NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||25-10-2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||25-10-2026

SUNDAY| VOL—IV/2026/OCTOBER

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |

स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह: ||

GEETA—Chapter 3, Verse 35.

Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna that being successful  in an artificial, copied life leaves the soul completely hollow. Conversely, following your own true path brings genuine spiritual evolution and peace.

 

INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

PM Shri Narendra Modi will today inaugurate Arvind Ltd.’s new, predominantly women-led garment manufacturing facility in Varanasi at about 11 am, and at about 1 pm witness the Air Force Day Aerial Display-2026, ‘Wings over Ganges’, at Namo Ghat as Chief Guest. At about 4:45 pm he will inaugurate the RBI’s Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar.

PM Shri Narendra Modi will share his thoughts in the 139th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat at 11 am today. It will be carried on the entire Akash Vani and Door darshan network, the AIR News website and the News on air app, with regional-language versions right after the Hindi broadcast.

Vice-President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan paid floral tributes to freedom fighters the Marudu Brothers on their Remembrance Day in New Delhi, and greeted ITBP personnel on the force’s Raising Day.

The Centre has created 11 crore Farmer IDs under the Digital Agriculture Mission, five months ahead of the 31 March 2027 deadline, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said; the target was reached on 23 October. The unique digital identity gives farmers transparent and faster access to government schemes, bank loans, crop insurance and disaster relief, and reduces paperwork and repeated verification. What about cloning the card BY HACKERS?

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said in Berlin that the government will bear the entire cost of expensive certifications for micro and small enterprises under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM), including help in meeting EU rules such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the Deforestation Regulation; other businesses will get support on a graded basis. The ₹25,060 crore EPM runs through two sub-schemes — Niryat Protsahan (₹10,401 crore) and Niryat Disha (₹14,659 crore).

Health Minister J.P. Nadda said the Centre has approved 320 additional postgraduate medical seats in six Himachal Pradesh medical colleges with a grant of about ₹415 crore — Shimla 91, Hamirpur 57, Tanda 57, Mandi 55, Nahan 32 and Chamba 28. The seats will strengthen specialities such as surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, paediatrics and oncology.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), ICAR-CMFRI has supplied another five-lakh hatchery-produced green mussel seeds to fisherfolk and tribal communities in Maharashtra, taking the total to ten lakhs in six months. The 2–4 mm seeds were raised at its Vizhinjam hatchery in Thiruvananthapuram; one lakh oyster seeds were also supplied.

10.  The Labour Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government will hold a two-day ‘Shram Samvad’ programme on the new Labour Codes, labour welfare and social protection in Lucknow on 26–27 October. The nationwide 90-day Shram Samvad campaign, launched on 28 September, covers 316 districts in all 36 States and UTs, with a focus on industrial clusters.

Registration has opened for the fifth Kashi Tamil Sangma (KTS 5.0), to be held from 28 November to 12 December.

String theorist Prof. Ashoke Sen of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru, has become the first Indian to receive the Oskar Klein Medal, for his work on string theory, black hole entropy and string field theory. Awarded since 1988 by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics, its past recipients include Stephen Hawking, Peter Higgs and Steven Weinberg.

The Directorate General of Health Services has written to all States and UTs warning against the reuse of single-use medical devices and disposable surgical items, after finding that some private and corporate hospitals were sterilising and reusing them in cardiology, nephrology, oncology, neurosurgery and other specialities. It said the practice risks cross-infection, device malfunction and other complications.

Inaugurating the National Urban Conclave-2026 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the State aims to raise its urbanisation rate from 17% to 40% by 2036 and to become a $500-billion economy by the centenary of its formation.

Delhi’s excise department has made a temporary P-10 permit, costing ₹15,000 per event, mandatory for serving liquor at weddings, parties and other functions in banquet halls and farmhouses. Special camps from 27 October to 16 November will help venue operators complete one-time registration on the e-excise portal.

A mob set fire to an NHPC office and a police station in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, and vandalised the homes of MLAs Oni Panyang and Ninong Ering and of State BJP president Kaling Moyong in overnight violence that lasted till 3:30 am on Saturday, amid the agitation against the 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Over 40 police personnel were injured in stone-pelting; gatherings have been restricted in Pasighat, Mebo and Ruksin, and CM Pema Khandu has offered talks. Why public outrage? We must investigate.

The JD(U) expelled Mokama MLA Anant Singh and his wife, former MLA Neelam Devi, for six years for alleged anti-party activities, including defying party directives, using insulting language against the top leadership and campaigning for a rival party’s candidate.

BENGAL FILES:

SIT Probe & Municipal Directives:

Following the stampede that claimed 19 lives, the newly formed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has widened its scope:

• Administrative Auditing: The SIT has begun cross-referencing municipal structural permissions given to the festival organizers against the actual crowd flow bottlenecks at the site.

• Safety Mandate: In response to the tragedy, the state government has issued a mandate to all civic bodies across the state to draft permanent crowd-control frameworks, ensuring strict police-monitored exit and entry caps for any future mass public gatherings.

Agriculture & Rural Welfare:

Amidst the cyclone warnings, rural administrative bodies have mobilised emergency outreach:

• Harvest Safeguards: The Department of Agriculture has issued urgent advisories to farmers in South Bengal to harvest standing, mature paddy crops early to prevent widespread crop drowning from the incoming storm surge and rainfall.

• Relief Distribution: Local panchayats are clearing essential drainage blockages and stocking emergency relief shelters with dry rations, clean drinking water, and medicine kits across vulnerable coastal pockets.

 WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

India condemned the attack on a church in Karak, Jordan, in which gunmen opened fire at a funeral, killing nine people and injuring about 40. The MEA said India stands firmly with the government and people of Jordan and reaffirmed its commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms; EAM S. Jaishankar expressed deep shock.

IndiGo said its flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah will stay cancelled till 31 October in view of the evolving security situation in Saudi Arabia. Air India and Air India Express have suspended Riyadh and Dammam flights till 7 November and Jeddah flights till 31 October.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf will not attend the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on 26–27 October due to “unforeseen circumstances”, the Iranian Embassy said; an Iranian parliamentary delegation will attend in his place.

Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, the Acting Head of State, will pay a State visit to India from 25 to 28 October at PM Modi’s invitation, with Hereditary Princess Sophie and a business delegation. Talks will cover trade and investment, science, technology and innovation; President Murmu will host a banquet.

A European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) delegation led by its chair David McAllister will visit New Delhi from 26 to 28 October ahead of the signing of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, EU Ambassador Jean-Eric Paquet said. It will meet government, Parliament and business leaders.

India and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their commitment to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation after the 10th meeting of their Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in New Delhi. Secretary (West) Sibi George met the Uzbek co-chair, Pirimkulov Gulomjon Shodmonkulovich.

Fifteen India-supported community projects — including over 65 km of roads, 10 km of irrigation canals and two bridges — were inaugurated in Bhutan’s Mongar district under India’s High Impact Community Development Project programme, the Indian Embassy in Thimphu said.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested during nationwide protests in France over school funding and living costs, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, as more than 4 lakh people rallied across the country and police used tear gas and water cannon in Paris. In Orléans, about 13,000 people marched peacefully against the far-right National Rally’s congress.

GULF WAR: (AL ZAJEERA, BBC, and CBS)

Tensions in the US-Iran war have surged sharply as both sides signal an imminent return to major aerial bombardment and a potential collapse of diplomatic backchannels.

Military Escalation & Retaliation Threats

• Imminent Strike Warnings: US President Donald Trump stated that the US military "may do another Epic Fury," referencing a massive bombing campaign to pressure Tehran. US Ambassador to Turkey warned that strikes could occur as soon as this weekend. According to reports from The New York Times, joint US-Israeli plans are ready for intensive strikes targeting Iranian energy and nuclear facilities.

• Persian Gulf Red Line: The Iranian Armed Forces Chief, Major General Ali Abdollahi, declared on Saturday that US ships will never be allowed in the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances," vowing that Iranian forces are fully prepared to fire upon American warships.

• Plots Against US Personnel: US Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton issued an intelligence memo warning that Iranian lethal plots targeting American personnel have reached "advanced stages" across the Middle East and globally.

Regional Flare-ups & Proxy Fronts

• Houthi Offensive: Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, targeting the naval base and Al-Nasr camp.

• Spillover into Saudi Arabia: Severe regional air Défense activity has been reported, with Saudi forces intercepting multiple Houthi missiles over the past day, sending missile debris falling onto Mecca, Jeddah, and Taif.

. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels towards Taif and Yanbu, and earlier one aimed at Riyadh.

• Iraqi Neutrality: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani announced a push to bring all armed groups under strict state control, affirming that Iraq will remain neutral and will not participate in the war, though closing the border with Iran is not in Iraq's economic interest.

Maritime & Economic Strain

• Strait of Hormuz Blockade: The maritime chokepoint remains heavily contested, severely restricting 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies. An intensifying campaign of Iranian mine and anti-ship missile attacks has targeting commercial shipping, including a recent strike on a tanker off Qatar.

• Skyrocketing Energy Costs: Global energy markets are highly volatile; Brent crude surged above $117 a barrel, while UK diesel prices spiked past a record £2 per litre due to the naval blockades.

• US Munitions and Costs: Reports indicate heavy material costs for the US, with estimates placing the direct military bill at $43.6 billion alongside dozens of aircraft, including MQ-9 Reaper drones and stealth assets, lost or damaged.

Diplomatic Stagnation

Efforts to de-escalate have largely frozen. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States for the failure of a recent interim deal but stated that both sides should still try to find an exit strategy to pull Iran out of its current "NO WAR, NO PEACE" HOLE. Conversely, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz cautioned that the conflict could endure for another year before Tehran agrees to meaningful negotiations.

LEGAL, CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

Gangster Himanshu Bhau (real name Himanshu Ritoliya) of Rohtak, wanted for murder, kidnapping and extortion in Haryana, Delhi and UP, and fugitive Neeraj Faridpuria of Palwal were arrested together in Las Vegas on 22 October with the help of the US immigration agency ICE, on inputs from the Haryana STF. The STF is working with US authorities and central agencies for their deportation; an Interpol notice was issued against Bhau in August 2023.

A joint team of Mumbai and Indore police arrested Pranjal Thakran of Sonipat, Haryana, in Indore for alleged involvement in the conspiracy and the supply of weapons in the 18 October attack on actor Tiger Shroff; the Mumbai Crime Branch has taken him into custody. Mumbai police also recovered from Surat two firearms allegedly used to target the actor’s car.

Manipur Police arrested 17 people found impersonating registered cadres of the Kuki National Army (8) and the Kuki Liberation Army (9), groups covered by the Suspension of Operations pact, at a designated camp in Sinai, Kangpokpi district, and seized 24 firearms. Forces took over the camp after three Meiteis were allegedly shot dead by Kuki insurgents on 18 October; the accused are in eight days’ police custody.

Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch arrested Delhi-based Ritesh Pandey, the first arrest in the case over the uploading of a purported sting video targeting former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.

The ED has moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order quashing its money laundering case against news portal News Click and its editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha over alleged FDI violations. The agency says the High Court quashed its ECIR without examining the PMLA case, and that there was an inordinate five-month delay in pronouncing the 29 May judgment.

The Gujarat High Court refused to accept the unconditional apology of Vadodara Collector Anil Dhamelia for casting aspersions on a judicial officer in an affidavit. Justice Niral Mehta called the remarks “not only disturbing but scandalous in nature” and said a departmental inquiry will be initiated.

