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

Flydubai pilot 'a hero', plumber steadied plunging aircraft: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the flydubai pilot as a "hero" for fighting off a knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.

ECI meets for second time in 4 days, extends SIR dates for Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya

A full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) convened on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), in what was the second such meeting in four days, and decided to extend the dates for the publication of final electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya, which are among the States where the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is currently underway.

‘Only 747 enrolment applications received from homeless voters’: NGO writes to Delhi CEO, flags ‘lapses’

A non-profit organisation that facilitated a two-day citywide enrolment drive for homeless voters earlier this month wrote to the office of Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), stating that only 747 applications for re-inclusion into the rolls were received at the special camps.

NCERT textbook revives debatable theory on Sengol handed to Nehru

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s claim that Sengol, which is a sceptre anointed by Hindu religious leaders, marked the transfer of power in 1947 when India became independent, finds a mention in the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) newly released Class 9 social science textbook.

Medical students protest in Jammu and Kashmir after professor ‘objects to burqas in labour room’

Scores of students at the Government Medical College (GMC), Doda, protested on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) after a professor denied burqa clad students’ entry to the labour room, forcing the hospital administration to set up a committee to look into the matter.

Export duty on diesel, ATF slashed; petrol unchanged

In their latest fortnightly review, the government further reduced the export levy on diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) whilst keeping the levy on petrol unchanged. Excise duty levied on the fuels domestically remains unchanged.

Google restricts access to new AI model over safety concerns

Google on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) said it would withhold its most powerful artificial intelligence model from the public for now, releasing Gemini 4 Argon only to a vetted group of cybersecurity experts to avoid misuse by hackers.

Gill breaks Kishan’s record for fastest ODI double hundred

India skipper Shubman Gill etched his name in the record books on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), smashing the fastest double hundred in ODI cricket after reaching the milestone in just 117 balls.

Appeals court halts Tennessee's first execution of a woman in two centuries

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday halted the execution of death row inmate Christa Pike in Tennessee, less than two hours before she was scheduled to become the first woman that state has put to death in more than two hundred years. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a “short stay of execution” to give it time to weigh Pike’s claim that her allegations of childhood sexual abuse were not adequately considered during her sentencing. The court did not provide a specific timeframe.

Russia attacks Ukrainian energy grid, forcing power cuts as winter looms

Russia unleashed a widely anticipated air campaign against Ukraine’s energy grid on Wednesday, hitting power facilities and infrastructure around Kyiv and other regions in the heaviest combined attack on energy sites in months. The strikes, in which Ukrainian officials said seven people were killed, followed days of intensifying drone barrages primarily on the capital, a prelude to what many Ukrainians expect to be a winter of attacks intended to plunge cities into cold and darkness when Ukraine is short of air defences.

Oil prices rise on stalled US-Iran talks and tight fuel markets

Oil prices rose on Wednesday and were on track for significant monthly gains on stalled US-Iran peace talks and tightening US fuel markets. The Brent November futures contract, which expires on Wednesday, was up $1.12, or 1%, at $103.71 a barrel at 10:50 a.m. EDT. The more active December contract ⁠was up $2.65, or 2.8%, at $98.81. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.98, or 2.2%, at $91.98.

China grants a singer a rare exemption over censorship after an unapproved tribute song

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu granted a rare exemption to a singer on Tuesday after she added an unapproved song to her set list at a weekend concert, drawing renewed attention to China’s tightening controls on entertainment.Content used in live performances, including songs and stand-up comedy scripts, must be approved in advance by local authorities, a long-standing requirement that reflects China’s strict censorship of the entertainment industry. Artists who violate the rules can be fined or banned from future performances and even public appearances.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and an ex-Fatah official form an unlikely Palestinian electoral coalition

Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad group have agreed to form an unlikely electoral coalition with a former top Fatah official who has close ties to the United Arab Emirates, Israel’s closest ally in the Middle East, Palestinian officials told The Associated Press. The alliance could be well positioned to threaten the dominance of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party over the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority – but only if the first national elections in 20 years actually happen, which is very much in doubt.

Ukraine struggling to cover funding gap as war costs surge

Ukraine’s total war costs will reach $155 billion this year and the government is struggling to close a $27 billion funding gap to ensure it can still conduct combat operations at the start of 2027, Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said on Wednesday. Koretskyi said the government planned to ⁠cover $7 billion of the gap by postponing expenditure, reallocating money from other parts of the budget and cutting some costs, and was in talks with partners on how to cover the remaining $20 billion.

It is the first time Kyiv has released an estimate of its annual war costs, meaning there is no comparable figure for 2025, but officials have said that the cost of the ⁠conflict has risen as the use of missile and drone technology has increased.

US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group. The last U.S. troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington. The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on U.S. troops and the U.S. striking the groups’ strongholds.Baghdad touted the end of the U.S. mission as a sign of the country’s increasing strength and sovereignty.The withdrawal was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region. Meanwhile, questions loom around the future of the Iraqi militias, which the Baghdad government has sought — with little success so far — to disarm.

Inflation jumps across euro zone, raising pressure on ECB to hike

Inflation rose far quicker than expected in some of the euro zone’s biggest economies this month due to the energy-price shock of the Iran war, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates again. The ECB has lifted rates twice this year to prevent rapid price growth from getting embedded, and investors have sharply raised rate hike bets ⁠in the past few weeks as natural gas, petrol and diesel prices have all soared.

Putin will address newly-elected parliament later on Wednesday, Kremlin says

Russian President ⁠Vladimir Putin will deliver a ⁠speech in newly-elected parliament ⁠later ⁠on Wednesday, ⁠Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Russia pounds the Kyiv region, killing 4 and targeting the power grid

Russia pressed on with its weekslong missile and drone barrage of Kyiv and areas around the Ukrainian capital, killing four people including a child while targeting the power grid and a key internet exchange point, officials said

Dozens injured in French student protests over school resources

Dozens of people have been injured so far in a wave of student demonstrations, France’s Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Wednesday, as students continued to protest against dilapidated schools, insufficient resources and stressful exams.

Pakistan pledges to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthis ‘by whatever means’

Pakistan’s defence minister said Islamabad will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, signalling possible direct involvement. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to comment if Pakistani forces had already participated in airstrikes. However, he said that his country’s armed forces would be available to Saudi under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Eiffel Tower chief to step down after women staff removed during Hindu group visit

The chief of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will step down at the end of 2026 following controversy over the removal of women staff during a Hindu religious group’s visit.

Trump, tech leaders sign 4-tier pact for AI self-regulation

US President Donald Trump and leaders of some of the world’s biggest technology companies have signed a voluntary White House accord on Tuesday outlining measures to improve the safety and oversight of advanced artificial intelligence systems. The “White House Accord on Super Intelligence”, released by Trump on Truth Social, calls for companies developing and deploying frontier AI models to introduce four layers of internal controls, monitoring and independent audits.

Indian Coast Guard seizes drugs from Iranian boat in Arabian Sea; 5 Pakistani nationals arrested

The Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS seized 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin worth over Rs 3,000 crore from an Iranian boat in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday. The Coast Guard said in a statement that it also detained five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel in the operation carried out near Lakshadweep on September 25.