US President Donald Trump has issued a direct military warning to Tehran, teasing another potential US strike on Iran if the country fails to reach a diplomatic agreement, remarking that Washington might launch "another little Epic Fury" to compel compliance. Addressing a campaign rally in Florida, Trump adopted an aggressive foreign policy posture while highlighting his past national security decisions and taking aim at the Iranian leadership. "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," Trump told the cheering crowd, hinting at kinetic action if negotiations falter. Questioning Tehran's strategic foresight, Trump said, "If they're smart, they'll just say, 'Let's get down to business.' But, you know, I doubt they'll do that because perhaps they're not smart." Later, Trump invoked the US Navy's maritime presence in the Caribbean, quipping that American warships returning from the Middle East could confront Cuba before deploying Florida Senator Marco Rubio to conclude diplomatic objectives. "We're gonna come back from Iran; those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands and then we're gonna send Marco Rubio in to finish up the job," Trump remarked. Touting his record on negotiating the safe return of American citizens detained abroad, Trump underscored the recovery of hostages held in conflict zones, including Gaza and Russia. "We got all 28 Hamas hostages returned to their families, both living and dead and hundreds before that. And just yesterday, we got Stephen Hubbard back from Russia," he stated. Shifting focus to domestic healthcare and elderly care, Trump announced a significant federal pledge aimed at addressing staffing shortages across care homes in the country. "Today, I am pleased to announce that the Trump Administration is investing $250 million to hire at least 5,000 new nurses in elder care facilities across America, including right here in the Great State of Florida," Trump announced. (ANI)

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a satirical swipe at the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, describing him as an "eternal youth product" who "never grows old and never becomes mature". Addressing reporters in Guwahati, Sarma mocked the Congress' portrayal of Gandhi as a youth leader despite his age, sarcastically remarking that by the same metric, he too could claim to belong to Generation Z. "I agree with the Prime Minister that the Congress party is attempting to relaunch the same product every year. Today, the Congress party even considers a 57-year-old gentleman to be a youth and Gen Z. By that logic, I would also be Gen Z, as I am 57 years old," the Assam Chief Minister said. Further ridiculing the Congress leadership, Sarma said that the opposition party appears to have found an evergreen figure that defies age and progression. "The Congress has discovered one product for India

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, inaugurated the corporate office of Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL) at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID) in New Delhi on Friday, giving a permanent home to what he called India's first dedicated Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) in the maritime sector. The new office opens at a time of fast progress. As of September 30, SMFCL has sanctioned Rs 11,563 crore of financing and disbursed Rs 5,107 crore, with more than half of the sanctioned amount still to be drawn as projects advance. The corporation's plan looks well beyond today. It aims to reach cumulative disbursements of Rs 60,205 crore by the end of FY2031, a build-up that depends on equity support to scale up in line with RBI norms and its debt-to-equity ratio. "As India's first dedicated NBFC in the maritime sector, SMFCL is playing a pivotal role in mobilising long-term finance for port-led development, enhancing shipbuilding and coastal connectivity and catalysing the overall growth of our maritime economy. It has a vital role to play in propelling India's maritime growth towards achieving the vision of PM Narendra Modi of becoming a leading maritime nation of the world by 2047," Sarbananda Sonowal said. The Maritime Development Fund (MDF), which has two components, is also taking shape. For its MIF component, SBI Ventures Limited has been appointed official Fund Manager. Registration as an Alternative Investment Fund with SEBI is due to be completed by the end of November, and the first close of Rs 5,000 crore is targeted by January 2027. The Interest Incentivisation Fund (IIF) is already delivering. Its online portal, www.iifmdf.in, is live, and loans of Rs 4,500 crore have been supported so far. About Rs 25 crore of interest subvention has been released against interest paid by borrowers. "Under PM Narendra Modi's transformative Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, India is building a stronger, more self-reliant and globally competitive maritime sector," Sonowal said. The schemes SMFCL runs now cover a maritime project from first idea to final loan. The Government of India's contribution to the Maritime Investment Fund, up to Rs 9,800 crore, is channelled through SMFCL, while SBI Ventures, selected as Fund Manager, brings professional management to the fund. The Interest Incentivisation Fund eases the cost of borrowing for eligible shipyards, with SMFCL working out the incentive, running the application and claims portal, and releasing the interest support. Under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme, the credit risk cover corpus is managed centrally and backed by premium and claims review, giving shipyards and lenders a safety net against payment risk. SMFCL's own lending appraises, sanctions and monitors projects across ports, rail and road links, inland waterways, coastal infrastructure, port-hinterland logistics, shipbuilding and ship repair. It also oversees the release and use of Sagarmala and National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) funds, so that money reaches projects and is tracked until it is spent. (ANI)

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for averting a military confrontation between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, asserting that he brought the fighting to a halt by threatening both nations with a punitive 250 per cent trade tariff. Addressing a campaign rally here, boasting of his diplomatic interventions on the international stage, Trump said that his direct ultimatum to the leadership of both countries swiftly brought hostilities to an end. "You stop India and Pakistan, two nuclear nations. I said, 'Fellas, if you guys are going to do that, you're not going to trade with the United States. I'm going to put massive tariffs on both of you, 250 per cent, so you won't be able to do any business," US President said. Claiming that the warning forced both sides to back off, Trump added

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Billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday (local time) claimed that financial aid being sent to Ukraine to fight Russia is being laundered back to the US through "multiple laundry" channels, which is being used to fund political campaigns of some of the politicians. In a post on X, Musk wrote."What's actually going on in Ukraine is that there is a massive incentive difference between the elites and the people. The former have grown very rich off the hundreds of billions flowing to Ukraine, while the latter's children are conscripted to die in trenches." "And some of that US taxpayer money comes back through multiple laundry machines to fund political campaigns in America, which is why you see some politicians caring more about Ukraine than America!" Musk added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (local time) said that speed limits on Starlink and Starshield are still in place and have not been fully restored. He said things have become harder for Ukraine in its war with Russia due to these limits. The remarks are in contrast to claims made by Washington, where the US President asserted that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has lifted restrictions on Ukraine's access to Starshield. "The speed limits on Starlink and Starshield are still there. The speed has not been restored. And the delivery of interceptors to protect us against Russian ballistic missiles is still delayed. We're waiting for interceptors that were already agreed on. But they are still not coming. This is a real problem, because the Russians attack us almost every single day. All of this is happening while we continue our quite successful operations on the front," he said in a virtual address to the Hudson Institute. "We keep defending positions. Things have become harder - partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits. But our frontline is still holding, and I am proud of how strong our people are," he added. Earlier, The New York Times reported that US President Trump had called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk last week and asked him to restore Ukraine's full access to the Starshield satellite communications network. Citing sources, the report said that the call came after Ukrainian officials reported that they were encountering new limits on their ability to operate military drones. Earlier on October 21, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had directed an intentional slowdown of Ukraine's essential military Starlink network, sparking widespread alarm in Kyiv and leaving the Trump administration bewildered. (ANI)

Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisor on Information and Public Relations Samar Haroon Bilour, while addressing the media at Governor House in the

A man has been charged with threatening an Australian lawmaker's staff with nunchucks, police said on October 22, days after another legislator was critically injured when a man repeatedly hit her with a car.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, including an Enforcement Officer and a Head Constable, in an alleged Rs 5 lakh bribery case in Lucknow. The accused have been identified as Deepak Kumar, Enforcement Officer, and Manoj Dwivedi, Head Constable, both posted at the ED's Lucknow Zone office. According to the CBI, the case was registered on October 23, 2026, following a complaint alleging that the Head Constable had demanded a bribe from the complainant's father in connection with an ED case in which he had received two summons in August and September 2026. The CBI laid a trap and allegedly caught Manoj Dwivedi red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 5 lakh on behalf of the Enforcement Officer for extending favour to the complainant's father in the case. The Head Constable was on deputation to the ED and is alleged to have played a key role in the bribery operation. Both accused have been apprehended, and further investigation is underway. Earlier, CBI had arrested Muhammed Fasal K, a key accused in an international cyber fraud and ATM card smuggling syndicate, from his residence in Thamarassery, Kozhikode on Saturday. The case relates to a Rs 1.04 crore cyber fraud reported in July 2024, in which a Thrissur-based complainant was allegedly duped by fraudsters posing as FedEx officials and cybercrime police. The victim was forced to transfer Rs 1,04,40,111 on the pretext of verifying his bank account. The CBI investigation uncovered an international network that allegedly purchased debit and ATM cards from young people and students for Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 each and smuggled them to Dubai. The cards were allegedly used by foreign associates to withdraw proceeds of cyber fraud. The investigation also revealed that the accused allegedly withdrew money abroad and invested it in real estate across India and smuggled gold in Keralam. He was earlier intercepted at Bengaluru Airport on May 13, 2026, while attempting to escape to Sharjah, following the issuance of a Look Out Circular. (ANI)