The Catch Up: 7 October

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 7th of October and here are the headlines.India and Maldives agreed to elevate the ties to a comprehensive economic and strategic partnership, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the visiting President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu in New Delhi today. The two leaders witnessed the exchange of five pacts including one on currency swap and other on training of judicial officers, prevention of corruption, law enforcement training, sports and youth affairs. They also launched the Rupay card in the Maldives, handed over 700 social housing units and inaugurated a new airport runway at the Hanimaadhoo International Airport.The ED began a raid at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, confirmed a source from the Central agency, on Chandigarh Road in Ludhiana early today. The source from ED said the raid at Arora’s residence at Hampton Homes colony was in connection with a chunk of land that was allotted to him by the Punjab government some years ago. The source further said, “The land was allotted for an industrial project, but the agreement was breached, and the land was used for a residential project.”Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court granted bail today to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam. The case, in which the accused were summoned after taking cognisance of a supplementary chargesheet, pertained to Group-D appointments made in the West Central Railway Zone in Jabalpur when Lalu was Railways Minister, allegedly in return for land parcels for his family and associates. All the accused were granted relief on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each, noting that they were mentioned in the chargesheet, but not arrested. The matter will now be heard on October 23 and 24.Today marks a year of the war in West Asia which was sparked by the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel. The attack which triggered Israel’s military assault on Gaza still continues to intensify putting West Asia on the brink of all-out war. News agency Reuters reported, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza fired four rockets into Israel today. The Israeli military said there were no  casualties as three rockets were intercepted and a fourth fell in an open area. The forces have also launched a wave of artillery and airstrikes overnight, targetting Hamas launch posts and underground militant infrastructure.Two Chinese nationals were killed in a blast near Paskistan’s Karachi airport on Sunday night, which the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan described as a “terrorist attack.” Pakistani broadcaster Geo News reported that at least ten people were injured in the explosion. As reported by news agency Reuters, the separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the explosion in a statement emailed to journalists. They stated that the attack was carried out using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.