India produced a dominant seven-wicket win over Pakistan in their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Group A clash in Dubai on Saturday. Pakistan were bowled out for just 55 in 18.1 overs, their lowest-ever score in women’s T20I cricket. India’s spinners led the collapse, with Shree Charani and Prema Rawat taking three wickets each, while Deepti Sharma claimed two. India chased down the target in just 8.4 overs, finishing on 57/3 with 68 balls remaining. The victory gave India their third straight win and the top spot in Group A. Harmanpreet Kaur also became the first cricketer to captain 150 T20I matches. (PC: NDTV)

US President Donald Trump’s top negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said the envoys were carrying a proposal to end the conflict. They are due to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for further discussions with Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US team had already begun working with Russia and confirmed plans for talks in Kyiv. Russia and Ukraine have said they would halt strikes on each other’s capitals for three days during the visit. Key disagreements remain over territory and security guarantees. (PC: BBC)

Twenty-year-old Surendra Singh Choudhry, popularly known online as Bittu Tabahi, has drawn global attention after spending months cleaning the heavily polluted Ajnar River in Madhya Pradesh largely on his own. He removed plastic, discarded waste and other rubbish from the river and nearby public spaces, paying for basic supplies himself. Surendra also shared before-and-after pictures showing the visible difference made by his efforts. His work later caught the attention of Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup, which works to remove plastic pollution from oceans and rivers. Slat responded to a post about Surendra’s work, saying, “Come work with us.” (PC: India Today)

Cabo Verde will bring its traditional music to India for the first time when celebrated guitarist Voginha and his quartet perform at the Jodhpur RIFF in Rajasthan from October 22 to 26. Voginha, whose real name is Jose Carlos Silva Brito, will present Morna and Coladeira, musical traditions rooted in the island nation’s stories of the sea and migration. The festival’s 20th edition will also feature artists from Palestine, Iran, Latin America, Australia and the US. More than 250 Rajasthani folk musicians from communities including Manganiyar, Langa, Meghwal, Bhopa, Kalbelia, Meena and Bhil will also perform at Mehrangarh Fort. (PC: Firstpost)

India’s Nikita Porwal ended her Miss World 2026 journey in the Top 40 after failing to qualify for the Top 20 at the pageant’s 75th Anniversary edition in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on September 5. Porwal, the Femina Miss India 2024 winner from Ujjain, was among 111 contestants who began competing on August 9. Her Miss World campaign also featured MAATI, a project focused on education, healthcare, nutrition, hygiene, clean water and economic opportunities for tribal women and children. Femina Miss India said Porwal’s finish extended India’s streak of placing at eight consecutive Miss World editions. (PC: HT)

Around 50 US military and civilian officials were reportedly subjected to lie detector tests as part of an investigation into leaks related to the Iran war. The tests were reportedly aimed at identifying officials who may have shared classified information with journalists. The investigation followed reports about shortages of key weapons, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors. According to reports, none of the officials failed the questions asked during the tests. The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed details of the investigation but has said it takes the unauthorised disclosure of classified national security information seriously. (PC: NDTV)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday defended India’s latest 7.8% GDP growth, saying critics who once viewed the country as part of the “Fragile Five” were finding the strong numbers difficult to accept. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Shri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi, Modi said the April-June growth showed India’s economic resilience despite the West Asia conflict and global trade disruptions. Referring to his 2013 SRCC speech, he revived his “half-empty glass” analogy, accusing critics of remaining pessimistic. Modi also highlighted financial inclusion, manufacturing and rising mobile-phone exports as signs of India’s economic progress. (PC: India Today)

The US military said it struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships. CENTCOM said the American vessels, including an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer, evaded the attacks and no US personnel were injured. Two Iranian tankers were permanently disabled, while a third, which was unladen, was destroyed after its crew abandoned the vessel. The US said the ships were linked to an oil network that helps fund the IRGC and allied armed groups.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv for three days, beginning at midnight, the Kremlin said on Saturday. The decision comes as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at reviving negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the pause was linked to the envoys’ planned visit to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also said Ukraine would pause airstrikes during their visit and urged Russia to take similar steps. The US delegation is expected to travel to Kyiv after talks in Moscow. (PC: India Today)

The University of Oxford has agreed to repatriate 39 ancestral human remains belonging to the Naga people that were taken during British colonial rule and kept in its collections for decades. The remains are held by Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum, which has around 8,000 Naga objects, including human remains. A Naga delegation is expected to travel to the museum in November to receive the remains. The planned handover is expected to be the largest repatriation of human remains in the museum’s history. Naga representatives have sought their return for years, with formal discussions with the museum beginning in 2020. (PC: Scroll)