The India Decade e-paper, Saturday, 3 October 2026

Alumni of all 23 Indian Institutes of Technology gather in Vijayawada on Saturday, 3 October, for a one-day summit on turning Andhra Pradesh into a home for deep technology, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as chief guest.

The PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit 2026 is organised by PanIIT Alumni India with the state government at Dr B R Ambedkar Kala Vedika in Buckinghampeta, under the theme "Andhra's Resilient DeepTech Decade: Anchored by PanIIT". More than 2,000 delegates are coming, summit chair Swadeep Pillarisetti told ANI. They include chief executives from across the country, more than 100 unicorn founders and startup leaders, and over 50 investors and venture capitalists, according to the state's announcement of the summit.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh's Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, are the guests of honour. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan is also expected to attend, The India Decade has learnt.

"Andhra Pradesh is not just preparing for the DeepTech revolution, we are building the ecosystem to lead it," Lokesh said when the state announced the summit last month, PTI reported.

Pillarisetti told ANI that the aim is "to bring experts from across the country to see how we can transform Amaravati and Andhra Pradesh into a deep-tech state", including in space, defence and drones. "We can achieve this by learning from the best across the country and ensuring all the knowledge, capital, and know-how flow into the state," he said, calling Naidu "one of the most dynamic Chief Ministers in the country".

The programme begins a day early. On Friday evening, Naidu hosts a leadership dinner for IIT leaders, corporate heads, investors, policymakers and startup founders, according to the state's announcement.

What the summit plans to announce

The organisers have listed eight commitments they want the day to produce:

• a PanIIT Amaravati Council, with a permanent secretariat in Amaravati;
• a PanIIT Amaravati Venture Fund for deep-tech investment in the state;
• a deep-tech policy package to draw research, startups, investment and advanced manufacturing;
• a pipeline to bring IIT technologies that are ready for commercial use into the state;
• an Andhra PanIIT Declaration, described as a long-term commitment between the 23 IITs, industry and the state government;
• a 100-member global IIT mentor network;
• 10 industry chairs at institutions and universities across the state;
• the launch of quantum computing and other frontier-technology capabilities.

The programme also proposes the launch of Q-Shiva, comprising five quantum computers, according to the state's announcement of the summit reported by PTI. Three roundtables of IIT leaders, industry and investors are to deliberate on the proposed council and venture fund.

C V Sridhar, mission director of Amaravati Quantum Valley, the state's quantum computing programme, briefed reporters on the summit at the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat on 18 September with Pillarisetti and PanIIT Alumni India vice chairman Amitabh Ranjan.

The day's programme

Registration opens at 8 am. After the lighting of the lamp and the welcome address, the morning runs through four panels, according to the published programme: energy and fuel-cost optimisation; deep technology "in all walks of life", covering quantum computing, semiconductors and AI; space and defence manufacturing; and health access and screening at scale under the BioValley banner.

Naidu is due at the venue after lunch, when he will tour the pavilions and the technology exhibition. The afternoon brings a fifth panel, on agritech, farmers and water security, a session on skilling and entrepreneurship by IIT Madras Pravartak, talks on AI in governance and summary presentations from all five panels. The Chief Minister's closing session begins at 5 pm, with every speaker and roundtable chair on stage.

Who is coming

Nine IIT directors are on the speaker list: V Kamakoti of IIT Madras, Shireesh Kedare of IIT Bombay, K N Satyanarayana of IIT Tirupati, B S Murty of IIT Hyderabad, Sukumar Mishra of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Suhas Joshi of IIT Indore, A Seshadri Sekhar of IIT Palakkad, Laxmidhar Behera of IIT Mandi and Manoj Singh Gaur of IIT Jammu.

From government, the list includes Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad, National Health Authority chief executive Sunil Kumar Barnwal, R Balamurali Krishnan of DRDO and C V Sridhar of Amaravati Quantum Valley.

Industry speakers include Honeywell Aerospace India managing director Yaram Vijay Kumar, NXP Semiconductors India managing director Hitesh Garg, IBM Research India director Amith Singhee, Applied Materials India chief technology officer Suraj Rengarajan, Schneider Electric India chief executive Deepak Sharma and Yolynd Lobo of Google Cloud India.

Among the investors are Karthik Reddy of Blume Ventures, Vani Kola of Kalaari Capital, Anjali Bansal of Avaana Capital, Sudhir Rao of Celesta Capital, T C Meenakshisundaram of Chiratae Ventures and Shailesh Lakhani of Peak XV Partners. The founders on the list include Naga Bharath Daka of Skyroot Aerospace, Suyash Singh of GalaxEye and Ramesh Hariharan of Strand Life Sciences.

Why Andhra Pradesh

The summit ties its agenda to the state's Swarna Andhra 2047 plan and the Centre's Viksit Bharat 2047 goal. Its brochure says Andhra Pradesh secured over ₹6.74 lakh crore in proposed investment in 2025–26, nearly a quarter of India's total, and that the state is building a Quantum Valley Park for quantum computing.

"The PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit 2026 is an opportunity to bring together the collective strength of government, industry, academia, entrepreneurs and the global IIT alumni community," PanIIT Alumni India chairman Prabhat Kumar said when the summit was first announced in August.

About PanIIT

PanIIT Alumni India is the umbrella body for the alumni of all 23 IITs, which it says number more than five lakh in India and abroad. It is led by chairman Prabhat Kumar and vice chairman Amitabh Ranjan. The Andhra summit is chaired by Swadeep Pillarisetti, with Rajesh Kumar Dasari as co-chair, and its advisers are V Kamakoti, K N Satyanarayana and former IIT Madras dean Mahesh Panchagnula.

The summit was first announced for Novotel Vijayawada Varun and has since moved to Dr B R Ambedkar Kala Vedika, the venue on the official programme. Delegates register through PanIIT Alumni India.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has established a new Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon, a direct-report agency designed to elevate faith and "spiritual readiness" to the highest level of military leadership.

Hegseth announced the creation of the office during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on 30 September. The new office will bypass traditional bureaucratic layers to report directly to him, giving military chaplains a high-level advocate in the department.

During his speech, Hegseth framed the initiative in explicitly Christian terms. "Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armour of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual," he said, invoking language from the biblical Letter to the Ephesians. He later told military chaplains to "preach truth" and "minister to the flock."

According to a Pentagon memo, the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) will coordinate spiritual resources across the Department of Defence. Its duties will include supporting faith-based homeschooling for military families and driving faith-based initiatives to reduce suicide rates across the armed forces. A director for the office has not yet been named.

While the Pentagon stressed that the new office will not compel religious participation, favour any specific faith, or diminish the rights of non-religious personnel, the move has ignited swift backlash from secular watchdogs and political opponents.

Representative Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, accused Hegseth of acting as a "full-throttle Christian nationalist" and pointed to the US Constitution's First Amendment, which bans government-established religion. Writing on social media, Huffman argued that the Defence Secretary has consistently eroded the separation of church and state.

Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the department is failing in its promise to defend religious freedom. Laser, whose organisation has previously sued the Pentagon over internal worship services, warned that the new office risks giving Christianity a dominant role in shaping military policy.

The Secular Coalition for America also condemned the decision, stating that the office "ignores the numerous nonreligious service members" in the military.

What are Hegseth's other faith reforms?

The new office is the latest in a series of sweeping faith-related changes under Hegseth's tenure. He has hosted Christian worship services inside the Pentagon and frequently described the US as a "Christian nation."

Under his leadership, the military has also reduced its list of officially recognised religious affiliations from more than 200 to just 31. The revised list no longer includes options for atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans, and Wiccans. Hegseth has also ordered military chaplains to stop wearing military ranks on their uniforms, replacing them solely with religious insignia.

While other federal departments have operated faith-based offices since the George W. Bush administration, critics note those offices served different functions. For instance, the State Department's former religion office under the Obama administration was designed to analyse the geopolitical impact of religion in global conflict zones, rather than to promote spiritual well-being among US staff.

During the same address at Quantico, Hegseth also announced the creation of an "Autonomous Warfare Command" to advance AI and robotic capabilities, and confirmed plans to cut the number of military generals and admirals by 20 per cent.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay led a massive roadshow through the Madurantakam constituency on Friday, making a high-profile push for his party ahead of the October 6 byelection.

Campaigning for TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, Vijay spent four and a half hours traversing 40 villages in the reserved constituency, which lies in Chengalpattu district, about 80 kilometres from Chennai.

The byelection was triggered after Kumaravel, who originally won the seat on an AIADMK ticket, resigned from the Assembly on May 25 to join the TVK, just weeks after the state assembly election results were declared.

A four-hour campaign trail

Vijay's cavalcade began at Mamandur on the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road around 2:30 pm. Riding atop a campaign van alongside Kumaravel, the actor-turned-politician waved to crowds that had gathered along the highway since the morning, despite hot and humid weather.

The roadshow wound its way through a long list of villages and landmarks, including Karunguzhi, the Ayyanar Temple Junction, Mocheri, Thandalam, Perumbakkam, Sempoondi, Elapakkam, Kil Athipakka, and the Melmaruvathur Adiparasakthi Temple Junction, before finally ending at Therady Street in Madurantakam. Along the route, Vijay paused to chat with locals and stopped at a roadside shop for a cup of tea.

Supporters threw flower petals at the convoy. At Melavalampettai, local organizers presented Vijay with ceremonial gifts, including a spear, a sceptre, and a bronze statuette of Lord Murugan.

Crowds bring GST Road to a halt

The heavy turnout caused significant disruption. Traffic along the GST Road was congested from the morning, and the situation worsened once the roadshow got underway.

Although police had set up temporary metal barricades along the route, they struggled to hold back the crowds. Supporters repeatedly crossed the barriers to get closer to the convoy, slowing traffic to a crawl. Police officers said it took more than an hour for the congestion to ease after the Chief Minister's vehicle had passed a given point.

Among those waiting along the route was 18-year-old student Mahalakshmi, who had recently applied to join the voter rolls and is ineligible to vote on October 6. "I am here to catch a glimpse of him," she said, adding that she wanted to see his performance before deciding whether to vote for him in the next election.

Another onlooker, Mohammed Moinul, a young tailor from West Bengal who was holding a TVK flag in one hand and his phone in the other, described the atmosphere simply as a "joyful frenzy."

The Congress has named five candidates for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections, setting up a direct electoral clash with its key alliance partner, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), in three seats.

The announcement, approved by Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Thursday evening, 1 October 2026, reveals a significant fracture in the seat-sharing arrangement between the two coalition partners.

Polling is scheduled to take place on 23 October 2026 for eight seats in the Upper House of the Bihar legislature. The terms of the four graduates' seats and four teachers' seats currently up for grabs are due to expire on 16 November 2026.

Where the allies will clash

The conflict between the allies is concentrated in the graduates' constituencies. The Congress has fielded Manoj Kumar Jaiswal for the Kosi Graduates' seat, Rajnikant Pathak for the Darbhanga Graduates' seat, and Asadullah Khan for the Patna Graduates' seat. Since the RJD is already actively contesting all three of these, the stage is set for a series of fights within the alliance.

The situation follows the RJD's announcement last month of its own candidates for six seats. At the time, RJD leaders left the door slightly open, stating that decisions on the remaining seats were still pending. The Congress's decision to announce its own slate suggests that bilateral talks to resolve those pending seats ultimately fell through.

Avoiding total fallout

Despite the friction over the graduates' seats, the two parties have avoided a total fallout by steering clear of each other in the teachers' constituencies.

The Congress has fielded its former state president, Madan Mohan Jha, for re-election from the Darbhanga Teachers' seat, where the RJD has declined to run. Similarly, the Congress's candidate for the Patna Teachers' constituency, Sanjay Yadav, will run without facing an opponent from the RJD.

How the voting works

These legislative council polls are distinct from general elections because they rely on highly restricted electorates.

To vote in the graduates' constituencies, electors must have held a degree from a recognised Indian university for at least three years and be a resident of that specific constituency. For the teachers' seats, voters must have at least three years of experience teaching in secondary schools, colleges, or universities. In both cases, eligible voters must be actively registered on the special electoral rolls compiled specifically for these elections.

What is happening in France?

Nearly 400 French high schools were forced to close on Friday and hundreds more faced severe disruptions as nationwide student protests over classroom conditions escalated into widespread street clashes, arson, and arrests.

The unrest, which has been growing for days, has led to approximately 2,000 arrests across the country, mostly of minors. French authorities report that 305 police officers and 65 school staff members—including 40 headteachers—have been injured in the violence.

An attempted homicide investigation has now been opened in Belfort, in north-eastern France, after a plainclothes police officer was targeted and beaten unconscious near a school. The local prosecutor, Paul-Edouard Lallois, said a 17-year-old student has been arrested and admitted to being part of the group that attacked the officer.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the officer was hospitalised but is no longer in a critical condition. He described the attackers as "rioters", not demonstrators.

Why are students protesting?

The movement began in the Paris region last month but has rapidly spread nationwide. Students are demanding better learning conditions, pointing to overcrowded classrooms—sometimes with up to 40 pupils—unsafe or crumbling buildings, frequent teacher absences, and classrooms that become unbearably hot during summer heatwaves.

"We just want to be listened to by the government," said Sophia, a 17-year-old student blocking the entrance to Lycée Voltaire in Paris. "We’d rather stand here doing this than have to learn in poor conditions."

Another student, 16-year-old Diego, told reporters that it is not normal to have 40 students crammed into a class. "We are angry," he said, adding that his school's pupils had not caused any damage.

While many students are demonstrating peacefully, several high-profile incidents of arson have shocked the country. In Nantes, the Nelson-Mandela high school—a modern, 12-year-old building that cost €64 million to construct—had its glass facade destroyed after fires lit in wheelie bins outside spread to the main building. The school will remain closed until next month.

In Paris, firefighters were called to extinguish blazes at the entrances of the Leonard de Vinci and Gaston-Bachelard high schools. Elsewhere, in Alsace, a high school student was seriously injured after grabbing an explosive pyrotechnic device that had been placed in a bin.

How has the government responded?

The French government has acknowledged some of the students' concerns but condemned what it calls "urban violence". Officials insist that legitimate student protests are being hijacked by external, violent groups known as casseurs (vandals).

"The high school student movement is being held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups," Education Minister Édouard Geffray told French broadcaster BFMTV. He said teachers had reported that "the people in front of me were not my students."

Geffray announced that the government will launch an online consultation platform on Monday to allow students to air their grievances and expectations.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has taken a harder line. He told RTL radio that the protests have crossed the line into a "public order disturbance" and said he wants prosecutors to hold parents civilly liable for the cost of damages caused by their children. "Parents must fulfill their responsibilities," he said.

With France’s presidential election just seven months away, the protests have also taken on a political dimension. The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed party of orchestrating the unrest, a claim the party's leadership has rejected as a "conspiracy theory."

Foreign ministers from across the Americas have agreed to set up a new negotiating group to pressure Nicaragua into restoring civil liberties and holding free elections, warning that President Daniel Ortega's grip on power is threatening regional security.

Meeting in Washington for their first emergency consultation in seven years, representatives from the 32 active member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a consensus resolution on Friday expressing deep concern over the "continuous dismantling of representative democracy" in the Central American nation.

The newly formed group has been given 60 days to seek a "rapid and direct dialogue" with Nicaraguan authorities and report its findings.

"The most important thing is to seek dialogue with those in power, to honour the spirit of cooperation in this region," said OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin.

