Trump says he threatened 250% tariffs on ‘killer’ Modi, Pakistan
At the APEC Summit in South Korea, US President Donald Trump claimed he threatened India and Pakistan with 250% tariffs to end their four-day conflict earlier this year, calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “the nicest-looking guy” but a “killer”.
India has rejected his repeated mediation claims, reported Bloomberg. Mr Modi skipped the recent Asean Summit in Malaysia amid fears Mr Trump would reprise the narrative, as New Delhi bristles at US credit-taking over the ceasefire.
Air India CEO vows improvements after deadly June crash
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has promised operational reforms after a June Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad killed 260, calling 2025 “challenging”, reported Reuters.
Regulators have flagged lapses from emergency equipment checks to engine parts changes and fatigue management. An interim probe noted fuel engine switches flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff.
The carrier also faces delayed aircraft deliveries and airspace restrictions, even as it cooperates with investigators and reviews internal practices.
India to fly home 500 from Thailand after scam hub raid
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said India will repatriate nearly 500 nationals stranded in Mae Sot after raids at Myanmar’s KK Park scam hub triggered a mass flight across the border.
Over 1,500 people from 28 countries have crossed into Thailand since the crackdown. Some workers say they were trafficked; others reportedly came for high salaries.
It’s unclear whether Indians will be treated as victims or offenders; New Delhi hasn’t commented.
Microsoft CEO Nadella to visit India in December
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will visit India in December – his second trip this year – for meetings with senior officials and to address AI events in Bengaluru and Mumbai, with additional stops in New Delhi.
In January, he announced a US$3 billion investment in AI and cloud.
The visit comes as India pushes local app ecosystems like Zoho and seeks to resolve US-India trade frictions amid heightened scrutiny of big tech.
Delhi’s artificial-rain bid to curb smog falls short
A team from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Delhi government attempted cloud seeding – using flares with silver iodide and sodium chloride – in the city on Oct 28 to alleviate severe smog, but low moisture levels limited success, and no rain fell.
Over the past two weeks, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) – which measures the level of PM 2.5 or fine particulate matter in the air that can clog lungs – has been hovering between 300 and 400, which is nearly 20 times the acceptable limit.
IIT-Kanpur said particulate levels still dipped measurably, yet its director warned the method isn’t a long-term solution to Delhi’s recurring pollution crisis driven by emissions, weather, and seasonal biomass burning.
Study warns megacities face land subsidence risks
A Nature Sustainability study using 2015-2023 satellite radar found 878 sq km of urban land in major Indian cities is sinking from groundwater over-extraction.
Over 2,400 buildings in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai are already at high risk, with at least 20,000 more vulnerable in 50 years.
Researchers say pumping aquifers faster than recharge weakens ground and structures. India extracts more groundwater than China and the United States combined.
India and China resume direct flights as ties thaw
Direct flights between India and China resumed on Oct 26 after a five-year halt, signalling cautious normalisation post-2020 border clashes.
IndiGo’s Kolkata-Guangzhou service restarted people-to-people links and is expected to aid trade.
While strategic rivalry endures, both governments framed the move as a step toward restoring routine exchanges and managing differences as Asia’s two largest populations recalibrate limited engagement.
Actor Vijay meets families of stampede victims, breaks down
Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay met 37 of 41 bereaved families in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, after a Karur rally stampede killed 41.
Apologising for not visiting earlier, he promised to go to Karur.
Families first gathered in a banquet hall before private meetings in Vijay’s room. The tragedy has shadowed his political foray; the outreach aimed to offer condolences and signal accountability amid ongoing scrutiny.
Uttarakhand panchayat caps women’s wedding gold to three items
A joint panchayat in Jaunsar’s Scheduled Tribe area limited women at weddings to a nose ring, earrings, and mangalsutra, citing jealousy, debt, and domestic discord from costly gold.
Violations draw a Rs50,000 fine, reported NDTV.
Some women sought parity, demanding curbs on men’s expensive liquor and lavish gifting. Supporters call gold an investment; critics decry selective restrictions and urge broader limits on showy spending, including alcohol and meat.
Zubeen’s ashes immersed in Brahmaputra
Thirty-seven days after his cremation, singer Zubeen Garg’s ashes were immersed in the Brahmaputra by his wife Garima and family from a special ferry in Guwahati, Assam; parallel rites were held in Jorhat, his hometown.
Mrs Garima posted an emotional Assamese tribute and renewed the #JusticeForZubeenGarg call to clarify circumstances of his Sept 19 death while swimming in Singapore, where he had attended the North East India Festival.
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30 Oct 2025 13:09
