PM arrives in Kedarnath; to lay foundation for new projects.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kedarnath and Badrinath on Friday during which he will inspect various ongoing development works and also lay foundation stones for some new projects. In view of the visit, security arrangements have been tightened in the area, an official said. The Prime Minister will reach Kedarnath at around eight Friday morning and will perform worship of Baba Kedar. After it, he will lay the foundation stone of the 9.7 km long Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project.

Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter Inc. involve slashing its staff by nearly 75% in a matter of months, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. Musk, whose $44 billion purchase of the social network is set to close by October 28, would reduce Twitter’s staff to just more than 2,000 people, compared with the 7,500 it currently employs, the Post reported, citing Musk’s comments to prospective investors. Musk had told investors he planned to shrink staff in his initial pitch to bankers for funding, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg in April.

The IMD Thursday said that the possible cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is likely to reach West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts by October 25, skirting Odisha. The IMD in a statement said that a low pressure area has formed in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on October 24. The low pressure area is very likely to move west-northwestwards and develop into a depression over east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal around October 22. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression by October 23.

BS