Top News on October 24: Cyclone Dana, candidate lists for Maharashtra elections

More than a million people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in West Bengal and Odisha as Cyclone Dana approached landfall on Thursday. Several key candidates filed their nominations amid a high-octane Maharashtra Assembly election campaign while the diplomatic row between India and Canada continued to gain momentum. Several leading companies released their second quarter results on Thursday as IPO-bound Swiggy slashed its valuation target. There is now less than two weeks left for the US Presidential elections — with both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump making last-ditch attempts to woo undecided voters. Threat of a wider war also continues to loom over the Middle East amid continued attacks in Gaza and Lebanon. Major world leaders remain gathered in Russia for the final day of the BRICS Summit. 
Cyclone Dana intensifiesThe ‘severe cyclonic storm’ is slated to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha overnight with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. Intermittent rain and gusty winds have taken control of seaside villages since Thursday morning. Officials in West Bengal and neighbouring Odisha are currently racing against time to evacuate approximately 1.2 million people from low-lying areas. 
Maharashtra ElectionsThe Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) released its first list of 45 candidates on Thursday with state chief Jayant Patil contesting from Islampur. Notable candidates on the list include Jitendra Awhad (Mumbra-Kalwa), Anil Deshmukh (Katol), Harshvardhan Patil (Indapur), and Rohit Patil (Tasgaon-Kavthemahankal) — the son of late politician RR Patil who is making his electoral debut. 
Meanwhile Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray filed his nomination from the Worli assembly constituency on Thursday. 
The MVA alliance has agreed on a seat-sharing plan for 255 out of 288 constituencies, with each party receiving 85 seats. Elections are set to take place in a single phase on November 20 with votes being counted later that week on November 23.
India-Canada rowThe escalating diplomatic row took a fresh turn on Thursday with recalled Indian envoy Sanjay Verma ACCusing Canadian politicians of promoting Khalistan ‘for electoral gains’ and ‘back-stabbing’ India. The diplomat — recently declared a “person of interest” by Ottawa — also claimed that ‘terrorists and extremists’ had found refuge in the other country due to the “lenient” Canadian legal system.
“The Khalistanis have made Khalistan into a business in Canada. In the name of Khalistan, they do human trafficking, drug trafficking, gun-running and all. They earn a lot of money through that and also through gurudwaras and they use part of that money for all nefarious jobs,” he told PTI.
Companies post Q2 resultsPNB Housing Finance reported a near 23% rise in second-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by a strong demand for home loans. Consolidated net profit rose to ₹4.70 billion for the quarter ended September 30 — from ₹3.83 billion a year earlier.Adani Wilmar Limited reported an 18% growth in revenue to ₹14,460 crore YoY while the volume growth of the company was recorded at 12%YoY. This growth was driven by strong performances in both the edible oil and Food and FMCG segments.
Cement maker ACC reported its highest revenue from operations in five years on Thursday — clocking in at ₹4,613.52 crore for Q2FY25. The Adani group company reported a consolidated profit after tax of ₹199.7 crore.
IPO-bound Swiggy slashes valuationSwiggy is internally aiming for a company valuation of $12.5 billion to $13.5 billion for its upcoming IPO — cutting its target by 10-16 per cent due to market volatility. According to a Reuters report, the company wants to ensure “a lot of value is left on the table” for investors who bid.