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Trump says he discussed trade with PM Modi U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with their conversation focused largely on trade .“We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Mr. Trump added that energy was also part of the discussion, saying Mr. Modi assured him that India would be limiting its oil purchases from Russia. Well-marked low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal may cause intense rain in Tamil Nadu A well-marked low pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal that formed in the early hours of Tuesday is likely to trigger widespread, intense rain, especially along coastal Tamil Nadu, this week as it gathers strength. The Regional Meteorological Centre has sounded a red alert for four districts — Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, and Mayiladuthurai — indicating extremely heavy rainfall above 21 cm on Wednesday. It has issued orange and yellow alerts for various parts of the State till October 24, as weather systems over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea continue to feed moisture into the region. Dynasty politics continues to dominate in Bihar election Despite top political leaders talking about dynasty politics corroding the fabric of democracy, most major political parties in poll-bound Bihar continue to hand out tickets to kith and kin of those holding sway over their parties or alliances. Ahead of Bihar Assembly election, parties belonging to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc have given tickets to their family members. Delhi government blames Punjab AAP regime for toxic haze after Deepavali, says crackers not responsible The Delhi government blamed the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation in Punjab for the toxic haze over the national capital, alleging that the neighbouring state forced farmers to burn a record amount of paddy stubble on Deepavali night. Delhi found itself enveloped in a thick grey haze, reduced visibility, and its air quality into the 'red zone', the morning after Deepavali which saw cracker-bursting way beyond the two-hour limit set by the Supreme Court. Punjab Police avert possible attack, nab two terror operatives, seize grenade and launcher The Punjab Police said they have nabbed two terror operatives and seized a rocket-propelled grenade along with the launcher, which was intended for a "targeted" attack. “In an intelligence-based operation, Amritsar Rural Police, in close coordination with central agencies, apprehends two terror operatives Mehakdeep Singh @ Mehak and Aditya @ Adhi from #Amritsar and recovers one Rocket Propelled Grenade (#RPG),” Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X. Angmo’s ‘surveillance’ raises question on personal freedoms of NSA detainee’s family members A complaint by Gitanjali Angmo, the wife of detained activist Sonam Wangchuk, in the Supreme Court, that the state and its agencies watch her every step, intervene, and even whisk her away in vehicles with curtains drawn over windows, raises the question of whether the personal freedom and right to free movement of a family member of a person restrained under the National Security Act is also forfeit. Mr. Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 following violent protests on September 24 in Leh. He has been shifted to the Jodhpur Central Jail. India upgrades Technical Mission in Kabul to embassy with ‘immediate effect’ Days after the visit by Taliban administration’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, India has upgraded its Technical Mission in Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the upgrading took place with “immediate effect” on Tuesday. Official sources said a chargé d’affaires (CDA) would soon be appointed who would steer the embassy till the appointment of an ambassador. Success in Operation Sindoor, fight against Naxalism, GST reforms show India as symbol of stability: PM Modi In an open letter to Indian citizens on the occasion of Deeepavali, released, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon the success of Operation Sindoor and the fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) as well as the rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure as a sign that India had emerged as beacon of stability in a crisis-ridden world. “I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you on the auspicious occasion of Deepavali, a festival filled with energy and enthusiasm. This is the second Deepavali after the grand construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya,” he said. Bihar Assembly polls: Nitish launches campaign, takes swipe at Lalu for doing ‘nothing for women’ Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar charged his arch-rival Lalu Prasad with doing "nothing for women" while in power, and propping up wife Rabri Devi when the charge sheet in the fodder scam caused him to step down. The JD(U) president, who is seeking a record fifth consecutive term in office, was addressing his maiden election rally in Minapur constituency of Muzaffarpur district, where he also said he was disillusioned with the RJD, headed by Prasad, after two short-lived alliances, and vowed to remain with the NDA. Net FDI fell 159% in August 2025 as more money left the country than was invested in it Net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India fell 159% in August 2025, with more money leaving the country than entering it that month, according to official data. This is the second time this financial year that outflows have exceeded inflows. However, the picture is reversed when looked at over a longer time period, with net FDI in April-August 2025 more than 121% higher than in the same five-month period of the previous year. No plans for immediate Trump-Putin meeting: White House There are no plans for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet “in the immediate future,” a senior White House official said on Tuesday (October 21, 2025), days after Mr. Trump floated another summit with his Russian counterpart. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also have no plans to meet in person, the official said, saying their call on Monday (October 20) was “productive.” Efforts underway to neutralise foreign terrorists hiding in Jammu forests: IGP Asserting that more than 100 anti-terrorist operations are being carried out daily across the Jammu division, a top police officer said the presence of foreign terrorists in the dense forests is a major challenge, and efforts are underway to neutralise them. Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said, the terrorists and criminals are using new technology like drones in an attempt to break the security grid but the security agencies are two steps ahead of them to maintain the internal security. Growth in eight core sectors activity slows to 3-month low of 3% in September 2025 Growth in activity in the eight core sectors of the economy slowed to a three-month low of 3% in September, dragged down by contractions in the coal, crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products sectors, as well as a relatively sharp slowdown in the fertilisers sector, official data showed. The data in the Index of Eight Core Industries released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that the index’s performance in September 2025 was faster than its growth in September 2024. However, growth was the slowest since June this year. Deepavali truce? Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw visits Karnataka DCM D.K. Shivakumar at his residence In what seems to be a sign of truce after a long war of words, industrialist and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw visited Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at his residence in Sadashiva Nagar on Tuesday (October 21, 2025). The meeting has turned heads given that it comes after a bitter exchange between Ms. Shaw and Mr. Shivakumar after the former’s criticism on the poor state of infrastructure in Bengaluru. FATF may discuss state sponsorship of terrorism, Pakistan entities in focus The ongoing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meetings in Paris are expected to deliberate on state sponsorship as means to fund and support terrorism, including the financing of banned outfits and their proxies operating in Pakistan, said sources in law-enforcement agencies. The FATF week started on Monday (October 20, 2025), and its Plenary will be held from Wednesday (October 22, 2025) to Friday (October 24, 2025). Representatives of over 200 jurisdictions and observers are attending the meetings. Gaza plan progress better than expected, says U.S. Vice-President Vance; urges Israel to be patient over Hamas’ pace of returning hostages U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who arrived in Israel said the implementation of a ceasefire plan for Gaza was “going better than expected”. He also urged a “little bit of patience” even as Israeli frustration with Hamas’ pace of returning hostages’ remains. The U.S. V-P’s trip comes amid the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that has teetered over the past few days following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for cementing a long-term peace. U.S. court orders spyware company NSO to stop targeting WhatsApp, reduces damages A U.S. court has ordered Israel’s NSO Group to stop targeting Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp messaging service, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business. In a 25-page ruling handed down Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton imposed a permanent injunction on NSO Group’s efforts to break into WhatsApp, one of the world’s most widely used communications platforms. Women ODI Rankings: Smriti Mandhana maintains top spot, Deepti moves up to third place in bowlers’ list Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana remained on top in the Women's ODI Batter Rankings, extending her lead over England skipper Nat-Sciver Brunt by 83 points in the latest list published by the ICC. In the bowling section, Indian off-spinner Deepti Sharma has moved up to the third place with left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone from England leading the charts.
