MUST DISMANTLE ENTIRE TERROR ECOSYSTEM, NEED RUTHLESS APPROACH: AMIT SHAH

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked state police forces and anti-terror agencies to adopt such a “ruthless” approach that no new terrorist group can be formed. “We need to not only combat terrorism but also dismantle its entire ecosystem,” he said.

Inaugurating a two-day anti-terror conference organised by the National Investigation Agency, Shah said the fight against terrorism requires collaboration, from the grassroots to the global level.

“The Centre has taken a tough stand on all challenges like cryptocurrencies, hawala, terror funding, organised crime syndicates, narco-terror links, which has yielded very good results, but a lot still needs to be done. To deal with terrorism, the Centre and the states, their agencies… will have to think in vertical and horizontal ways,” he said.

While praising the NIA for achieving over 94 per cent conviction, Shah asked all the states to take steps to increase the conviction rate too. “Terrorism has no boundaries and no state can face terrorism alone. We have to come together to root out this evil,” he said.

Calling for a coordinated approach against terror, he said: “In the last five years, the Centre has prepared many database verticals… All anti-terrorism agencies must adopt such a ruthless approach so that a new terrorist organisation cannot be formed,” he said.

INDIA FLAGS US ENVOY’S VISIT TO POK: ‘RESPECT OUR SOVEREIGNTY’

New Delhi has conveyed its “concerns” to Washington on the US Ambassador to Pakistan’s visit to Gilgit and Baltistan, which India considers to be part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“I think our position on the status of the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India is well known. We would urge the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have raised our concerns about that visit by the US Ambassador to Pakistan with the US side,” the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said while responding to questions at the weekly briefing on Thursday.

The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, travelled to Gilgit and Hunza valleys in the third week of September; the visit was flagged by Opposition parties in Pakistan.

After Blome’s six-day visit, Pakistan’s Opposition leaders had said “the mysterious activities” of the US Ambassador in the region had raised questions, adding that the Gilgit Baltistan govt was not aware of his visit.

After the matter became public, the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, was asked for comments. “It’s not my place to react to the US Ambassador in Pakistan but he’s been before and we obviously had part of our delegation in Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 as well,” Garcetti said.

When the MEA spokesperson was asked about Garcetti’s comments, he replied: “We don’t think the two situations are equal”.

…AND US REJECTS REPORT CLAIMING INDIA-CANADA ROW MAY HIT DELHI-WASHINGTON TIES

The US has strongly denied reports that the diplomatic face-off between India and Canada over Justin Trudeau's allegations against the Narendra Modi govt will worsen ties between New Delhi and Washington, DC.

The US embassy issued the denial after a report in Washington-based publication Politico, titled 'Why Biden's mum on the India-Canada spat'. The report quoted an official as saying that US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had told his team that India-US ties "could get worse for a time". It added that Garcetti had said the US "may need to reduce its contacts with Indian officials for an undefined period of time".

A statement issued by the US Embassy in India says, "The U.S. Embassy dismisses these reports. Ambassador Garcetti is working hard every day to deepen the partnership between the people and govts of the United States and India. As his personal engagement and public schedule demonstrates, Ambassador Garcetti and the U.S. Mission to India are working every day to advance the important, strategic, and consequential partnership we have with India."

MEA SAYS AFGHAN EMBASSY’S CLOSURE ‘INTERNAL MATTER’, REJECTS CLAIM OF NO DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT FROM INDIA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed a statement from the Embassy of Afghanistan — which closed down earlier this week allegedly due to lack of diplomatic support from India — as “factually incorrect” and “inaccurate”.

On 1 October, the Afghan embassy announced it would cease operations due to lack of support from the host govt, among other reasons.

At a weekly press briefing Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi: “Our understanding is that the embassy in New Delhi is functioning or continuing to function. We are in touch with Afghan diplomats there in that embassy as well as the Afghan diplomats in consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad.” The Afghan embassy’s decision to close down was “an internal matter of foreign mission”, he said, adding that the Afghan consul generals in Mumbai and Hyderabad “voiced their objection” to that decision.

Asked to respond to the embassy’s claims of lack of diplomatic support from the Indian govt, Bagchi said: “I don’t think facts bear out…those statements you have referred to. I don’t think they’re factually correct and I don’t think that’s accurate.”

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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51 KILLED IN RUSSIA ROCKET HIT ON VILLAGE CAFE & STORE IN UKRAINE

A Russian rocket struck a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine on Thursday and killed at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials in Kyiv. The attack came as Zelensky attended a summit of about 50 European leaders in Spain to drum up support from Ukraine’s allies. He denounced the attack in the village of Hroza as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism.”

Hroza and other parts of the eastern Kharkiv region were seized by Russia early in the war and recaptured by Ukraine in September 2022.

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA HAS TESTED NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR WEAPON

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had successfully tested a potent new strategic missile and declined to rule out the possibility it could carry out weapons tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time in more than three decades. Putin said for the first time that Moscow had successfully tested the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile with a potential range of many thousands of miles. He also told a gathering of analysts and journalists that Russia had almost completed work on its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system, another key element of its new generation of nuclear weapons.

Putin said no one in their right mind would use nuclear weapons against Russia. If such an attack was detected, he said, “such a number of our missiles — hundreds, hundreds — would appear in the air that not a single enemy would have a chance of survival”.

THE REST

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SIKKIM'S TEESTA III RIVER DAM DISASTER

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim mounted to 18 on Thursday as Army and NDRF teams worked their way through slushy earth and fast flowing water in the Teesta river basin and downstream north Bengal for the second day in search of those who were swept away and are still missing, officials said. 98 people, including 22 army personnel, remained missing after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood.

In merely 10 seconds, the 60-metre-high dam of the Rs 13,000 crore Teesta III hydropower project was completely washed away by floods originating from the South Lhonak Lake. The project, which took two decades to complete, changing hands from private companies to state govt and now a public-private joint venture (JV), stares at an uncertain future with questions raised about its viability.

Larger questions have also emerged regarding the ecological sensitivity of the glacial regions around Sikkim, their susceptibility to extreme weather events, rapid infrastructure creation, and the lack of climate adaptation efforts.

The Teesta River has also washed away parts of the NH10, disrupting connectivity between Gangtok and other parts of Sikkim from the rest of the country.

‘WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE AGAINST SISODIA? THIS WILL FALL FLAT’: SC TO ED

Underlining that stringent requirements have to be fulfilled to trigger a charge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Supreme Court Thursday questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the admissibility of its evidence to link AAP leader Manish Sisodia to a money laundering offence in the Delhi excise policy case and asked if it had any proof other than the statement of a co-accused-turned-approver against the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister.

Sisodia was arrested by the ED on March  9 this year, 12 days after he was held by the CBI on February 26.

The ED claims against Sisodia came under intense scrutiny of the court which warned that “this will fall flat” after “two questions in the cross-examination”  — it was hearing Sisodia’s bail plea and the proceedings will resume October 12.

MODI TAKES AIM AT CONG’S ‘AABADI-HAQ’ ARGUMENT

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Telangana on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time waded into the looming issue of delimitation, due in 2026, choosing a southern state to do so.

With several leaders in the South expressing concern that delimitation based on population might lead to a fall in their representation in Parliament, Modi took the topic head-on, observing that the South “stands to lose 100 seats”.

Speaking in Nizamabad, Modi used the phrase “Jitni aabadi, utna haq”, first mentioned by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the recent Karnataka Assembly elections to press for a caste census, to make his point.

“The country is now talking about the next delimitation. It will mean that wherever the population is less, the Lok Sabha seats will come down, and rise where the population is high… The southern states have achieved remarkable progress in population control, but will stand to lose heavily if the Congress’s new idea of rights in proportion to population is implemented… South India stands to lose 100 Lok Sabha seats… Will South India accept this? Will South India forgive the Congress? I want to tell Congress leaders not to fool the nation. Make it clear why they are playing this game,” Modi argued.

