A look at the headlines today:
1. Campaigning ends for October 21 bypolls in 51 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats
Campaigning ended on Saturday for October 21 bypolls to 51 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states. The BJP and its allies, which had nearly 30 of these assembly seats, are hoping that the winning momentum of Lok Sabha polls will continue. The Congress had won 12 of the seats while the rest were with regional parties. Among the states ruled by the BJP and its allies, the maximum 11 seats will have bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, followed by six in Gujarat, five in Bihar, four in Assam and two each in Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The other states where bypolls will be held are Punjab (4 seats), Kerala (5 seats), Sikkim (3 seats), Rajasthan (two seats) and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Meghalaya and Telangana. Campaigning also concluded for bypolls to Satara (Maharashtra) and Samastipur (Bihar) Lok Sabha seats, which were held by the NCP and the LJP respectively.
2. Yogi to meet Kamlesh Tiwari's family; fresh arrest made in the case
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will today meet with the family of slain Kamlesh Tiwari. The leader of the lesser-known Hindu Samaj Party (HSP), who was earlier associated with a faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, was killed at his home in Lucknow on Friday. Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra police arrested a man from Mominpura locality in connection with his murder. The ATS official said the arrest was made on the basis of leads provided by the the Uttar Pradesh Police. The arrested man was identified as Sayed Asim Ali (29), who runs a hardware business in the city. Ali had organised a protest against Tiwari in the past and also issued a `warning' to him in a YouTube video, the police official said.
3. Smriti Irani to visit Amethi today
Union Minister Smriti Irani will visit her Lok Sabha constituency Amethi today and take part in a series of programmes, including a 'Gandhi Sandesh Yatra'. Today, Irani will take part in the 'Gandhi Sandesh Yatra' along with other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to spread Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts among people, party's district media in-charge Govind Singh Chauhan said. The yatra also seeks to inform the public about the various welfare schemes of the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, he said. On October 22, Irani will undertake a tour of Amethi district with Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chauhan said.
4. Indian athletes eye course record bonus prize at Delhi Half Marathon today
Top Indian elite athletes, including women's course record holder L. Suriya, said they would look to break the course record in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon today. Suresh Kumar Patel, Srinu Bugatha, Pradeep Chaudhary in the men's category and Suriya, Parul Chaudhary and Priti Lamba in the women's category are the top domestic athletes vying for honours in the prestigious IAAF Gold Label race. There will be 23 women and 22 men Indian elite athletes taking part in the race. Suriya, who created the course record in 2017 with a time of 1 hour 10 minutes 31 seconds, said she enjoys running in ADHM. "The route at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is very nice. In 2017, I really enjoyed the run as the weather was also good. Therefore, I put up a good performance that year. I am looking forward to another great experience in ADHM. Hopefully, I will break the course record again," said Suriya. The runners of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon will be awarded Rs 1 lakh as a bonus prize if they break the course record this year.
5. Attacker slashes pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong as city readies for another week of civil disobedience
A man handing out leaflets for a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant who slashed his neck and abdomen, days after a leading activist was left bloodied in another street attack. The injured 19-year-old, wearing black clothes and a black face mask, was knifed near one of the large "Lennon Walls" that have sprung up around the city during months of demonstrations, police said. Hong Kong anti-government protesters are set for another weekend of civil disobedience. Supporters held a prayer rally on Saturday night to call for international help for their cause. The protest march is planned today, with organisers vowing to hold the event even though it failed to win approval from police, who cited risks to public order. As the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's political crisis extends into a fifth month, protesters are trying to keep the pressure on the government to respond to their demands, including full democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.
6. Boris Johnson adamant that Brexit will not be delayed beyond the end of the month
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not signed the letter asking the EU to delay Brexit and sent another saying he does not want to postpone. Johnson was required by law to send the delay request after MPs refused to back his Brexit deal on Saturday. But, he has insisted Britain must leave the European Union on October 31 as planned. He has signed another letter, which makes clear he does not want to delay Brexit beyond the end of this month. Earlier, Johnson said he would tell EU leaders that "further delay would be bad for this country, bad for the European Union and bad for democracy".
7. ATK, Kerala Blasters face off in ISL-6 opener
Holders Bengaluru FC enter as firm favourites but first up it will be ATK and Kerala Blasters as the Indian Super league kicks off amid much fanfare on Sunday. The organisers are expecting plenty of twists and turns in the sixth season of the franchise-based event. Defending champions Bengaluru and runners-up FC Goa, the two teams that stood out last season with their style of play, have managed to retain the core of their squads and should be the neutrals' choices to go all the way. There is no denying Bengaluru and Goa are strong contenders, but all teams have made clever moves in the market and the stage has been set for the 2019-20 Hero ISL. No team made as many heads turn as ATK. The former champions have signed plenty of top-notch foreign players and look possibly the strongest on paper.
8. Highly anticipated Liverpool clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford today
Liverpool can rub more salt into Manchester United wounds with a first victory at Old Trafford in five years on Sunday, while Manchester City will try to haul themselves back onto the leader's coattails with victory at Crystal Palace. Just eight games into the season, 15 points separates Liverpool at the top of the table from United down in 12th. The European champions have shot into an eight-point lead even over their closest challengers in City, thanks to a run of 17 straight Premier League wins stretching back to last season. By contrast, United have won just two of their last 13 league games. Injury problems that have contributed to the Red Devils' early season struggles have struck again with influential duo Paul Pogba and David de Gea absent. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called on his players to rise to the occasion of a clash between the two most successful sides in English football history.
