India’s Anahat Singh pulled off the biggest win of her career by defeating Egyptian squash star Nour El Sherbini in straight games at the PSA Gold Chicago Open on Thursday.   The 18-year-old, ranked world No. 15, beat the tournament’s top seed and world No. 3 player 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 to enter the quarter-finals. El Sherbini is an 8-time world champion and a player Anahat has admired since childhood.   Anahat controlled the match with disciplined play and followed her game plan. The victory adds to her growing achievements after winning silver at the 2026 Asian Games and the World Junior Championship title earlier this year.  (PC: NDTV)

Delhi Police has denied permission for singer Diljit Dosanjh’s October 30 concert at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, citing security threats and law-and-order concerns.   According to a letter sent to ticketing platform BookMyShow, the South District Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office said the organisers’ request had been examined but could not be approved. The letter referred to “specific threat-related inputs” and security responsibilities during the ongoing festive season.   The decision has left the status of the Delhi concert uncertain, with further details about the event and ticket arrangements awaited. The show was scheduled to open the India leg of Dosanjh’s Aura Tour, which includes performances across 7 cities. (PC: India Today)

    Artist Raihan Vadra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has questioned the removal of 70 photographs documenting protests in Delhi from his exhibition at Bikaner House. Vadra alleged that officials asked him to remove 2 photographs of the Indian flag, even after he had set aside images featuring political slogans. He said officials later removed one photograph themselves. Vadra also questioned the timing, claiming he was informed just 4 hours before the exhibition opened. He argued that public art institutions should protect artistic freedom and questioned whether political pressure influenced the decision, though he said he had no proof.  

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday set a May 2029 target for cleaning the Yamuna River and criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress over the river’s pollution. Shah’s remarks came as the Delhi government launched sewerage and river-cleaning projects worth Rs 8,941 crore. The plan includes new sewage treatment plants, upgraded facilities and expanded sewer networks to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river. The projects aim to improve water quality and address long-standing pollution concerns. Shah accused previous governments of failing to fulfil their promises to clean the Yamuna. (PC: News18)

An Indian national and a Saudi citizen were killed in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority. Eight others were injured, including nationals of India, Yemen and Bangladesh. Authorities were assessing the damage, while airport operations and air traffic had returned to normal. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said it was gathering information and contacting affected families. The attack comes amid intensified Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia. The US has ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave the country. (PC: HT)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his reported foreign visit, saying the Congress would not return to power for the next 30 years. Shah’s remarks came amid a political row over Gandhi’s reported trip abroad while opposition parties were protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the voter list revision exercise. The BJP has criticised Gandhi’s absence, while Congress leaders have defended his right to travel. The dispute has added to tensions between the BJP and Congress over political protests and electoral issues. (PC: India Today)

Governments and technology companies worldwide are rushing to address serious security flaws discovered in PHP, a programming language used to power millions of websites. Researchers at cybersecurity firms Wiz and Calif used advanced artificial intelligence tools to identify vulnerabilities that had remained undetected for years. The flaws could allow attackers to take control of affected web servers and steal sensitive data without authentication. Several organisations, including Wikimedia, the BBC and government agencies, temporarily took websites offline as a precaution. PHP developers released emergency patches, while security agencies urged operators to update immediately or suspend vulnerable services. (PC: BBC)

Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and Indonesia signed the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha on October 21, 2026, to deepen military cooperation and strengthen defence capabilities. The agreement covers defence manufacturing, technical training, research and development, and joint production of defence technologies. Signatories included Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Turkey’s Yasar Guler, Qatar’s Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman and Indonesia’s Yusuf Jauhari. Turkey contributes an established defence industry, Qatar financial resources, Indonesia experience in joint development and domestic production, and Pakistan manufacturing capacity and a skilled workforce. The pact follows an earlier defence agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Its potential to diversify Pakistan’s weapons sources makes the development strategically relevant for India.

India has objected to a United Nations special rapporteur describing fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company as an “India-based” criminal group, calling the description factually inaccurate. Raghoo Puri, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, raised the objection during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism in the General Assembly’s Third Committee. Puri said the report cited the UN Security Council’s 2003 listing of the leader of “India-based D-Company” over links with Al-Qaeda but failed to mention that Ibrahim had been wanted in India in connection with terror attacks since 1993. The objection challenges the report’s characterisation of the criminal organisation.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), led by Mohsin Naqvi, has declined permission for Pakistan’s over-50s team to participate in the International Masters Cricket World Cup scheduled in India in January 2027. Pakistan won the previous edition, held in Sri Lanka last year. Fawad Ijaz, head of the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), said organisers had been informed of the withdrawal so an alternative team could be arranged. According to Ijaz, organisers and Indian authorities had assured the team of visas and high-level security. However, Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister, reportedly told the association it could not travel to India. Pakistan’s hockey federation recently made a similar decision. (PC: AFP)