief Minister Yogi AdityaNath tweeted in Hindi, "Respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate 'Kushinagar International Airport' in district Kushinagar today. At the same time, along with the foundation stone of Government Medical College, he will also inaugurate/lay the foundation stone of 12 other development projects.

In a gory incident, a 55-year-old woman was hacked to death in the rural area of Jamwaramgarh in Jaipur on Tuesday, 19 October with her throat slit and feet severed. While the police are reportedly suspecting it to be a case of theft, the assailants of the elderly woman still remain unidentified. Police have said that the killers chopped the woman’s feet just to take her silver anklets, leaving the body in the forested area of Khatepura village under the police station. The body was found by the villagers on Tuesday afternoon. 

As per PTI, Circle Officer Lakhan Meena has said that the woman was identified as Geeta Devi of Khatepura village who was attacked by miscreants when she went into the forest to graze cattle. He has said that apart from her throat being slit and severed leg, the 55-year-old suffered deep wounds on her head and neck which were caused by a sharp-edged weapon. Meena has reportedly informed that the woman’s severed legs were lying near the body with the silver anklets taken by the killers. 

Breaking the silence on Aryan Khan's arrest in the Mumbai cruise drug bust, BJP MLA Ram Kadam on Wednesday, 'prayed' for the starkid's bail in today's court hearing. Claiming that bail was a fundamental right under the Constitution, he said Aryan Khan's arrest was not a personal one, but under the war against drugs. He added that in 'new India' all were treated equally and hence Aryan must use this opportunity to fight against drugs, inspiring youth to wean off drug menace.

23-year-old Aryan Khan - Shah Rukh Khan's son and seven others have been arrested in an NCB drug bust at Mumbai's international cruise port on October 2 

Uttarakhand reported at least 42 rain-related deaths on Tuesday with many people still trapped under the rubble after landslides, while Uttar Pradesh witnessed four fatalities, even as heavy downpour in Kerala filled several dams to the brim and multiple districts were on alert. In view of the incessant rains, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his appeal to Chardham yatris to stay where they are and not to resume their journeys before the weather improved.

"The number of casualties in Kumaon region alone has crossed 40," DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne told PTI.

With 42 new fatalities in the Kumaon region, the death toll in the disaster has risen to 47 as five deaths were reported on Monday. Of the 42 fresh deaths, 28 people were killed in Nainital district, six each in Almora and Champawat and one each in Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar districts, the official said.

The United States administration on Wednesday raised concern over the recent violent attacks on Hindu temples and businesses in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja celebrations. The US has now urged authorities to fully investigate the communal attacks, saying the freedom of religion or belief is a human right. The Office of International Religious Freedom head by the US Department of State called it ‘deadly’ and said that they condemn the attacks happening.

Facebook-owned photos and videos sharing platform Instagram is going to add a couple of new features to its app. The new features will be available in Instagram's short video format called 'Reels' and others will be added to the Feed. The changes are creator-focussed and will help users in collaborating and raising funds. Another major update coming to 'Instagram for desktops' is the ability to post photographs and videos that are shorter than one minute. Starting on October 19, 2021, Instagram will incorporate the new feature called 'Collabs'.

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government have been on the receiving end of criticism for the rising fuel prices in the country, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has now questioned why the state government was against bringing fuel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Patil said that the prices would be lower if they are added under GST. He went on to ask why Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was opposing the same. 

Affirming her re-entry into politics, VK Sasikala wrote a letter to AIADMK cadres on Tuesday, urging them to unite and fight to save Amma's legacy. The letter, which has been published in AIADMK's former mouthpiece Namadhu MGR, Sasikala urges all to 'stop the party from being poisoned'. AIADMK had expelled Sasikala after she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case in 2016.

Sasikala: 'Unite to stop poisoning in party'

Sasikala writes, "Today is a good start, and tomorrow will be ours. We shall preserve the organization with the future path in mind by adhering to the people's ideas, the regime's perfection, and the journey of our Puratchi Thalaivi (Jayalalitha), who earned the hearts of the people. Let us gather together and remind the public that the sole goal we have is for the Tamil community to grow". The letter, which is titled 'From the desk of Puratchi thayar (Revolutionary mother)', has been signed by V.K Sasikala, AIADMK, General Secretary.