A regional standoff

Nicaragua, which is governed by the former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, formally left the OAS in November 2023. Earlier this year, Ortega announced that Nicaragua would stop holding elections altogether, and in September, the country’s parliament passed electoral reforms that shut out the political opposition.

Despite Managua’s departure from the regional bloc, the OAS resolution reminded the government that it remains bound by its international human rights commitments. The final text noted that denouncing the OAS charter "does not exempt the State from its international obligations in terms of human rights."

Beyond calling for elections, the resolution demands that Nicaragua release its political prisoners and reveal the whereabouts of victims of forced disappearances.

Diplomatic ties fray further

As the meeting got underway, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau revealed that Managua had just blocked the appointment of Natasha Franceschi, the newly nominated US ambassador to the country.

"Murillo and Ortega have constantly closed the door to productive dialogue," Landau said. "Just yesterday, they rejected our highly qualified ambassador, which demonstrates their lack of diplomacy."

In response to the growing crisis, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Víctor Bisonó announced that his country would immediately withdraw its embassy from Nicaragua "while the conditions we have denounced persist."

Disagreements over foreign influence

The resolution was passed after intense negotiations behind closed doors, exposing divisions within the bloc over how to handle the security implications of Nicaragua's alliances.

Washington had pushed for a strong statement warning against the presence of Russian and Chinese military and technological influence in Central America. The final compromise text expressed concern over "the risk of foreign interference in Nicaragua in security, technology supply, and information exchange."

However, some South American nations resisted casting the political crisis as an external security threat. Brazil and Uruguay entered formal reservations into the footnotes of the declaration.

Benoni Belli, the Brazilian ambassador to the OAS, questioned the US-led security focus. He warned that "peace through force" is a slogan that risks alienating national sovereignty.

But human rights advocates at the meeting argued the crisis has already spilled over Nicaragua's borders. Rosa María Payá, a special rapporteur for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, told the assembly that Nicaraguans are living under a dictatorship, adding: "The situation in Nicaragua is a threat to regional security and not just an internal problem."

Trump vows hard retaliation if Iran linked to flydubai attack

On Thursday, 2 Oct 2026, President Donald Trump said at a White House briefing that Iran would be "hit very hard" should evidence show Tehran’s involvement in the cockpit assault on a flydubai flight bound for Israel. When asked directly whether the United States would retaliate, Trump answered, "Oh, they'll be hit very hard, don't worry." The comment came as the United Arab Emirates opened a formal probe into possible terrorist motives.

What happened on the flight

The flight – dubbed FZ1073 – took off from Dubai and was en route to Tel‑Aviv when the co‑pilot, identified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an Omani national, allegedly stabbed the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, and attempted to crash the aircraft. Passengers rushed the cockpit, wrestled the co‑pilot to the floor and, according to data from Flightradar24, the plane lost roughly 17,000 feet in altitude within a minute before an emergency landing at a Saudi desert airfield. Passengers were later flown to Israel on a replacement service.

US military moves in the region

Trump’s warning coincided with reports from Axios that the United States has recently deployed additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect key energy infrastructure. The outlet also noted that the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier and its strike group are en route to the Middle East, where they could join two other US carrier groups already operating in the area.

Reactions from Israel, the UAE and India

Netanyahu, speaking on Fox & Friends, said the co‑pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and described the incident as an "attempted terrorist attack". He added that Israel would work with the UAE, which is leading the investigation, to determine how an Omani citizen was cleared to fly to Israel despite diplomatic constraints. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Captain Machchhar a "hero", while the Indian ambassador to the UAE confirmed the captain was in "good health and recovering well".

What comes next

The UAE prosecutor said investigators would explore whether there was "terrorist activity or intent". Saudi authorities transferred the co‑pilot to the UAE on Thursday, escorted by an Emirati security team. Flydubai announced it is suspending flights to Israel until the inquiry is complete. Meanwhile, US officials have not detailed any specific response options, leaving the exact nature of any future retaliation unclear.

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The incident has revived concerns over aviation security in a region already tense over Iran‑US relations, and the next few days will likely see diplomatic and military signals from Washington, Tehran and the Gulf states as the investigation unfolds.

On 6 December, Wall Street’s traditional trading day is set to stretch through the night. Nasdaq, NYSE Arca, 24X National Exchange, and Cboe EDGX are planning to launch new overnight sessions running from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. New York time, pushing the US stock market closer to a continuous, 23-hour trading cycle.

Why Wall Street is staying open

The expansion aims to capture a surge in demand from international investors and compete with round-the-clock markets like cryptocurrencies. While overnight trading currently makes up just 1% of total US equity volume, it is growing rapidly. Activity surged 358% over the past year, according to data presented at a Securities and Exchange Commission roundtable.

The liquidity trap

But the overnight market is currently a very different beast to the daytime session. It is thin, highly volatile, and heavily concentrated. In August, just 15 stocks on average—many of them cheap, sub-dollar shares of companies based in China and Hong Kong—accounted for half of all overnight trading volume. During regular hours, that same share of volume is spread across 256 stocks.

This thin volume has institutional investors nervous. While retail traders and specialized platforms have embraced all-night trading, larger fund managers are hanging back.

David Easthope, a senior analyst at Crisil Coalition Greenwich, said buying-side firms are worried about "market quality" during these extended hours, particularly wider bid-ask spreads and poor liquidity, rather than just staffing logistics.

Joseph Saluzzi, partner and co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading, is deeply skeptical about the shift. He pointed out that combined pre- and post-market trading still only accounts for about 10% of total market activity. "Institutional investors have no interest in trading in a low liquidity, wide-spread market which is likely to be very volatile," Saluzzi said. "There’s actually a case, if you wanted to make it, that we have too many hours in the market, not too few."

Setting up the plumbing

Despite the hesitation, the financial plumbing is already being laid. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp, which clears US stock trades, moved to a 24x5 model in June. Securities Information Processors, which process market data, have also secured regulatory approval to extend their hours. Under the new schedule, the only gap in the trading week will be a one-hour maintenance window between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. each evening.

Whether the big players will eventually join is the multi-billion-dollar question. Brian Hyndman, chief executive of Blue Ocean Technologies, said the "usual suspects" will be ready on day one, but notes that investment banks and buy-side firms have been hesitant to get involved.

Jeff O’Connor, head of market structure at Liquidnet, suggests institutional money managers are in a "wait and see" phase. If trading during these late hours manages to establish reliable pricing, the cost of overnight execution should fall, eventually drawing them in.

Appointment details

The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Sudhakar Malli as its new Executive Director, elevating a career central banker with nearly three decades of experience to its senior leadership team.

The appointment became effective on 1 October 2026, the central bank announced in a statement. Prior to his promotion, Malli served as the Chief General Manager-in-Charge of the Department of Supervision within the RBI.

In his new role, Malli will specifically look after the Department of Supervision (Supervisory Assessment). The assignment puts him in charge of the critical systems used to monitor the stability, compliance, and overall health of India's financial institutions.

Decades of supervisory experience

Malli is a career central banker who has spent approximately 30 years within the RBI. The vast majority of his career—spanning more than two and a half decades—has been focused directly on the supervision of financial entities. This includes detailed oversight of commercial banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and co-operative banks.

In addition to his work within India's domestic financial system, Malli has spent around five years gaining regulatory experience in overseas jurisdictions. This international tenure has provided him with firsthand exposure to foreign banking supervisory standards and global regulatory frameworks.

Malli's career at the RBI has not been limited entirely to supervision. He has also worked in the area of currency management, the department responsible for overseeing the integrity, distribution, and logistics of banknotes and coins across the country's extensive banking network.

Engineering and banking credentials

Malli's academic and professional background combines technical training with financial expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering. Alongside his engineering background, he is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB), a professional qualification that denotes deep expertise in financial analysis, banking operations, and risk management.

