Morning briefing: US denies reports of expelling Indian diplomats; more news

The US State Department has dismissed claims suggesting that Washington expelled Indian diplomats amidst the ongoing strain between India and Canada. During a Tuesday press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated he had no knowledge of any such expulsion. “I am not familiar with this report that we expelled Indian diplomats…I’m not aware of any expulsion,” Miller clarified. This statement follows India’s recent recall of six diplomats from Canada after the Canadian government labelled them “persons of interest” in the investigation surrounding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Additionally, the U.S. addressed questions regarding Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government official, and his alleged involvement in an attempted assassination plot targeting pro-Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Dig deeper
The disengagement of Indian and Chinese armies from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh is almost over, with both sides simultaneously carrying out joint verification of the troop and equipment pullback to a specified and mutually agreed distance from the face-off sites, people aware of the development said on Tuesday. As part of the disengagement process, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), and dismantled temporary structures that had come up there after the military standoff began in May 2020, the people added, asking not to be named. Dig deeper
Delhi air pollution: Ahead of Diwali, 79 cases filed, 19,005 kg firecrackers seized so far Dig deeper
Harris hits back at Trump from Ellipse, the same spot where he urged supporters to ‘fight like hell’ Dig deeper
Exclusive: Six service chiefs back military theatre commands Dig deeper
HC seeks TN govt reply to PIL on dy CM’s ‘casual attire’ Dig deeper
ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming tops the list of China’s richest people with a fortune of $49.3 billion, according to the recently-released Hurun China Rich List. Despite his staggering net worth, China’s richest billionaire still trails far behind India’s richest man – Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani – whose wealth exceeds $102 billion. The Hurun Research Institute, which publishes the annual Hurun China Rich List, found that the total wealth of entrepreneurs on the China list this year was $3 trillion, down 10% from the previous year. Dig deeper
Indians spent 25% more using credit cards in September 2024, compared to September 2023, according to a Business Standard report which added that this was the highest increase in six months and was due to a healthy festival demand this year as well as a favourable base effect. September 2024 spending reached ₹1.76 lakh crore, compared to ₹1.42 lakh crore during the same month of the previous year according to the report which cited Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. Dig deeper
President Joe Biden took a swipe against Donald Trump’s supporters on Tuesday as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee’s weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric. In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comic at Trump’s rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden’s initial comments were garbled. Dig deeper
Alia Bhatt admits she is getting ‘creative’ these days when she cooks up random and magical things to make stories for her daughter Raha Kapoor. The actor was in a free-wheeling chat on the YouTube channel Ed-a-mamma Conscious Clothing, joined by other moms, where she shared how she makes up stories about her husband, Ranbir Kapoor, and sister, Shaheen Bhatt, because her daughter wants to hear them. During the chat, Alia said, “I am in that phase right now where I am currently making stories up for Raha where suddenly she will be like ‘Mama, Mama tell me Papa’s story,’ then I’ll make up a story about Ranbir, then tell me Tanna’s story like she calls my sister Tanna so I’m literally making stories up that I’m really like becoming very creative.” Dig deeper
Celebrities attended Anshul Garg’s starry Diwali party last night. The guest list included celebrities like Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Natasa Stankovic, Palak Tiwari, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sussanne Khan, Arslan Goni, Nargis Fakhri, and others. Check out who wore what. Natasa Stankovic attended Anshul Garg’s Diwali party with fitness coach Alexander Alex. The Serbian actor-model wore a glittering black and gold saree for the celebrations. She wore the sequin embellished and ruffle border-adorned drape with a draped blouse, gold earrings, rings, and stilettos. She styled her hair in a centre-parted half-tied hairdo decorated with crown braids. Dig deeper
India are hurting. It is a team that doesn’t take home defeats lightly. Captain Rohit Sharma may have publicly said that a home series defeat after 12 years is “allowed” but inside the dressing room, he would be restlessly looking to address the slide and stop a repeat of what happened 24 years ago when they were swept in a Test series at home by South Africa. In their effort to stem the tide, some changes in the eleven were expected. Call it desperate if you would want to but India made another interesting addition to their squad for the third and final against New Zealand in Mumbai. Delhi pacer Harshit Rana was drafted into the squad in a hush-hush manner and is likely to make his debut at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday (November 1). Dig deeper