FirstUp: Chandrababu Naidu, Gyanvapi mosque, and more: What will make headlines?

The situation in West Asia is on the boil, as the Israel-Hamas war shows no signs of abating. We will continue tracking that story as it unfolds.

Back home, the Gyanvapi mosque hearing continues. And talking about matters of law, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu’s bail plea will be heard.

The Cricket World Cup is springing a few surprises. Today, India takes on Bangladesh. We’ll be covering all this and more today.

What’s the latest on the Gyanvapi mosque case?

The Gyanvapi Mosque case is back in the news. The Varanasi court will hear a plea filed by Rakhi Singh seeking an Archaeological Survey of India’s survey of the ablution pond except for the “shivling” in the premises. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has adjourned cases relating to the Gyanvapi mosque to 6 November.

Wonder what the Gyanvapi mosque case is all about? We explain .

Will Chandrababu Naidu get bail?

The Andhra Pradesh High Court will hear Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu’s bail plea today in the skill development case . The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is under judicial remand in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which resulted in a purported loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.

Why are cabbies, auto drivers striking in Mumbai?

Taxi, rickshaw and aggregator cab unions are holding a peaceful dharna at the Mumbai airport today. Their demands include a hike in prepaid fares for taxis and proper parking facilities. They are also protesting against exorbitant challans imposed on drivers who are unable to park vehicles before picking up passengers.

Will services be affected during the demonstration? No, says union leader Taufiq Shaikh.

Kashmir is getting its first Vistadome train

A train journey in picturesque Kashmir is only going to be more joyful. The all-weather glass-ceiling Vistadome dome will chug across the Valley.

The 40-seat air-conditioned coach will run between Banihal and Budgam stations, covering a distance of 110 km in 90 minutes. It will be inaugurated today by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

Yet another reason to visit Kashmir.

India meet Bangladesh

Team India takes on Bangladesh in its fourth match in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. The Tigers are no longer the minnows they once used to be. The rivalry between the two sides has taken a new turn in the last couple of years.

India’s last game against Pakistan was a one-sided affair. We can expect an exciting contest in Pune. Catch our coverage here .

This day in history: Mother Teresa’s beatification

On 19 October 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified. It is the second of the three steps to becoming a saint.

The day is also significant because it’s on 19 October when Mother Teresa started her work for the poor in Kolkata by establishing the Missionaries of Charity.

It’s the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate S Chandrasekhar

Nobel-winning astrophysicist and mathematician S Chandrasekhar was born in Lahore (then in India, now in Pakistan) on 19 October 1910. The Indian-American won the award in physics in 1983 “for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars” with William A Flower.

Did you know he is not the only Nobel winner in his family? Well, Chandrasekhar is the nephew of Indian physicist C V Raman, who won the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his work in the field of light scattering.