The official announcement of Malli's promotion was issued in a press release by Brij Raj, Chief General Manager at the Reserve Bank of India.

Why are global bond yields surging?

Government borrowing costs in the US and Europe have leaped to multi-decade highs, led by the US 10-year Treasury yield hitting 5.34% on Thursday. That mark represents its highest level since 2002, capping off a volatile period that saw the yield jump nearly 90 basis points over the third quarter.

Several factors are feeding this global bond rout. Rising oil prices, driven by escalating tensions between the US and Iran, have revived fears that inflation will remain stubborn and force central banks to keep interest rates elevated for longer.

At the same time, governments are flooding the market with new debt. The total US debt has now crossed the $40 trillion mark, while national debt as a share of economic output is hovering at or above 100% across nearly all G7 economies. According to the Institute of International Finance, major nations are now spending more on interest payments than the entire world invests in defence, clean energy, or artificial intelligence.

How artificial intelligence is driving up yields

An unexpected catalyst behind the rising yields is the sheer volume of corporate debt being issued to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Five of the largest tech companies—Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle—have collectively issued $220 billion in debt so far this year to build data centres and develop AI models. Data from LSEG shows this is more than double the total debt they issued last year.

This flood of new corporate bonds has altered the supply-and-demand balance of the credit markets. With so much new debt up for grabs, lenders can demand higher interest rates, which in turn pushes up yields across the board.

The pressure on markets and households

While cash-rich tech giants can absorb these higher rates, the rest of the economy is feeling the strain.

Rising yields are starting to pressure equities outside the insulated AI trade. Higher government bond yields offer investors a safer, guaranteed return, making riskier stocks look far less attractive by comparison.

Consumers are also feeling the squeeze. The interest rate on the most popular US home loan recently jumped past 7% for the first time in over two years, driving up mortgage costs for households.

In Europe, the pain is mirrored in rising sovereign borrowing costs. French 10-year yields have climbed to heights not seen since 2002, while British 30-year borrowing costs touched 6% for the first time since 1998.

What happens next?

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has downplayed the panic, suggesting that concerns over debt and yields overlook the underlying strength of the US economy. The US Treasury has also launched bond buyback programmes to help stabilise borrowing costs, though long-term yields have continued to rise regardless.

Central banks have the power to step in and buy bonds during periods of extreme market stress. However, Bank of France Governor Emmanuel Moulin recently warned that it would be misguided for investors to assume the European Central Bank will automatically step in to rescue French debt from a market-driven sell-off. Investors say longer-term borrowing costs will only fall durably if governments take concrete steps to curb spending or boost growth.

The search for security flaws at machine speed

Kevin Mandia's new cybersecurity startup, Armadin, has raised $255.5 million in a Series B funding round that values the company at more than $2.5 billion. The massive round, announced on Thursday, comes only seven months after the company emerged from stealth.

Silicon Valley giants Andreessen Horowitz and Accel co-led the round. They were joined by a long list of prominent venture capital firms, including Bain Capital Ventures, Redpoint, 8VC, Ballistic Ventures, Google Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Kleiner Perkins, and Menlo Ventures. The fresh cash brings Armadin's total funding to more than $445 million.

Autonomous AI agent swarms

Armadin is targeting a growing anxiety in corporate tech: the speed at which hackers can now exploit software security flaws. Instead of waiting for annual or quarterly penetration tests by human consultants, Armadin deploys what it calls "agentic swarms". These are autonomous AI agents that constantly probe an enterprise's digital defences, finding and chaining together minor vulnerabilities to break in before malicious actors can do the same.

"When attacks move at machine speed, defence must become autonomous," Mandia said in a statement. He argued that AI gives attackers a unique advantage, allowing them to chain weaknesses together faster than any human team can respond. "The only way to build a defence that keeps pace is to train it against the best offence available."

Inside the AI offensive security race

The urgency is backed up by industry data. Google Cloud's recent Mandiant M-Trends report found that more than 28% of newly disclosed vulnerabilities are now exploited within 24 hours. CrowdStrike reported that the average "breakout time" — the window an attacker needs to move laterally through a network after first getting in — has fallen to just 29 minutes.

This shift has triggered a funding race among AI-driven offensive security startups. Armadin is entering a crowded field. Horizon3.ai, which has been offering autonomous penetration testing since 2019, raised a $250 million Series E in August at a valuation exceeding $2 billion. Another rival, XBOW, recently crossed a $1 billion valuation by using AI agents to find web application vulnerabilities, while Pentera has built a substantial business validating security controls.

But Armadin's investors are betting that Mandia's reputation and his team's mix of red-team hackers and AI engineers will give them the edge. David George, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, said the firm invested because they believe Armadin "will become the defining security company of the AI era."

Apple is changing how Mac software gets permission to access everything on a hard drive, warning that the rise of powerful, autonomous AI agents has dramatically increased the risk of data theft.

In an update posted to its developer site, the company said it will introduce new controls to ensure that macOS users can only grant "Full Disk Access" through "very explicit user action." The setting, which was originally designed to let backup software run smoothly, bypasses Apple's standard privacy protections.

Why is Apple changing macOS Full Disk Access?

Apple warned that some developers are now using the permission in ways that put users at risk, exposing emails, messages, browsing histories and files.

"As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially," the company wrote. Apple added that when these apps handle communications, the exposure can also compromise the privacy of the people the user is talking to.

Currently, macOS users can grant Full Disk Access by navigating through System Settings to the Privacy & Security menu, then manually adding and enabling an app. Once granted, the permission allows an application to bypass normal boundaries, reading everything from local chat histories to Time Machine backups.

How does the Meta Muse controversy tie in?

The policy change comes shortly after a controversy involving Meta's Muse app. Jason Aten, a columnist for Inc., reported that the AI chatbot was able to read his private messages on macOS even though he did not recall giving it permission.

Meta disputed the claim. A spokesperson for the company said that the software can only read messages if a user explicitly chooses to opt in, which requires enabling both Full Disk Access and a specific Messages connector.

However, the incident highlighted how easily users can grant sweeping access to desktop-based AI tools without fully realising the consequences. Security concerns around desktop AI have been mounting elsewhere, too; a vulnerability discovered in OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac recently showed how hackers could potentially exploit the tool to access sensitive user files.

What happens next for Mac users?

Apple has not yet specified when these tighter controls will roll out, or which version of macOS will be the first to include them.

For businesses managing fleets of Macs, the company's platform deployment guide notes that organisations can still manage these settings through device management payloads, which will apply the most restrictive settings when multiple policies conflict. For everyday users, however, the era of clicking through permissions without thinking is about to get a lot harder.

OpenAI has launched Dots, an enterprise-focused AI agent platform designed to perform software tasks alongside users on virtual machines. Unlike consumer-facing rivals, the system is positioned as a digital co-worker for professional environments, complete with anthropomorphic avatars and direct access to computer operating systems.

The company is targeting high-end users first, rolling out Dots to its top-tier accounts, including its $100-per-month Pro subscription. This stands in contrast to competitors like Meta’s Muse and the independent startup Instinct, both of which are currently free.

What is OpenAI Dots?

Dots operates as a customisable virtual assistant. Users can name their agent—such as "Dotty McDotface," as one tester did—and interact with it through a split-screen browser interface, voice calls, or OpenAI's desktop ChatGPT app.

The agent runs on a cloud-based virtual machine, meaning it has its own operating system capable of running software like GIMP and Blender. When linked to a user's computer, the agent can be granted permissions to click, type, and modify files directly on the host machine.

Stumbling on the everyday web

While OpenAI claims the agent can do "nearly anything," hands-on testing by The Verge revealed significant hurdles when Dot was assigned everyday consumer tasks.

When asked to book an internet installation appointment, the agent found a promo code in the user's deleted emails but got stuck at a security check that required a sustained click-and-hold action. The agent had to ask the human user to take over the browser to complete the verification. It also lacked a native payment integration, forcing the user to manually enter bank details.

