Good morning, readers. Here's your roundup of today's top stories in politics, world affairs, sports, and entertainment — everything you need to start your day informed.
‘World on edge of abyss today, seeing weaponisation of everything’: Jaishankar at UN
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday told the UN General Assembly that the world was witnessing “a weaponisation of everything”. He said finance, market access, supply chains and technology were being used as leverage, and that developing nations were caught in a crisis of food, fuel, fertiliser and finance – with a looming El Nino expected to exacerbate this crisis. Addressing the general debate of the Assembly’s 81st session in New York, Jaishankar said: "All it takes is one more step to push us over." Read more here.
Election Commission presents united front in face of mounting criticism
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday sought to put up a united front in the face of mounting criticism of its functioning, underlined that all decisions on the special intensive revision were unanimous, and clarified on key questions raised by the government and the Opposition. In the first public meeting of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi since the controversy began earlier this week, ECI sought to push back on criticism of its backend software, set up a review and said any future decisions on new digital initiatives will involve further discussions and checks. Click here to read more.
At UN, Russia backs India's bid for permanent Security Council seat
Deep Dive
What recent decisions did the Election Commission of India make regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
Why did the Election Commission respond to criticism of its software and processes?
How does the Election Commission plan to ensure compliance with its decisions in future SIRs?
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov backed India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council during his address to the UN General Assembly. “We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil's and India's candidatures for a permanent seat,” Lavrov said. Read more here.
Asian Games: Treesa-Gayatri's campaign ends with no medal; Manu Bhaker in fight to redeem herself
{{/usCountry}}Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov backed India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council during his address to the UN General Assembly. “We are in favour of broadening the representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We support Brazil's and India's candidatures for a permanent seat,” Lavrov said. Read more here.
Asian Games: Treesa-Gayatri's campaign ends with no medal; Manu Bhaker in fight to redeem herself
{{/usCountry}}At the ongoing Asian Games on Sunday, India are set to begin their action with Priyanka Goswami and Manju Rani competing in the women's marathon race walk final. All eyes will also be on Manu Bhaker, who is eyeing two medals of her own. Follow LIVE updates here
Avengers Endgame Encore box office collection day 2: Marvel re-release continues its strong pull, crosses ₹14 crore
Marvel fans were waiting in India to catch the special theatrical re-release of the 2019 Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. The film has now arrived in theatres with new footage, as it includes about five minutes of new footage across four scenes, including an extended ending and three post-credits sequences. Endgame Encore has collected ₹7.65 crore on its second day of release. On its first day, the film earned ₹7.25 crore. Click here to know more.