The India Decade e-paper, Sunday, 4 October 2026

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu used his keynote at the PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit in Vijayawada on Saturday for one of his most direct tributes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and for a confident forecast for India.

"Right time, the right place, the right man. That is Narendra Modi. Country is blessed, according to me. This is the biggest advantage as of now."

India has become the fourth-largest economy, he said. "I am 100% confident by 2047 India will be the number one economy. Nobody can stop it."

'They used to treat Indians as incapable'

Naidu said he was the only politician who had gone to the World Economic Forum in Davos year after year for a decade, marketing the state, and he remembered how India was seen. "There were days they used to treat Indians, we are all incapable," he said, recalling talk of the "Hindu rate of growth" of about 2%. China began reforms in 1978 and India in 1991, he said, and within 20 years China's economy had grown to four and a half to five times India's. The 1991 reforms, he said, "brought mind change. Yes, I can do it. That is the confidence Indians got."

'They used to heckle me, 420'

His own push for information technology in the 1990s was mocked, he said, and so was his long-term plan. "Even sometimes I spoke about Vision 2020, they used to heckle me, 420. I faced all these insults, but I had a conviction." Today, he said, "you go to any country, Indians are there."

'Today people are calling me Water Man'

With power, road and digital grids built, he said, India's missing link is a water grid. Godavari should be linked to Kaveri at once, and then Ganga to Kaveri, to end disputes over water between states. "People call me CEO, IT man. Today people are calling me Water Man. I am very happy, proud of it. If I can achieve in my lifetime Ganga–Kaveri link, before that Godavari–Kaveri link, South India will benefit."

'Not to produce billionaires alone'

Growth must reach everyone, he said. "Our efforts are not to produce billionaires and trillionaires alone. Wealth creation is imminent, but at the same time every citizen should have better living standards."

He listed what Andhra Pradesh is building with the Centre's help: a fifth-generation fighter jet to be assembled at Puttaparthi, on a defence and aerospace corridor running to Bengaluru through Hindupur, and electronics and semiconductor hubs around Tirupati. Puttaparthi is the site of the Defence Research and Development Organisation's integration and flight-test complex for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.

'Don't waste one day'

"Twenty years is very, very crucial for India, next twenty years. Even we should not waste one day. If we waste one day, it will be waste forever," he said. "If we lay this foundation very strongly, then this foundation will have an advantage for centuries together, not decades."

And the deciding factor, he said, is leadership: "If you are having proper leadership, things will happen automatically."

Also from the summit: the PanIIT Amaravati Council and five QShiva quantum systems, and Nara Lokesh: 'Whatever we do here, rest of India is following'.

The post on Truth Social

Donald Trump has posted the personal cell phone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton on social media, telling voters in Arkansas to call him and demand he stop blocking a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.

The post, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform, is part of an aggressive push to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would end the twice-yearly practice of changing the clocks.

"Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill," Trump wrote. He called the legislation the "No More Changing of Clocks Act" and urged Arkansas residents to take direct action: "Call Tom on his cellphone. Let him know."

The House of Representatives passed the bill in July with a comfortable 308-117 majority, but progress has stalled in the Senate. Under Senate rules, a single lawmaker can delay a bill's progress, and Cotton has emerged as its most vocal opponent.

Why Tom Cotton opposes the bill

Cotton has long warned that making daylight saving time permanent would mean millions of Americans, including school children and outdoor workers, would have to start their winter mornings in pitch darkness.

"If permanent daylight saving time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans," Cotton said last year. He pointed out that farmers, construction workers, and people commuting early would bear the brunt of the change.

Trump, however, argues that an extra hour of light in the evening would boost the economy, lower crime rates, and reduce traffic accidents. He also claimed the change would help the golf industry, which he said needs more afternoon light to finish tournaments.

To support his case, Trump shared correspondence from Brian Rolapp—whom he identified as the PGA Tour chief executive—stating that the change would bring in $1 billion in direct revenue for the industry.

What happens next

The US has tried this before. In 1974, the country experimented with year-round daylight saving time to conserve energy, but the experiment was quickly abandoned after public backlash over dark winter mornings.

For now, the system remains unchanged. The Senate has adjourned until after the midterm elections, meaning clocks will still go back as planned. Even if the bill eventually passes, the transition to permanent daylight saving time would not take effect until 2027.

Passing the bill in the Senate remains a steep hill to climb. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has questioned whether the bill can secure the 60 votes needed to clear procedural hurdles. While Senator John Kennedy has described its prospects as poor, Senator Rick Scott, one of the bill's sponsors, insists it can still pass.

News of the campaign

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has made a direct pitch to minority voters in Nandigram, telling them they will not be forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" if they support the BJP in the upcoming byelection.

Addressing a rally at Birulia Bazar on Friday, Adhikari told the crowd they could choose to say "Bharat Mata ki Jai" instead of the BJP's traditional slogan. The area has a substantial Muslim population, a demographic that has historically voted against the BJP.

"Yes, we chant 'Jai Shree Ram', but we don't force you to do it," Adhikari said. "You can choose not to and just say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'."

The byelection, scheduled for 6 October, was triggered after Adhikari vacated the Nandigram seat to retain Bhabanipur, which he also won in the state elections earlier this year.

The battle for Nandigram

Nandigram Block 1 has a Muslim population of about 35% to 40%, while Block 2 has 12%. Winning over these voters represents a significant tactical shift for the BJP, which took power in West Bengal in May.

Adhikari urged the minority community to seize what he called an "auspicious day" to build a friendship with his government, arguing that the opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) has effectively ceased to exist. Following a split in the party, the Election Commission allotted different names and symbols to factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy, leaving the traditional "twin flowers and grass" symbol off the ballot.

The TMC's candidate for the seat, Sanchita Dey Pradhan, has already withdrawn her nomination. Adhikari claimed she had "vanished" from the contest, leaving voters with few viable alternatives to the BJP.

A campaign marked by tragedy

Adhikari was campaigning for the BJP candidate, Hasirani Rath. She is the mother of Chandranath Rath, Adhikari’s former personal assistant who was shot dead on 6 May, a day after the assembly election results were declared.

Adhikari linked the murder directly to the political battle, alleging that Chandranath was targeted solely because of his association with him. He claimed that hitmen from Uttar Pradesh were hired for  2 crore to carry out the killing, and pointed towards leadership within the TMC's Diamond Harbour faction. The case is currently being investigated by the CBI, which Adhikari said has already completed "90 per cent" of its work.

"On October 6, there must be a democratic retaliation for the murder of Chandranath on EVMs," Adhikari told voters.

Development promises

Aside from security and identity, the Chief Minister focused on economic promises, pledging to create 100,000 jobs within a year and starting train services on the Nandigram-Deshapran-Bajkul route within months. He also promised to restore the Odisha Coast Canal to boost the local rural economy.

Counting for the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls will take place on 9 October.

The CPI(M) has ordered an internal inquiry into allegations that one of its Thiruvananthapuram municipal councillors demanded a ₹10 lakh bribe to settle a land dispute. The scandal emerges just as the local corporation faces a potential shift in power, with the ruling BJP on the verge of losing its slim majority following a high-profile resignation.

The bribery allegation involves Ajin S, the CPI(M) councillor representing Thrikkannapuram ward. A local resident, Sanju, released audio and video clips showing Ajin allegedly demanding ₹10 lakh to clear up issues on a 19-cent plot of land near MLA Road.

According to the complainant, the councillor warned him of potential land encroachment and liability claims, offering to resolve the matter in exchange for a share of the land's sale value. Sanju also alleged that Ajin threatened to halt construction work by involving the local police and village officers, and even suggested that youth wing activists from the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) would plant flags on the property to disrupt development.

Sanju has filed formal complaints with the Home Minister and the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner.

Ajin has strongly denied the claims, describing the recordings as fabricated and edited to target him. He countered that he had simply flagged an illegal encroachment on public land and suggested the allegations were politically motivated, pointing out that the complainant is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The political fallout has been swift. CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan confirmed that the party’s Thiruvananthapuram district committee will conduct an inquiry into the matter. Meanwhile, Mayor V.V. Rajesh stated that municipal officials are examining the available details, though he noted that the corporation has legal limits when investigating individual councillors.

BJP's majority in jeopardy

The bribery scandal coincides with a severe governance headache for the BJP, which currently runs the 101-member Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

Retired DGP R. Sreelekha, who was elected as a BJP councillor, has tendered her resignation to the mayor. Her sudden decision is reportedly linked to her disappointment over not being appointed mayor, despite being projected as the party's mayoral candidate during the 2025 local body elections.

Sreelekha’s departure would leave the BJP with 49 seats in the council—short of a majority. The party currently holds 51 seats, including the support of an independent councillor. The opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) holds 29 seats, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) has 20.

Mayor Rajesh confirmed he received Sreelekha's resignation letter on September 30, citing personal reasons, and said efforts are underway to resolve her grievances.

However, the resignation is not yet official. Corporation Secretary J. Muhammed Shafi explained that under Section 40 of the Kerala Municipality Act, a councillor’s resignation must be submitted directly to the secretary to be legally binding. Shafi stated he has not received any official notification and has yet to inform the Election Commission.

The LDF is watching the unfolding crisis closely. While Govindan termed Sreelekha's resignation an internal BJP matter, he made it clear that the Left would not hesitate to act if the BJP administration collapses.

"Do we have any obligation that the BJP must continue running the corporation when a governance crisis arises?" Govindan told reporters, indicating that the LDF is prepared to move if an opportunity to regain control of the civic body presents itself.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has injected a fresh wave of optimism into the Labour Party, winning back drifting voters with a highly personal speech at the party's annual conference in Liverpool. The performance has transformed the mood of a party that, until Burnham’s takeover earlier this summer, had been struggling to shake off a sense of drift under Sir Keir Starmer.

For a prime minister still in his honeymoon period, the early feedback is highly encouraging. In a focus group of 2024 Labour voters who had since drifted towards the Conservatives, Reform UK, and the Greens, Burnham’s speech was met with a level of warmth unseen since the early days of the pandemic. Focus group participants described him as "relatable" and "one of us," praising his willingness to show a human side, particularly when he spoke emotionally about the recent death of his father. This stood in stark contrast to Starmer, whose post-election tenure was described by one participant as a "shambles."

The battle over the pensions triple lock

But behind the conference euphoria, Burnham faces immediate policy battles that threaten to test his appeal. The most controversial proposal in his speech was a plan to reform the pensions triple lock to help fund a national social care system.

The backlash was swift. Sharon Graham, the leader of the Unite union, immediately opposed the move, raising fears that the government is taking money away from pensioners. Economists are also highly sceptical. James Meadway argued that the plan is built on shaky economics and is unlikely to raise the necessary cash, pointing out that the British state pension is already among the lowest in Europe relative to average earnings.

Furthermore, Paul Johnson, the former chief of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warned that because reforming the triple lock would not fund social care in the near term, taxes would inevitably have to rise to cover the shortfall. That is a red line for many of the very voters Burnham is trying to keep on side. In the focus group, participants flatly rejected paying more income tax, warning it would force people to emigrate or leave them unable to afford a decent standard of living.

Reopening the Brexit debate

Burnham’s pledge to revisit the UK’s relationship with the European Union is also fraught with difficulty. While there is a widespread belief among the focus group that Brexit has been a failure, voters remain highly nervous about the specifics of any renegotiation. Even those who voted to remain expressed concern that the UK would end up with a worse deal as punishment from Brussels.

What happens next

The Liverpool conference was undoubtedly a triumph of tone, with even some left-wing trade unionists welcoming Burnham's willingness to treat them as "critical friends" rather than hostile opponents.

Burnham told the conference he expects to pay a "political price" for his radical agenda. To maintain his lead in the polls, he will have to convince voters that his message of hope is worth the cost.

Rahul Gandhi launches Satyagraha website to map protests

On 3 October 2026, Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi opened a digital platform called Satyagraha. The website is designed to aggregate information on issue‑based protests happening in towns and villages across the country. In a post on X, Gandhi wrote that the portal would let people “share your story” in about two minutes and see it appear on an interactive map that connects similar movements.

“People across the country are fighting for their rights and often fighting alone… ‘Satyagraha’ is an initiative to bring these voices together on a map,” he said.

The launch came a day after the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of non‑violent resistance the platform’s name evokes.

How the platform works

Visitors to the Satyagraha site can enter their name, the name of their group, and a brief description of the cause they are championing. Once submitted, the entry is plotted on a nationwide map that groups protests by theme – for example, student fees, farmer distress, tribal rights, or price‑rise protests. The site also offers a search function so users can discover whether similar grievances are being raised elsewhere.

Gandhi told reporters that the portal would help the opposition “consolidate information about all these protests in one place” and that he would use the data to raise issues in Parliament, write letters, or join demonstrators on the ground.

Why the timing matters

Launching the portal just after Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday signals a symbolic link to the elder Gandhi’s legacy of satyāgraha – “truth‑force”. By framing the initiative as a modern‑day extension of that principle, Rahul Gandhi is attempting to re‑position the Congress party as a champion of grassroots dissent.

The move also arrives amid a spate of regional agitations – from student protests over exam reforms to tribal land‑rights rallies in central India. By providing a single visual dashboard, the opposition hopes to counter the narrative that protests are isolated or fringe events.

Reactions from the political sphere

Opposition allies welcomed the platform, noting that it could help smaller groups gain visibility. Some analysts, however, warned that the site could become a target for misinformation if entries are not verified.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has not issued an official comment, but a spokesperson for the party’s digital outreach team said that “the government continues to monitor all online platforms for compliance with existing laws”.

Looking ahead

The Satyagraha portal is live and open for submissions. Gandhi urged citizens to “share your story” and promised to “do whatever I can, in Parliament, on the streets, by writing letters, standing with you wherever I’m needed”. Whether the site will become a pivotal tool for opposition coordination remains to be seen, but its launch marks a new digital front in India’s ever‑evolving protest landscape.

India cannot provide a timeline for the extradition of deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the request is currently being handled through a structured legal process, New Delhi's envoy to Dhaka has said.

Speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka on Saturday, High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said that India is reviewing the request under its established legal framework. He emphasized that the extradition treaty signed between the two countries in 2013 contains specific provisions, and the legal review is active.

"Nobody can give you a timeframe," Trivedi said in response to a question about Dhaka's persistent demands. "Again and again, the government of India has replied to this that there is a process, and the process is legal, and it is well structured."

Why India allowed Hasina to land

Trivedi also defended India's decision to grant Hasina refuge after she fled Dhaka on 5 August 2024, amid mass protests that led to the deaths of hundreds of civilian demonstrators. He described the situation as an unexpected crisis that forced India's hand.

"At that point in time, Hasina was still the prime minister of Bangladesh," Trivedi said. "We had hardly any choice on that. It was our duty as a neighbour to accept the reality of life, because situations are such where at times you are not prepared for it."

Addressing rumours regarding her departure, the High Commissioner clarified that neither the Indian Air Force nor the Indian Army was involved in transporting her. Instead, she was escorted from her official residence by a Bangladeshi military detachment and flown to India on a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft.

"What was our choice?" Trivedi asked. "If we would have said that no, we are not going to accept, we don't give landing permission, things would have been I don't know what."

Strained diplomatic ties

The presence of the 79-year-old former leader in India has severely strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka. Following her departure, an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus ran Bangladesh for 18 months, during which a special tribunal tried Hasina in absentia and sentenced her to death. Her Awami League party was also banned.

Following elections on 12 February 2026, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. His government has endorsed the ban on Hasina's party and repeatedly renewed demands for her extradition to face justice.

The row has also clouded diplomatic visits. Prime Minister Rahman declined an invitation to attend the BRICS outreach summit in India last month, and a separate bilateral visit has remained on hold since February. Ties worsened further on 5 August 2026, when Hasina addressed a virtual press conference from New Delhi to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompting protests from Dhaka. India maintained it had no role in facilitating the broadcast.

Despite the friction, there are signs that both sides are trying to keep diplomatic channels open. Following a meeting with Trivedi last week, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Dhaka remains positive about progress toward scheduling Rahman's proposed visit to India, though no date has been finalised.

Trivedi stressed that India remains committed to a policy of non-interference. "Bangladesh is an independent country," he said. "A true neighbour does not interfere in another country’s internal affairs."

What happened

The United Arab Emirates has warned the British government that it could withdraw billions of pounds of investment from the UK in response to the historic guilty verdict against Manchester City.

Emirati officials have told ministers that the Premier League's prosecution of the club will influence the bilateral relationship between the two states. The warning puts a planned multi-billion-pound investment into a major technology hub between Oxford and Cambridge directly at risk.

In a seismic ruling in late September, an independent commission found Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges brought against them. The commission described the club's financial arrangements as a "sham" designed to disguise funding from the Abu Dhabi United Group, which artificially inflated the club's revenue by more than £900 million between 2009 and 2018.

Who is involved

The diplomatic fallout has put severe pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who built close ties with the UAE during his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester before entering Downing Street in July. Burnham told the BBC he would be "really concerned" to lose the club's current owners, praising their role in regenerating Manchester.

His comments drew sharp criticism from political opponents, who accused the Prime Minister of publicly backing the owners of a club under investigation. Downing Street was forced to issue a statement clarifying that the verdict was "serious" and that "wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences."

Before the verdict was announced, senior UK officials had spent months courting Abu Dhabi. Leaked government minutes show that Lord Stockwood, then a senior minister, had invited Khaldoon Al Mubarak—Manchester City’s chairman and head of the £300 billion Mubadala sovereign wealth fund—to invest in the Oxford-Cambridge tech corridor.

Al Mubarak also met Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds at Downing Street on 14 September, just two weeks before the Premier League's decision was made public. While the government stated they discussed trade and defence rather than football, the timing has intensified scrutiny.

What is at stake

The dispute comes at a delicate moment for the UK economy. Over the past five years, the UAE has invested more than £30 billion into British defence, technology, and life sciences. The UK government is desperate to secure a further £10 billion in private capital to kickstart the Oxford-Cambridge tech corridor, which ministers hope will eventually boost the economy by £78 billion.

While British officials have privately insisted that the Premier League and its judicial processes operate independently of state control, their Emirati counterparts remain deeply frustrated. Manchester City has been the jewel in the crown of Abu Dhabi's soft-power strategy, transforming the club into an eight-time Premier League champion.

What happens next

Manchester City has filed an appeal against the ruling, asserting that the judgment contains "clear material errors of law, principle and fact." The club has until October to appeal and insists it has "irrefutable evidence" of its innocence.

The Premier League has not yet announced what sanctions the club will face. Potential punishments range from heavy fines and severe points deductions to expulsion from the league entirely.

With a major bilateral investment summit scheduled to take place in London in October, British diplomats are scrambling to prevent the football dispute from permanently fracturing the wider UK-UAE financial partnership.

The Indian Air Force will consider buying foreign fifth-generation fighter jets, such as Russia's Su-57, if the development of its own indigenous stealth fighter faces major delays, the head of the air force has announced.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said at a press conference in New Delhi that while the domestic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) remains the priority, the air force cannot afford to wait indefinitely. Russia has already offered its Su-57 platform, though Singh stressed that "no decision has been taken yet" on whether to accept it.

The warning comes as the air force faces a severe fleet shortage. It currently operates just 29 or 30 fighter squadrons against an authorised strength of 42, a deficit made worse by the looming retirement of ageing aircraft. To bridge the gap and rebuild its strength, Singh said the air force needs to induct between 36 and 40 new aircraft every single year.

The AMCA programme and domestic delays

The domestic AMCA programme is currently in its industry selection phase. The Ministry of Defence recently extended the deadline for Indian companies to submit bids to 30 October after prospective partners asked for more preparation time.

At the same time, the air force is dealing with delays in other domestic projects. Deliveries from a contract for 180 light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A have slipped. Singh acknowledged these setbacks, noting that while timeline disruptions are common, "this time, the delay has been much." The air force is also looking toward the Mk2 version of the Tejas to help plug the gaps.

Deliveries of the first batch of 83 Tejas aircraft have been delayed, although IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said in September that the technical issues causing the hold-up should be resolved within two months. A second batch of 97 aircraft is scheduled to start arriving in September 2027.

Procurement of Rafale and the role of new tech

To bolster numbers in the medium term, India is pushing ahead with plans to procure 114 multi-role fighter aircraft, focusing heavily on the French Rafale. India already operates 36 Rafale jets.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh recently suggested this deal could be signed by the end of the current financial year. Under the proposed terms, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation would integrate Indian weapons, with about 90 of the 114 jets manufactured locally.

Beyond manned fighters, the air chief ruled out creating a dedicated, independent drone branch. He described unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions as "evolutionary" rather than revolutionary, arguing they should remain integrated into existing air force units.

Singh also praised the exceptional bravery of flydubai captain Smit Machchhar, saying his actions during a recent incident showed "great physical and mental resolve" and offered a lesson for the force.

January start for terminal rebuild

Adani Airports is to begin a phased redevelopment of Mumbai Airport's Terminal 1 in January 2027, a project that will temporarily shift about five million passengers a year to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport.

The project will start with the demolition of the North Section of Terminal 1B. The structure is nearly 60 years old, and operators say a complete rebuild is necessary due to safety concerns.

According to Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), the work will affect about nine per cent of Mumbai Airport's total annual passenger traffic of 55 million. The other 91 per cent of flights and passenger services will continue to operate as normal.

Shifting traffic to Navi Mumbai

"Only the North Section of Terminal 1B, which accounts for around one-third of T1 of Mumbai Airport's capacity, is being demolished in Phase 1 to minimise passenger inconvenience and operational disruption," said Arun Bansal, the chief executive of AAHL. He emphasised that the shift to Navi Mumbai is temporary and does not mark a permanent move away from the main city airport.

Terminal 1 currently handles around 15 million passengers a year. Once the redevelopment is complete, its capacity will rise by 33 per cent to 20 million passengers. Adani Airports said the finished terminal will restore all previous flight slots and open up new capacity for airlines.

Safety at the ageing terminal has been an issue for years, with the airport previously relying on temporary repairs. A fire at Terminal 1 in April this year brought those risks back into focus.

Easing the transition for airlines

The company said the launch of Navi Mumbai International Airport has finally made the rebuild possible by providing a nearby terminal capable of taking the extra flights. To encourage airlines to make the move, the Navi Mumbai airport is offering a 100 per cent discount on landing fees for new international flights. It also plans to give international passengers cash vouchers to offset the difference in user development fees between the two sites.

Bansal said the company has been talking to airlines about the terminal's future since 2020. The redevelopment plan was also presented to the regulator, AERA, and included in the approved tariff framework.

"While we appreciate the concerns expressed by certain airlines, passenger safety must remain paramount," Bansal said, warning that any further delay could put travellers at risk.

Adani Airport Holdings, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, manages eight airports in India, handling more than 23 per cent of the country's passenger traffic.

Rayalaseema, long one of the driest parts of Andhra Pradesh, is to become a global horticulture hub within ten years, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told the PanIIT Andhra Pradesh Summit in Vijayawada on Saturday.

"Another one lakh crores we are going to spend: 40,000 crores by public, that is government, 60,000 crores by private," he said. "Totally global horticulture hub we are going to make Rayalaseema within 10 years' time."

From drought to 20 kinds of fruit

Naidu called it a success story. Anantapur has the second-lowest rainfall in the country, he said, and Rayalaseema, prosperous in the time of Krishnadevaraya, became drought-prone, with parts of it turning to desert. Water conservation and drip irrigation changed that: "With the limited water, they are able to do extraordinary crops." The region now grows about 20 varieties of fruit, he said.

The foundation for the hub was laid at Madanapalle on Friday, 2 October, by Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Centre's ₹40,000 crore comes under its Purvodaya scheme, and the project covers the four erstwhile districts of Rayalaseema along with Prakasam and Nellore, Deccan Chronicle reported.

"If you eat mango or banana or sweet orange or any fruit for that matter, you have to see that date, place. We are going to bring traceability and also certification."

'Now I created ISA'

The hub comes with an Indian School of Agriculture, being set up by Reliance, whose foundation stone was also laid at Madanapalle. Naidu compared it to the business school he brought to Hyderabad as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh: "For that I started ISB, Indian School of Business. Everybody considered me masterstroke. Now I created ISA. This is Indian School of Agriculture."

It will cover agribusiness, technology and marketing, he said: "Ultimately, farmers' destiny will be changed."

Earlier, IT and education minister Nara Lokesh told the summit that Naidu had convinced Mukesh Ambani to set up the school, and that it was "the beginning of a 1 lakh crore investment coming into horticulture ecosystem, from research to processing to mechanisation to giving quality product to the end consumer to doubling the income of farmers".

Data from every field

Naidu said the state is building a sovereign AI stack on top of a single data lake fed with real-time readings of temperature, soil moisture, rain, humidity and reservoir levels, and will reach people through WhatsApp and the Mana Mitra service. He asked IIT alumni to help build it.

Read more from the summit: Naidu's promises for universities and investors, and the PanIIT Amaravati Council and QShiva launch.

India's market regulator is reviewing position limits for non-agricultural commodity contracts in a bid to increase liquidity and depth in the country's derivatives market.

Speaking at a Commodity & Capital Market Participants Association of India (CPAI) event on Saturday, Sebi Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the regulator wants to help these contracts gain scale without compromising on risk controls. The move comes alongside several other planned reforms aimed at making India's commodity markets more attractive and less friction-prone.

Phased physical settlements

Among the key changes on the horizon is a shift in how physical settlement is handled for agricultural commodities. Pandey noted that forcing physical settlement from the very start of a contract can sometimes choke its development.

Instead, Sebi is looking at a phased approach. This would allow contracts to grow and mature before physical delivery becomes mandatory. The regulator has already completed its consultations on this matter and plans to issue formal guidelines soon.

"Technology can improve access and efficiency, but its design must reflect their needs while preserving fair access and market integrity," Pandey said, referring to the diverse mix of producers, commercial users, farmers, and physical hedgers who rely on these platforms.

Resolving tax friction

Sebi is also trying to iron out tax-related hurdles. The regulator is currently in talks with market participants over GST issues that affect buyers and sellers who trade physical commodities through exchange platforms.

At the same time, the regulator is pushing for deeper and more liquid cash markets. By encouraging wider participation, introducing stronger securities borrowing and lending mechanisms, and improving hedging and arbitrage options, Sebi hopes to improve price discovery. This, in turn, is expected to strengthen the link between cash and derivatives markets.

These regulatory changes follow a significant decision last month, when the Sebi board cleared a proposal to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to trade in physically settled, non-agricultural commodity derivatives, subject to certain safeguards.

Focus on education and compliance

To ensure retail and smaller participants are not left behind or exposed to risks they do not understand, Sebi plans to ramp up its "Project Jagrook" initiative. The campaign aims to educate farmers, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), small businesses, and hedgers about how derivatives work.

"Access without understanding is not inclusion," Pandey said, stressing the need for participants to understand both the utility and risks of these financial instruments.

However, the regulator made it clear that making things easier for traders does not mean it will go soft on compliance. Pandey stressed that strict controls over client funds, margins, reporting, and supervision remain non-negotiable to protect market integrity.

Irvine-based robotics startup FieldAI is reportedly closing in on a massive $700 million funding round that would value the company at $10 billion.

The deal, first reported by Business Insider, would quintuple the startup’s valuation in just over a year. A source told the outlet that FieldAI has already signed a preliminary, non-binding term sheet for the investment, though the final roster of participating investors has not been made public.

If finalised, the round will cement FieldAI's position as one of the most highly valued physical AI developers in the world. The company’s existing backers already include tech royalty, with Jeff Bezos’s Bezos Expeditions, Nvidia’s NVentures fund, and Intel Capital all holding stakes.

How much is FieldAI making?

FieldAI’s rapid valuation surge mirrors a sudden spike in commercial traction. In June, the company surpassed $100 million in combined revenue and customer contracts. That figure has since climbed past $135 million, driven by more than 30 customers across the construction, energy, and public sectors.

What does FieldAI do?

The core appeal of FieldAI’s technology lies in how it frees robots from the physical constraints of traditional programming. Most industrial robots require highly detailed, static digital maps of their environments to operate, a setup process that is both expensive and easily disrupted when a construction site or factory floor changes.

FieldAI’s models allow robots to navigate entirely on the fly. They do not require maps, GPS, an internet connection, or pre-planned travel paths. Instead, the software ingests real-time data from a robot’s onboard cameras, radar, and lidar sensors, building a "digital twin" of the physical space that updates continuously.

This real-time mapping lets the robot adapt to sudden hazards on its own. If lights fail in a section of a factory, for instance, the AI automatically slows the machine down to avoid collisions.

Who is partnering with FieldAI?

The technology is designed to work across a broad range of hardware, from autonomous vehicles to humanoid robots. In March, FieldAI partnered with Boston Dynamics to integrate its software with the famous four-legged Spot robot, allowing industrial clients to deploy the machines for automated equipment inspections in rugged environments.

Beyond navigation, clients use the software’s digital twins to run virtual simulations, testing out changes to a factory layout before moving any heavy machinery in the real world.

FieldAI has not yet publicly commented on the funding report.

Apple has removed Bitchat, an offline messaging app backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, from its App Store in India following a government takedown order.

Dorsey shared a screenshot of the notice on X, writing that the Indian government had "officially" removed the app. According to the document, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) demanded the removal under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, claiming the app "includes content that is illegal in India".

While the block prevents Apple users in India from downloading Bitchat, the app remains available on App Stores in other countries. However, Apple has also disabled the app's TestFlight version in India, meaning developers can no longer use the platform for internal or external beta testing, and all public test links have ceased to work.

Neither Apple nor the ministry has specified exactly what content was deemed illegal, or which specific ground under Section 69A was triggered. Apple's notice simply advised the developers to contact MeitY directly to discuss the legal requirements.

Why the app is a target

Bitchat’s core technology is what makes it highly resilient—and highly concerning to state security agencies. It is a decentralised, peer-to-peer messaging tool that requires no internet connection, no SIM cards, and no central servers to function.

Instead, it relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to connect devices directly within a range of 30 to 100 metres. These devices can then relay messages across multiple "hops", effectively building an ad-hoc mesh network. This allows users to keep communicating even when cellular services and Wi-Fi networks are completely shut down.

Because the app does not rely on traditional infrastructure, it operates outside the scope of standard telecommunications interception and monitoring tools used by law enforcement.

A history of crackdowns

This is not the first time the Indian government has targeted Bitchat. In July, during protests organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over exam paper leaks, authorities moved to restrict the app's distribution.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which sits under the Union home ministry, ordered the software development platform GitHub to block access to three Bitchat code repositories. The platform was given a three-hour window to comply.

The I4C argued that the app created a substantial risk of being misused by "anti-national elements, terrorist organisations, organised criminal groups and cybercriminals" looking to evade detection and bypass network restrictions. During the July protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demonstrators were reportedly seen using Bluetooth-based messaging apps to coordinate after the government suspended mobile internet services in the area.

Apple's guidelines state that developers are responsible for understanding and complying with all local laws, which exist "over and above" Apple's own app review standards. With the App Store block, the government has shut down the primary distribution channel for iOS users in India, though the app's website and Android versions appear unaffected.

Students accused of academic dishonesty are increasingly turning to legal representation to fight back against universities relying on automated artificial intelligence detectors.

Software designed to spot AI-generated text has become standard in higher education since the launch of ChatGPT. But as universities deploy these tools to police essays and coursework, a growing number of students claim they are being falsely accused of cheating based on flawed algorithmic scores.

Faced with failing grades, suspended degrees, or outright expulsion, students are no longer just pleading their innocence to academic boards. They are hiring lawyers.

Why are students hiring lawyers?

Legal professionals specialising in student defence say they have seen a sharp increase in cases involving disputed AI detection. For many students, the stakes are too high to rely solely on university appeals processes, which often lack the rigorous standards of legal due process.

An academic misconduct mark on a transcript can derail admission to graduate schools, nullify scholarships, and ruin job prospects. Lawyers are stepping in to draft formal appeals, represent students at disciplinary hearings, and challenge the validity of the software used to accuse them.

How reliable are AI detectors?

A key strategy for legal appeals is targeting the technology's fundamental flaw: AI detectors do not actually detect AI. Instead, they calculate semantic patterns and predictability.

Because of this, these tools are highly prone to "false positives," where human-written text is flagged as machine-generated. Research has shown that detectors are particularly unreliable when analysing the writing of non-native English speakers, whose prose may naturally read as more structured, formal, and predictable.

Even the creators of AI detection software acknowledge that their tools are not infallible. Turnitin, one of the most widely used platforms, admits that its detector can produce false positives. Despite these disclaimers, many university administrators continue to treat a high AI probability score as definitive proof of misconduct.

How do students prove their innocence?

With lawyers involved, the battle over academic integrity has become highly forensic.

To secure exoneration, defence lawyers are training students to preserve their digital footprints. Detailed revision histories in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, which track keystrokes, sentence-by-sentence edits, and time stamps, have become the premier evidence to prove a human wrote the paper.

In some cases, students have even resorted to filming themselves writing their essays to provide undeniable proof of authorship.

What happens next?

Many universities find themselves ill-prepared for this legal pushback. While institutions often treat a high AI probability score as definitive proof of misconduct, lawyers argue this fails to meet the basic standard of evidence required for disciplinary action.

Faced with the threat of litigation and the scientific unreliability of the software, some universities are quietly dropping charges or revising their policies to prohibit professors from using AI detector scores as the sole basis for a cheating accusation.

A correction in overstretched artificial intelligence valuations in advanced economies could drive more foreign capital into India, Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Saturday.

Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Malhotra warned that while a cooling AI investment cycle poses a risk of sharp asset repricing globally, India is well-positioned to benefit from any subsequent shift in international capital.

"If corrections in AI-related valuations were to happen in advanced countries, it may have a positive impact in terms of capital inflows," Malhotra said. He noted that Indian equity markets have already undergone their own orderly valuation adjustments in recent months.

Five threats to global stability

The RBI Governor identified stretched AI valuations as just one of five major vulnerabilities currently threatening global financial stability. The other four are elevated global debt, high leverage among non-bank financial intermediaries, expanding private credit risks, and cyber threats.

While Malhotra clarified that he does not see "imminent signs of stress" from any of these factors individually, he warned that a simultaneous occurrence of these shocks could heavily strain the global financial architecture.

"Today's resilience may not necessarily imply tomorrow's immunity," Malhotra said, urging regulators to remain alert.

The immediate danger of cyberattacks

Among the emerging risks, Malhotra singled out cyber threats amplified by AI as the most pressing. The rapid development of autonomous, highly capable AI tools has heightened the danger of cyberattacks, particularly within highly interconnected, borderless financial systems.

Because cybersecurity capabilities vary widely across different countries, a security breach in one jurisdiction can quickly cascade across the globe. Malhotra warned that the next major financial crisis might not start in the traditional banking system at all. Instead, it could be triggered by a geopolitical event, a cyberattack, or a major technological failure.

Building shock absorbers

Despite these external pressures and the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Malhotra said India’s economy is navigating the challenges from a "position of strength," supported by robust macroeconomic fundamentals and healthy balance sheets across banks and non-bank lenders.

Rather than attempting to eliminate all financial risks—which Malhotra warned would stifle innovation and investment—the goal for regulators should be to build a system robust enough to withstand the inevitable.

"We cannot prevent every shock," Malhotra said. "What we can ensure, however, is that the financial system acts as a shock absorber."

A critical course correction

The European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft has successfully swept past Earth, using our planet's gravity to bend its trajectory towards Jupiter while conserving vital fuel.

At 13:45 CEST (11:45 UTC) on 28 September, the probe made its closest approach, skimming 8,640 kilometres above the Indian Ocean. The carefully plotted gravity assist changed the spacecraft's direction by 20 degrees and increased its speed by 3.5 kilometres per second.

Because of meticulous planning in the weeks leading up to the encounter, mission controllers needed to make only one minor course correction out of six potential opportunities. This allowed the spacecraft to use much less fuel than anticipated.

"The flyby required ultra-precise navigation in real time," said Angela Dietz, the spacecraft operations manager for Juice. Dietz added that saving propellant now leaves more fuel for observations once the spacecraft reaches its destination.

Rehearsing for Jupiter's moons

The encounter also offered a rare chance to test Juice’s 10 scientific instruments on a real planetary target. Scientists spent months planning how to share the spacecraft's limited resources during the brief flyby.

For part of the pass, Juice was operating on battery power alone while in Earth's shadow. Claire Vallat, the project scientist, said that calibration activities had to be prioritised based on what would best prepare the instruments for their eventual work at Jupiter.

Scientists also used the opportunity to collect active space science. Juice spent several days travelling through Earth’s magnetotail—the stretched-out pocket of our magnetic field that points away from the Sun. Its measurements of magnetic fields and charged particles will be compared with data from the joint European-Chinese Smile mission, which was simultaneously observing the northern lights from closer to Earth.

What happens next

The public will get its first look at the results soon. ESA expects to release images and spectra in the coming weeks, including high-resolution shots of Earth and the Moon taken by Juice's scientific camera, JANUS.

Juice is currently on an eight-year journey to the outer solar system, having launched on an Ariane 5 rocket in April 2023. It has already used a lunar-Earth gravity assist in 2024 and observed Comet 3I/ATLAS in 2025 to help refine its systems.

The spacecraft will return to Earth one final time in January 2029 for another gravity assist, which will set its course for a 2031 arrival at Jupiter. Once there, it will perform 35 close passes of the icy moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa to study whether their subsurface oceans could support life.

Indians are living longer than they did before the pandemic, with life expectancy at birth reaching 71 years in 2023, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.

While the country has successfully bounced back from a sharp dip in longevity during the peak Covid-19 years, the new data reveals a widening gap between a longer lifespan and a healthy one.

How does India life expectancy compare to Pakistan and Bangladesh?

The new WHO data shows India has pulled ahead of Pakistan, where life expectancy stands at 68.2 years. However, it still lags behind Bangladesh, where citizens can expect to live to an average of 72.7 years.

For wider context, life expectancy in the United States is 78.5 years, while in Canada it is 81.4 years. The global average stood at 73.3 years in 2023.

Why is healthy life expectancy lagging in India?

Living longer does not automatically mean living in good health. The WHO measures "healthy life expectancy" — the average number of years a person can expect to live without a disabling illness or injury. For India, this figure was 60.6 years in 2023.

While that is a slight improvement from the 60.5 years recorded in 2019, it highlights a persistent gap between total lifespan and healthy years. At age 60, an Indian could expect another 18.8 years of life in 2023, but only 13.7 of those years were expected to be lived in full health.

The roller-coaster effect of the pandemic is clear in the data. India’s life expectancy plummeted from 70.5 years in 2019 to 68.1 years in 2021 as Covid-19 took its toll. The rebound was swift, with the country regaining 2.9 years of expected lifespan by 2023. Yet, healthy life expectancy recovered much more slowly, gaining only 2.2 years over the same post-pandemic period.

What are the leading causes of death in India?

This lag in healthy years is closely tied to a dramatic shift in how Indians are dying. Over the last two decades, India’s primary health crisis has flipped from infectious, communicable diseases to chronic, non-communicable conditions.

In 2000, communicable illnesses like tuberculosis and diarrhoea made up nearly 62% of the deaths among India's ten leading causes. By 2023, that ratio had reversed: non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes accounted for 75% of deaths from the top ten causes. Communicable diseases had shrunk to just 16%, with the remainder caused by injuries.

The numbers tell a stark story. At the turn of the century, tuberculosis and diarrhoeal diseases were the deadliest threats, killing 92.4 and 87.8 people per 100,000 respectively. Today, ischaemic heart disease is the leading killer by a wide margin, causing 138.5 deaths per 100,000 people. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, and diabetes have also climbed high up the list.

Despite this shift, infectious diseases have not disappeared. Tuberculosis, diarrhoeal illnesses, and lower respiratory infections remain among the country's top ten causes of death. This double burden of rising chronic illness and lingering infectious disease mirrors a global trend; worldwide, non-communicable diseases were responsible for 74% of all deaths in 2023.

Crews have finished erecting the 100th and final turbine at the Sofia wind farm, 121 miles off the English coast. The milestone, reached on 10 June, completes the offshore installation phase of the world’s farthest fixed-bottom wind farm and marks a major engineering feat in the middle of the North Sea.

The wind farm sits on the Dogger Bank, an area of shallow water that was once dry tundra connecting Britain to mainland Europe. Because the bank lies just 50 to 120 feet below the surface, engineers were able to drive steel foundations directly into the seabed. Without this geological quirk, a project this far from the coast would have required more expensive and less proven floating turbine technology.

The logistics of building 121 miles out

Building at this distance required a specialised installation vessel to transport and erect the massive machines. The vessel loaded six complete turbine sets at a time from Hull — including the tower sections, nacelles, and blades — before making the 121-mile crossing to the site.

Each of the 14-megawatt turbines stands 827 feet from the sea surface to the tip of its highest blade, featuring 354-foot blades that sweep an area of nearly 10 acres with every rotation.

"Sofia is our largest offshore construction project globally and remains on track and on budget," the project’s chief executive of offshore wind said, noting that the wind farm is on schedule to generate first power this year. The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.7 billion.

To bring the electricity back to land, developers had to lay 137 miles of high-voltage direct current cable to Redcar on the Teesside coast. The cable is longer than the distance from the shore to the wind farm because it must follow the contours of the seabed to avoid deep trenches.

An offshore converter platform, installed on a jacket foundation last year, will step up the power from 66 kilovolts of alternating current to 320 kilovolts of direct current to minimise transmission losses over the long journey home.

Operating at the edge of the horizon

The distance from land will also change how the wind farm is operated and maintained once it is fully commissioned.

While closer inshore projects allow technicians to make daily round trips from the coast, crews working at Sofia face a journey of nearly a day just to reach the site from the operator's base in Grimsby. Because winter weather in the central North Sea can halt boat transfers for days at a time, engineers have designed the turbines with extra sensors and tighter condition monitoring to reduce the need for physical visits.

Half of the turbines installed feature recyclable blades, marking the largest deployment of this technology on a British offshore wind project to date.

The wind farm is scheduled to reach full commercial operations in late 2026, when its 1.4-gigawatt capacity will be capable of powering roughly 1.2 million British homes.

South Korean golfer Tom Kim has won the individual gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, securing a life-changing exemption from his country's mandatory military service.

The 24-year-old, who entered the final round at Kasugai Country Club with a slender one-shot lead, delivered a brilliant final-round 64 to finish three strokes clear of his nearest challengers. His round, which featured five birdies and an eagle, comfortably held off Japan's Kazuki Higa, China's Ding Wenyi, and Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana.

The victory resolves the single biggest threat to Kim's rising career. Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men must complete between 18 and 21 months of military service before they turn 28. However, the government grants exemptions to any athlete who wins an Olympic medal of any colour, or a gold medal at the Asian Games. Those who qualify for the exemption only have to complete basic training, which lasts less than a month.

For Kim, the gold medal is a massive relief after several near-misses. He had previously come close at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where he entered the final round in a medal position but faded to finish eighth, leaving him visibly emotional.

His journey to the top of the podium in Japan was an exhausting one. Kim arrived at the tournament having rushed straight from the Presidents Cup in the United States, where he defeated Wyndham Clark in the Sunday singles. He had to tee off in Japan on just six hours of sleep while battling a 14-hour time difference.

Despite the fatigue, Kim's class showed. Currently ranked 32nd in the world, his 2026 season had already been highly successful, featuring a third-place finish at the US Open and a victory at the Scottish Open in July. Now, with four PGA Tour titles and his immediate future secured, he can continue playing on the global tour without the interruption of a nearly two-year hiatus.

While Kim celebrated, there was heartbreak for his South Korean teammate, SH Kim. The men's team event offered an alternative path to military exemption for the squad, but China narrowly beat South Korea to the team gold.

The result means the 28-year-old SH Kim missed out on the exemption, having previously spoken of the immense pressure of the situation. "I am 100% nervous, for sure," he had said before the final round. "I could stay on the PGA Tour [with a gold]. That's my goal." The third member of the South Korean team, Mun Do-yeob, had already completed his military service.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has opened a massive, 22,500-square-foot exhibition space to show Dharavi's residents exactly what their neighbourhood will look like under the Adani Group's multi-billion-dollar redevelopment scheme.

The Dharavi Experience Centre, located at the PMGP Colony near the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), was inaugurated on Friday, 2 October, to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti. Designed to win over a skeptical public, the facility offers a direct physical preview of the proposed housing, workspaces, and infrastructure planned for one of Asia’s largest informal settlements.

"This initiative will help curb rumours, misconceptions, and incomplete information, creating an atmosphere of trust around the redevelopment," Fadnavis told reporters after inspecting the site.

Inside the model homes

At the heart of the centre are life-size, walk-through mock-ups of the proposed apartments. Visitors can explore both furnished and unfurnished versions of the 350-square-foot rehabilitation homes and the larger 500-square-foot renewal flats to see how the layouts work in practice.

Aside from the physical flats, the exhibition features a 3D digital walkthrough of the proposed township, interactive historical displays, a dedicated Dharavi anthem, and a coffee-table book celebrating the area's heritage.

For local residents, the most practical features are the digital and assisted helpdesks. These stations are designed to guide people through the complex administrative processes of the project, providing details on upcoming surveys, eligibility criteria, and resettlement documentation.

Protecting Dharavi's economic engine

Dharavi is not just a residential area; it is a sprawling industrial hub that generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Fadnavis emphasised that the state's plan does not ignore this economic reality.

"Dharavi is not just a slum; it is a major economic engine," Fadnavis said, pointing to the neighbourhood's famous Kumbharwada pottery industry, leather tanneries, food processing units, plastic recycling plants, and thousands of other micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The redevelopment plan, Fadnavis claimed, is structured to preserve these existing businesses by providing them with modernised, better-planned workspaces rather than forcing them out.

Green spaces and transport

The broader 600-acre project plans to introduce heavy infrastructure to the congested area. Key features highlighted at the centre include:

• A new Multimodal Transport Hub designed to link various public transit networks.
• The rejuvenation of the heavily polluted Mithi River.
• A 3.3-kilometre public riverfront development.
• The planting of roughly 40,000 trees to increase green cover.

The launch was attended by several high-ranking officials and executives, including Adani Group Managing Director Pranav Adani, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, and Anil Sardana, the CEO of Adani Navbharat Developers — the joint venture executing the redevelopment. Mumbai Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Dr Mahendra Kalyankar and Dharavi Redevelopment Project CEO Vipin Paliwal were also present.

A murder investigation is underway in west London after a 40-year-old man was shot dead on Friday evening while attending a memorial service.

The shooting took place in East Acton, at the junction of Braybrook Street and Erconwald Street, where between 40 and 50 people—including young children—had gathered to remember a loved one.

Emergency services were called to the residential street at 19:47 GMT after neighbours and witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots. Metropolitan Police officers and paramedics arrived quickly, but despite their efforts to save him, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

No arrests have been made, and a large police cordon remains in place along Braybrook Street as forensic officers search for evidence. The victim’s family has been informed and is currently being supported by specialist officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, who is leading the investigation, described the shooting as a "senseless act of violence" that has devastated a family during what should have been a peaceful time of remembrance.

"We believe between 40 and 50 people, including children, were present when this incident occurred," Howie said. "Someone knows what happened and we need them to come forward."

The area where the shooting occurred sits right next to Wormwood Scrubs, a large open space in west London. Investigators are focusing on the streets surrounding the park and a nearby children's playground.

Detectives are appealing to anyone who was around Erconwald Street, Braybrook Street, or the Wormwood Scrubs playground between 18:00 and 20:00 GMT on Friday to think carefully about what they saw.

In particular, police are looking for information about anyone carrying or hiding weapons, people on bicycles acting suspiciously, or any vehicles being driven at high speed around the time of the shooting.

Howie also urged residents and drivers to check their doorbell cameras, dashcams, and mobile phones for any footage, or to report anything unusual they might have seen on social media.

A post-mortem examination is scheduled to establish the official cause of death, though police have confirmed they are treating the death as a gunshot homicide.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a charge sheet against Reliance Communications, two former executives of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, and a former investment chief at the Life Insurance Corporation of India over an alleged ₹3,750 crore fraud.

The formal charges, presented to a special CBI court in Mumbai, name the telecommunications company alongside Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, the former group managing director of the Reliance ADA Group, and Vishwas Joshi, who served as senior vice-president at Reliance Capital. P. Venugopal, who was LIC’s chief investment officer when the deal took place, has also been charged.

According to the CBI, the roots of the fraud go back to 2012. The agency alleges that LIC was misled into buying ₹1,500 crore worth of non-convertible debentures issued by Reliance Communications, commonly known as RCom, based on "serious misrepresentations".

Once the money was in, it did not stay with the telecom company. The CBI alleges that the funds raised through the debentures were systematically diverted to other companies within the Reliance ADA Group. This movement of capital allegedly caused a massive, wrongful loss to the state-owned insurer, while delivering corresponding illegal gains to the accused executives and corporate entities.

The four accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code, in addition to bribery and corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The federal agency has made it clear that the investigation remains open, with officers still working to trace the roles of other potential co-conspirators and look into further allegations.

The CBI initially took up the case on 1 April 2026, following a formal complaint filed by LIC. By that point, the total calculated loss to the insurer from the soured investment had reached ₹3,750 crore.

A wider investigation

This case is not an isolated one. It is part of a sweeping federal investigation into the financial affairs of several former Anil Ambani group companies.

The CBI has registered nine separate first information reports against various group entities, including Reliance Home Finance, Reliance Commercial Finance, and Reliance Telecom, following similar complaints from a consortium of public sector banks, LIC, and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation.

The agency has already filed seven other charge sheets in related cases, all of which are being closely monitored by the Supreme Court of India.

An Israeli air strike on an apartment building in Gaza City killed at least five people early on Saturday, including a Christian mother and her daughter, amid ongoing violations of the region's fragile ceasefire.

The attack struck the multi-storey al-Asala building in the crowded Remal neighbourhood around 2:00 am without warning, setting the building on fire and burying sleeping residents under the rubble. Remal is currently home to thousands of displaced people seeking shelter.

Who were the victims?

Among the dead were Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter Mary Hafez Michel al-Najjar. Friends and relatives gathered for their funeral on Saturday at the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.

"Today is essentially the worst day of my life," said Fouad Al-Najjar, Maysa's son and Mary's grandson. "I lost my mother and my grandmother today."

Neighbours described the family as peaceful and well-loved in the community. Ahmed Al-Dahdouh, an eyewitness who helped pull bodies from the debris, said the victims were uninvolved in the conflict. "We are Muslims and these are our Christian brethren, who are not involved in anything," Al-Dahdouh said.

Church leaders expressed deep sorrow over the loss. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, offered his condolences to the Christian community in Gaza, while the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement mourning the women and calling for an end to the bombardment of civilians.

Who was the target?

The Israeli military said the strike targeted Ali al-Amoudi, the deputy chairman of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, claiming the apartment was being used by the group. The military said the results of the strike were still "under review" and did not confirm whether al-Amoudi had been killed.

Witnesses and civil defence officials reported that the strike caused massive structural damage, tearing through the floors of the building. Palestinian Civil Defence crews spent hours fighting the fires and searching the ruins for survivors, but rescue efforts have been hampered by a lack of medical supplies.

Local doctors have warned that treating the severely injured is increasingly difficult due to ongoing Israeli restrictions on importing life-saving medical equipment and prosthetics into Gaza.

What is the status of the ceasefire?

This latest attack comes during a highly unstable ceasefire brokered last year by the United States. While the deal was intended to pave the way for Gaza's reconstruction and the eventual disarmament of Hamas, little progress has been made.

Gaza health officials say that at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into effect last October. Israel, meanwhile, accuses Hamas of rearming and launching fresh attacks, stating that four of its soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period.

Since the wider conflict began on October 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry reports that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more believed to be lost beneath the rubble.

Billionaire Ken Griffin’s historic $3 billion (£2.3 billion) gift to Carnegie Mellon University to build an elite new technology campus in Miami has sparked a mix of intense excitement and quiet concern among students and faculty at the university's Pittsburgh home.

The donation, which represents the largest single gift in the university’s history, is designed to anchor Miami's bid to become the next major global tech hub. Griffin, the founder of Citadel who moved his hedge fund's headquarters to South Florida in 2022, is looking to import the university's world-class computing pedigree directly to Miami’s vibrant Wynwood district.

Why the Pittsburgh campus is divided

For many on the main Pittsburgh campus, the announcement is a validation of Carnegie Mellon’s status as an elite powerhouse in artificial intelligence and computer science. But it has also raised fundamental questions about the university’s identity and where its long-term priorities lie.

Some students on campus have expressed a sense of whiplash. While the prospect of a warm-weather sister campus is appealing to some, others worry about the potential division of resources and attention away from Western Pennsylvania, where Carnegie Mellon has spent more than a century building its reputation.

Among the faculty, the concerns are more structural. Sceptics have raised questions about how the university intends to maintain its rigorous academic standards while scaling up a brand-new campus over 1,000 miles away. There are worries about faculty being stretched thin, the potential dilution of the Carnegie Mellon brand, and whether resources will eventually be diverted from the historic Pittsburgh facilities.

Griffin’s massive South Florida bet

Griffin's vision is clear. He is investing roughly $1 billion in real estate and infrastructure in Miami’s Wynwood neighbourhood, alongside the broader funding to establish the new academic institution.

While South Florida already has established local institutions like the University of Miami and Florida International University, local business leaders have long argued that the region lacks a world-class, top-tier research university to feed its rapidly growing finance and tech sectors. By bringing in Carnegie Mellon, Griffin aims to bypass decades of organic growth and plant a fully formed tech pipeline directly into the city's business ecosystem.

The university has not yet laid out a detailed timeline for when the first students will arrive in Miami, or exactly how the curriculum and faculty will be split between the two sites. For now, the Pittsburgh campus is left to watch and wait as one of the biggest experiments in modern American higher education begins to take shape.

The midnight trap

Firefighters in Maharashtra's Palghar district have rescued a 70-year-old man who became tightly wedged in an incredibly narrow gap between two residential properties. The rescue took place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Bhimai Nagar area of Navli, Palghar. The man, identified as local resident Vinod Vishnu Jadhav, had somehow slipped or fallen into the space between the two concrete structures.

The gap between the walls of the two houses measured less than a foot wide, leaving Jadhav with virtually no room to move, turn, or free himself. It remains unclear how Jadhav first managed to get stuck in the gap in the early hours of the morning, as authorities have not yet shared the events leading up to the incident.

Breaking the wall

When a team from the Palghar Fire Brigade arrived, they immediately saw that a conventional rescue was out of the question. The space was simply too tight to pull him out vertically or horizontally from either end of the passage. Trying to drag him through the rough, narrow gap ran the risk of causing him severe injuries.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, the rescue crew decided on a more drastic approach. They chose to break through one of the house walls. Using breaching tools, the firefighters began chipping away at the masonry of one of the homes to create an emergency hatch. Once they had carved out a sufficiently large opening, they were able to reach Jadhav, stabilise him, and carefully pull him sideways through the newly made hole to safety.

Taken to hospital

Once freed, Jadhav was immediately transferred to Palghar Government Hospital to be assessed and treated by medical staff. Officials have not released specific details about his injuries, but the primary focus was on ensuring he did not suffer from crush injuries or severe dehydration.

The rescue was carried out by a dedicated team from the local fire service, including leading fireman Ruchit Davane, driver Nilesh Patil, and firemen Sanket Patil, Rupesh Pamale, and Mohanish Pagdhare. A video of the operation, which has since circulated on social media, shows the team working closely together in the tight space, communicating with Jadhav as they cleared the debris to reach him.

London's oldest purpose-built mosque, the Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth, has marked its centenary with a series of community events and a pledge to distribute 10,000 free meals to homeless people across the capital.

Also known as the London Mosque, the white-domed building in Southfields opened its doors in October 1926 after an opening ceremony attended by around 600 guests, who watched its black doors unlocked with a silver key. A century on, the mosque remains the spiritual heart of Britain's Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Organisers are marking the milestone under the banner of "a century of connection", pairing historical exhibitions with charitable drives. The building itself, granted listed status by Historic England in 2018, looks remarkably similar to how it appeared a century ago, with its distinctive green dome, tall, narrow windows, and rose gardens tucked away in south London suburbia.

How London's first mosque was built

The land for the mosque was bought in the 1920s with funds raised largely by Ahmadi Muslim women living thousands of miles away in Qadian, India. Many sold their jewellery to pay for the site, knowing they would almost certainly never see the finished building in person.

In the aftermath of the first world war, the mosque's founders set out to build bridges in an unfamiliar city. In its earliest years, before halal butcher shops existed in London, worshippers would travel together to Blooms, the renowned kosher salt beef restaurant in Aldgate East, because kosher slaughter met Islamic dietary standards.

Early visitors included British society figures such as Viscount and Viscountess Allenby, who were served tea from fine china and scones with clotted cream alongside traditional hospitality. The first muezzin calling worshippers to prayer was Bilal Nuttall, a Lancashire-born convert who grew up on the same street as entertainer Gracie Fields and embraced Islam after serving in the Middle East during the first world war.

A quiet role in international history

Beyond neighbourhood life, the mosque played a quiet role in global events. In the 1930s, the mosque's imam, Abdur Rahim Dard, persuaded Muhammad Ali Jinnah to return to political life.

Jinnah, who had trained at Lincoln's Inn, was living in Hampstead and working as a barrister, disillusioned with Indian politics and contemplating staying in England permanently. After talks with Dard, Jinnah delivered a speech in the gardens of the Fazl Mosque that proved a turning point in his political career. He returned to India the following year, eventually becoming the founding governor general of Pakistan following partition in 1947.

Other notable figures visited during the interwar era, including the future king of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who came to Southfields in 1935.

Community service and modern challenges

Over the past century, the building has adapted to national crises. It served as an air raid shelter during the second world war and later operated as a blood donation centre and a Covid-19 vaccination clinic.

Community figures note that while the mosque enjoys deep roots locally—often providing catering for neighbourhood street parties and distributing sweets to local children—challenges persist. Mahmood Rafiq of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK said that while the mosque has avoided severe Islamophobic attacks, members have noticed an increase in low-level harassment, such as aggressive horn-honking by passing motorists.

Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the caliph and worldwide leader of the Ahmadiyya community, said the mosque's core ethos of "love for all, hatred for none" remains focused on service, neighbourliness, and loyalty to the country. Long-standing members like 65-year-old Munir Dean, whose family has attended since the building opened, insist the community's outward-looking outlook will carry it through the next century.