In other tests, the agent failed to log into an Ikea account due to security loops and was blocked entirely by a local restaurant's ordering website. It also overlooked a free trial offer at a co-working space, suggesting a paid pass instead—a detail that rival agent Instinct managed to find and book within minutes.

Success with complex digital tasks

The platform proved far more capable when handling creative and development work within a controlled environment.

When tasked with updating a personal website, the agent drafted a redesign based on a ten-minute voice conversation with the user. After being granted direct access to the user's computer, Dot successfully navigated the website’s backend, recreating the prototype page block-by-block.

It also successfully compiled multiple video files scattered across a desktop, editing them into a single, correctly proportioned clip for social media, and sent progress updates to the user's mobile phone while the task was underway.

Ultimately, Dots behaves less like a personal shopping concierge and more like an early-stage digital assistant for office administration. While it remains too expensive and unreliable for simple web errands, its ability to navigate local software suggests a clear direction for the future of workplace automation.

SpaceX Dragon docks with space station

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts has docked with the International Space Station, completing a swift eight-hour journey from its launchpad in Florida.

The capsule, flying NASA's Crew-13 mission, arrived at the orbiting laboratory at 7:05 pm on Thursday, locking onto the station autonomously. It had lifted off earlier that morning at 11:10 am aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

On board are NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.

Who is on the Crew-13 mission?

The international crew represents three separate space agencies:

• Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney representing NASA.
• Joshua Kutryk representing the Canadian Space Agency.
• Sergey Teteryatnikov representing the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

This mission is the 13th routine crew rotation SpaceX has flown to the space station under NASA's commercial crew program. For the next several months, the crew will live and work in orbit, conducting scientific research and testing new technologies.

What happens next for the crew?

According to NASA, the team's work will focus on scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. These studies are designed to support future human exploration of the Moon and Mars, as well as research that could offer medical and technological benefits for people on Earth.

This quick transit meant the crew spent relatively little time inside the capsule before entering the much larger living quarters of the station, where they will begin their long-duration mission.

Fifteen rare northern bald ibis have successfully completed a guided migration across Europe, arriving in northern Spain with the help of human pilots flying ultralight aircraft.

The birds landed in Alt Empordà, Catalonia, to join an established flock. It is the latest step in a continent-wide effort to restore a species that has been extinct in wild Europe for 300 years. By the end of the 20th century, the world's last major wild population of northern bald ibis, located in Morocco, had plummeted from 9,000 to just 250. This crisis sparked captive breeding and reintroduction programmes, first in Austria and Jerez, Andalucía, and now in Catalonia.

Restoring the flock in Catalonia

The Spanish leg of the project is based at Torre d'en Mornau, a former military stable in the Aiguamolls wetlands. Bernat Garrigós, the biologist who runs the Alt Empordà project, said the team began its work in 2024. By the following year, they had established a first-generation flock of nearly 60 birds, which were released into the wild in March 2026.

Because they have lived in protected environments, the birds have no natural fear of humans and are remarkably social. "They are such intelligent birds," Garrigós said. "They like to check everything that comes into the project with their beaks; your socks, the food, everything."

The birds do not begin breeding until they are at least three or four years old. Garrigós hopes to see the project's first breeding pair within the next year or two. To encourage them, conservation staff and volunteers plan to partially build nests on custom towers around the stables, effectively showing the young birds how to build their homes.

Flying with foster parents

Teaching captive-born birds how to migrate requires human intervention. The Alt Empordà project works closely with conservationists in Austria and Jerez. To guide the birds along the long migration routes, human "foster parents" from the Austria-based Waldrapp team fly alongside the flock in ultralight aircraft.

The Waldrapp team has spent 20 years perfecting this technique, and their experience has helped the Catalan team avoid early mistakes, keeping mortality rates low.

Over the next decade, Garrigós aims to establish a self-sustaining wild population of at least 50 breeding pairs and 300 individuals in the Alt Empordà region. Positioned roughly halfway between Austria and Andalucía, the county is an ideal stopover. Connecting these different European colonies is critical to ensuring the birds migrate, interbreed, and build a healthy, diverse gene pool.

The project is already changing local infrastructure. After representatives from the Spanish utility giant Endesa visited the site, the company began retrofitting its nearby electricity pylons to make them more visible and safer for the birds.

For Garrigós, the initiative is a blueprint for active conservation. "It’s not enough to stop destroying our environment," he said. "We need to make a positive, active effort to prevent extinctions and the destruction of habitats."

The NFL has suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six games and fined him $500,000 following his arrest in an undercover prostitution sting in Ohio.

The league announced on Friday that the punishment was handed down for violating its personal conduct policy. York has not attended any of the 49ers' games this season, and the NFL is counting those three absences as time served. He is eligible to return to the team on 20 October, the day after San Francisco plays the Washington Commanders.

York's arrest took place on 23 August at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community in East Palestine, Ohio. According to Columbiana County court records, York used a pseudonym to respond to an undercover online advertisement and arranged to meet a woman he believed was a prostitute.

The sting was conducted by the East Palestine Police Department and the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Officers arrested York after he agreed to pay for sex, with court records differing slightly on whether the agreed fee was $140 or $160.

The charges and plea

Authorities initially charged York with misdemeanour counts of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Under a plea agreement on 24 August, prosecutors amended the prostitution charge to disorderly conduct.

York pleaded no contest to both disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, the latter for using his mobile phone to arrange the meeting. He was sentenced to a concurrent one-day jail term, which was credited as served from his time in custody following his arrest.

He was also ordered to pay $1,150 in court fines, and the cash he brought to the meeting was confiscated and handed over to the human trafficking task force. York has since completed an online diversion course.

York's response and team impact

Following the NFL's announcement, York released an apology through the team.

"To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry," York said. "This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility. What I did does not reflect my values or the man I strive to be for my family."

He added that while he had fallen short of the example he wanted to set for his sons, he hoped to show them "the importance of owning up to one's failures".

Because the suspension is being handled under the league's personal conduct policy rather than as a football operations issue, day-to-day decisions will continue to be run by the team's front office and coaching staff.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the ruling at least brings some certainty to the team's routine. "Now we know how it's going to be," Shanahan said. "It's already been three weeks like that, just working that way and we got three more weeks of it."

York has served as the 49ers' chief executive since 2008 and became the franchise's majority owner in 2024. Through 49ers Enterprises, he also holds minority stakes in English football club Leeds United and Scottish club Rangers. In May, he filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle.

An Indian hockey official has been sent home from the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, following multiple complaints of sexual misconduct.

Gurinder Singh Sangha, an international umpire and technical official from Jalandhar, was serving as the umpire manager for the tournament. He left Japan and returned to India before the hockey competition concluded, after complaints were raised by a female official and a member of hotel staff.

A Hockey India official confirmed that Sangha was sent back. "Yes, Sangha has been sent back home after a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him by a female official from Malaysia," the official said, adding that he had departed Nagoya.

The allegations in Japan

The complaints involve separate incidents during his stay in Nagoya.

The first involves a female hockey official from Malaysia. Sources familiar with the matter said Sangha allegedly used the pretext of mentoring and teaching her to hug her on multiple occasions and kiss her. The official subsequently reported the behaviour to the Malaysian umpire manager.

Separately, sources alleged that Sangha behaved inappropriately with a member of staff at his hotel, which included showing her obscene videos in his room.

The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), which is responsible for appointing umpires and technical officials at the Asian Games, has refused to comment on the matter.

Prior complaints and investigations

This is not the first time Sangha has faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

In January 2025, during the Hockey India League in Ranchi, a female umpire, Yogita Pasi, lodged a formal complaint against him while he was serving as the umpires' manager. Pasi alleged that Sangha's conduct during an interaction at the team hotel was "unwanted and inappropriate" and left her feeling uncomfortable.