Asking both the INDIA alliance and Congress to “clarify if they are against South India”, the PM said: “I want to specify that this new thought (Jitni aabadi, utna haq) is injustice to southern India.”

ALL FESTIVALS FACE STONE PELTING IN RAJASTHAN’: MODI IN JODHPUR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday attacked the Ashok Gehlot govt over the law and order situation in the state, saying that no festival goes by without news of stone pelting.

“I want to ask, when Jodhpur was burning during riots, what was the CM doing? When there was violence and the innocent people were being killed, what were the Congress leaders doing? Is appeasement Congress’s first and last policy? Ram Navami, Parshuram Jayanti, Hanuman Jayanti – there is no festival in which news of stone pelting is not received from Rajasthan,” the PM said in Jodhpur.

“In Jodhpur city, which used to be known for peace, there is gang war in broad daylight. A businessman’s son is kidnapped and is mercilessly killed, and a Congress MLA says she herself is not safe. Can we imagine what the situation of a regular sister and daughter must be?” he said, adding that the Congress “loves vote bank more than Rajasthan’s interests”.

Bringing up the issue of red diary, which allegedly contains incriminating material against the state govt, Modi said, “People say that the red diary has all the black deeds of Congress’s corruption. Tell me, should the dark secrets of the red diary be revealed or not? If you want to know the truth… you will have to bring the BJP govt.”

Modi also praised Vivek Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War, saying that “every Indian is feeling proud after watching that film”.

“Is India’s voice being heard across the world or not? Is India’s voice being heard in America or not?,” he said, repeating it for England, Singapore and Japan. “Do you feel proud or not? Congress people don’t feel this way, they feel sad.”

HAND FIR COPY TO NEWSCLICK, COURT TELLS COPS; 10 JOURNALISTS QUESTIONED

A Delhi court directed the Delhi Police Thursday to provide news portal NewsClick a copy of the FIR under which its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and administrative officer Amit Chakraborty were arrested two days ago.

The police had opposed Purkayastha’s demand for a copy of the FIR.

Purkayastha and Chakraborty were arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell which had registered an FIR in August under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The Special Cell questioned 46 people, including journalists who were associated with the portal in the past, asking them if they had covered the anti-CAA protests, Delhi riots and the farm protests. Their digital devices were also seized.

Among those questioned by the Special Cell were journalists Abhisar Sharma, Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Aunindyo Chakravarty, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Satyam Tiwari, Subodh Verma, cartoonist Irfan, historian Sohail Hashmi and satirist Sanjay Rajoura.

MAJOR WITH RASHTRIYA RIFLES OPENS FIRE IN RAJOURI CAMP, INJURES COLLEAGUES

An Army officer opened fire Thursday at his colleagues and subordinates at a camp in Dara near Thanamandi in J&K’s Rajouri district, resulting in injuries to at least three to five personnel including two officers.

The officer who opened fire, a Major posted with a Rashtriya Rifles unit in Thanamandi in the Rajouri sector, was overpowered Thursday night after firing indiscriminately for several hours from near an ammunition depot at personnel approaching him. It was alleged that the officer, with a service record of more than 10 years, also lobbed a grenade at those trying to persuade him to surrender.

This is likely the first such incident where a Major-rank officer attacked his colleagues and subordinates.

Late Thursday night, the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps (XVI Corps), said only one officer was injured in “a likely grenade accident”.

KOLKATA HAS A HUGE RODENT PROBLEM

It’s a rat race in Kolkata — and so far, the rodents are winning it hands down.

Rats have so far dug through the concrete bases of at least two flyovers, gnawed at underground sewerage and cable lines, and taken over the much of the city, from the slums and eateries of south and central Kolkata to the colonial-era buildings of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Bidhan Sabha at Esplanade.

The menace has set off alarm bells in the govt, with the KMC scrambling for solutions — from running awareness campaigns on waste disposal to resorting to quick-fixes and reaching out to its counterparts in other states for ideas to exterminate the rats.

