India

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander was killed in an encounter with joint security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district. The operation was launched in the Korag-Yousmarg area following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists, the Army said

A fire broke out at a high-pressure unit of MRPL’s refinery in Mangaluru following a cold separator rupture on Wednesday. Firefighting teams brought the blaze under control, while one person suffered minor injuries and was shifted to hospital.

The Election Commission will review decisions taken last week on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The changes include dropping mandatory hearings over discrepancies in SIR forms and removing the parents’ declaration from online Form 6 in completed-SIR states

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled out a complete ban on firecrackers, saying round-the-clock fireworks would also not be allowed. The court said a middle ground was needed and indicated that specific hours could be prescribed for their use

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced Rs 1,200 crore for the Ghatal Master Plan to mitigate recurring floods, with the Centre and state sharing costs. He directed officials to expedite work and complete the project by June next year

The government proposed amendments to the Petroleum Act, 1934, including decriminalising minor licence breaches and introducing graded penalties. The draft Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes civil penalties for regulatory violations and tougher punishments for serious offences involving petroleum operations and infrastructure

Security forces in Mizoram seized drugs worth over Rs 846 crore and arrested 930 people, including 111 foreigners, between January and August. Officials reported 635 NDPS cases and 45 drug-related deaths, while authorities intensified border enforcement, awareness campaigns and rehabilitation efforts

Five trekkers have gone missing on the Vasukital trek in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, prompting helicopter and foot searches. The group left on September 25, while heavy snowfall and rain disrupted conditions. Officials said contact with the trekkers has been lost

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the party will skip the INDIA bloc meeting on Election Commission issues, citing its exit from the alliance. He said AAP supports action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and will coordinate with opposition parties on the matter

The Delhi High Court dismissed bail pleas of jailed student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, citing the Supreme Court’s earlier order denying bail. The court said circumstances for renewing their pleas had not arisen

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar was shot dead in Thane, Maharashtra, with police arresting one suspect and questioning another. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and multiple possible motives, including political rivalry and personal enmity, while probing a builder dispute angle

Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata has urged the Tata Sons board to review a restructuring proposal that could help avoid listing the holding company. He also questioned the RBI’s classification of Tata Sons as an upper-layer NBFC and raised concerns over philanthropic priorities

A Meerut court is set to deliver its verdict in the Saurabh Rajput murder case, involving his wife Muskan Rastogi and co-accused Sahil Shukla. The prosecution has sought the death penalty, while the defence cited absence of eyewitnesses and sought leniency

The Education Ministry is preparing a national CBT infrastructure strategy to shift NEET from pen-and-paper to online mode. The move follows the paper leak controversy, with the Centre awaiting recommendations from Nandan Nilekani’s task force before finalising the transition and reforms

Bihar Vigilance Bureau searched four locations linked to a bureaucrat couple in a disproportionate assets case, recovering nearly Rs 80 lakh cash, jewellery worth Rs 52.60 lakh and 48 watches. Investigators also identified seven properties valued at around Rs 2.92 crore

BJP leader Ashish Usha Agarwal questioned Rahul Gandhi’s leadership of the INDIA bloc ahead of its New Delhi meeting. His remarks came as opposition parties discussed electoral-roll revisions, Election Commission concerns and efforts to coordinate their response amid differences within the alliance

Several financial rules will change in October, including lower free ATM transactions for some SBI salary account holders, Aadhaar authentication for subsidised LPG, revised NPS charges and new bulk-deposit disclosures. A new UPI MDR framework will take effect from October 15.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at UN headquarters, discussing multilateralism, India-UN cooperation and global conflicts, including Ukraine and West Asia. They focused on mitigating conflicts’ impact on Global South countries as Guterres prepares to leave office

India’s higher education sector expanded sharply over the past decade, with more universities, colleges, students and teachers. Women and disadvantaged communities recorded stronger participation, while placements and salaries improved. SBI Research urged higher public spending, research investment, vocational training and examination reforms

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged Qatari businesses to explore trade and investment partnerships with India. During her Doha meetings, she highlighted India’s economic growth and discussed Qatar’s $10-billion investment commitment, a bilateral investment treaty, FTA negotiations and wider economic cooperation.

The Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS seized 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine worth over Rs 3,000 crore from an Iranian dhow in the Arabian Sea. Five Pakistani nationals aboard the vessel were apprehended following a coordinated sea-air operation.

Apple Pay has launched in India, initially supporting eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Users can make contactless payments at participating merchants, while Apple said Mac support would be introduced soon.

More than 1.52 lakh Form 6 applications for new voter enrolment have been received in Delhi since draft electoral rolls were published on August 31. The final electoral roll will be published on December 4 after claims and objections are disposed of