1. Modi in US: Prime Minister appreciates Indian diaspora

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended Indian Diaspora for distinguishing itself across the world as he received a warm welcome from the community on his arrival in the United States.

PM Modi arrived in the US on Wednesday (Twitter/Narendra Modi)

He was greeted by groups of Indian Americans at the airport soon after his plane landed in Washington DC Wednesday and later at the hotel where he had an interaction with the members of the community.

2. Attackers strike Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, 5 killed

Attackers struck Taliban vehicles in an eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, witnesses said, killing at least two fighters and three civilians in the latest violence since the group’s takeover of the country in mid-August.

No one claimed immediate responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks, although the Islamic State group, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, has said it was behind similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed eight.

3. Melbourne braces for anti-lockdown protests as daily Covid-19 cases hit pandemic high

Police in Melbourne prepared for a fourth day of anti-lockdown protests on Thursday and a vaccination hub in the city closed after protesters allegedly abused staff, while COVID-19 cases across the state of Victoria hit a daily record.

Protesters rally against construction industry Covid-19 mandates in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 22, 2021. (AAP Image via Reuters)

Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in the city of 5 million since officials earlier this week ordered a two-week closure of building sites and made vaccines mandatory for construction workers to limit the spread of the virus.

4. Britney Spears’ attorney proposes that her conservatorship end this fall

An attorney for Britney Spears on Wednesday asked a Los Angeles judge to terminate the 13-year-old conservatorship that oversees her personal life and finances by the fall.

Jamie Spears and Britney Spears are seen in this combination photo. (AP Photos/File)

In a filing submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court, lawyer Mathew Rosengart asked that the musician’s father, Jamie Spears, be removed from the conservatorship by Sept. 29 and that a temporary replacement be named to wind down the arrangement.

5. Florida to consider near-ban on abortion similar to Texas’ new law

A Florida Republican lawmaker has filed a bill that would ban abortions after six to eight weeks and allow members of the community to sue doctors for terminating pregnancies in what may be the first effort to mirror a similar new law in Texas. It was immediately condemned by proponents of reproductive rights.

The bill by state Representative Webster Barnaby would ban abortions after regular cardiac contractions are detected in an embryo, known as a fetal heartbeat even though the heart has not yet developed, about six to eight weeks into pregnancy. That is before many women know they are pregnant.