Top 10 Headlines: Assistance for terror attack victims' kin; Russia on NATO Mission & more

Centre, Bihar govt nnounce Compensation For Kin Of Victims Killed In Terror Attacks

Amid the recent killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, the central government along with the Bihar government has decided to compensate the dependents of each victim. As informed by former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi on Monday, the dependents of the victims will be provided with a compensation of Rs 14 lakh by Bihar and the central government respectively. Furthermore, the welfare schemes of the state government will also be extended to the families of the victims. 

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India, US Troops Train In Extreme Cold Weather

The Indian Army and the United States Army are participating in a number of training activities as part of the Indo-US joint training exercise 'Ex Yudh Abhyas 21'. Both armies are now training together to fight in extreme cold weather conditions. The 17th Edition of the joint training exercise commenced at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in the USA's Alaska region on October 15, Friday.

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Shiv Sena Ups Ante In Run-up To BMC Polls

Shiv Sena Deputy Leader Yashwant Jadhav asserted that 15-20 BJP corporators are ready to jump ship to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Without revealing any names, the Standing Committee Chairman told the media on Monday that some BJP members are miffed with their party leadership. While maintaining that Shiv Sena doesn't believe in engineering defections, he hinted that the corporators of the saffron party might switch allegiance in December. However, BJP's Group Leader in BMC Prabhakar Shinde denied this claim. 

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Delhi Gets First Children-friendly COVID Vaccination Centre

In a first of its kind, a kid-friendly COVID-19 vaccination centre has been set up in Delhi under the review of the waiting time post-vaccination. The vaccination centre has been equipped with toys, electronic and musical items which will help children stay engaged during the waiting time. This is also expected to ease the tension and nervousness of children before being vaccinated. 

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Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Bajwa Visits ISI Headquarters

Amid the ongoing tussle between the Pakistani Army and civilian Government, the Army Chief Qamar Bajwa was seen at ISI Headquarters on Monday. The tiff began over the appointment of the spy Chief. Reportedly, General Bajwa visited the ISI headquarters to discuss 'internal security and the ongoing situation in Pakistan' with ISI Chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid. 

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US Court Dismisses Plea Filed By Nirav Modi

A bankruptcy court in New York, United States has rejected a petition of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi as well as his associates that sought dismissal of fraud allegations against them. “SDNY Bankruptcy Court Judge Lane in a clear decision denied defendants Modi, Bansali and Gandhi’s motions to dismiss US Trustee Richard Levin’s amended complaint in the adversary proceeding arising out of Modi’s initial chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, RICO and related state law claims,” Indian American attorney Ravi Batra told PTI. 

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Qatar, WHO Team Up For 'healthy' FIFA 2022 World Cup

With an aim to creating a "legacy for the sport", the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have teamed up to use the Qatar FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 pavilion. The Qatari Minister of Public Health Hanan Mohamed, Al Kuwari and the WHO Director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday signed the multi-year partnership to assign the megaevent as a platform for promoting public health and safety.

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WHO, UNICEF Claim Taliban Will Allow Women To Work In Polio Vaccine Campaign

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) informed that the Taliban will permit female employees to work on a house-to-house polio immunisation campaign to commence on November 8 and will provide protection to groups conducting the drive. The WHO and UNICEF had earlier appreciated the Taliban leadership's decision to support the commencement of house-to-house polio immunisation across Afghanistan.  

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North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Towards Sea Of Japan

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into waters off the coast of Japan on Tuesday, 19 October as it continued with its weapon tests. South Korean news agency Yonhap stated that North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” off its east coast towards the Sea of Japan before confirming that it was a ballistic missile. The report added that both the South Korean and US military authorities were closely monitoring the height and range of the projectile sent off by Pyongyang. 

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US Envoy For Afghanistan Khalilzad Steps Down 

The United States envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad has stepped down from his position, just two months after the Taliban's swift annexation of Kabul. The decision was announced by the US State Department on Monday, adding that Khalilzad will be replaced by his Deputy Special Representative Tom West. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement asserted that the West will work closely with the US embassy, which is now based in Doha, on US interests in Afghanistan.

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Russia Suspends NATO Mission In Retaliation

Russia has suspended its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in response to the "expulsion" of eight members of its military alliance last week. In a statement published on the official website, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on 18 October that the country's staff at NATO’s mission in Moscow would be stripped of their accreditation from 1 November.  It also added that the intergovernmental military alliance including 28 European countries and 2 North American countries, could interact with Moscow through its embassy in Brussels if required.

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