MEA says 'not involved' after women journalists excluded from Afghan FM’s press conference

A controversy broke out after women journalists weren't allowed to attend the press conference addressed by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi Friday. Now, the Ministry of External Affairs has said it had “no involvement” in the event. The incident on Friday sparked a massive backlash on social media, over allegations of discriminatory behaviour. Several Opposition leaders questioned the Centre over the alleged “ban” on women at the event. With Muttaqi on his first visit to India, the engagement between Afghan diplomats and their Indian counterparts is being viewed as a step towards normalising diplomatic ties with the Taliban since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Read more

BJP’s Pawan Singh pulls out of Bihar polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received an apparent setback even before its first candidate list is out. Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh on Saturday said he would not contest the polls only a few days after joining the party. Singh said he is "a true soldier of the party and will remain so.” Labelling Singh’s decision an “individual call”, BJP sources said he was “very much” in contention for a ticket from Ara or Barhara. Read more

MBBS student raped outside Bengal private medical college campus

An MBBS student of a private medical college in West Bengal’s Pashchim Bardhaman district was allegedly dragged into a jungle behind the college campus and raped Friday night. No arrests have been made yet in this connection, the police said. Students of the medical college staged a protest outside the principal’s office on Saturday after the matter came to light. This has led to a political slugfest in the state with the opposition targeting the ruling TMC government on the issue of women's safety. Read more

ED arrests CFO of Reliance Power Limited in bank loan fraud case

Anil Ambani's woes continue to mount. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Reliance Power Limited’s (RPL) chief financial officer (CFO) Ashok Kumar Pal, a close aide of Anil, in a Rs 3,000 money laundering probe. The central agency is investigating an alleged bank loan fraud involving companies of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The ED is inspecting various angles of his involvement -- from diverting funds from a publicly listed company in a battery energy storage system tender to bogus bank guarantee and fake invoices. Read more

Apple sued over use of copyrighted books to train AI model

Apple was sued in the California federal court by two neuroscientists over allegations of misusing thousands of copyrighted books to train its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence model. The suit alleged that Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features integrated into iOS devices used thousands of pirated books, including the pair's. They alleged that it helped the tech giant “gain more than $200 billion in value". Read more

5 stories you must read today, October 11: From Taliban’s ‘no-women’ presser to Apple getting sued over AI training

Read about MEA clarification on women journalists’ exclusion from Taliban minister's presser, BJP's potential candidate for the Bihar polls backing out, lawsuit against apple, and more, here.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: October 11, 2025 07:11 PM IST

1 min read

EAM S Jaishankar (left) and Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi; Apple logo. (Credit: X/@DrSJaishankar/File)

Good evening. US President Donald Trump announcing an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese imports and the latest on the Gaza ceasefire dominated news headlines on Saturday, October 11. But much more has happened in the worlds of politics, business, technology, sport, and entertainment. Don’t worry, Express Catch-up is here to bring you up to speed.

01
MEA says 'not involved' after women journalists excluded from Afghan FM’s press conference
A controversy broke out after women journalists weren't allowed to attend the press conference addressed by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi Friday. Now, the Ministry of External Affairs has said it had “no involvement” in the event. The incident on Friday sparked a massive backlash on social media, over allegations of discriminatory behaviour. Several Opposition leaders questioned the Centre over the alleged “ban” on women at the event. With Muttaqi on his first visit to India, the engagement between Afghan diplomats and their Indian counterparts is being viewed as a step towards normalising diplomatic ties with the Taliban since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Read more
02
BJP’s Pawan Singh pulls out of Bihar polls
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received an apparent setback even before its first candidate list is out. Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh on Saturday said he would not contest the polls only a few days after joining the party. Singh said he is "a true soldier of the party and will remain so.” Labelling Singh’s decision an “individual call”, BJP sources said he was “very much” in contention for a ticket from Ara or Barhara. Read more
03
MBBS student raped outside Bengal private medical college campus
An MBBS student of a private medical college in West Bengal’s Pashchim Bardhaman district was allegedly dragged into a jungle behind the college campus and raped Friday night. No arrests have been made yet in this connection, the police said. Students of the medical college staged a protest outside the principal’s office on Saturday after the matter came to light. This has led to a political slugfest in the state with the opposition targeting the ruling TMC government on the issue of women's safety. Read more
04
ED arrests CFO of Reliance Power Limited in bank loan fraud case
Anil Ambani's woes continue to mount. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Reliance Power Limited’s (RPL) chief financial officer (CFO) Ashok Kumar Pal, a close aide of Anil, in a Rs 3,000 money laundering probe. The central agency is investigating an alleged bank loan fraud involving companies of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The ED is inspecting various angles of his involvement -- from diverting funds from a publicly listed company in a battery energy storage system tender to bogus bank guarantee and fake invoices. Read more
05
Apple sued over use of copyrighted books to train AI model
Apple was sued in the California federal court by two neuroscientists over allegations of misusing thousands of copyrighted books to train its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence model. The suit alleged that Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features integrated into iOS devices used thousands of pirated books, including the pair's. They alleged that it helped the tech giant “gain more than $200 billion in value". Read more