India is going ‘beyond advocacy’ on the Russia-Ukraine conflict: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Sunday (October 4, 2026) that India is going “beyond advocacy” on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, on Black sea safety, and grain export agreements. Talking on India’s stand on the conflict, he said, “Our position on that conflict has been very clear, which is that we would like to see an end to this conflict, and we believe that this will require dialogue and diplomacy. There has to be negotiations in this regard. We have been advocating it for many years, and in recent months we have got a little bit more involved beyond advocacy.”

UAE shared details about FlyDubai flight with Israel, including pilots’ names, nationalities

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shared with Israel a list of passengers and crew ahead of the FlyDubai flight on which a pilot attempted to seize control of the Israel-bound aircraft and crash it, regional officials said on Sunday (October 4, 2026), raising new questions over how the attacker evaded detection. While the investigation continues, preliminary details about the incident have highlighted several major security lapses.

Deputy ECs to visit 5 States as poll body steps up preparedness to hold high stakes elections

Senior Election Commission officials led by Deputy Election Commissioners will start visiting the five poll-bound States from this week to oversee election preparedness at the field level.

Gyanesh Kumar undermined Election Commission’s independence: Sachin Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday (October 4, 2026) accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of undermining the independence of the Election Commission, alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used to selectively delete voters.

BJP nominates former Trinamool MP Koel Mallick to Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday (October 4, 2026) nominated former Trinamool Congress MP Rukmini Mallick alias Koel Mallick to Rajya Sabha. Ms. Mallick was elected to the Upper House by Trinamool Congress in April this year. On July 16, 2026, the actor turned politician submitted her resignation to Vice President and chairman of the Upper House C. P. Radhakrishnan.

Iran’s Foreign Minister tells U.S. there is no military solution to their conflict

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday (October 4, 2026) that there was no military solution to his country’s conflict with the United States, with talks on ending the war apparently at an impasse. A campaign of heavy bombardment failed to bring a decisive close to the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in late February, and Washington in recent weeks has dialled back military operations in favour of economic pressure.

Experts’ poll: RBI may hike rates by 0.25% in October policy amid inflationary pressures

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to increase the repo rate by 0.25% in the October monetary policy review due to mounting inflationary pressure amid the re-escalation of the West Asia crisis and also the rate hikes by global central banks, according to economists and bankers.

Remembering Singeetham Srinivasa Rao

A sharp mind, a quirky sense of humour, a young heart and a perennial desire to experiment with his movies defined Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. As he departs at 94, he leaves behind a body of work that has a sense of permanence. Having found an ally in Kamal Haasan, Singeetham discovered a sense of freedom, especially in the Tamil industry. A hero being visually challenged was never the template for films, but the duo smirked at such notions through the 1981 flick Raaja Paarvai. For many fans the song Andhi mazhai from this lovely film, remains a ear-worm.

Asian Games close in Japan after records, rancour and rain

The Asian Games in Japan closed on Sunday (October 4, 2026) after a fortnight lit up by record-smashing young stars but marred by mishaps, mediocre crowds and accusations of mismanagement. More than 17,000 athletes and officials, a bigger number than the Olympics, descended on Nagoya and Aichi prefecture for the continent’s premier sporting spectacular.

Protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Live updates

Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday (October 4, 2026) alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was the “weapon” of the ruling BJP, while MNS leader Raj Thackeray demanded cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Maharashtra.

BJP questions Rahul Gandhi’s ‘silence’ on flydubai incident, Captain Smit’s bravery

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (October 4, 2026) questioned the Congress over what it termed the Opposition party’s “silence” on Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who thwarted his co-pilot’s alleged attempt to crash a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight. Rajya Sabha MP and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the lack of a statement from the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on the incident as, “the Gandhi family’s silent support to terrorism”.

Keralam govt. orders anti-corruption enquiry against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over 2006 graft allegations

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Keralam on Sunday (October 4, 2026) sought to revive a 20-year-old corruption allegation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, when the Kerala cadre IAS official was the State’s Public Works Department (PWD) secretary, by ordering a preliminary enquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).