Says Firhad Hakim, the Kolkata Mayor: “We do not know about the population (of rats), but the effects are visible every day. Our sewerage lines, underground cables and electricity wires are getting damaged."

NORWEGIAN PLAYWRIGHT GETS NOBEL PRIZE FOR GIVING ‘VOICE TO UNSAYABLE’

Jon Fosse, a master of spare Nordic writing in a sprawling body of work ranging from plays to novels and children’s books, won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday for works that “give voice to the unsayable”.

Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel literature committee, said Fosse’s work is rooted “in the language and nature of his Norwegian background”.

Considered master of spare Nordic writing, Jon Fosse has written some 40 plays as well as novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry and essays

The Swedish Academy said it was “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”

WORLD CUP OPENER: KIWIS STUN ENGLAND

Unbeaten centurions Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra produced their own version of bruising ‘Bazball' as New Zealand hammered defending champions England by nine wickets in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

After England posted a below par 282 for 9 largely due to Joe Root's pragmatic 77, New Zealand romped to 283 for 1 in just 36.2 overs, courtesy buccaneering hundreds by Conway (152 off 121 balls) and Ravindra (123 off 96 balls).

While New Zealand, who regularly punch above their weight in the ICC events, put the rest of the teams on notice with that brutal onslaught, England will have to do more than one boardroom session to regain some confidence.

Interestingly,. Rachin Ravindra's Bangalore-born father had named him after Rahul Dravid. and Sachin Tendulkar.

ASIAN GAMES DAY 12; INDIA ADD 3 GOLD

India’s Parneet Kaur, Aditi Gopichand Swami and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won gold by beating Chinese Taipei 230-229 in the archery women’s team compound event.

The Indian squash pair of Dipika Pallikal and Harinderpal Singh Sandhu beat Malaysia in the mixed doubles event to win the gold

Later, India’s men’s compound team of Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale and Prathamesh Jawkar secured another archery gold medal after its 235-230 win against South Korea.

In the evening, Saurav Ghosal won silver in the men’s singles final in squash before Antim Panghal defeated Mongolia’s Bolortuya Bat-Ochir 3-1 to take the bronze in Women's 53 KG wrestling.

In Medals Tally, India is currently placed 4th (21G, 32S, 33B), behind China (179G, 99S, 55B), Japan (44G, 54S, 60B) and S Korea (33G, 47S, 77B)

INDICATORS

Sensex 65,632 (+406), Nifty 19,546 (+110)

Nasdaq 13,220 (-16) Dow 33,120 (-10), S&P 4,258 (-6)

US$-Rs. 83.25, GBP-Rs. 101.22, Euro-Rs. 87.63, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.66, Can$-Rs. 60.61, Aus$- Rs. 52.91

GBP 0.82 /US$, Euro 0.94/US$, Jap.Yen 148.61 /US$, Aus$ 1.57 /US$, Sing 1.36 /US$, Bang Taka 108.95 /US$, Can$ 1.37 /US$, Mal Ring 4.72 /US$, Pak Re 282.72 /US$, Phil Peso 56.65 /US$, Russian Rouble 99.76 /US$, NZ$ 1.68 /US$, Thai Baht 36.93 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.35 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 27,442, Dollar Index 106.13, Brent Crude 84.48, BDI 1827

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,822 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,716 / 5,240, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 73,500

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Social values in general are incrementally variable: neither safety, diversity, rational articulation, nor morality is categorically a "good thing" to have more of, without limits.  All are subject to diminishing returns, and ultimately negative returns. - Thomas Sowell

OFF TRACK

A woman was in coma. The husband was unable to control his tears.

Doctor: We are trying our best, but can't guarantee anything. Her body is not reacting.

Husband: Doctor please save her. She is just 36 years old and the family needs her.

Suddenly, something happened. Miraculously, the ECG started beeping like crazy.....A hand moved, her lips mumbled......And she spoke:

Darling, I'm 34, not 36...