In Alluri Sitharama Raju, Andhra Pradesh — Seven Killed in Diesel Fire and Explosion:  Seven people, including government schoolteacher J. Sunitha (44), were killed when diesel being transferred between a tipper and a pickup truck caught fire and exploded near Bisimamidi village in Ananthagiri mandal on Saturday morning. Police suspect a spark during the fuel transfer; the contractor will pay ₹5 lakh to each bereaved family.

MISHAPS: -

Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 trainer aircraft collided at low altitude during a training flight and crashed at Fernando Air Base in Lipa city, south of Manila, killing all four pilots on board.

TNSTC bus driver Janagaraj, of Kooratty near Ooty, was killed and conductor Kesavan seriously injured when a mudslide and uprooted trees buried their bus near Burliar in the early hours of Saturday amid heavy rain. The bus, going from Coonoor to Mettupalayam, had three passengers, who got off at Kurumpadi shortly before the mudslide.

ENVIRONMENTAL: -

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Zadoi County in China’s Qinghai province, two days after a magnitude 7.0 quake in neighbouring Tibet killed 16 people and injured 76. Over 12,400 residents have been evacuated in Tibet, which had recorded 949 aftershocks by Saturday afternoon.

WEATHER:

 Cyclone Arnab Tracker:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Special Warning confirming that the weather system over the Bay of Bengal is strengthening rapidly:

• Projected Timeline: The system is forecast to escalate into a Severe Cyclonic Storm by 27 October and peak as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speeds reaching up to 140 kmph by the forenoon of 28 October.

• Landfall Location: The core of Cyclone Arnab is on a direct track to strike the coastal zone between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts.

• West Bengal Alert: Although landfall is further south, the massive scale of the storm will trigger heavy downpours across South Bengal starting 28 October. The highest rainfall and gale-force wind warnings have been issued for the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur, extending inland to western districts including Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, and Purulia.

• Maritime Ban: A total ban on deep-sea fishing remains active across the northern Bay of Bengal to protect maritime vessels.

GAMES & SPORTS

President Smt Droupadi Murmu hailed India’s para-athletes for their highest-ever haul of 114 medals at the Asian Para Games 2026, saying their success, powered by hard work, perseverance and firm self-belief, inspires young people to dream big and remain undaunted by constraints.

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, to lead the five-match series 2-0

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (2/33) became India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is in a calendar year, with 38 wickets in 2026, passing Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 37. He is two wickets away from becoming the first Indian to 150 T20I wickets.

P.V. Sindhu beat Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in 73 minutes to reach the French Open final in Paris, her second Super 750 final of the season after her Japan Open title in July. She meets world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea today.

Aditya became the first Indian male boxer to assure a medal at the World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro, beating Italy’s Tommaso Orlando 5-0 to reach the 55 kg semi-finals. Megha Sheokand (80 kg) and Prachi Tokas (57 kg) have also assured medals.

Vani Kapoor shot a second straight 69 to lead the $500,000 Women’s Indian Open by one shot at 211 after three rounds at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, ahead of defending champion Shannon Tan and Pornanong Phatlum; Pranavi Urs is a stroke further back.

MEDICINE, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY:

Science Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Advanced Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL) at IITM, New Delhi, a first-of-its-kind air pollution analysis facility for Delhi-NCR. It can analyse PM2.5, metals, toxic elements and microplastics in the air and send alerts to health authorities.

DAS KAPITAL:

DALAL STREET:

CLOSED. Closing Values are  shared yesterday.

BULLIONS:

 As of Sunday, 25 October 2026, standard 24-karat gold is priced at ₹1,42,220 per 10 grams, while industrial-grade 999 fine silver trades at ₹1,96,200 per kilogram.

CURRENCY:

USD:   ₹94.95/-   EUR:₹106.37/-  GBP:₹126.99/-  CNY: ₹14.23/-

 

THE END.