Voting began on Tuesday, October 6, for by-elections to six constituencies across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The contests cover five Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat, with several major parties competing in closely watched electoral battles. According to the ANI report, polling is taking place in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar, Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam and Dharap

India’s five-member student team secured four gold medals and one silver at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2026 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The achievement capped an exceptional year for the country’s science Olympiad teams, with every Indian participant across five senior-level international competitions earning either gold or silver. Held from September 25 to October 5, the astronomy competition brought together 307 students f

India finished fourth at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with 85 medals: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. According to the supplied article, this was India’s second-best Asian Games medal haul after the 107 medals won at Hangzhou. India’s overall medal tally Medal type Asian Games 2026 Hangzhou edition Difference Gold 21 28 7 fewer Silver 27 38 11 fewer Bronze 37 41 4 fewer Total 85 107 22 fewer Sport-wise medal performance Athletics contributed the most medals, while archery delivered the highest gold tally among the sports detailed in the article. Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total medals Athletics 1 9 14 24 Shooting 3 8 4 15 Archery 5 0 0 9 Boxing 3 0 0 6 Wrestling 2 0 0 6 Kabaddi 2 0 0 2 Badminton 0 0 1 1 Weightlifting 0 1 0 1 Table tennis 0 0 1 1 The supplied article does not provide a complete sport-wise breakdown of all 85 medals. Archery’s remaining four medals, boxing’s three and wrestling’s four were silver or bronze, but their individual distribution is not specified. Key highlights of India’s campaign Category Details Overall position Fourth in the continental standings Sports yielding medals 20 Total athletes 501 Asian Games debutants 310, nearly 62% of the contingent Debutants who won medals 83, approximately 26.8% of debutants Largest medal contribution Athletics, with 24 medals Second-largest medal contribution Shooting, with 15 medals Archery breakthrough Nine medals, including five golds Emerging athlete Kumkum Mohod, 17, won three medals, including individual recurve gold Main challenge Converting more silver and bronze finishes into gold India’s performance showed a wider pool of competitive athletes and promising young talent. However, athletics produced only one gold from 24 medals, while shooting secured three golds from 15. Improving results in decisive rounds and developing stronger participation in additional sports will be important for the next medal push.

Supreme Court Seeks Records Before Intervention The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pass an interim order suspending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of unilateral decision-making within the Election Commission of India. Instead, it sought responses and records to examine how the disputed decisions were approved. The petition challenges

India-US Trade Talks Face a Difficult Phase India’s efforts to secure a trade agreement with the United States face fresh uncertainty after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said negotiations had reached a plateau. Her comments indicate that finding additional room for compromise could become increasingly difficult for both countries. Speaking at the Munic

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has set out three demands concerning the electoral process: the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the use of ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines. Kharge described these demands as non-negotiable on Monday, October 5. His remarks come amid a dispute over the Election Commission

Israelis thank Smit Machchhar after flydubai attack Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has received an outpouring of gratitude from Israeli social media users after his actions during an alleged cockpit attack helped avert a disaster aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to Israeli authorities, Machchhar was seriously in

Indian captain injured in cockpit attack A flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after an alleged attack inside the cockpit left Indian Captain Smit Machchhar seriously injured. Israeli officials said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to take control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, trigg

Gandhi Jayanti will be observed on Friday, October 2, 2026, marking the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The day honours his contribution to India’s freedom struggle and highlights his principles of truth, non-violence, simplicity and social responsibility. It is also an occasion to reflect on how these values can guide individuals and communities today. Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, in present-day Gu

An Indian captain reportedly fought back after being stabbed during an alleged cockpit attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. His resistance helped prevent a potential disaster involving more than 180 people on board. The aircraft subsequently landed in Saudi Arabia, reportedly after two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers intervened. Initial accounts describe a violent confrontation inside the

India’s women’s compound archery team delivered a commanding performance against China to win gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Wednesday, September 30. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikhita Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep combined experience, composure and precision to retain the title and secure India’s first archery gold of this edition. The victory marked a strong response from Jyothi after her individual title defence ended with a defeat to South K

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to skip the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi on Wednesday, September 30, has renewed questions about relations between the SP and Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Opposition gathering was called to discuss a joint agitation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and to press for Chief Election Commissioner

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday urged young people across India to join peaceful protests demanding safer public spaces for women. In a post and accompanying video, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha argued that the response to harassment and sexual violence should focus on those who commit the crimes, rather than on restricting women’s movements. Gandhi criticised what he described as a system that b

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has drawn criticism from BJP leaders after contrasting the political use of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva during a conclave in New Delhi on September 28. Reddy described Shiva as the god of the poor and Ram as the god of the rich while arguing that the BJP has made Ram a prominent part of its political identity. His remarks have since become the centre of a dispute over religion and regional identity. Reddy also compared politic

India’s shooting team added a silver medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, September 25, as Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil finished second in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event. Their combined score of 1762-94x put them four points behind China, who took gold with 1766-95x. South Korea claimed bronze with 1751-87x. The result continued India’s run of shooting medals