BBC Forecasts 20,000 KPH Winds For London, Apologises

The BBC on Thursday apologised after a graphic incorrectly forecast winds of more than 13,000 miles (20,000 kilometres) per hour in London, as Hurricane Milton battered the US state of Florida.

"Don't be alarmed folks -- Hurricane Milton hasn't made it to us here in the UK!" one of the broadcaster's meteorologists, Matt Taylor, assured the public on X.

"There's been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online. Folk are working to solve the issue," he said, adding: "No need to panic buy plywood and candles."

The technical gremlins on the BBC's weather app and website also resulted in overnight temperatures of 404 degrees Celsius (759 degrees Fahrenheit) being predicted for the central English city of Nottingham.

A BBC Weather statement apologised for "some data issues on our app and website. We are working hard to fix it quickly.

"Sorry -- please bear with us," it added.

The real forecast for Thursday was colder, clearer air moving in with rain and drizzle in the south and blustery showers near the east coast.

The blunder has echoes of a 1987 forecast that went down in broadcasting folklore and turned the meteorologist involved into a national celebrity.

Michael Fish famously told viewers during a broadcast on October 15, 1987 that "apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way.

"Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!"

A few hours later a storm dubbed the "Great Storm of 1987" -- the worst to hit southeast England for three centuries -- hit the region.

The BBC's meteorological mishap came as Milton smashed into Florida leaving at least four people dead and millions without power.
 

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Off-spinner Karishma Ramharack starred with an impressive four-wicket haul as West Indies cantered to an eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the women's T20 World Cup in Sharjah on Thursday. After restricting Bangladesh to 103 for 8, courtesy Ramharack's fine bowling spell of 4/17 from her four overs, the West Indies overhauled the target with as many as 43 balls to spare. Captain Hayley Matthews (34) and Stafanie Taylor (27 retired hurt) shared 52 runs for the opening wicket before Deandra Dottin made a quickfire 19 not out off just 7 balls with the help of two sixes.

West Indies scored 104 for 2 in 12.5 overs, to notch their second win in three matches and keep themselves afloat for a semifinal spot.

Earlier, put in to bat, Bangladesh were going strong at 58 for 2 at the end of the first 10 overs but they could never accelerate from there. Instead, they lost six wickets in the second half of their innings for the addition of just 45 runs.

Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored for Bangladesh with a 44-ball 39 but she did not get enough support from her batting colleagues.

Bangladesh could hit just two boundaries in the second 10 overs of their innings.

This was Bangladesh's second loss in three matches.

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London-Based Group Urges PM Modi To Broker Peace In West Asia, Europe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urged by a London-based delegation to help negotiate peace among countries that are in conflict. The conference, which was held in London, appealed to Prime Minister Modi to "intensify his efforts" to help resolve conflicts in Europe and Asia.

The two conflicts which have seen a worrying escalation in world are in West Asia and Europe. In West Asia, the Israel-Gaza war has spread to the north and now even involves Lebanon. To make matters worse, with Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel, the Middle East crisis has taken a dangerous turn, with a possible all-out war between Israel and Iran.

The conflict in Europe is between Russia and a West-backed Ukraine. With the US and UK's move that may allow Kyiv to target areas deep inside Russia with cruise missiles supplied by Britain, Russia has amended its nuclear doctrine. Moscow has warned the NATO and the Western countries that any escalation by Ukraine to bomb territories inside Russia may lead to a nuclear response.

India, which has friendly ties with both Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Iran, has been urging all parties involved in the crises to desist from any further escalation and resolve issues through diplomacy and dialogue. To this outcome, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met or spoken to the leaders of all four countries and has assured all possible help in order to bring peace to the regions.

Today, the International Conference of Jurists and Writers for World Peace called upon all governments, international organisations and civil societies to work together to resolve conflicts through peaceful means, prioritising diplomacy, negotiation and mediation. The conference made a special appeal to PM Modi, who has close proximity and friendly relations will all the leaders involved in these conflicts.

A resolution adopted at the conference noted that if the escalation in these war zones are not stopped, "The world will be pushed into a third World War, which can possibly consume millions of lives across nations and cause irreversible damage to economies and the environment."

Dr Adish C Aggarwala, President of the International Council of Jurists, London, and International Commission of Writers, said, "There is volatility and strife in West Asia and other places (in Europe), hostile clashes are claiming hundreds of lives each day in different countries, and the international organisations are unable to bring about a ceasefire.

"Human lives have lost their value and the future is looking bleak and dark," he said, adding, "it is at such a time, the Jurists and Writers from across the globe came together to find ways to bring about peace in an increasingly complex world."

Reading out a message from Prime Minister Modi where he had stressed that "Global peace is necessary for a bright future for humanity," the chief of the international conference appealed to him to help achieve this outcome.
 

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India Clears Deal To Build 2 Nuclear Submarines, Buy 31 Predator Drones

In a mega boost for the Indian Navy and surveillance capabilities of the defence forces, the Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the major deals for building two nuclear submarines indigenously and buying 31 Predator drones from the US.

As per the plans, the Indian Navy will get two nuclear-powered attack submarines which will help boost its capabilities manifold in the Indian Ocean Region, top sources told ANI.

The deal for building the two submarines at the Ship Building Centre in Vishakhapatnam will be around Rs 45,000 crore and will see a major involvement of private sector firms like Larsen and Toubro, they said.

The deal had been hanging fire for a long time and the Indian Navy had been pushing it as it was a critical requirement for filling the underwater capability gaps.

India has plans of having six such boats in the long run as part of its submarine induction plans.

These boats which are going to be built under the ambitious Project Advanced Technology Vessel project, are separate from the five nuclear submarines being built under the Arihant class at the same location.

The other mega deal cleared today by the Cabinet Committee on Security is for the acquisition of 31 Predator drones from American General Atomics under a Foreign Military Sales contract between the two governments.

The deal had to be cleared before October 31 as the validity of the American proposal was till that time and now it is going to be signed in the next few days only.

As per the contract, the defence forces will start getting the drones over four years after signing the deal, they said.

The Indian Navy will get 15 of the 31 drones while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each and also deploy them together at two bases in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian equipment made by DRDO and private sector firm Solar Industries may be used as the Make in India element on the 31 drones which are expected to be game changers in peacetime surveillance.

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"He's The Nicest": Donald Trump's High Praise For PM Modi

Before Narendra Modi assumed office of India's Prime Minister in 2014, there was instability due to frequent changes in the leadership, former US President Donald Trump has said in an podcast called 'Flagrant' with comedians Andrew Schultz and Akash Singh.

The former US President lavished high praise on PM Modi and described him the nicest human being who can be tough when required.

"Before him they were replacing him (Indian PMs) every year, it was very unstable. He came along, he's great, he's a friend of mine. On the outside he looks like he's your father he's the nicest...," said Trump, who is seeking re-election as US President.

Former American President Donald Trump, in the Flagrant podcast, describes Prime Minister Modi as the nicest human being but also a total killer.

He added that Modi took him by surprise with his threat of aggressive retaliation against Pakistan when he said we would handle them;… pic.twitter.com/8oOH9ELvx3

— BJP (@BJP4India) October 9, 2024

Trump also talked about the success of 'Howdy Modi' in Houston, Texas, in 2019 when he was the US President.

"They filled up the stadium, it was beautiful like 80,000 people, it was going crazy and we're walking around today....we were walking in the middle, waving to everybody," he said.

Trump also spoke about how PM Modi told him that India can deal with Islamabad after being offered US support.

"He is nicest human being but we had couple of occasions where somebody was threatening India. I said let me help, I am very good with those people (Trump imitating PM Modi) 'I will do it, I will do , I will do anything necessary. We have defeated them for 100s of years...," Trump said without naming Pakistan.

Trump also said he has very good relationship with PM Modi.

Trump spoke about his relationship with PM Modi around the 37-minute mark of 88 minute long interview.

'Howdy Modi' was an Indian community event in Houston, Texas in 2019. The event at NRG Stadium saw a huge crowd and showcased the relationship between the two countries. PM Modi and Trump addressed the gathering.

Trump has praised PM Modi earlier too and has described him a "fantastic man".

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India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday said skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading the side against Sri Lanka in the Women's T20 World Cup, having got retired hurt in the previous game due to discomfort in her neck. Harmanpreet had walked off the field when she was batting on 29 against Pakistan on Sunday. India won that game by six wickets but still face early elimination from the tournament following the loss to New Zealand in their opener. "She (Harman) is doing fine and she will be fine for tomorrow," Mandhana told reporters.

However, there is no clarity over the fitness status of all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar who missed the Pakistan game. "Pooja, I think the medical team is still working on her. So, the update will come only tomorrow during the match. But yeah, I don't think I can say anything at the moment," said Mandhana.

Conditions different from our expectations

Mandhana, the best batter in the side, has failed to get going thus far on the slow wickets of the UAE where stroke making has proved to be extremely tough.

India face Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a team that stunned them in the Asia Cup final not so long ago. They are yet to play Australia and their hopes of making the semifinals hang by a thread.

India chased down 106 in 18.5 overs against Pakistan, mindful of the run rate factor in the business end of the tournament.

"It (run rate) definitely was last match, but as I said, the conditions are a lot different to what you expect as a batter so you are probably thinking to get that run rate high and also you firstly you have to win the match first that's the first priority for us," said Mandhana.

"So, it's a balance between trying to find out what's the best for the team. Of course, you know in the last match I couldn't like I started off fine but then later on I consumed a few dot balls which was a little irritating for me...

"...but yeah having said that as batters we have to be really smart we can't we can't just go out there thinking that oh we are going to take on this bowling lineup and we are just going to cruise because of course the conditions and the outfield is a lot different," she said.

Mandhana said conditions in the tournament have been different from their expectations when asked about Harmanpreet going back to number four against Pakistan after batting at three against New Zealand.

"Definitely the wicket condition, the ground conditions are a lot different to what we thought when we came here. That also is a big consideration (in deciding batter order)," she said.

"The conditions, I don't see any except the New Zealand match, we haven't seen any team go over 140 in the whole tournament, 135-140, be it a day game or a night game, says a lot about the conditions," she added. 

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1000s Of Terrorists Including Nasrallah, His Successor Killed: Israeli PM

Israeli forces have killed the would-be successors of late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, without naming them.

"We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah's replacement, and the replacement of the replacement," Mr. Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message.

Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hashem Safieddine, the man expected to replace, now killed, Nasrallah, had probably been "eliminated". It was not immediately clear who Netanyahu meant by the "replacement of the replacement".

"Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many, many years," Mr. Netanyahu said in the video message directed at the people of Lebanon.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel last Oct. 8, a day after Hamas Palestinian militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza. Hezbollah cited solidarity with Hamas.

Some 60,000 Israeli citizens in the country's north have been forced to leave their homes, while Israel's stated objective is to make its northern areas safe from Hezbollah rocket fire and allow those displaced residents to return.

"Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel also has a right to win. And Israel will win," Mr. Netanyahu said.

He urged Lebanon to "take back your country" and return it to a path of peace and prosperity and take advantage of an opportunity that hasn't existed in decades.

"If you don't, Hezbollah will continue to try to fight Israel from densely populated areas at your expense. It doesn't care if Lebanon is dragged into a wider war," he added. "Christians, Druze, Muslims - Sunnis and Shiites - all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah's futile war against Israel.

"Don't let these terrorists destroy your future any more than they've already done," Mr. Netanyahu added. "You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way."

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