TODAY NEWS ON October 09, 2026

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Exp and others

Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Canadian author Anne Carson

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature,” the Swedish Academy, Stockholm, said on Thursday (October 8, 2026).

Anne Carson published a series of notable works in the 1990s. Throughout her entire authorship, Ms. Carson, with a light touch, explores the possibilities of writing, a process by which the literary sketch has become of particular value to her.

Actor Nana Patekar passes away at 75

Veteran actor Nana Patekar passed away at his Goa residence during the early hours of Thursday (October 8, 2026), after suffering from cardiac arrest, a Goa doctor suggested. Mr. Patekar was 75 years old, brought to a private hospital after he was found unconscious at his apartment in Dona Paula, near Goa’s Panaji region. Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chief of Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, said, “He was in unresponsive state when the medical team was called at home. The team found him in unconscious state and he gave CPR for almost 45 minutes to 1 hour. He was declared dead at 5:20 am.” A medico-legal case has been registered in this connection, and a postmortem would be conducted, he added.

GST Council scraps arrest powers of GST officers, ups prosecution threshold to ₹5 crore

The GST Council on Thursday (October 8, 2026) approved scrapping the arrest powers of GST officers and raised the threshold to launch prosecution to ₹5 crore from ₹1 crore. “The rate structure is settled, so the Council has turned to how the tax works day to day,” the Finance Ministry said, adding that GST rate changes will now happen once a year.

On input tax credit claims, the 57th GST Council decided to set up a Committee of Officers to examine how to protect a genuine buyer who holds a proper invoice, has received the goods, and has paid his supplier in full. “The Committee of Officers will complete its study within three months, and an agenda will be placed before the next Council meeting,” the Ministry said. The GST Council revoked GST officers’ arrest powers.

PM Modi calls for global framework to tackle cyber frauds, deepfakes, digital crimes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 8, 2026) called for a global framework to tackle cyber frauds and deepfakes, saying digital threats have crossed national boundaries and require coordinated action by all stakeholders. Inaugurating the tenth edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, Mr. Modi said governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions should create mechanisms to curb digital frauds.

Supreme Court orders Centre to form panel to regulate unethical pharma marketing

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 8, 2026) directed the Union government to constitute an expert committee to examine whether pharmaceutical companies should be brought under a legally enforceable framework to curb unethical marketing practices. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the Centre to constitute the committee in line with its earlier directions and observations. “We have directed the Union of India to constitute the committee and give its recommendations in terms of our previous directives and observations. The matter will be placed before the Court on January 29, 2027, to show compliance with the orders of the Court,” Justice Mehta said, reading out the operative part of the order in open court.

ISRO employees seek meeting with Chairperson to discuss queries on privatisation

The Joint Action Council (JAC), representing nine Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) employees’ associations, have sought a meeting with the Chairperson of the space agency, Dr. V. Narayanan, to discuss key issues, like emerging threats of privatisation and transfer of technology, among others.

In a letter dated October 7, the nine associations requested an early structured personal interaction or meeting to discuss the future role of ISRO, emerging threats of privatisation, transfer of technology, and operational functions of launch vehicles and facilities.

Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro and HCL among IT firms suspended from U.S. green card programme

The U.S. suspended IT firms Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme, which allows companies to apply for green cards for H-1B visa workers. The Department of Labour is also suspending Microsoft and Adobe from the program.

Opposition leaders ‘pray’ at Rajghat for government to ‘get wisdom’ to remove CEC; say protest will continue

For the third day in a row, leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) protested in Delhi against alleged “vote chori [theft]” and demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, staging a symbolic satyagraha at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat. Following two days of face-offs with the Delhi Police, the Opposition leaders were allowed to hold a peaceful protest at Rajghat without being prevented from reaching there.

Bypoll results for five Assembly seats, one Lok Sabha constituency

The counting of votes polled for bypolls to five Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry, and one Lok Sabha seat in Assam will take place today. Follow live results here. In Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam and Dharapuram counting will be taken up amidst a three-tier security cover. The crucial by-polls held after the TVK came to power in May is viewed as a test for its popularity while the opposition AIADMK hopes to regain the seats lost to the TVK in the April Assembly elections. Meanwhile, the results from West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls will likely indicate the political mood in the State after the BJP replaced the TMC after 15 years in power.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Z+ security strengthened; additional forces deployed in Delhi

The security cover of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been further strengthened amid protests by Opposition parties over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Additional personnel have been deployed outside his Delhi residence in New Moti Bagh Colony, at the Election Commission office and for his personal security, officials in the know said.

India condemns attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia

India strongly condemned the recent attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia, asserting that targeting civilian infrastructure is completely “unacceptable”. Saudi authorities said three people have been killed in attacks reportedly carried out by Houthi militants over the last two days on Abha International Airport and King Khalid airport.

Supreme Court to hear on Oct. 9 Punjab appeal against HC order for CBI probe into corruption allegations

The Supreme Court re-scheduled by a day an appeal filed by the State of Punjab against a State High Court order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into corruption allegations linked to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s office. The State of Punjab, in its appeal before the apex court, said the High Court direction for a CBI probe suffered from errors such as treating information shared under Section 66(2) of the PMLA as a direction that makes registration “inevitable”, contrary to the 2022 decision of the apex court in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case.

Air India, IndiGo cancel and divert Riyadh flights after missile threat

Air India Group and IndiGo cancelled and diverted several services to Riyadh as carriers monitored an evolving regional situation, disrupting travel between India and the Saudi capital. The disruption comes after Iran-aligned Houthi rebels attacked Saudi Arabia, with a missile fired towards Riyadh International Airport. Air India said its flight AI2243, operating from Delhi to Riyadh, returned to Delhi on Thursday in the interest of passenger and crew safety. The service was subsequently cancelled, with full refunds offered to passengers.

Margaret Hamilton, scientist who worked on NASA’s Apollo program, dead at 90

American scientist Margaret Hamilton, who led the development of the computer system used by NASA’s Apollo lunar programme, has died at the age of 90, her former employer said. In a statement, the Massachussetts Institute of Technology called Hamilton, who taught at the prestigious university from 1959 to the mid-1970s, a “computing pioneer” and said she died on September 30.

42 former judges defend ECI, slam ‘calculated campaign’ driven by ‘vested political interests’

Over 40 former Supreme Court and High Court judges have raised concerns over a “calculated campaign driven by vested political interests, with little regard for the potentially devastating consequences of destabilising the world’s largest democracy”. “A party that governed this nation for over five decades now claims that the very system which elected it is rigged. It does not act alone. Activist outfits with a long record of selective litigation lend these claims a veneer of legality,” said 42 former judges in an open letter, without naming the party.

India exposes Pakistan’s doublespeak at UN, says world has not forgotten 9/11, 26/11, Pahalgam attacks

Exposing Pakistan’s doublespeak on terrorism at the UN, India has called out Islamabad’s efforts to gloss over its state support for terror by announcing rewards for Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azahar, underlining that the world has not forgotten 9/11, 26/11 and Pahalgam attacks. India on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) exercised its Right of Reply in response to the Pakistan representative’s statement in the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly on the Agenda Item: Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism.