Good evening. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is considering becoming a party to the statehood case in Supreme Court and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s warning to Pakistan dominated news headlines on Friday, October 18. But much more has happened in the worlds of politics, business, technology, sport, and entertainment. Don’t worry, Express Catch-up is here to bring you up to speed.
- 01
Omar Abdullah mulling becoming a party to JK statehood case in SC
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that he is “seriously considering” joining the petitions filed in the Supreme Court for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
“I have had conversations with very senior lawyers in both J&K and Delhi about the possibility of becoming a party to this case, as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, because I don’t think anybody else understands the disadvantages that we are put through by being a Union Territory more than I do,” Omar said at a press conference in Srinagar. Read more
- 02
Rajnath Singh’s warning to Pakistan: Every inch of territory now within BrahMos reach
Issuing a warning to Pakistan, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said every inch of its territory is now within the reach of BrahMos. He also referred to ‘Operation Sindoor’ and said the missile has proven its technological superiority and reinforced India’s defence credibility globally.
Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the first batch of supersonic BrahMos missiles manufactured at the Lucknow unit of BrahMos Aerospace Limited. Read more
- 03
Trump thinks he could end Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict swiftly
Amid renewed border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that resolving the conflict between the two neighbours would be “an easy one” for him to handle — if he had to.
Speaking to reporters during a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said, “I do understand Pakistan attacked, or there is an attack going on with Afghanistan. That’s an easy one for me to solve if I have to solve that.” Read more
- 04
FBI arrests man for hiding terror links on US visa, joining Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel
The FBI has accused a Louisiana resident, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, of participating in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
He was arrested Thursday and faces charges of visa fraud and conspiracy to support a foreign terrorist organisation, according to the Justice Department.
According to an FBI criminal complaint unsealed this week, reported by AP, Al-Muhtadi armed himself and gathered a group to cross from Gaza into southern Israel during the October 7 Hamas attack.
US prosecutors say Al-Muhtadi also lied on his visa application, concealing his role in a terrorist organisation, before entering the US and settling in Tulsa, Oklahoma and later Lafayette, Louisiana. Read more
- 05
‘Alimony can’t be granted to spouse who’s financially self-sufficient’, says Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court on Friday held that grant of alimony “is not automatic” and without a finding of a financial hardship, it cannot be granted where the spouse is “financially self-sufficient”.
The bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, however, reiterated that the provision “is fundamentally equitable in nature and aims to secure financial justice between spouses, ensuring that a party lacking independent means of subsistence is not left destitute following the dissolution of marriage. However, the grant of such relief is not automatic; it is contingent upon proof of genuine financial necessity and equitable considerations.” Read more
