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[00:00:09] This is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I'm your host Vishnu and these are the major news stories of Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024.
[00:00:19] The Canadian government alleged Union Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.
[00:00:27] Over 50 people died after flash floods hit Spain's eastern region of Valencia in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.
[00:00:36] US mediators are working on a proposal to wind down hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah beginning with a 60-day ceasefire, two sources with knowledge of the talks said.
[00:00:46] Ahmad Nipati Kanwina Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday defended the ban on firecrackers during Diwali, saying it was necessary for protecting people from pollution and there was no Hindu-Muslim angle to it.
[00:00:58] Noted film editor Nishad Yousaf was found dead in an apartment in Kerala's Kochi on Wednesday. Let's get into the details.
[00:01:05] The Canadian government alleged on Tuesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.
[00:01:12] The Indian government did not immediately respond but has dismissed Canada's prior accusations as baseless, denying any involvement.
[00:01:19] The Washington Post newspaper first reported that Canadian officials alleged Shah was behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in Canada.
[00:01:26] Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday that he told the US-based newspaper that Shah was behind the plots.
[00:01:35] The High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Indian Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.
[00:01:39] India has called Sikh separatists terrorists and threats to its security.
[00:01:43] Sikh separatists demand an independent homeland known as Khalistan to be carved out of India.
[00:01:48] An insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s killed tens of thousands.
[00:01:53] That period included the 1984 anti-Sikh rights that left thousands dead following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards after she ordered security forces to storm the holiest Sikh temple to flush out Sikh separatists.
[00:02:05] Canada in mid-October expelled Indian diplomats linking them to the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Signejad on Canadian soil.
[00:02:13] India also ordered the expulsion of Canadian diplomats.
[00:02:17] At least 52 people have died in Spain's eastern region of Valencia after flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.
[00:02:30] Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed the death toll on Wednesday.
[00:02:35] Rainstorms on Tuesday caused flooding in a wide swath of southern and eastern Spain.
[00:02:39] Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain's emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas.
[00:02:44] The death toll could easily rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access.
[00:02:51] Spain's central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
[00:02:55] The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning but more storms were forecast through Thursday according to Spain's National Weather Service.
[00:03:03] Spain is still recovering from a severe drought earlier this year.
[00:03:06] Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change.
[00:03:11] US mediators are working on a proposal to wind down hostilities between Israel's military and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, beginning with a 60-day ceasefire, two sources with knowledge of the talks said.
[00:03:22] The sources, a person briefed on the talks in a senior diplomat working on Lebanon, said the two-month period would be used to finalise full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of arms outside state control.
[00:03:38] The latest effort comes as Israel's operation in Lebanon continues to expand.
[00:03:42] Its army on Wednesday issued a first evacuation order for the eastern city of Baalbek, where tens of thousands of Lebanese, including many who had fled other areas, were residing.
[00:03:51] Such notices are usually followed by bombardment.
[00:03:54] Residents started to flee the city, leading to heavy traffic but others stayed put as there was nowhere safe to go, the city's former mayor said.
[00:04:00] Resolution 1701 has been the cornerstone of talks to end the last year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which erupted in parallel with the war in Gaza and has dramatically escalated over the last five weeks.
[00:04:12] Meanwhile, a series of Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 20 people on Wednesday, medics said.
[00:04:18] Eight people were killed in a strike in the Salatin area of Beit Lahiyah in the north, close to where the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 93 were killed or missing in an Israeli airstrike that struck a multi-floor house on Tuesday.
[00:04:29] The United States called that attack horrifying.
[00:04:33] Ahmad Nipati Kanwina Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday defended ban on firecrackers, saying it is necessary for protecting people from pollution and there is no Hindu-Muslim angle to it.
[00:04:42] Kejriwal said Diwali is a festival of lights and it should be celebrated by lighting diya and candles instead of bursting firecrackers that cause pollution.
[00:04:49] The Delhi government earlier this month notified a complete ban on the manufacture, sales, storage and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers in the city till January 1, 2025.
[00:04:58] The former Delhi chief minister rejected criticism by the BJP and the RSS that the ban on firecrackers targeted a Hindu festival.
[00:05:06] Noted film editor Nishad Yusuf was found dead in an apartment in the early years of Venice Day, police said.
[00:05:11] He was found at around 2am in an apartment in Kochi's Panambali Nagar.
[00:05:15] A police officer said that the incident is suspected to be a case of suicide.
[00:05:19] He, however, did not provide further details.
[00:05:21] A Kaila State Film Award winner for Best Edited in 2022, Yusuf's notable works include Tallumala, Chaver, Unda, Saudi Vellaka, One, Operation Java, Bazooka and Kangua.
[00:05:33] He won the Best Editor State Award for his work on Tallumala.
[00:05:36] Upcoming releases are riched by Nishad include Bazooka, starring actor Mahmoodi and the Tamil film Kangua featuring Sudhya.
[00:05:44] That brings us to the end of this episode.
[00:05:46] Thanks for listening to Daily News Chores.
[00:05:48] Hosted and produced by me, Vishnu Malidharan.
[00:05:50] Follow www.onmanurama.com for detailed updates on the latest news and be sure to come back tomorrow.
[00:05:55] Thank you.