Breaking News Updates: PM meets vaccine makers; Amit Shah slams terror apologists

In a big admission by Congress, leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday asserted that terrorism was under control in Jammu and Kashmir. The former Chief Minister of the valley came to this conclusion after holding discussions with a delegation of Congress that comprised representatives from 10 districts and 40 constituencies.

The statement of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is in sharp contrast to the picture of Jammu and Kashmir being portrayed by the High Command of his party. Just a few days ago, former party president Rahul Gandhi had claimed that terrorism had not stopped because of the abrogation of Article 370.  In a tweet, soon after targeted killings were reported in Jammu and Kashmir, Gandhi charged the Central government with failing to provide security to the people of the valley.

As former Mumbai Police Commissioner continues to be missing, a mystery man under the name of Mahesh Panchal on behalf of Param Bir Singh submitted an affidavit before the Chandiwal Commission on Saturday. The mystery man claims that he is the attorney holder for Param Bir Singh, and has filed the affidavit in the capacity of the same. In the affidavit, Param Bir Singh has shown his unwillingness in being cross-examined. Furthermore, he has said that he has some 'personal difficulty' because of which he is unable to appear before the Commission.

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In a key development regarding the Mumbai Cruise drug bust case, Republic Media Network on Saturday was informed by sources that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is now probing the finances of all accused related to the case. While the central agency has already recovered the accounts of the drug peddlers, it is yet to recover those of other accused, including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, sources informed. Also, the agency is going to look into the accounts of Ananya Panday, sources added.

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while addressing the youth via video conferencing, Home Minister Amit Shah said, "I came here to Kashmir after more than2 years. I feel very happy and obliged looking at the youth of the valley, and I strongly believe that any change cannot happen without the involvement of the youth. 70% of the population is youth.... and if we think about their future and their education.. then we can change Kashmir even more"

"SRK’s manager Puja Dadlani has submitted documents related to Aryan Khan, as asked by the NCB," say sources in the NCB. Puja Dadlani was spotted entering the office of the central agency on Saturday. 

BJP Mahila Morcha in Bhubaneswar, Odisha staged a massive protest over Mamita Meher Murder Case demanding resignation of state home minister.

After reports of the ultimatum given to Afghanistan Sikhs came out, Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that SOS messages are coming from Taliban occupied region. He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that the away evaluation process was conducted earlier, the same way to save that minority that is currently struggling in Afghanistan. 

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's Office (CMO), in a tweet informed that Yogi Adityanath has decided to rename Faizabad railway junction as Ayodhya Cantt.

In a two-page letter, the ISKCON has urged the Permanent Mission Of Government Of India to the UN to call upon Member State Bangladesh to stop ill-treatment and Persecution on the grounds of Religion. The letter comes on the day when the community launched worldwide protests against the mob attack during Durga Puja. The letter has been marked with 'save Bangladeshi Hindus' caption. 

Ananya Panday was called for questioning on Friday for the second time and she was reportedly quizzed for four hours. Prior to that, she was called for the first time on Thursday after her name emerged in alleged WhatsApp chats with prime accused SRK's son Aryan Khan. The actress is again summoned on Monday while her electronics are confiscated by the NCB. 

In the latest development, the NCB has informed that Chunky Panday's daughter was questioned over 'suspicious financial transactions and also in connection with WhatsApp chats with Aryan Khan.'. 

The Sikh community in Afghanistan is currently under a fresh threat from the Taliban as sources informed that they have received an ultimatum to convert to Islam. Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa in conversation with Republic said that the only two minority communities - Sikhs and Hindus are in grave danger in Afghanistan. 

India will take reciprocal action if it is treated unfairly or unjustly in trade practices, said Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday while addressing the 54th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi. He stated that there are numerous non-tariff hurdles that must be overcome.

The Crime Branch arrested three more persons- Mohit Trivedi, Dharmendra Singh and Rinku Rana on Saturday. They were allegedly present in a Mahindra Scorpio- one of the three cars which mowed down 4 farmers in Lakhimpur-Kheri on October 3. Until now, a total of 13 individuals have been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with this case.

Home Minister Amit Shah has decided to travel by road for his operations in Jammu and Kashmir instead of aerial convenience to enhance trust. The Home Minister also travelled to Martyred Parvez's residence in Srinagar via road and promised a Government job to his wife. 

The Home Minister will soon be conducting a security review meeting with officials and LG Manoj Sinha. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah as scheduled held a security review meeting along with security officials and LG Manoj Sinha. On-ground information suggested that Amit Shah has asked officials to not just catch terrorists but also make sure that young boys in the valley do not join the terrorist organizations. Earlier, the Home Minister had visited Martyred Parvez 's residence in Srinagar.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Srinagar after a delay in his landing and reached straight to martyred police officer Parvez Dar's residence where he met with his family and assured support from the entire country.
"The entire nation is with you. We will always remember the supreme sacrifice being made by Dar and the Jammu and Kashmir police," said Amit Shah was quoted telling Parvez Dar's family. Sources informed that he has also promised a government job to Dar's wife. LG Manoj Sinha is also present with Home Minister Amit Shah.

Actor Ananya Panday has already been already summoned by the NCB twice and has been called again by NCB on Monday. In the latest update, sources informed Republic TV that her electronics have been confiscated and sent for the forensic test as it is feared that certain chats have been deleted. Significant to note that earlier the NCB had reportedly found chats related to possession of narcotics between Aryan Khan, the prime accused and Ananya Panday. 

In his address, the Prime Minister hailed Goa over 100% COVID-19 vaccination for a single dose. "For the convenience and respect of women, the schemes made by the central government, Goa is successfully taking them off the ground and is also expanding them. Be it toilets, Ujjwala gas connections or Jan Dhan bank accounts, Goa has done a great job in providing these facilities to women," said PM Modi.

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As the Congress party decided to go solo for Bihar Polls, Republic Media received the first response from MP Manoj Jha who said that 'good luck to them'. He also talked about political relations between Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Yadav and added that unless any comment is not made by the central leadership, RJD will not give any statement. 

Unperturbed by Congress' announcement that it will go solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, RJD contended that it was too early to make a prediction about the future of the Mahagatbandhan. Stressing that his party still believed in the sanctity of the alliance, Bihar RJD president Jagdanand Singh told the media on Friday that it would respect the decision of its ally. Maintaining that RJD always abided by the coalition dharma, he reminded Congress that the United Progressive Alliance government was formed in 2004 only with the support of the MPs belonging to the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party. 

PM Modi will meet 7 Indian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers of the country on Saturday. The representatives from Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Gennova Biopharma and Panacea Biotech are likely to participate in this meeting. This meeting assumes significance as India achieved a big milestone by completing the administration of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday. As per sources, the PM might emphasise the ways to inoculate the eligible population as quickly as possible.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday morning reached Srinagar to begin his three-day visit in Jammu and Kashmir amid beefed up security and rainfall in the region. LG Manoj Sinha received the Home Minister and significant meetings are lined up along with the officials. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with beneficiaries and stakeholders of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Swayampurna Goa programme.

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Amid rainfall in Srinagar as well as Jammu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed at Srinagar airport at around 10:50 AM. Reportedly, the Home Minister's arrival delayed by nearly an hour due to weather conditions. Meanwhile, the security arrangements have been beefed up in the valley region and the Home Minister is scheduled to hold his first meeting with security officials at around 2 PM. Amit Shah will be travelling to Jammu tomorrow. 

Extending their support to Hindus of Bangladesh and raising their voice against the atrocities, Australian citizens staged an outcry in Melbourne. Protesters raised placards on the streets. Meanwhile, such demonstrations have been seen in nearly 150 countries. 

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani reached the NCB office on Saturday morning. The manager has been spotted with SRK on several occasions. SRK's son Aryan Khan is already lodged in Arthur jail with allegations of procuring drugs. Ananya Panday is also summoned for the third time by the NCB on Monday. Earlier on Friday, the 'student of the year 2' actress was quizzed for four hours and reportedly schooled by the drug controller body's Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede for arriving late. 

Top sources informed Republic TV that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has expanded the ambit of the drugs investigation. Additionally, the drugs controller body is looking at the involvement of a larger international racket which was also revealed during the investigation of SRK's son Aryan Khan. Several handlers, consumers and peddlers are now under the lens of NCB. 

Meanwhile, Ananya Panday was questioned for four hours at the NCB office on Friday. On the other hand, a 24-year-old drug peddler was arrested in the early hours of Friday by the NCB. 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Friday, held an in-person meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as a part of the latter’s maiden visit to India. According to a press release, both the leaders discussed ‘mutual areas of interest’ including green energy, infrastructure, and the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). It is imperative to note that under NMP, the finance ministry estimates aggregate monetisation potential of Rs 6.0 lakh crores through core assets of the Central Government from FY 2022 to FY 2025.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday, 22 October met with the European Commission’s Executive-Vice President Frans Timmermans in New Delhi. According to the Twitter update by the EAM, both officials exchanged views on Afghanistan and climate action changes. Jaishankar and Timmermans also indulged in a “good discussion” over the expansion of the India-EU partnership along with trade and investment, connectivity and Indo-pacific. 

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale rejected Left-Right binary of modern-day political discourse and asserted that India has space for ideas of both sides. Speaking at the launch of the book- The Hindutva Paradigm: Integral Humanism and Quest for a Non-Western Worldview by RSS national executive member Ram Madhav on Friday, Hosabale opined that "Hindutva is neither Right nor Left". Revealing that many of the ideas emanating from the RSS are "leftist" in nature, he opined that the ideological and geographical divide has blurred in the post-globalization era. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 23, Saturday morning arrived in Jammu and Kashmir for his three-day visit. The Home Minister is scheduled to hold a high-level security meeting on the first day of his visit. It is important to mention that this is Shah's first visit to the valley region since the abrogation of Article 370. Top sources in the establishment have confirmed to Republic that a high-level security meet has been called in at Srinagar and all the officials who are part of the security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir will be taking part in the same.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a tweet slammed the ruling party- BJP and said that she will be visiting the state on 28th ahead of the elections. 'Together, we will usher in a new dawn for Goa by forming a new govt that will truly be a govt of the people of Goa and committed to realising their aspirations!' tweeted Mamata Banerjee. 

In a massive development, the US military claimed to have killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar in a drone strike in Syria, a US Central Command Spokesman said. “The removal of this al-Qaeda senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organisation’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,” US Army Major John Rigsbee said in a written statement late on Friday.

The protests were launched by National Equality Party and here's what the party Chairman asserted:

"22nd of October is the darkest day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the day in 1947 when Pakistan invaded our land and occupied us and since then our basic necessities are violated and we get no basic facilities. We are suffering since that day. Our demands in London are for the international community to help us to force Pakistan to get out of Jammu and Kashmir and let people decide about their future and the interesting thing here is Pakistan is not a legitimate but an illegal invader and occupied us. India and the people of Jammu Kashmir need to decide what should be the future of people and what sort of relationship both should have. India should help J&K to get Pakistan out," added Sajjad Raja.

In a significant development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in a number of summits this fortnight which will include travel abroad. The first on the list for the Prime Minister is the ASEAN-India Summit, which he will attend virtually. Following this are the G20 Summit in Italy's Rome and the COP26 Summit in Scotland's Glasgow, which he will attend in person along with other world leaders.

The Bhima Koregaon Inquiry Commission, Pune, has issued summons to former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and Rashmi Shukla, asking them to appear in person before the commission on November 8. This comes at a time when the ex-Mumbai top cop continues to remain 'absconding'. 

The central government has filed a fresh affidavit before Delhi High Court against social media major WhatsApp. The government made it clear that social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook cannot challenge the new IT Rules before the court as they are foreign entities. The government also alleged that WhatsApp's new privacy policy which allows sharing of Information with Facebook can harm national security, harmony and sovereignty.