FirstUp: Protests in Hyderabad to Imran’s Khan’s indictment, here's the big news for today

It’s a new dawn and the starting of a brand new week. The week gone by was news-heavy and we received heartbreaking news as the Israel-Hamas war unfolds. The death toll continues to rise, and there’s no resolution in sight.

But with a new day, comes new hope and the expectation of more news to come from all corners of the world.

We prep you for a busy Monday with some of the news expected to take place and shape the upcoming week.

A Gaza war protest in Hyderabad

After a bomb exploded on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza last week, anger erupted across the world, with many countries condemning Israel for the attack, though it denied carrying out the explosion.

Now, on Monday, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen led by firebrand MP Asaduddin Owaisi, will carry out a protest march in Hyderabad against the atrocities in Gaza and Palestine.

Owaisi said the meeting would be held at the party headquarters in Darussalam and also invited the heads of all political parties and various organisations have been invited for the event. He also made it clear that there would be “no political/election speeches” at the protest meeting.

However, the AIMIM’s protest march has already created a row with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dubbing the move as nothing but an effort by Owaisi to garner votes in the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections.

We shall keep an eye out to see what happens there.

Last day to withdraw from Mizoram polls

Away from the news of war, India is all set for poll season. Five states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram – will be going to the polls in November with counting to be held on 3 December.

Candidates who have filed their nominations in the northeastern state of Mizoram will have until tomorrow to withdraw their candidacy if they choose to do so.

The Election Commission has said that as of now 174 nominations have been filed for the Mizoram polls, 38 less than the number in 2018. The BJP has fielded only 23 candidates this time, 16 less than in the last elections. The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the Opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and the Congress are contesting all 40 seats.

Polling for the Mizoram Assembly will be held in a single phase on 7 November.

Participants dressed in traditional attire pose for Garba, a folk dance, during Navratri. Reuters

End of Navratri

After nine days of fasting and celebrations, Monday also marks the end of Navratri festivities, it’s called Maha Navami.

Maha Navami, also called Navami, marks the conclusion of the nine-day fast of Navratri. This day is dedicated to the worship of Maa Siddhidatri. According to Drik Pachang, the Navami tithi will begin at 7:58 pm on 22 October while it will end at 5:44 pm on 23 October.

The day has istorical and mythological significance as it commemorates the penultimate day of Goddess Durga’s battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura. It is believed that on this day the Goddess defeated the demon in her angry form, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.

Russia’s foreign minister will be in Iran

Away from India, there’s some big news happening around the world too. Amid the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Iran where he will meet his counterparts from Iran, as well as Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

According to AFP, the talks come amid tensions over West Asia and unresolved disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which launched a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh last month.

IAEA team in Tokyo to test Fukushima water

Representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are in Japan’s Fukushima to conduct a marine sampling since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea.

Fukushima Daiichi started releasing wastewater into the sea on 24 August, much to the opposition from the fishing groups and neighbouring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people have protested

China has since then immediately banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood producers, processors and exporters, and Russia recently joined China in the trade restrictions.

Imran Khan awaits the special court’s decision in the cypher case in which he is accused of allegedly violating the secret laws of the country. File image/Reuters

Day of reckoning for Pakistan’s Imran Khan

It’s a big day for former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. A special court will pronounce his indictment today in the cypher case for allegedly violating the secret laws of the country.

The case pertains to a secret diplomatic document that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Khan used to criticise his opponents for allegedly orchestrating his ouster from power in April last year. The document reportedly went missing from his possession. Khan’s party alleges that the document contained a threat from the US to oust Khan from office.

Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022. He was incarcerated on 5 August this year, after an Islamabad court sentenced him to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case. The PTI chief was lodged in the Attock District Jail to serve his prison term. Later, his sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court, but then he was arrested in the cypher case.

This day in history: Anniversary of the iPod

This day, 23 years ago, Apple released what it called the iPod, becoming one of the most iconic gadgets of all time, spawning a host of imitators and legitimising the market of MP3 players that it dominated.

The gadget was released on 23 October 2001 barely a month after the events of 11 September. This was a portable music player with a 5GB hard drive, an easier way to load and buy songs, and the memorable tagline of “1,000 songs in your pocket.”

A Santos fan is pictured wearing a shirt of Pele as the casket of Brazilian soccer legend Pele is transported by the fire department after he passed away in December last year. Today marks his 83rd birthday. File image/Reuters

Remembering Pele

If you are a football fan, today’s an important day. The day, 23 October, marks the birthday of one of football’s greatest players – Pele.

Pelé spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.

In the conversation about soccer’s greatest players, only the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are mentioned alongside Pelé.

We wish this great a very happy birthday and hope he’s in the heavens – he passed away in December last year – enjoying scoring many goals.

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