15 killed in Himachal landslide; Starmer begins India visit | Daily Wrap

At least 15 people have died after a private bus, reportedly with 30 to 35 people on board, was completely crushed and buried following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh each to the families of those who died and ₹50,000 to the injured.

Indian student fighting in Russian army surrenders to Ukraine

Shifting focus - an Indian student from Gujarat fighting alongside the Russian military surrendered to Ukrainian forces on Tuesday.

In a video, Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein claims he joined Russian forces in exchange for clemency. Hussein had been reportedly sentenced to 7 years in prison in a drug case.

Curiously, this isn’t the only such case. India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Sep 26 strongly called upon Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals currently serving in their army.

UK PM Starmer kicks off 2-day state visit to India

In other news, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer landed in Mumbai with 125 business and cultural leaders in tow for a 2-day visit to India. The two nations are looking to strengthen their India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and review the Vision 2035 Roadmap for bilateral cooperation.

However, when speaking to journalists, Starmer reiterated that opening up more visa spots for Indian workers as part of the FTA wasn't part of the plans.

Syrian army and Kurdish-led SDF announce ceasefire

In the Middle East, Syria’s government declared a ceasefire between its security forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo after at least one person was killed and four injured in overnight violence.

The Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces clashed after SDF fighters reportedly targeted checkpoints in the city, according to the state-run news agency SANA.

Gold cross historic $4,000/ounce mark

Moving on, gold hit historic new highs on Wednesday as it raced past the 4,000 dollars an ounce mark with the rally driven by a mix of factors, including expectations of interest rate cuts, ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, and a weak dollar.

That’s all for now folks. Download the app or log on to Hook.online for more news updates.