Morning briefing: Donald Trump reacts to violence against Hindus in Bangladesh; BJP MLA Devender Rana dies, and more
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
Former US president Donald Trump on Thursday condemned the violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, and vowed to protest Hindu Americans if he wins the upcoming US presidential elections. Trump also attacked US president Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris for “ignoring” Hindus across the world amid ongoing atrocities. Bangladesh, he said, remains in a total state of chaos and alleged that his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris and her boss President Joe Biden have ignored Hindus across the world and in America. Posting on X, Trump said, “I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos.” Dig deeper
More news | Donald Trump reaches out to Hindu voters on Diwali, pitches for strong relation with India
Devender Singh Rana, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and sitting MLA from the Nagrota assembly constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, passed away on Thursday at the age of 59. He was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Faridabad, Haryana, according to a party spokesperson. Devender Singh Rana, a businessman-turned politician, was the younger brother of Union minister Jitendra Singh. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son. Dig deeper
More news | J&K BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana passes away
Latest News
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari fractures foot while deboarding airplane in Dubai Dig deeper
Delhi air pollution: Toxic smog blankets capital, Noida post-Diwali; AQI likely to worsen Dig deeper
India News
Diwali celebrations in US: What Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, other leaders said Dig deeper
AP Dhillon house firing: 1 arrested in Canada, other likely flees to India Dig deeper
Trending
A video of an Indian man asking American singer and actress Selena Gomez to chant “Jai Shree Ram” is going viral online. The phrase, a traditional Hindu chant meaning “Victory to Lord Ram,” is widely used by followers to express devotion. The short video, now making the rounds across social media platforms, captures Selena Gomez posing for a video with the Indian man, who introduces her to the popular slogan. “Say Jai Shree Ram,” the man tells Gomez, who repeats the slogan as a question. “Say Jai Shree Ram,” the man again insists, calling it “India’s best slogan.” Gomez demurs, instead smiling and saying “Thank you, honey” to her Hindu fan. The video was first shared on Instagram by photographer Pallav Paliwal, who wrote: “One of our followers met Selena Gomez and she said “Jai Shri Ram” on the occasion of Diwali.” Dig deeper
Global Matters
Seven people were killed in northern Israel on Thursday after strikes by Hezbollah from Lebanon that the Israeli military described as the “deadliest cross-border” airstrikes since the onset of the conflict between the two sides. Among the deceased, four were foreign workers and three were Israelis. Meanwhile, 24 people were killed in Lebanon after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Hezbollah militant group, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing health officials in the country. Back-to-back rocket attacks struck Israel, with projectiles from Lebanon hitting an agricultural area in Metula, Israel's northernmost town, resulting in the deaths of four foreign workers and an Israeli farmer, according to local officials quoted by AP. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
As the US Presidential Election draws nearer, celebrities are coming out to urge people to vote. Former President Republican Donald Trump is in a tight contest against former Democrat VP Kamala Harris. This Thursday, Harris received a boost as she was endorsed by some of the biggest film stars of the world - the cast of Marvel's. On Friday, some of the biggest stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe made a rare public reunion in the form of a video call. The video from their meet was shared by Robert Downey Jr. on Instagram. The video featured the Iron Man actor and his co-stars Chris Evans (Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Paul Bettany (Vision), Danai Gurira (0koye), and Don Cheadle (War Machine), trying to come up with a slogan to support Kamala Harris. Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
Diwali 2024 was celebrated on October 31 with pomp and grandeur all over the country. Govardhan Puja 2024 will be observed on Saturday, November 2. Govardhan Puja is observed to commemorate the triumph of Lord Krishna over the God of Rain, Lord Indra. As we gear up to celebrate the auspicious Hindu festival, find out how it came to be celebrated after Diwali, and everything else you need to know. Diwali festivities start with the celebrations of Dhanteras. A day before Diwali, Chhoti Diwali is celebrated. However, for this year, Chhoti Diwali and Diwali fell on the same day, as per Drik Panchang. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is one of the most marquee series in the cricket calendar. India and Australia have formed quite a rivalry off late and the battle between these two powerhouses is always a treat to the eyes. The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, will arguably go down as one of the best bilateral series, if not the best. Right-handed Marnus Labuschagne had a memorable 2020-21 series as he finished as the leading run-getter with 426 runs in four matches at an average of 53.25. The batter would hope to replicate his performance this time around, come November 22, 2024. Marnus Labuschagne is a vital cog in the Australian batting lineup and he along with Steve Smith, holds the key, if Australia want to end their barren run against India. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our Morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon