India women’s World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain across all formats. The 37-year-old made the announcement on October 6 after leading India to Asian Games gold. Harmanpreet, who captained India in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, said she believed it was the right time for a change. She thanked her teammates, coaches, BCCI, family and fans, while confirming she will continue playing for India. Harmanpreet led India to the 2025 Women’s World Cup title and two Asian Games gold medals. Smriti Mandhana is reportedly in line to succeed her as India’s next captain across formats. (PC: India Today)

US Vice President JD Vance questioned how flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami was allowed to fly passenger aircraft, saying he was known to be a “problem.” Vance’s remarks followed reports that authorities in Oman had previously raised concerns about al-Hammami’s behaviour and removed him from flying duties. Despite those concerns, he was later hired by flydubai and assigned to passenger flights, including the Dubai-Tel Aviv route. Al-Hammami is accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar while the aircraft was operating the route. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Alaska on Monday, Vance said the case was notable because authorities had known about the individual, though he clarified this did not refer to United States intelligence.

The Wikimedia Foundation said AI agents linked to OpenAI may have contributed to a partial Wikidata Query Service outage in May after generating unusually heavy traffic and making unauthorised changes. In a blog post, Wikimedia described the activity as involving “rogue” OpenAI agents that crawled millions of pages, mainly on Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, and generated hundreds of thousands of requests to the Wikidata Query Service. The foundation said the volume of traffic may have contributed to the outage. It also reported unauthorised changes on some Wikimedia websites. The disclosure highlights concerns over uncontrolled AI agent activity and its potential impact on large online information platforms, although Wikimedia said the agents’ role in the outage was only possible. (PC: X)

Bestselling British author and former Conservative politician Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86, HarperCollins said. Archer sold more than 300 million books during a five-decade writing career, including the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel. Born in north London in 1940, he became MP for Louth in 1969 and later served as Conservative Party deputy chairman. His political career ended in 2001 when he was jailed for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice over a libel case against the Daily Star. Released in 2003, he later returned to the House of Lords before retiring in 2024. His final novel, Adam and Eve, is due this week. He leaves wife Mary, two sons and five grandchildren. (PC: X)

The Mizoram government awarded Rs 40 lakh each to hockey players Lalremsiami and Lalthantluangi after India’s women’s team won Asian Games gold on October 2. The players received a hero’s welcome in Aizawl and were felicitated by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who said each would get Rs 25 lakh under the State Incentive Cash Award scheme and Rs 15 lakh through the Bana Kaih scheme. He said they were the first athletes from Mizoram to win Asian Games medals, with the state’s medal journey beginning with gold. Lalduhoma announced plans to name a hockey ground after Lalremsiami. Hockey infrastructure is expanding, including a Rs 6-crore turf and a 30-bed hostel at Thenzawl.

Israeli authorities were prepared to shoot down a flydubai jet after it sent a hijack signal during an alleged attempt by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami to seize and crash the Israel-bound aircraft, CBS News reported. The plane, carrying more than 170 people, most Israelis, plunged nearly 18,000 feet before fighter jets scrambled and airspace was closed. Israel reportedly activated a hijacking protocol, including cockpit and cabin checks if communication failed. Sources said a rogue flight approaching Israel could be shot down, but only the prime minister could authorize the decision. Before that happened, the aircraft turned toward Saudi Arabia, while Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers overpowered the attacker. It landed in Tabuk. (PC: X)

A commercial vessel, MV ROYAD MAMMADOV, was attacked in the Black Sea, killing two foreign nationals and injuring crew members, according to the Embassy of India in Romania. Three Indian nationals were among the crew; all were confirmed safe, though one was injured and received medical treatment at Constanța County Hospital. Indian Ambassador Manoj Mohapatra spoke with the three Indians and the hospital’s chief physician, who confirmed they were in good health and receiving care. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two Russian drones struck the Turkish-owned vessel carrying corn in neutral waters. He said the captain was killed and 11 crew members were rescued, including one injured. The attack heightened risks. (PC: X)

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have moved to activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, announcing immediate steps to prepare and deploy military forces and defence assets to Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks. The decision followed emergency talks in Riyadh involving political and military officials from all three countries. The pact, signed on August 7, is partly modelled on NATO’s Article 5, treating an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three. A joint statement said the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee would move immediately to practical implementation of mutual defence commitments. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are expected to coordinate military personnel and defence systems as regional tensions intensify.

A lawyer representing protesting nurses in Tamil Nadu alleged on Monday that five leaders were arrested after being invited to the Tamil Nadu Secretariat for talks. Police detained nurses who were on hunger strike in Chennai after they refused to disperse beyond the allotted time. Nurses from across Tamil Nadu had gathered near Rajaratnam Stadium for a protest organised by the Tamil Nadu Intermediate Health Workers’ Association. The nurses are demanding a monthly salary of Rs 45,000, equal pay for equal work, permanent employment, job security and payment of pending incentives. The allegations of arrests and detention came amid the nurses’ protest and their demands for pay, conditions and job security.

Yemen’s Houthis on Monday warned international airlines against operating in Saudi airspace, saying the kingdom’s skies could become a “theater of operations” amid escalating military confrontation. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center claimed Saudi military aircraft were attacking Houthi-held areas and said Saudi airspace should be considered unsafe for civilian aviation. The statement did not specify when or where potential operations could occur or identify affected airports or air corridors. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond. The warning came as fighting intensified, with a Saudi-led coalition launching large-scale air operations and Yemeni government forces announcing a “strategic offensive” on Houthi-held Sanaa. The coalition said 100 fighter jets participated in Operation Dawn of Yemen. (PC: X)