Thursday
1 October 2026

skysports.com · football

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has defended Frederic Vasseur as Ferrari's team principal and stated that he is not going anywhere despite recent speculation over his position. Speaking ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Hamilton praised Vasseur as a fantastic leader who has unified the team against negative outside sources. The seven-time champion suggested that any structural blame for the team's recent lack of podium finishes should be pointed at people higher up in the organisation. Hamilton also confirmed that he remains happy with his treatment and fully believes in where the team is heading.

motorsport.com

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has explained his public apology to Franco Colapinto following their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Norris previously called for a race ban for the Argentinian driver, which triggered a torrent of online abuse directed at him from Colapinto fans. Norris said he reached out to apologise to Colapinto directly to clear the air, but issued a public statement to calm the wider noise. Speaking on Thursday in Malaysia, Norris admitted he went too far with his initial remarks and hoped social platforms would do more to stamp out toxic behaviour.

bbc.co.uk

Mercedes driver George Russell says his confidence is back and growing after winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend and finally understanding how to drive his car. Russell trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 66 points with seven or eight races remaining in the season. The Briton struggled early in the year under new car and engine rules but now feels he can fight for victory week in week out. Mercedes is expecting a strong challenge from McLaren at the Sepang track and is hoping their first major upgrade in some time will bring them into contention.

bbc.co.uk

Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon will leave the Haas team at the end of the year, putting his future in the sport in serious doubt. The 30-year-old Frenchman joined Haas in 2025 after winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine, but he has been consistently outperformed by team-mate Oliver Bearman. Ocon stated that he remains motivated and intends to give his everything for the rest of the season despite having no obvious grid berths available for 2027.

motorsport.com

Mercedes driver George Russell has warned that severe tyre overheating will make overtaking difficult at the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix. With Sepang returning to the F1 calendar after an absence since 2017, drivers are confronting an abrasive new surface and high ambient temperatures. Russell noted that unlike other circuits, the high surface temperatures will cause tyres to overheat even on out-laps. The FIA has already declared a heat hazard for the weekend race, compounding challenges for teams trying to follow closely.

racefans.net

Formula 1 drivers expect unusually cold conditions if the championship moves its final round to Imola in Italy. The series is weighing whether its final two events in the Middle East can take place during the ongoing conflict between Iran and the USA. Haas driver Oliver Bearman joked that teams should bring snow chains and hand warmers for a potential December finale at the Italian circuit. Other drivers noted that while it will be colder and darker earlier than Abu Dhabi, the track is adequate for racing.

theguardian.com · United States

The Trump administration is redirecting more than $175m from the State Department flagship human rights fund to support far-right and conservative causes globally. The allocations include a $40m grant for an anti-communism fund, support for white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, and programs targeting Brazil's supreme court. Grantees were obligated hours before funding expired despite congressional concerns and requests to hold the money. Critics argue the move wastes resources and undermines international relations with democratic allies.

scmp.com · China

A potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait could see a face-off between US-made Himars systems and mainland China's PHL-16 rockets. Taiwan is set to receive all 29 Himars systems from its initial orders by the end of the year, with another 82 approved for purchase. This brings the planned total to 111, excluding US military systems stationed in the region.

japantimes.co.jp · Japan

A project team of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday to restrict speculative condominium trading. The move comes after data showed that 12.1 percent of new condos in central Tokyo wards were sold off less than a year after purchase in 2024. Lawmakers cited short-term transactions by foreign nationals as a driver of soaring urban property prices. The government plans to study measures used in countries like Singapore before introducing tax and regulatory changes.

aljazeera.com · Ethiopia

Explosions were heard overnight in Addis Ababa as fighting between federal forces and an opposition coalition widened in northern Ethiopia. The blasts occurred hours after the capital banned drone flights, with the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival claiming responsibility for drone strikes near military headquarters. The coalition unites seven armed groups seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Meanwhile, clashes have intensified in the Afar region, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

thehindu.com · India

A study published in The Lancet Global Health revealed that 90 percent of the world's chewing tobacco health burden is concentrated in 10 countries, including India. Researchers estimated that chewing tobacco contributed to 251,000 deaths globally in 2023, with South Asia serving as the epicentre. The region accounted for 210,000 deaths, or 84 percent of the global total. Stroke and oral cancers accounted for the majority of health losses, prompting calls for targeted cessation strategies.

aljazeera.com · World

A twice-yearly injectable drug called lenacapavir has shown remarkable efficacy in preventing HIV in clinical trials. Developed by Gilead Sciences, the drug acts as pre-exposure prophylaxis and is hailed as the closest tool to a vaccine. However, access remains a central issue as international HIV funding declines. While Gilead has licensed manufacturers to produce generic versions for around $40 a year, at least 26 middle-income countries remain excluded from the agreements.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal visited injured flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar in an Abu Dhabi hospital on Thursday. Machchhar was stabbed multiple times by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The Indian Embassy reported that Machchhar is recovering well and speaking openly. The attack was reportedly halted when passengers and off-duty pilots intervened, forcing a diversion to Saudi Arabia.

reuters.com

Indian benchmark indices posted their longest weekly losing run in 25 years during a period of persistent selling by foreign institutional investors.

hindustantimes.com

Eight students from a Pune coaching institute drowned after being swept into the sea at Diveagar beach in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Thursday. The victims were part of a 48-member group visiting the coast for an educational excursion. Police said the incident occurred during an afternoon visit to the beach. Local authorities launched search and rescue operations following the tragedy.

deccanherald.com

The Supreme Court of India ordered random traffic checks and the impounding of vehicles with unpaid e-challans to recover thousands of crores in pending fines. The bench directed authorities to freeze vehicle services and take strict legal steps against persistent defaulters. The order aims to enforce traffic discipline and clear massive backlogs of unpaid penalties across states.

ndtv.com

Full-body scanners are set to be installed at airports across five metropolitan areas and three other cities following recent aviation security incidents.

livelaw.in

The Supreme Court of India ruled out a complete ban on firecrackers, proposing a balanced approach to protect traditional sentiments and public health.

business-standard.com

The Nifty 50 fell for its eighth consecutive week, marking its longest losing streak since 2001. The index closed down 0.88 percent at 22,421.95 on Thursday, taking its weekly loss to 3.1 percent. Rising Brent crude prices, firm US bond yields, and weak automobile sales data drove the broader market selloff. Analysts noted that foreign investors continued to pull capital out of Indian equities during a period of global risk aversion.

livemint.com

HDFC Bank American Depositary Receipts jumped 5.4 percent to $23.55 on the NYSE after the lender announced Anup Bagchi as its next Managing Director and CEO. The Reserve Bank of India approved Bagchi for a three-year term starting October 27, 2026. Bagchi, currently leading ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, will succeed Sashidhar Jagdishan. The leadership change comes as HDFC Bank shares face a steep decline this year.

ft.com

Global bond sell-off pushes 10-year Treasury yield to highest since 2002.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

India is positioned to become a key rice supplier as global production falls by 9 percent and demand rises by 14 percent. Dev Garg of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation stated that India holds surplus stocks of approximately 270 lakh metric tons over buffer requirements. Despite El Nino challenges reducing production estimates to 146 million metric tons, the country retains a massive export buffer. High global fuel and fertilizer costs have placed pressure on competing producers like Vietnam and Pakistan.

business-standard.com

A report by S&P Global and Crisil revealed that foreign capital inflows into India dried up during the 2025-26 fiscal year despite strong economic growth. Net foreign portfolio inflows declined 16.6 percent, while net foreign direct investment stood at $7.8 billion against gross inflows of $94.5 billion. Heavy repatriation and outward investments by domestic firms left inflows unable to finance the current account deficit, triggering a sharp depreciation of the rupee. Crisil projected a 7 percent GDP growth for FY27.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

The Central Board of Direct Taxes extended the due date for tax audits and income tax returns for Assessment Year 2026-27. Taxpayers must now file returns by November 21, 2026, while tax audit reports are due by October 21, 2026. Tax experts advise companies to reconcile financial statements, tax credits, and Form 26AS data carefully before filing. Proper compliance helps avoid mismatch notices from tax analytics portals.

thehindu.com · Bengaluru

Pre-filled Form-7 applications targeting Muslim voters for name deletion surfaced at multiple polling stations in Belagavi North. Booth Level Officers reported that two men claiming to be from the Belagavi City Corporation brought the bulk forms with voters' details already printed. When BLOs refused to sign without verification, the men allegedly phoned someone posing as Electoral Registration Officer Udayakumar Basavantappa Talawar to pressure them. Talawar confirmed that his name was falsely used and no such instructions were issued.

thehindu.com · Bengaluru

The Karnataka government flagged extreme pricing anomalies between institutional landing costs and Maximum Retail Prices for high-value medicines, cancer drugs, and hospital consumables. Investigations by the Food Safety and Drug Administration revealed markups ranging from 10 times to over 52 times the procurement cost, such as a cancer drug priced at ₹3,836 with a landing cost of ₹342. State Health Minister U.T. Khader wrote to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare seeking mandatory pricing transparency and expanded price controls. The state plans to continue special verification drives across hospitals and wholesale premises.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com · Bengaluru

A mobility study by Inventure Academy revealed that school bus commutes in east Bengaluru take an average of 112 minutes, adding up to 53 lost school days annually. Average speeds on the State Highway-35 corridor dropped to 9.2 kmph due to heavy congestion along the Varthur-Gunjur stretch. The area's rapid residential and IT growth has outpaced road infrastructure, with elevated corridor projects delayed for years. Parents report buses frequently arriving late for exams.

newindianexpress.com · Ranchi

The Jharkhand High Court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Chief Minister Hemant Soren for delays in filing a response regarding an SC/ST Act case. Soren had lodged an FIR on January 31, 2024, accusing Enforcement Directorate officials of harassing him during searches. The ED officials subsequently approached the High Court to quash the proceedings. During Thursday's hearing, the court expressed displeasure over requests for more time and scheduled the next hearing for November 2.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com · Ranchi

The price of a 19-kilogram commercial LPG cylinder in Ranchi increased by Rs 71.50 on Thursday, rising from Rs 2,933 to Rs 3,004.50. Officials from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd confirmed the revised rate, which adds to operating costs for restaurants, caterers, and food businesses ahead of the festive season. Commercial LPG prices have fluctuated throughout the year, crossing Rs 3,000 earlier before dropping and rising again. Business owners expressed concern that higher fuel expenses will increase daily operating costs during an important period for earnings.

constructionworld.in · Ranchi

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced plans to develop Ranchi into a major information technology center with a proposed IT Park aiming to create 20,000 jobs by 2029. The project is expected to expand in phases, potentially increasing capacity to 75,000 opportunities over subsequent years. Around 100 acres near IIM Ranchi, the Assembly complex, and the high court are being considered for the facility. A delegation from the Department of Information Technology and e-Governance will visit Bengaluru in October to study similar tech ecosystems and Global Capability Centre models.

theverge.com

OpenAI announced its new personal assistant agent, Dots, during its annual DevDay conference. Powered by GPT-6 Astra, Dots takes the form of customizable virtual blobs and aims to compete with Meta's Muse platform. While Meta offers its Muse agent for free with a dedicated virtual machine, OpenAI restricted Dots to users on its $20 per month Pro plan and higher. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the high compute costs, stating that a mass-market version would arrive later.

arstechnica.com

Rapid advancements in PC emulation are making PlayStation 5 games increasingly playable without console hardware. Emulators like SharpEmu and KytyPS5 have made significant strides, with SharpEmu achieving playable 60 fps performance in titles like Astro Bot and Demon's Souls. Meanwhile, the AnyPS5 tool is working on relinking game code directly to native PC executables. While most of the library remains out of reach, the sudden progress offers hope for PC players.

reuters.com

Broadcom will lend Anthropic up to $42 billion to lease its chips, according to a filing.

engadget.com

A Tokyo court ruled that human voices are protected under publicity rights in a major artificial intelligence case. Prominent anime voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda won a partial victory against an anonymous TikTok account that used AI to clone his baritone voice. While the removal request was dismissed because the account was deleted, the court ruled unauthorized voice cloning infringes on an actor's rights. The decision marks a legal precedent as Japanese creators push for stricter protections against generative AI.

theverge.com

New York City became the first municipality in America to enforce a click-to-cancel rule for recurring subscriptions. The regulation requires businesses to make cancelling a subscription as easy as signing up online. Consumers facing unclear terms or delayed cancellations can now submit complaints via a new city portal. Violators could face fines starting at $525 per infraction.

wired.com

Amazon introduced a refreshed Kindle lineup featuring an aluminum build option for select models. The new devices include a 6-inch base Kindle, a 7-inch Kindle Paperwhite, and a 7-inch Kindle Colorsoft, priced from $150 to $320. The updated readers are thinner, lighter, and feature 30 percent faster page turns. Amazon also debuted new accessories, including a physical page-turn cover and a Bluetooth clicker.