At the time, Hockey India set up a three-member committee alongside its internal complaints committee to investigate. However, a Hockey India official said the inquiry did not find "substantial evidence" against him.

What happens next

Because the Asian Games officials are appointed directly by the AHF, rather than national bodies, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Hockey India have distanced themselves from the immediate decision to send him home.

However, Hockey India has stated it will review the situation once the tournament concludes.

"We will take strict action against him if the AHF gives an adverse report," the Hockey India official said. "There is no question about it. He will not be spared if he is guilty."

The incident comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over the treatment of women within Indian hockey. Earlier this year, Hockey India removed a support staff member from the national women's team camp following harassment allegations. The federation also faced similar complaints in 2025 involving a junior women's team coach.

Tiruchi R. Thayumanavan, the veteran Carnatic percussionist who mastered the mridangam, kanjira, and the rare art of vocal percussion known as konakkol, has died at the age of 95.

The esteemed vidwan passed away on Friday, 2 October 2026, following a brief illness. According to his family, his health had been declining since the beginning of the year, leading to a recent hospital admission. His final rites are scheduled to be held on Saturday.

Born on 11 September 1931 in Kottaiyur, Kumbakonam, Thayumanavan grew up in a household steeped in classical music. His father, S. Raju, was an accomplished violinist, and his mother was Thaiyyalnayagi. While his three brothers — R. Govindaswamy, R. Thangavelu, and R. Balasundaram — all chose melody, training as singers or violinists, Thayumanavan was captivated by rhythm, or layam, from a young age. He insisted on learning the mridangam, charting a different musical course for himself.

He began his training under Narayanaswamy Iyer and Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer, but his career was truly defined when he came under the tutelage of Pudukottai M. V. Dakshinamoorthy Achariyar in 1945. Under his guidance, Thayumanavan’s skills flourished. The connection between teacher and student grew so deep that in 1953, Dakshinamoorthy Achariyar gave his second daughter, Kanagambujam, in marriage to his star pupil.

Thayumanavan went on to accompany some of the most celebrated voices of Carnatic music's golden era. He played alongside stalwarts such as Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chittoor Subramanya Pillai, and the Alathur Brothers. His versatility also brought him into the worlds of theatre and early Tamil cinema, accompanying legendary figures like M. K. Thyagaraja Baghavathar and K. B. Sundarambal.

While he was a formidable mridangam and kanjira player, it was his dedication to konakkol that set him apart in his later years. Konakkol, the art of reciting percussion syllables vocally, is a demanding discipline that requires immense breath control and mathematical precision. In 1994, the Tamil Nadu government awarded him the Kalaimamani title in recognition of his mastery of the form.

Throughout his life, Thayumanavan remained deeply devoted to the memory of his guru. In 1987, he published a biography titled The Life History of Dhakshinamoorthy Pillai, and he later constructed a memorial temple in Pudukkottai to honour the man who had shaped both his life and his art.

A 17-year-old senior at Franklin High School in Los Angeles died on Wednesday after falling from a fourth-floor building on campus, moments after being assaulted in a classroom.

Family members identified the student as Xavier Nungaray. Flowers, candles and written messages quickly accumulated outside the Highland Park school as grief and anger spread through the neighbourhood.

Circumstances surrounding the death have drawn intense scrutiny following the circulation of phone footage recorded on campus shortly before the fall. The Los Angeles Police Department said officers found no evidence of foul play in the immediate mechanism of his death, but acknowledged detectives are reviewing videos that show Xavier being targeted inside a classroom.

The footage captured two students engaged in a heated verbal exchange while an adult, identified as a teacher, tried to step between them and calm the situation. The confrontation escalated, with Xavier being struck in the face. Further video showed him fleeing the room, running down an adjacent corridor, and vaulting over the fourth-floor railing.

Family alleges persistent bullying

Xavier's stepmother said he had endured bullying throughout his years at the school and had long been reluctant to report what was happening to staff. Relatives described him as gentle and reserved, struggling silently with the intimidation he faced from peers.

Parents whose children attended the school arrived at the campus gates on Thursday morning, visibly shaken. Some opted to keep their children home as classes resumed.

"You think that being at school, they're safe," said Eleo Rolon, a parent whose daughter was friends with Xavier. She described him as a quiet, kind teenager who did not cause trouble.

Support services and vigils

The Los Angeles Unified School District deployed crisis counsellors to the campus on Thursday to support classmates, teachers and staff affected by the death. While administrators urged calm, students organised an evening vigil outside the building to remember Xavier and demand greater accountability over harassment.

Questions remain over how the dispute started, whether staff had prior warnings about friction between the boys, and how long the confrontation went on before it turned violent. Police have not announced any formal charges or disciplinary actions against the student seen throwing the punch.

Investigators are continuing to review footage and interview witnesses who saw both the classroom dispute and the moments that followed.

What happened

The man accused of murdering former minister Ann Widdecombe has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism targeting the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage.

Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday with one count of preparing terrorist acts. According to counter-terrorism police, the charge relates to planning that took place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year.

Kerry was already in custody facing a murder charge after 78-year-old Widdecombe, a prominent spokeswoman for Reform UK and former Conservative minister, was found dead on 9 July at her home in Haytor, Devon. A court previously heard she had been struck over the head with a hammer 21 times.

The political reaction

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the new charge raised serious questions about the safety of politicians.

"I know the new charges made today will be extremely concerning," Mahmood wrote on X, offering her sympathies to Farage and his family. "Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all. This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life."

A Reform UK source said the charge justified Farage's controversial decision to accept £5 million for his personal security from a billionaire donor. The funding is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog, but the party source said: "This is exactly why Nigel needed £5m to protect his security for life."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the head of counter-terrorism policing, described the charge as the result of a "hugely intensive and complex" investigation involving detectives, analysts, and forensic experts.

What happens next

The Jo Cox Foundation, established after the murder of the Labour MP in 2016, urged stronger measures to counter political intimidation. Its chief executive, Olivia Field, said violence and abuse "threaten our democracy and have no place in public life."

The charge comes after counter-terrorism officers recently reopened an investigation into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage's home in south London, which police had initially dismissed as an attempted burglary.

Kerry is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Newly unsealed police bodycam footage has revealed the moment officers confronted and arrested murder suspect Luigi Mangione inside a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The video, released by law enforcement, shows the tense interaction inside the fast-food restaurant where Mangione attempted to evade capture by lying to officers about his name.

The footage captures the sudden end to a major search, showing officers realising they had found their man.

The confrontation inside McDonald's

In the video, officers can be seen approaching Mangione as he sat in the restaurant. When questioned about his identity, Mangione gave a false name to the officers in an attempt to mislead them.

However, the police quickly grew suspicious. In the recording, officers can be heard confirming his identity amongst themselves as they realised they had found the suspect.

"That's 100% him," one officer says in the footage. Another officer is heard saying, "It's him, dude," as they moved to secure the arrest.

Despite his attempts to lie about his name, Mangione was quickly handcuffed and taken into custody by the officers without further incident.

Search for evidence

The unsealed footage also shows officers conducting a search for evidence in connection with the arrest at the scene.

The release of the bodycam video provides the first detailed public look at how local police in Altoona managed to identify and detain Mangione, who was wanted on murder charges.

The footage had remained sealed until its recent release to the public, offering the first complete view of the arrest that ended the search.

What the Supreme Court ordered

The Supreme Court has directed states and Union Territories to impound vehicles, halt registration and pollution certificate renewals, and block sales for any vehicle with outstanding traffic fines.

Frustrated by billions of rupees in unpaid e-challans, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan said simply issuing electronic tickets does not work if there is no ground-level enforcement. About 47 percent of all e-challans generated across India currently remain unpaid.

To force compliance, the court directed authorities to freeze online services for defaulting vehicles. This includes blocking the renewal of registration certificates (RCs), refusing duplicate RCs, and denying address update requests.

Blocking sales and pollution certificates

Vehicles with outstanding fines must also be blacklisted on the central Parivahan portal, preventing owners from selling them or transferring ownership.

Additionally, the court ordered that no testing centre be permitted to issue a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, and authorities must withhold fitness certificates until all outstanding traffic fines are entirely cleared. For repeat offenders, the consequences are even more severe. Committing five or more offences in a single year constitutes a public nuisance, and the court has directed that driving licences for these motorists be suspended or blocked from renewal.

Over Rs 23,000 crore in unpaid fines

The scale of the problem is vast. The court was informed that states and Union Territories have to recover approximately Rs 49,194 crore in outstanding e-challans, while only about Rs 26,175 crore has been recovered so far.

The order was delivered in the long-running S. Rajasekaran vs Union of India road-safety case, which has been monitored by the court for 14 years. The bench warned that if these rules remain on paper and are not actively implemented, it will take stern action against the responsible officials.

Automated electronic enforcement

States and Union Territories must now implement a standard operating procedure for electronic enforcement, which was prepared by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in October 2025. This framework relies on automated systems, such as speed cameras, CCTV, and speed guns, to monitor traffic.

The system must use AI to detect 12 categories of violations under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules and must integrate various national databases, including VAHAN-4 and SARATHI, into a unified National Road Safety System. A public dashboard, updated monthly, will track the number of active enforcement devices and the violations recorded in each state.

Other safety directives

The bench also turned its attention to pedestrian safety and overloaded trucks. It ordered that any overloaded transport vehicle must be stopped and blocked from proceeding until the excess load is physically removed.

In Delhi, the court questioned the slow progress of pedestrian safety measures on Mathura Road near the High Court and warned the Delhi Chief Secretary to file a compliance report or face being summoned to court in person. In Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was ordered to submit a progress report on its geospatial mapping of footpaths under its Universal Footpath Policy.

What happened

On 30 September 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport with 174 people aboard. About two and a half hours into the flight, an Omani‑national co‑pilot allegedly lunged at captain Smit Machchhar, a 38‑year‑old Indian pilot with roughly 9,750 flight hours, and stabbed him in the chest. The captain, despite his injuries, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a passenger and a crew member to intervene and restrain the attacker. The aircraft plunged from roughly 33,000 ft to 17,000 ft in under a minute before the crew regained control and diverted to Tabuk Airport in north‑western Saudi Arabia, landing at 06:58 local time.

Extradition to the UAE

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced on 1 October that, after receiving medical clearance, both pilots were escorted out of the kingdom by an Emirati security team and flown to Abu Dhabi. The ministry said the handover was part of a joint investigation with the United Arab Emirates, which has jurisdiction because the aircraft is UAE‑registered. A Saudi statement confirmed the co‑pilot is now in the custody of UAE authorities, though details of the legal process remain undisclosed.

International reactions

• United States: President Donald Trump told reporters the White House was “working on it” after being asked about a possible link between the attacker and Iran. He added, “They’ll be hit very hard,” suggesting a retaliatory stance if Tehran were involved.
• Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked passengers for their bravery and said the incident confirmed the seriousness of threats ahead of Israel’s 27 October election. He reiterated that Israeli intelligence is cooperating with Saudi and Emirati officials.
• India: The Indian embassy in Riyadh confirmed Captain Machchhar’s condition was stable and praised his actions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the pilot a “hero” on social media.
• UAE: Emirates officials said a specialised investigation team has been deployed to examine any terrorist connections and to determine whether the incident falls under UAE criminal law.

Investigation and unanswered questions

Saudi authorities have opened a probe into the motive, looking at scenarios ranging from personal grievance to extremist indoctrination. A regional official told AP that “nothing is ruled out for now.” Israeli security services are also conducting their own inquiry, but no official statement has linked the attacker to a specific group. While President Trump hinted at Iranian involvement, neither the US nor Saudi ministries have provided evidence to substantiate that claim.

The incident has revived debates over cockpit security, especially after the 9/11 reforms that mandated locked doors. Analysts note that the rapid descent and the subsequent hijack code (7500) underscore the need for continuous monitoring of crew behaviour.

What comes next?

The UAE is expected to file a formal extradition request with Saudi Arabia for the suspect, while the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization may review the case to assess whether existing safety protocols need tightening. For now, the co‑pilot remains in Emirati custody, and the focus is on determining whether the attack was an isolated act or part of a broader hostile campaign.

Eritrea has severed diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, marking a dramatic collapse in relations as heavy fighting rages in northern Ethiopia and explosions rock the capital, Addis Ababa.

The diplomatic rupture on Thursday followed Ethiopia's decision to close its embassy in Asmara and expel 10 Eritrean diplomats, whom it accused of activities threatening national security. Hours before the diplomatic split, powerful explosions shook Addis Ababa, targeting the military's headquarters just a day after the government banned all drone flights over the capital.

What happened in Addis Ababa?

Residents and diplomatic sources reported hearing powerful blasts between midnight and 1:00 am local time on Thursday. One explosion struck the Ethiopian National Defence Force headquarters in the western Tor Hayloch area, while another was heard near a security services base in the southern Gotera neighbourhood.

While the government has not officially commented on the cause or casualties, a source linked to northern rebel forces told the Reuters news agency they had carried out drone strikes.

The blasts came immediately after Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service imposed an indefinite ban on all drone flights over Addis Ababa. The conflict monitor ACLED had reported that anti-government forces used drones earlier in the week to target airports in the Oromia and Amhara regions.

Why are Ethiopia and Eritrea falling out?

Relations between the two countries, which fought together against Tigrayan forces during the 2020–2022 civil war, have broken down completely. The friction is driven by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s public ambitions to secure direct access to a Red Sea port, such as Assab in Eritrea, which Ethiopia lost access to when Eritrea seceded in 1993. Abiy has previously hinted that Ethiopia could take a port by force.

The diplomatic breakdown happened as Abiy accuses Eritrea of backing a newly formed alliance of seven armed rebel groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara Fano militia.

Eritrea’s Information Minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, denied the allegations, accusing Abiy’s ruling Prosperity Party of trying to find "external scapegoats" for the internal conflicts fracturing Ethiopia.

Renewed civil war fears in Tigray

The violence in the north, which flared up on September 23, threatens to pull Ethiopia back into a full-scale civil war. The previous two-year conflict ended in 2022 after costing an estimated 600,000 lives.

Heavy fighting is now reported across Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders said it has treated more than 720 wounded people at hospitals in Korem, Alamata, and Shire, while humanitarian groups estimate tens of thousands of people have fled the Afar region.

Gujarat captives freed

Affected by separate domestic security concerns, three Indian nationals from Gujarat who were being held captive in Ethiopia have been released.

Rutvik Jansari, Mamta Chavda, and Mayuri, all from Mehsana and Gandhinagar, had travelled to Ethiopia as part of an illegal migration route to the United States. They were abducted by captors who demanded a ransom of 1 crore rupees, having already taken 60 lakh rupees from their families.

Gujarat police confirmed they negotiated the trio's release by convincing the captors that the families had no more money to give. No further ransom was paid, and the three arrived safely at Mumbai airport on Thursday.

Patrick McCabe, a 16-year-old student with cerebral palsy, has successfully passed seven GCSEs using eye-tracking technology. But his gruelling four-month exam schedule has exposed the steep challenges facing disabled pupils in mainstream British schools.

To complete his assessments at Fallibroome Academy in Macclesfield, Cheshire, Patrick had to sit exams almost every morning from 2 February until 5 June. While his classmates spent the spring term revising, Patrick was already being tested. A single 30-mark question, which other students might answer in minutes, took him up to six hours using his augmentative and alternative communication device.

