TODAY NEWS ON October 05, 2026

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

Asian Games 2026: India finishes fourth with 85 medals, late gold rush seals campaign

The star-studded cricket and hockey teams predictably defended their crowns, but it was 17-year-old archer Kumkum Mohod and golfer Pranavi Urs who scripted unexpected history, adding to the late gold rush that powered India to a creditable fourth place in the Asian Games in Nagoya. The country could not repeat or better the 106 medals claimed in the previous edition, but the haul of 85 is a decent enough performance, although better was expected, especially from shooters and badminton players. In the end, India secured 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals.

As first Agniveer batch complete term, services suggest improvements to scheme

With the first batch of Agniveers set to complete their four-year tenure later this year, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have submitted recommendations to the Department of Military Affairs on ways to improve the implementation of the Agnipath scheme. A senior Ministry of Defence official confirmed that the three services had shared their suggestions based on their experience of implementing the scheme over the past four years. A report incorporating the recommendations has been sent to the competent authority for consideration.

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.

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.

Navy sailor arrested for allegedly leaking classified information to Pakistani intelligence operative

The Counter Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh police has arrested a 31-year-old Navy sailor, Pradeep Mukherjee, for allegedly leaking classified maritime information to a Pakistani intelligence operative through a social media honey trap, sources said Mr. Mukherjee met a female Pakistani intelligence operative on social media a few months ago, according to preliminary information from the Counter Intelligence cell’s probe, sources said.

Rabies deaths recorded in India far lesser than estimates from ICMR-led study

In 2025, India recorded 55 deaths by malaria, 131 deaths by dengue, and 27 deaths by kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis or black fever), according to Union Health Ministry data, whereas there is no single comparable and comprehensive national measure of its annual human rabies mortality, even as the country looks to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by the year 2030.

Jaishankar meets U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Paparo, discusses maritime security

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Paparo on advancing the India-U.S. security partnership and strengthening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Admiral Paparo is on a five-day visit to India from October 3 to 8 as Washington seeks to deepen military-to-military cooperation with New Delhi and advance the Major Defense Partnership between the two countries.

SC to hear suo motu case over relocation of 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library, which reportedly has not been allocated space in the Central Vista redevelopment plan despite being one of the country’s oldest government libraries. The court’s intervention comes amid reports that the library, housed in the Shastri Bhawan complex, was directed on September 17 to vacate the premises by September 30 as part of the redevelopment project.

Dipankar Bhattacharya questions Bihar Assembly Speaker over BJP MLA’s continued membership

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya questioned why there has been no decision on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raju Singh’s membership despite being convicted in a celebratory firing case that led to the death of a woman. Mr. Bhattacharya said that in the case of CPI(ML)L MLA Manoj Manzil, a different approach was adopted and his membership was immediately terminated following conviction in a murder case.

After UCC, West Bengal will have laws against ‘love jihad’, ‘land jihad’, religious conversion: Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said his government would bring stringent laws against “love jihad”, “land jihad” and religious conversion after the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was implemented in the State. The people of West Bengal had elected a nationalist government with a lot of hopes after 50 years, and his government would fulfil the aspirations of the people, the Chief Minister said.

EC explains new ERONET options for SIR notice disposal to EROs through demo video; no written instructions yet

Days after adding new options to its ERONET portal that allow Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to dispose of notice cases without hearings or documents, the Election Commission (EC) is now explaining the changes to officials through a demonstration video prepared by the Election Commission’s Information Technology (IT) Department, with no written documents circulated so far, sources told The Hindu.

Pakistan braces for protest by ex-PM Imran Khan supporters after talks with government fail

Pakistan braced for a protest by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after it decided to proceed with a long march following the failure of negotiations with the government. The talks focused on key demands of Mr. Khan’s party, including an immediate meeting with its jailed founder and his transfer to a hospital where his personal doctors could examine and treat him.

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.

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.

