Indian Sub-continent

Gwalior, Oct 2 (PTI) Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi's assassins Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte were garlanded at a seminar organized by the local unit of the Hindu Mahasabha here on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after the event held on Gandhi's 152nd birth anniversary, a leader of the right-wing organization also blamed him for Partition.

We have nothing to do with Gandhi, but Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah were responsible for the partition of the country, Hindu Mahasabha national vice president Jaiveer Bharadwaj said.

Gangtok, Oct 2 (PTI) Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang on Saturday announced that packaged mineral water will be banned from January 1, 2022 in the Himalayan state, which is "blessed with natural resources that provide fresh and good quality drinking water".

Tamang, during his address here on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, also said that people, after the ban is implemented, will opt for water from natural resources, which is far healthier than that available in plastic bottles.

Kolkata, Oct 3 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was leading by 2,377 votes in the Bhabanipur bypoll after the second round of counting on Sunday morning, as per the Election Commission.

Banerjee, the TMC candidate in Bhabanipur, secured 5,333 votes, as per official data after the second round of counting.

Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, secured 2,956 votes, while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 132 votes.

Total 21 rounds of counting will be held in Bhabanipur.

Chandigarh, Oct 3 (PTI) Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday again strongly demanded replacement of Punjab's police chief and advocate general from his own party's government, saying otherwise we will have no face.

His tweet pressing the Charanjit Singh Channi-led government to change the director general of police and state's advocate general appears to indicate that he continues to remain unhappy over certain key appointments.

Kanpur: Three hundred Samajwadi Party leaders and workers have been booked for staging a demonstration.

They were protesting outside the residence of Uttar Pradesh Minister Satish Mahana here, said police on Sunday.

The SP leaders were opposing inflation, unemployment and law and order situation arising in the state.

They were even going to indulge in 'Gandhigiri' by offering flowers to the minister. But, they were stopped by the minister's supporters on Saturday.

This led to a scuffle between the two groups.

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said that certain quarters in US were unfairly targeting Pakistan for what had happened inside Afghanistan.

In an interview with TRT World, the prime minister said there was complete shock and confusion in US after its troops’ pullout and swift march of Taliban.

He particularly referred to the recent debate on Afghan debacle in the US Senate as the Taliban returned to power after twenty years.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday announced he was retiring from politics and dropping plans to run for vice president in next year’s elections when his term ends, paving the way for his politician daughter to make a possible bid for the top post.

Speaking before reporters, Duterte said many Filipinos have expressed their opposition to his vice-presidential bid in surveys and public forums.

Srinagar, 01 Oct 2021: A Kashmiri was killed on Friday by Indian security forces in Shopian district of the Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

Killed Kashmiri has been identified as Mujeeb Lone of Redwani Bala Kulgam.

01 Oct 2021; MEMO: A vehicle belonging to the Taliban was hit by an explosion in a town north of the capital Kabul today, Anadolu reports.

Two suspects were detained in a search operation after the incident that occurred in Charikar, the provincial capital of Parwan, said the Taliban government's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Mujahid added that several members of the terror group Daesh were killed in the operation and that some were captured alive.

Srinagar, Oct 2 (PTI) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the Centre of bias, saying preventing people from offering prayers at mosques and shrines in Kashmir shows the Government of India's "disrespect" for the sentiments of the majority community.

Mehbooba was reacting to the continuous closure of a few mosques and shrines in Srinagar city, including Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta here, for the past few weeks in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases.