1 crore jobs, empowerment of economically backward classes (EBC) and financial aid for women - these are just some of the promises made in the ruling NDA’s manifesto for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections

The manifesto was released to much fanfare by incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alongside BJP President JP Nadda, Union ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan, as well as RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha.

BJP’s Bihar chief Dilip Jaiswal described the manifesto as “the guarantee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the trust of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar”.

India and the US sign 10-year defence deal

In other news, India and the US have signed a 10-year Defence Framework agreement.

Defence Minister Ranjath Singh and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, finalised the agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia. The deal is aimed at enhancing coordination, information sharing, and technological cooperation between the two nations.

In a post on X, Hegseth lauded the agreement and declared that defence ties between New Delhi and Washington “have never been stronger”.

Air India seeks ₹10,000 crore financial aid: Report

Moving on, Air India is reportedly seeking ₹10,000 crore in financial aid from its owners Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.

According to the Bloomberg report, the airline’s request comes as it fights multiple issues such as the deadly Ahmedabad crash in June and airspace restrictions owing to the India-Pakistan conflict.

For context - the formerly government-owned airline was sold in 2022 with the Tata Group having a 74.9% stake. The remaining stake is held by Singapore Airlines.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire extension

Shifting focus, neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend a ceasefire for at least another week.

This according to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on behalf of Pakistan, Afghanistan and mediators Turkiye and Qatar. The statement added that the nations plan to meet again at a higher-level gathering in Istanbul on November 6 to finalise how the ceasefire will be implemented.

Remember, the two neighbours engaged in a weeklong border conflict earlier this month following explosions in Afghanistan, which the Taliban-ruled Afghan government blamed on Pakistan.

Trump sets lowest refugee admission cap on US record

And finally from the US, the Trump administration has set the refugee admissions ceiling at 7,500 for fiscal year 2026, the lowest cap on record.

Trump said in an annual refugee determination dated September 30 that admissions would be focused largely on White South Africans from the country’s Afrikaner ethnic minority.

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

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