Trump names National Intelligence director Jay Clayton to lead new federal AI task force

US President Donald Trump on Sunday tapped Jay Clayton, his director of national intelligence, to lead a new government task force on artificial intelligence.
Trump is calling it the “Super Intelligence Force” because he has tried to rebrand AI as “super intelligence.” The announcement comes after Trump hosted top executives of AI companies at the White House last week and said they had signed a voluntary accord that would effectively self-police the development of the technology. (AP)

Netanyahu calls Indian pilot Machchhar 'hero of entire world'; invites him, Modi to Israel's Independence Day event

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Indian pilot Smit Machchhar a “hero of the entire world” for foiling an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flight, as he spoke with him over the phone. Captain Machchhar was attacked and seriously injured by his co-pilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday while the aircraft was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Netanyahu spoke to Machchhar on Saturday, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE. A video clip of the call, with the phone on loudspeaker, was shared on social media. During the call, Netanyahu also invited the pilot and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a flame on Israeli Independence Day. 

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals repatriated from Malaysia as UN warns of risks

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals who were sent back from Malaysia arrived in the country’s largest city on Sunday, despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups that conditions for return remain unsafe. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition and plunging large parts of the country into conflict. (AP)

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan's supporters to march on Islamabad to demand his release

Hundreds of supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are set to begin a days-long march toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release after talks between the government and the opposition fell through.Khan is current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s main political rival and has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. He remains popular. (AP)

US deploys third aircraft carrier, up to 10,000 troops near Iran as war enters eighth month

The US is deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group and thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, adding to the roughly 50,000 US service members already stationed in the region. By the end of November, three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups are expected to be positioned near Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

The deployment comes as Washington and Tehran weigh further escalation and diplomatic engagement. Indirect talks have made little progress, with Iran seeking sanctions relief, unfreezing of assets and guarantees against further strikes in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks, while the Trump administration has rejected the proposal.

Trump’s ‘drug factories’ claim about Iranian nuclear sites appears to be a mistake: Report

US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iranian nuclear facilities targeted by the US were also “drug factories” appears to have been a verbal mistake, according to a CNN analysis. Nuclear expert James Acton said he had never heard a credible allegation that the Fordow facility was being used for drug production.

Trump made the remarks while discussing the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025, shortly after speaking about efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Venezuela. The White House declined to explain the comments, while Acton said the more plausible explanation was that Trump simply misspoke.

Flydubai attacker studied at British university, backed violence against women, Russia’s war

A day after the alleged attacker on flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight has been identified as Hamam Al-Hammami, fresh details have started to emerge of the Omani national. Al-Hammami’s social media posts, especially his stance on women and Russia’s war on Ukraine, and his extremist views during this study at a British university have now surfaced. Read more

2 Iranian diplomats 'kicked out' of US after ignoring order to leave

Two Iranian diplomates, who were sent as members of Tehran’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, were “kicked out” of the United States on Saturday, days after they were formally asked to leave, an unnamed US official, cited by Axios, said. “State Secretary Marco Rubio means business. Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in New York long after the UN General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the country,” the official was quoted as saying by the American news outlet.

Nolo becomes Category 3 Hurricane in remote Pacific Ocean

Nolo strengthened into a major hurricane Saturday far out in the Pacific Ocean, well to the west of Hawaii’s main islands.The storm’s maximum sustained winds rapidly intensified to 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported, meaning it was a Category 3 hurricane.

Iranian President says country adopts new measures as economic pressure intensifies

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government had adopted new measures to manage the country’s “special conditions”, as economic pressure intensified.He said the “enemy’s plan” in recent months had been to target Iran’s vital arteries in an effort to pressure the Iranian people. “Economic pressure has intensified, but by the grace of God, with the support of the people and measures taken by our colleagues in the government, we have not allowed the enemy’s objectives in the economic war to be realised,” Pezeshkian said.

Iraq says it transported 2 million barrels of crude through Strait of Hormuz

Iraq’s Oil Tankers Company transported 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude aboard a very large crude carrier (VLCC) through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.The company’s director general confirmed the shipment in a statement, describing it as the first such operation in decades.

Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Indonesia's Sumbawa region, GFZ says

An earthquake of magnitude ⁠5.9 ​struck the Sumbawa ​region ​of ⁠Indonesia on Sunday, ‌the German Research Center ⁠for ⁠Geosciences (GFZ) ⁠said.The ‌quake ​was ‌at a ‌depth ​of ​10 ​km (6.21 miles), ​the ⁠GFZ added.