Daily bulletin: Narendra Modi to co-chair ASEAN-India summit in Thailand; Delhi HC Bar Association calls for strike over Tis Hazari scuffle; day's top stories

Modi to attend ASEAN-India, RCEP summits in Thailand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a business event and then co-chair the ASEAN-India summit with the Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The ASEAN-India meeting will take stock of the progress made in the relationship.

The India-ASEAN Summit will begin at 11.15 am and continue till 12.15 pm (IST). After the summit,Modi will hold a meeting with PM General Prayut Chan-O-Chan of Thailand. Modi is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Indonesia President Joko Widodo and Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled at 4.40 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the crowd during the 'Sawasdee PM Modi’ event in Bangkok. PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached Bangkok to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India, East Asia and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits. PM Modi will attend the 16th ASEAN-India Summit, the 14th East Asia Summit and the third summit meeting of RCEP which is negotiating the trade deal.

BJP announces candidates for Assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand, West Bengal

The BJP announced its candidates for the assembly by-polls in Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The party's central election committee finalised the names for the bypoll on one Assembly seat in Uttarakhand and three in West Bengal, the BJP said in a statement. Chandra Pant will be the party's candidate for Pithoragarh seat in Uttarakhand.

Kamal Chandra Sarkar, Joyprakash Majumder and Premchand Jha are the BJP nominees for Kaliaganj, Karimpur and Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seats respectively in West Bengal.

Polling in these four assembly seats is scheduled for 25 November.

Nawaf Sharif remains critical; Abbasi rushed to hospital

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif continues to remain critical and his platelet count has dropped again even as doctors are trying to reduce the steroid dose being administered to the ailing leader. "Former PM #NawazSharif remains critical. The treating doctors tried to reduce the Steroids dose being given to him but unfortunately resulted in a drop in Platelet count again. The cause needs to be diagnosed & established without delay," Sharif's personal physician Adnan Khan tweeted on Saturday.

"Severe existent co-morbidities has added to the seriousness of the nature of the critical illness, where a very delicate balance has to be maintained between coagulation & anti-coagulation to sustain fragile unstable health status," he said in a follow-up tweet.

Sharif, who was admitted to Lahore's Services Hospital on October 22, is being treated under the supervision of the special medical board of the hospital.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital for a check-up on Saturday after his health condition deteriorated. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader was brought to the hospital by jail officials from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where he is incarcerated in connection with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) scam, according to Pakistani media reports. Abbasi underwent a check-up for hernia, heart and lungs, PIMS spokesperson Dr Wasim was quoted by Geo News as saying.

Delhi HC Bar Association call for strike over Tis Hazari scuffle

Taking cognisance into the strike called by the Bar Council of India over the scuffle that broke out between lawyers and Delhi Police personnel at Tis Hazari Court, members of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) have been requested to abstain from work on Monday and support the protest.

To avoid inconvenience to the courts and litigants, the DHCBA will depute proxy counsel in every court and a list of proxy counsel will be duly circulated. The DHCBA urged Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice DN Patel to order an immediate judicial inquiry into the incident and to recommend action against the "delinquent" police officials, following which the concerned DCP and ACP will be placed under suspension.

The lawyers' association have demanded that an FIR should be registered against the police officers for their "criminal acts".

Aramco IPO to open today; Saudi Crown Prince gives go-ahead

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday agreed that the initial public offering of state oil giant Aramco will be announced on Sunday, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The world's top oil company will announce its intention to float (ITF) on 3 November, the sources said. "The crown prince finally gave the green light," one source said.

Aramco declined to comment.

The much-awaited IPO of Aramco will come “soon”, the Gulf kingdom’s energy minister had announced on Wednesday, according to PTI. “It will be a Saudi decision, first and foremost. Specifically, Prince Mohammed’s decision,” he said, referring to powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The IPO forms the cornerstone of a reform programme conceived by the kingdom's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to wean the Saudi economy off its reliance on oil. But there have been various delays since it was first announced in 2016. Aramco, which pumps about 10 percent of the world’s crude oil, emerged as the world’s most profitable company in 2018.

Upbeat India face Bangladesh in 1st T20I in New Delhi

India enter as favourites in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, the first match of which takes place at New Delhi's newly-christened Arun Jaitley Stadium. Bangladesh are without star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was handed a two-year ban by the ICC for failing to report a corrupt approach, while India are without the services of Virat Kohli, who has been rested by the selectors with Rohit Sharma leading the 'Men in Blue' in his stead.

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FP Staff