1. India, Russia Ink $5 Bn S-400 Defence Deal; US Says No Sanctions on Ally
India on Friday hammered out a Rs 39,000-crore deal for five S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems with Russia during the annual summit between the two countries led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President Vlamidir Putin. The deal has been inked despite concerns flagged by the US, which has slapped sanctions on Russia, about the purchase of the missile systems capable of knocking down jets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at a range of 400km. New Delhi is seeking a sanctions waiver, given that Russian-origin weaponry is in widespread use in the Indian armed forces.
The two sides “welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system to India,” said a detailed joint statement issued after the two leaders met for the 19th edition of the summit.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Fifteen Pull out of J&K Local Body Polls After 2 National Conference Workers Killed
At least 15 candidates withdrew from the J&K local body polls after two workers of the National Conference, which is boycotting the polls, were shot dead and another injured by suspected militants in Srinagar’s old city Friday morning. Late evening, the house of a candidate in Hajin in north Kashmir was attacked by unidentified men who, police said, hurled “some type of substance” that set ablaze a pile of clothes. The candidate was not in the house at the time of the incident.
(Sources: The Indian Express)
3. Delhi HC Acquits Ex-Tv Host Ilyasi, Says No Proof He Killed Wife
Less than 10 months after he was convicted of the murder of his wife in January 2000 by a trial court, TV host Suhaib Ilyasi was acquitted by the Delhi High Court on Friday, 5 October, which said that his conviction was based on “surmises and conjectures and not on evidence”. The trial court had sentenced Ilyasi to life imprisonment.
The high court took note of the medical evidence and testimonies of witnesses in reaching this conclusion. It did not rule out the possibility of suicide by Ilyasi’s wife, Anju.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. ‘If Allies Want, Sure’: Rahul Gandhi on Being India’s Next Prime Minister in 2019
Who will be India’s next prime minister if the Congress wins 2019 elections, was a question asked to Rahul Gandhi. “If they (allies) want me, sure,” he said, speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Friday.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Gandhi said that the Opposition has decided to defeat the Modi government in the upcoming general elections and then choose who will handle the top post. When prodded further if he would take the mantle if the allies agree, he said: “Sure.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Rape Sets off Revenge Attacks on UP, Bihar Migrants in Gujarat, 180 Held
The Gujarat police Friday, 5 October, said at least 180 people have been arrested across five districts for targeting migrants, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in violent protests across the state. With the protests continuing unabated since Wednesday, several migrant workers have reportedly left the state in fear.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Junior Cops in UP Back Apple Exec Murder Accused
A week after the murder of Apple employee Vivek Tiwari by a constable, UP police are tackling a rebellion in the force’s rank and file. Junior cops are rallying behind the arrested constable, Prashant Chaudhary, citing “freedom of expression”, and blaming their seniors for not supporting them.
On Friday, 5 October, constables across UP sported black armbands and posted photos on social media in a show of solidarity with suspended constable Chaudhary, currently behind bars as the main accused in Tiwari’s murder.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Muslims Have Not Allowed Radicalisation to Spread in India: Rajnath Singh at Htls 2018
Muslims in India should be complimented for not letting radicalisation spread in the country despite consistent efforts to brainwash them, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday while castigating Pakistan for not desisting from its “evil designs” in the context of Kashmir.
Speaking at the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Singh called terrorism a “crime against humanity” and said it was not linked to any religion or caste.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Sensex Sinks 792 Pts as RBI Keeps Rate Unchanged, Closes Below 35k-Mark
The BSE Sensex plunged 792 points Friday to end at a near six-month low of 34,376.99 after the RBI unexpectedly maintained status quo on the policy rate but changed its stance to “calibrated tightening” amid the rupee breaching the 74-mark.
The central bank kept the interest rate unchanged at 6.5 percent.
Sentiments were also bearish largely in tandem with a sell-off in global markets as US Treasury yields surged to multi-year highs on robust economic data and comments from the Federal Reserve, sparking fears of accelerating inflation, brokers said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Peace Nobel for Fight Against Sexual Violence
In the midst of a global reckoning over sexual violence, a Congolese gynaecological surgeon and a Yazidi woman who was a captive of the so-called Islamic State were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their campaigns to end the use of mass rape as a weapon of war.
The award went to Dr Denis Mukwege, who has treated thousands of women in a country once called the rape capital of the world, and to Nadia Murad, who became a bold, dignified voice for women who survived sexual violence by IS. They have worked through grave risks to their own lives to help survivors and bring their stories to the world. Murad, 25, became the second-youngest winner after Malala Yousafzai in 2014.
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