Delhi Police has stepped up security in the capital ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed protest on October 10. Around 4,000 security personnel have been deployed across the New Delhi area, while police are monitoring entry routes and transport arrangements. Officials said around 2,800 people identified through facial recognition as having alleged criminal antecedents are being tracked for possible movement towards central Delhi. Police are also checking bus bookings and routes linked to the earlier protest. Section 163 remains in force, making unauthorised gatherings illegal. Police said the protest has not been granted permission and warned against participation. (PC: News18)

Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for her distinctive body of work blending poetry, prose, dialogue and translation. The Swedish Academy praised Carson for her “bold and inventive oeuvre” and for creating new forms through dialogue with classical traditions. The award is worth 12 million Swedish crowns, around $1.2 million. Carson is known for her translations of classical Greek literature and works including Autobiography of Red and Norma Jeane Baker of Troy. She joins writers such as Alice Munro, Ernest Hemingway and Alexander Solzhenitsyn among Nobel Literature laureates. (PC: NDTV)

INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Rajghat on Thursday to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition has been demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Earlier, Kharge hosted an INDIA bloc lunch meeting in Delhi’s Connaught Place, attended by several opposition leaders. Security was tightened across central Delhi, with around 5,000 police personnel deployed and several roads barricaded. The protests come a day after nearly 300 opposition MPs marched towards Akashvani Bhavan. Meanwhile, Gyanesh Kumar’s Z+ security cover was strengthened amid the protests. (PC: HT)

Nana Patekar’s final hours began with a message to a friend around 2:30 am on Thursday, saying he was not feeling well. The friend reached his Goa home around 4 am and found the actor sweating and gradually losing consciousness. Emergency medical assistance was called, but Patekar was unresponsive when the team arrived. He was taken to Manipal Hospital at around 4:20 am, where doctors attempted CPR and cardiac massage for nearly 45 minutes. Despite their efforts, he was declared dead at around 5:20 am, aged 75. His body was sent for post-mortem as police began an inquiry. (PC: India Today)

Forty-two former judges have defended India’s electoral process and expressed concern over what they called a sustained campaign against the Election Commission, judiciary and other constitutional institutions. In an open letter, they questioned allegations of “vote theft” made without supporting evidence and warned that repeatedly describing constitutional authorities as “thieves” or “compromised” could weaken public trust in democratic institutions. Their statement comes amid growing political opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and allegations linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The former judges urged caution in public discourse surrounding institutions responsible for conducting elections. (PC: HT)

A Russian glide bomb attack on 2 civilian buses in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, has killed 33 people and injured 18, Ukrainian officials said. Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately targeting a passenger bus. Images released by prosecutors showed a burned bus and debris scattered across the road. The attack comes amid a sharp rise in Russian strikes and civilian casualties across Ukraine. In Kyiv, 3 people were reportedly killed and 14 injured in separate attacks. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky offered condolences to victims’ families and called on international partners to provide stronger defence support as Russian attacks intensify. (PC: BBC)

India on Thursday condemned recent attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, calling the targeting of civilian infrastructure “completely unacceptable”. The attacks on October 6 and 7 killed 3 people and injured 36, according to Saudi authorities. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strikes, including an attack on Riyadh’s airport with a ballistic missile. India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished those injured a speedy recovery. New Delhi also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its people and government amid the escalating regional tensions. (PC: HT)

France’s student protests have entered their third week, spreading from Paris to cities nationwide and across the border into Belgium. Students in France are demanding better school conditions, including less crowded classrooms, more teachers and repairs to deteriorating buildings. More than 6,000 people have been arrested, while rights groups have accused police of using excessive force. In Belgium, hundreds of students protested in Liège over rising education costs, crowded classrooms and access to study materials, with 107 arrests reported by local media. France also summoned Iran’s ambassador, accusing Tehran of spreading disinformation about the protests online.

Professor Suneel Kateriya of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) played an important role in the scientific journey behind the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. During his PhD research in Germany in 2001, Kateriya identified 2 genes for light-sensing proteins in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas. The genes were later named channelrhodopsin-1 and channelrhodopsin-2. His work became part of the foundation for optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to control selected nerve cells using light. The 2026 Nobel Prize was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries involving light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. (PC: India Today)

The Centre has rejected Elon Musk’s claim that Starlink faces hurdles in India because of “monopolistic chokeholds”, calling the allegation “baseless” and “misconceived”. The government said regulatory procedures are necessary for the telecom sector and argued that Musk’s remarks do not reflect India’s regulatory framework. Musk had alleged that monopolistic interests were creating obstacles for Starlink’s expansion in the country. The development comes as Starlink continues to work towards expanding its satellite internet services in India. The disagreement highlights the regulatory challenges surrounding the rollout of satellite-based internet services in the country. (PC: X)