NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||27-10-2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||27-10-2026

TUESDAY| VOL—IV/2026/OCTOBER

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

मातृदेवो भव। पितृदेवो भव। आचार्यदेवो भव। अतिथिदेवो भव॥

---Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.2

Meaning: Treat your mother as God, treat your father as God, treat your teacher as God, treat your guest as God.

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

President Smt Droupadi Murmu extended her greetings for the success of Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, being observed from 26 October to 1 November on the theme “Probity for Prosperity. Vice-President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan and PM Shri Narendra Modi also wished the week success.

President Smt Droupadi Murmu has approved the award of the President’s Police Colour — the highest national recognition for a police force — to Chandigarh Police, days before the force completes 60 years on 1 November. The force, reorganised on 1 November 1966, has won 20 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service, 108 for Meritorious Service and 52 UN Medals.

PM Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 today. Nobel laureates Prof Joachim Frank, Sir Richard J. Roberts and Prof Kostya Novoselov are among the participants; deliberations will span 12 thematic areas including AI, biotechnology, energy, climate and ocean sciences, with around 150 deep-tech startup stalls on display.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to support flex-fuel vehicles, expressly including E100 alongside E85 in emission certification. Compatibility with E10 or E20 does not make a vehicle suitable for E85.

DoC has extended Component II of the RELIEF (Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) initiative under the Export Promotion Mission till 31 March 2027, in view of continued disruptions in West Asia.

MoRTH, with the Delhi government, will hold a ‘Transport Mela’ under the PARIVARTAN Scheme on 28 October at the Vehicle Inspection Unit, Burari, North Delhi. Owners of old trucks and buses will get on-the-spot guidance on scrapping, financing and buying cleaner replacement vehicles from manufacturers, scrapping facilities, banks and oil companies.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, including a 2,000-acre dedicated SSLV complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district and a third launch pad at Sriharikota. He said the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test is planned within the next two months.

IIT Kharagpur signed an MoU with alumnus Vinod Gupta and IITKGP Foundation USA to set up the Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI, India’s first dedicated school of Physical AI. The ₹35 crore initiative includes ₹12.5 crore from the Vinod Gupta family.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2027-28 will, for the first time, study the difficulties women face in running their businesses. The survey period will also shift from the calendar year to the financial year; feedback is invited till 15 November.

India is hosting the 61st meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) in New Delhi, the first time the country has hosted it. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said accurate, internationally harmonized measurements are fundamental to fair trade and consumer confidence.

The Gujarat government declared Kutch, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts drought-affected despite the State receiving about 89% of its average rainfall. CM Bhupendra Patel announced relief including crop-loss assistance, fodder at ₹2 per kg for cattle rearers, more MGNREGA work and relief on electricity bills and land revenue.

The Kerala government has approved the Kerala Civil Aviation Development Cooperative Society’s proposal to start air services, which could become India’s first cooperative-sector airline, CM V.D. Satheesan announced in Kozhikode. C.N. Vijayakrishnan, chairman of MVR Cancer Centre, is the project leader.

Indian Railways has extended its travel insurance option to passengers booking tickets at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters from today, at a premium of 45 paise per person. Digital payment of the fare is mandatory to opt for it; about 89% of tickets are already booked online through IRCTC.

 Akashvani will hold the 67th Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Lecture today, to be delivered by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The recording will be broadcast on Sardar Patel Jayanti, 31 October, at 9:30 pm on the entire Akashvani network; the series has been held since 1955.

PGIMER Chandigarh has been named among Newsweek’s ‘World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2027’, compiled with Statista, in five fields — cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, paediatrics and pulmonology.

The "Baap" Remark Row & Nationwide Protests:

The Spark: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge drew sharp criticism from the ruling party during a speech in Patna for using language that the BJP labelled as an insult to the Prime Minister’s late father.

Jammu & Kashmir Cabinet Rejig:

• The Shift: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is scheduled to execute a formal reshuffle of his cabinet today, Tuesday, October 27.

• Congress Stance: In a strategic political manoeuvre, the Congress party has announced it will support the National Conference-led government purely from the outside and refuse ministerial berths until full statehood is officially restored to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Electoral Dispute:

In a nearly 250-page joint affidavit in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the two Election Commissioners said a CEC can be removed only in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a Supreme Court judge, and that all SIR orders were unanimous. The EC said Form 6 has not been amended, as only the Centre can do so; a Bench led by CJI Surya Kant takes up the petitions, including one by Rahul Gandhi, today.

• The Accusation: US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, alleged a large-scale voter "purge" during India's Special Intensive Revision exercise.

• The Refutation: Indian diplomatic figures explicitly rejected the foreign critique. Domestically, Congress leader Pawan Khera dismissed international commentary on internal protests, questioning why India should value outside validation regarding its democratic systems.

The Social Media Crackdown in Kolkata:

Following the recent shift in state power, a massive misinformation wave started in West Bengal, pioneered by CPI (M),together with TMC -K( MAMATA  & VAIPO GANG), which has prompted severe local security alerts.

Police Actions: The Kolkata Police issued urgent public notices on October 26, actively warning citizens against viral, misleading videos and photos designed to fabricate mass protests and military interventions. THE FREELANCERS MUST BE CONTROLLED.

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

PM Shri Narendra Modi interacted with MPs from BRICS nations attending the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi and exchanged perspectives on a wide range of issues.

Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines, on 28–29 October and hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

In his inaugural address at the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged BRICS Parliaments to strengthen their resolve for people-centric development, global peace and sustainability, saying dialogue and diplomacy matter even more amid wars, trade tensions, terrorism and climate change. An Iranian parliamentary delegation invited him to visit Iran.

India and Canada held the inaugural meeting of their Migration and Mobility Dialogue in New Delhi, co-chaired by MEA Secretary (CPV & OIA) Sripriya Ranganathan and Canada’s Deputy Minister of Immigration Ted Gallivan. They signed the Terms of Reference and discussed the mobility of students, skilled workers and professionals; the next round will be in Canada.

Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, accompanied by Hereditary Princess Sophie and a business delegation, arrived in New Delhi on his State Visit to India after stops in Mumbai and Vadodara, and was received by MoS Jayant Chaudhary.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told the India-Netherlands Business Forum in The Hague that India and the US have concluded most discussions on a bilateral trade pact and are fine-tuning it, adding that India has concluded nine free trade agreements in four and a half years. There are contradictory news on US MATTER.

China said its troops carry out “normal” border patrols and urged India to work with it to maintain peace, after the MEA said the border situation is disturbed when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the two sides keep communicating through diplomatic and military channels.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Atlanta on 30–31 October, which will set the stage for the G20 leaders’ meeting in December.

Israel: Voters are preparing to head to the polls tomorrow, October 28, in the country’s first parliamentary election since October 2023. The highly consequential vote is widely framed by NBC News as a direct referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political survival.

United States: The run-up to the November 3 midterm elections has been heavily disrupted by the widespread proliferation of deepfakes and AI-generated campaign ads. Concurrently, intense polling surveillance operations are being established by both major parties. UNFINISHED IRAN WAR WILL GO AGAINST ‘TRUMP’ & REPUBLICANS.

United Kingdom: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is finalising a pre-budget package targeted at reducing everyday staple tariffs to give households breathing room while shielding low-income pensioners from income tax shifts.

Japan’s latest Defence White Paper described India as an “extremely important country” and named defence equipment and technology cooperation as an important pillar of ties, citing India’s position along key sea lanes such as the Strait of Malacca. It also referred to cooperation between DRDO and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA).

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, won a record fourth term, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff with about 51.8% of the valid votes to 48.2%, according to Datafolha projections. By the end of this term, he will have spent 16 years in power.

Serbia’s student-led movement won Sunday’s snap parliamentary election, ending 14 years in power for Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS); Vučić, its prime ministerial candidate, conceded defeat. The vote followed nearly two years of protests over the 2024 Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people.

Bulgaria’s presidential election ended without a winner amid record-low turnout; incumbent Iliana Yotova will face former caretaker PM Andrey Gyurov in a runoff on 1 November.

At least 58 bodies have been recovered after unknown gunmen attacked the Binnari community on its weekly market day in Nigeria’s Taraba State; four security personnel were among those killed and no group has claimed responsibility.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a coordinated drone attack on five power stations — two each in Al-Jazira and Gedaref states and one in White Nile state — causing mass power outages across the army-held east. The army and the RSF have been at war since April 2023.

GULF WAR:

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have aggressively escalated their cross-border offensive, executing heavy missile and drone strikes against deep-seated civilian, economic, and military infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. Shifting the focal point of the wider US-Iran war to Yemen, the rebel group’s latest actions have triggered severe regional Défense responses and retaliatory airstrikes.

The latest developments concerning Houthi military operations include:

Continuous Bombardment of Riyadh Airport

• The King Khalid Airport Siege: Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced a fresh ballistic missile strike targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The attack occurred on Monday morning, just hours after the airport attempted to resume flights following a massive strike earlier this month that paralyzed the hub for over two weeks.

• Interceptions and Disruption: Saudi military spokesperson Col. Turki Al-Maliki confirmed that Saudi air defences successfully intercepted and destroyed the incoming ballistic missile over Riyadh. Despite the interception, the continuous threat has severely disrupted international travel and forced Saudi Arabia to postpone its flagship global investment conference until 2027.

• Energy Infrastructure Targeted: In tandem with the airport strikes, the Houthis deployed fleets of suicide drones to target critical Saudi oil pumping stations and Aramco distribution facilities.

Devastating Ground Combat in Yemen

• Marib and Coastline Clashes: The Houthis released gruesome combat footage showcasing the widespread use of locally-made Shawaiz loitering munitions and suicide drones. The drones successfully obliterated tanks, armoured vehicles, and ground crews belonging to Saudi-backed government forces in the volatile Marib province.

• Seizure of Mokha: Heavy fighting has spilled onto the coast, with the rebels seizing the strategic port city of Mokha after launching intense rocket bombardments that reportedly impacted multiple local buildings, including a hospital.

• Aden and Mecca Fronts: Over the weekend, the rebels launched severe targeted assaults against the Al-Nasr military camp and a naval base in the southern port city of Aden. Concurrently, Saudi Civil Défense reported that debris from intercepted long-range Houthi missiles rained down over residential sectors of Jeddah and the holy city of Mecca.

Heavy Coalition Retaliation and Global Alignments

• Bunkers and Launchers Destroyed: In direct response to the escalation, the Saudi-led coalition launched a series of intense counter-airstrikes over Houthi-controlled territory in Sanaa, Saada, and Taiz. The coalition claims to have successfully neutralized four ballistic missile launch platforms and destroyed five underground storage tunnels. Meanwhile, Yemen's internationally recognized government forces reported executing over 180 targeted operations, neutralizing dozens of Houthi fighters in a 24-hour window.

• US Considering Direct Intervention: As the conflict intensifies, Washington has placed "all options on the table," with the White House openly considering direct U.S. airstrikes against Iranian assets and Houthi launch sites inside Yemen to curb the regional threat.

• Regional Military Mobilization: Egypt’s parliament officially approved a mandate authorizing President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to deploy defensive military support directly to Saudi Arabia. Simultaneously, the UK has announced plans to deploy fighter jets for defensive air-to-air refuelling and ground-based air defences, joining France—which has already positioned troops to protect the critical Yanbu oil terminal on the Red Sea.

27 Oct 2026 — Turki Al-Maliki said in a post to X on Monday morning that Saudi forces intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile bound for Riyadh.

I WILL COMEOUT WITH A BLOG ON THIS IN A DAY OR TWO—TO ARREST UNTOLD DIMENSIONS, AND SHARE.

LAW, CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

Five people, four of them from the owner’s family, were shot dead and one injured at Hotel Bilas Inn on GS Road in Guwahati’s Ulubari area on Monday night. Police arrested the hotel’s leaseholder, Ghanakanta Gogoi, within an hour and seized a licensed .32-bore pistol; Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said a dispute over the hotel’s lease appears to be the motive.

Former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by Chennai’s Central Crime Branch in an alleged ₹100-crore scam over recognition certificates for private schools, hours after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. Police say about 177 private schools were linked to the collections; a Special Court for Prevention of Corruption Act cases remanded him in judicial custody till 6 November.

Calling a UP Police murder probe “slipshod”, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran ordered the State to pay ₹6 lakh as reparation to a man who spent six years in jail as an undertrial before acquittal, within a month, failing which 18% annual interest will apply. POLICE SHALL BE PENALISED!

MISHAPS: -

In Tamil Nadu — 14 Killed in Lightning Strikes:  Revenue Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan said 14 people have died in lightning strikes since the onset of the Northeast monsoon, and each family has been given ₹4 lakh. Tourist entry to major hill stations has been barred as heavy rain triggered red alerts and 62 landslides in the Nilgiris.

WILD LIFE:

The Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis, approved declaring the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli district, known for its wild buffaloes, and the newly expanded area adjoining Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary as wildlife sanctuaries. Proposals for 14 conservation reserves in Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts were also cleared.

ENVIRONMENTAL: -

CYCLONE—ARNAB:

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and at 11:30 pm on Monday lay about 350 km southeast of Visakhapatnam and 420 km east-southeast of Kakinada, IMD said. It is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by Wednesday forenoon with winds of 115–125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph. Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan chaired the National Crisis Management Committee and set a goal of zero loss of life.  Massive preparation is made to Face ‘ARNAB’—the Cyclone. Landfall expected tomorrow at “ANAM”.

1.0       The Indian Railways has cancelled multiple long-distance and regional trains running through the South Eastern Railway network connecting West Bengal to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. TOTAL—53.

2.0       Aviation Update: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata Airport) and Netaji-linked regional carriers are on high alert. While formal wholesale closure hasn't been implemented yet, flights serving the broader Bay of Bengal corridor are seeing pre-emptive route alterations.

3.0       Airline Directives: Passengers are strongly advised to check live flight status trackers provided by platforms like IndiGo or Air India before leaving for the airport.

4.0       Kolkata Cyclone Command Centre Helplines: 033-2214-3024 and 033-2214-3230

5.0       General Disaster Response: Emergency medical, grid failure, or heavy waterlogging emergencies can be routed locally, while power disruption tracking can be monitored via WBSEDCL.

GAMES & SPORTS

1.  India led New Zealand 2-0 in the five-match T20I series after a record chase of 181 in the second match at Christchurch, scoring 68 runs in the last five overs. Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy shared an unbeaten 69-run stand off 30 balls to win with a ball to spare.

2.  The men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey begins today in Punjab, with Harmanpreet Singh’s Asian Games champions India facing Bangladesh. Six teams — India, Japan, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh and South Korea — are taking part; veteran Manpreet Singh has been ruled out with an injury.

3.  The Indian Olympic Association named 17 athletes in 11 sports for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal (31 October–13 November), the first Olympic event to be held in Africa.

4.  P.V. Sindhu, seeded second, leads India’s challenge at the Hylo Open badminton in Germany, which starts today; Lakshya Sen is also in action.

5.  Gareth Batty, who guided Surrey to three straight County Championship titles (2022–24), will leave the club to join Chennai Super Kings as assistant coach under head coach Zaheer Khan.

MEDICINE, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY:

Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited (UCSL) launched at Malpe, Karnataka, the first of eight 6,300 DWT dry cargo vessels it is building for Norway’s Wilson ASA — the largest ship built at the yard since UCSL was incorporated in 2021. The 99-metre vessel, designed by the Netherlands’ Conoship International, is due for delivery in December 2026.

DAS KAPITAL:

DALAL STREET:

 Major Indices Closing Status (As of Pre-Open, 27 October):

• BSE Sensex: 73,606.75 (▲ 482.92 points / +0.66%)

• NSE Nifty 50: 22,753.20 (▲ 153.20 points / +0.68%)

• Nifty Bank: 54,366.70 (▲ 0.15%)

Key Laggards: Shriram Finance dropped significantly (-4.62%) release, followed closely by Tata Consumer, Bajaj Finance, and HDFC Bank.

BULLIONS:

• 24K Gold (99.9% Purity): ₹1,42,720 to ₹1,46,300 per 10 grams (Depending on city-level retail markers; Delhi is trading at the higher end at ₹1,46,300).

• 22K Gold (91.6% Purity): ₹1,30,840 to ₹1,34,490 per 10 grams (Standard purity benchmark used for retail jewellery production).

• 999 Silver (99.9% Purity): ₹1,96,410 to ₹2,20,000 per kilogram (Retail silver held steady, establishing a baseline after recent losses)

CURRENCY:

USD:₹95.17/-|EUR: ₹106.40/-|GBPP:₹127.02/-|AUD:₹66.80/-| CNY:₹14.27/-

 

Image: ISRO Satellite Picture.

THE END.