Rahul Gandhi detained again over election protest
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several opposition lawmakers were detained by police on Oct 7 for the third time in two days during protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Reuters reported.
Opposition groups have questioned the Election Commission’s neutrality following reports of internal disagreements over voter-list revisions. Police had also dispersed a similar demonstration on Oct 6.
Musk accuses telecom rivals of blocking Starlink
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has accused unnamed Indian telecom billionaires of obstructing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service to protect their market dominance.
His remarks appeared directed at Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani and Bharti Airtel’s Sunil Mittal, Bloomberg noted.
Starlink is awaiting regulatory approval in India, where Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel together control more than 80 per cent of broadband subscriptions.
Bollywood veteran Nana Patekar dies at 75
Veteran Bollywood actor Nana Patekar died on Oct 8 in Goa following a cardiac arrest. He was 75.
Born Vishwanath Patekar, he enjoyed a nearly five-decade career in Hindi and Marathi cinema, earning acclaim for films including Parinda, Krantiveer and Natsamrat.
Smriti Mandhana named India’s women’s cricket captain
Star opener Smriti Mandhana, 30, has been appointed captain of India’s women’s cricket team following Harmanpreet Kaur’s resignation.
Harmanpreet, 37, stepped down after leading India to Asian Games gold in Japan and last year’s historic ODI World Cup triumph.
Mandhana, a prolific left-handed batter, described the appointment as a special honour and pledged to embrace the responsibility.