"Revising for my GCSEs was very exhausting because it took extra time and effort to revise in the first place," Patrick said. He explained that using the eye-tracking system, known as Eyegaze, required immense physical and mental stamina. "I felt I had to work harder to express what I know, even when I understand the subject. This was tiring, both physically and mentally."

Patrick's achievement has allowed him to move into sixth form at his local school, where he is now studying A-levels in French, business, and media studies. But his experience shows how far the current system remains from offering a level playing field. Fallibroome's headteacher, Ross Martland, and Patrick's mother, Jo, spent months lobbying exam boards simply to make the assessments viable.

"All we wanted was for Patrick to have the opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge and be given something resembling a level playing field compared to other students," Martland said. While the headteacher supports the government's goal of educating special needs pupils in mainstream schools, he warned that without proper funding, the policy will place immense pressure on school budgets.

During his exams, Patrick was supported by CandLE, a national organisation that helps pupils use communication technology. Yet outside the exam hall, technology cannot solve every barrier. Patrick noted that classmates are not always familiar with the eye-tracking tools, which can make building friendships difficult. "People are not always willing or able to give it a chance," he said.

Despite the gruelling process, Patrick is looking ahead. After A-levels, he wants to study media at university, with his sights set on Bournemouth University, some 200 miles from home. For now, he believes the assessment system itself must change. Students who rely on eye-tracking technology, he argued, need to be assessed in a way that does not build extra barriers into the process.

Two people have died after becoming trapped in a collapsed trench during a workplace incident in Crossnacreevy, County Down.

The incident occurred on Friday morning, 2 October 2026, on the Ballygowan Road. Emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 10:45 am, launching a major rescue operation that ultimately could not save the two workers.

Emergency services response

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service dispatched a significant response to the site, including three emergency ambulances, two hazardous area response teams, and an air ambulance. The Police Service of Northern Ireland and the fire service were also in attendance.

Despite the arrival of specialist rescue teams, medical crews were unable to save those trapped. The ambulance service later confirmed that no patients were transported from the scene.

The Ballygowan Road was closed to traffic on Friday as emergency teams worked at the site, with police advising motorists to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.

Safety investigation underway

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) arrived at the scene on Friday afternoon to begin investigating the circumstances of the collapse.

In a statement, the safety watchdog confirmed its team was on-site making inquiries. "HSENI is aware of an incident at a workplace in the Crossnacreevy area and inspectors are on site making inquiries into the circumstances," the regulator said. "We are currently liaising with the emergency services and other relevant agencies."

The exact nature of the work being carried out in the trench has not yet been confirmed by officials.

Community reaction

The deaths have caused deep shock in the local area. Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, expressed his condolences shortly after the fatalities were confirmed.

"Sadly, it has been confirmed that two people have lost their lives following an incident at Crossnacreevy," Robinson said. "My thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this devastating time and with the emergency services responding."

Kathryn Owen, an Ulster Unionist representative, described the deaths as a "tragic incident" that would deeply affect the local community.

"I know this will have caused enormous shock and sadness, both locally and across the wider area," Owen said. She also praised the professionalism of the emergency services and specialist rescue teams who responded to what she described as an "incredibly difficult situation."

Alliance Party MLA Peter McReynolds also expressed his shock at the scale of the incident and urged the public to give the emergency teams space to complete their work.

The son of former Chelsea midfielder Eddie Newton died from severe heat exhaustion during a desert hike in the United Arab Emirates after ignoring his wife’s warnings not to go, an inquest has heard.

Cassius Newton, 34, and his friend Aran Martinson died on 18 July in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region, northeast of Dubai. Area coroner Michelle Brown ruled their deaths were the result of misadventure, describing the tragedy at Essex Coroner's Court as "an intentional trip with unintended consequences."

The court heard that the two men, who had both recently relocated to the luxury resort of Ras Al Khaimah for work, set off at around 07:00 local time.

Hours earlier, at about 02:00, Newton had called his wife to tell her about the planned hike. She begged him not to go. She knew temperatures in the canyon could reach 40C and feel significantly hotter because of the enclosed rock walls. She was also worried because he had been out the night before, had slept very little, and was unlikely to have a fully charged phone.

Her fears proved tragically accurate. The route they chose was a designated circular trail requiring no specialist equipment, normally taking about four hours. But under the intense morning sun, conditions rapidly turned fatal.

As the hours passed without contact, both men's wives grew increasingly worried and alerted local emergency services.

Text messages read aloud during the inquest captured the growing panic. At 09:26, Martinson's wife sent a message reading: "You must be cooking." Five hours later, still waiting for a response, she wrote: "[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear."

Search and rescue teams eventually found the two men between three and four kilometres from where they had parked their car. They were lying on their backs surrounded by large boulders, their bodies spaced about 350 metres apart.

Although they were rushed to a hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, they were pronounced dead later that day. Coroner Brown confirmed that both men suffered catastrophic increases in body temperature, which caused their organs to fail.

While a previous hearing suggested temperatures in the desert had reached 50C, Brown noted that the air temperature at the time of the hike was 40C, though the canyon terrain would have amplified the heat.

Newton, originally from Poole, and Martinson, a father of three from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, had met through their employment at a global firm. Following the tragedy, Eddie Newton, who played for Chelsea in the 1990s and later served as the club's assistant manager, travelled to the UAE to identify his son's body.

In a statement, Chelsea Football Club said it was "devastated" to learn of the death of Cassius, who had previously spent time in the club's youth academy. Martinson’s wife paid tribute to her husband online, calling him "incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious."

Hurricane Rachel intensifies in the Pacific

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) listed Hurricane Rachel as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph in its latest advisory, positioning the centre about 245 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. A separate NHC bulletin quoted by NBC News put the wind speed at 90 mph and the distance at 200 miles west‑southwest of the same point. Both agencies agree the cyclone is expected to strengthen further and could reach major‑hurricane status (Category 3 or higher) within the next 48 hours.

Moisture from Rachel meets Polo’s remnants

While Rachel churns offshore, the jet stream is pulling its moisture eastward. The same upper‑level flow has already carried the remnants of Hurricane Polo – a former Category 5 storm that made landfall on Baja California as a Category 2 – into the Southwest United States. Polo’s remnants are only the 10th post‑mountain tropical system to affect the U.S. since 1950, according to the NHC.

Flooding spreads across the central U.S.

Rainfall totals on Wednesday ranged from 2 inches in Colorado and Iowa to 3.5 inches in Amarillo, Texas, where streets flooded and a tornado touched down. New Mexico saw standing water overtopping a minor dam, prompting National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Lundeen to warn of “a lot of standing water in the fields and near some homes.”

The deluge is threatening the state’s prized chili harvest. Preston Mitchell, board member of the Hatch Chile Association, warned that “everything’s toast” for growers whose fields are flooded. Acting Governor Howie Morales declared a state of emergency, unlocking $3.75 million for temporary housing, healthcare, food and transportation for displaced residents.

Mexican coastal states brace for rain

Mexico’s Pacific states – Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco – are under watch for isolated rainfall of up to 12 inches and heightened surf. Schools were closed in 30 municipalities of Jalisco as a precaution, though the Mexican government has lifted all coastal watches for Rachel itself.

A broader El Niño‑driven surge

Both the NHC and the National Weather Service note that a strong El Niño is warming Pacific waters, fuelling the season’s unprecedented activity. A new tropical depression, designated Nineteen‑E, formed behind Rachel but is expected to dissipate by Friday.

What’s next?

Forecast models keep Rachel moving northwest at about 7 mph, turning west‑northwest later in the week and staying clear of the Mexican mainland. The moisture plume is expected to linger over the central United States through Thursday, keeping flood warnings in place.

Residents in the affected regions are urged to stay tuned to local alerts, avoid low‑lying areas and heed any evacuation orders as the week‑long rain threat unfolds.