TOP HEADLINES SO FAR...
Didn’t get time to scroll through today’s top stories? We’ve rounded up the key national and global headlines from Thursday, October 9 – everything you need to know, all in one quick read.
National
1. India, UK natural partners: PM Modi
Mumbai: India and the UK are "natural partners" and their growing ties stand as an important pillar of global stability and economic progress at a time the world is witnessing uncertainty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.
2. India-UK trade pact to boost MSMEs, create stability in volatile world: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the India-UK free trade pact will boost MSMEs and create jobs, and exuded confidence that the target of doubling bilateral trade will be achieved ahead of the target date of 2030.
3. CDSCO launches pan India drive to test, inspect, audit cough syrup manufacturers
New Delhi: Cental drug regulator CDSCO has started a pan India drive to test, inspect and audit cough syrup manufacturers, official sources said on Thursday.
4. Cough syrup deaths: Pharma company owner arrested in Tamil Nadu, WHO informed of drug recall
New Delhi/Chennai/Bhopal: The owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma which manufactured `contaminated' cough syrup Coldrif was arrested on Thursday in the wake of the deaths of more than 20 children who had allegedly consumed it, while the central drug regulator CDSCO said it had informed the WHO that the syrup, along with two other brands, has been recalled.
5. Bihar polls: Congress finalises 25 candidates; negotiations with allies continue
New Delhi: In a strategic move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress has cleared the names of 25 candidates for constituencies considered its traditional strongholds. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at Indira Bhawan, Delhi.
6. Ex-Union minister Rajen Gohain, 17 others resign from BJP
Dibrugarh (Assam): Former Union minister and four-time BJP MP Rajen Gohain from Assam's Nagaon parliamentary constituency resigned from the party along with 17 other members on Thursday, officials said.
7. Shoe attack shocked us but now it is forgotten chapter: CJI B R Gavai
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday said he and Justice K Vinod Chandran were shocked when a lawyer attempted to hurl a shoe at him on October 6, but the issue is a "forgotten chapter."
8. Sex education should be provided to children from a younger age: SC
New Delhi: Sex education should be provided to children from a younger age, and not Class IX onwards, the Supreme Court has said.
9. Forbes names Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani Richest Indian in 2025 despite 12% net worth drop
Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, holds the top spot in Forbes’ India’s 100 Richest 2025 with a net worth of around ₹8,78,500 crore (about $105 billion), a drop of 12% or roughly $14.5 billion from last year.
10. Pinarayi Vijayan meets Amit Shah; reports hint at Wayanad relief talks
New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday. Though the Chief Minister did not make any statements to the media following their approximately half-hour-long meeting, reports suggest that the discussion focused on seeking additional financial assistance for the state under the Wayanad relief fund.
11. PM Modi to hoist 21-foot flag atop Ram temple on November 25
Ayodhya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hoist a 21-foot religious (dharma) flag atop the spire of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on November 25, officials said on Thursday.
12. Battle for poll-bound Bihar intensifies a day ahead of start of filing of nominations
Patna: The battle for poll-bound Bihar intensified on Thursday when the Congress came out with a "charge-sheet" against the ruling NDA, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav made a fresh, alluring promise of government jobs, and the Jan Suraaj Party released its first list of candidates.
13. ED seizes Rs 50-crore worth gold in fresh raids in betting case involving Karnataka MLA, others
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has seized about 40 kg of gold worth Rs 50.33 crore during fresh searches in an online betting case that allegedly involves arrested Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra and some others.
14. UK's University of Lancaster, University of Surrey get nod to set up campuses in India
New Delhi: University of Lancaster and University of Surrey have received the nod to set up campuses in India, announced UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his first visit to India.
15. Kerala govt forms SIT to probe irregularities in Sabarimala Dwarapalaka idols
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Thursday issued an order constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities related to the reduced weight of the gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala.
Foreign
16. Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai
Stockholm: Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, 71, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”. Known as the postmodern "master of the apocalypse," his dense, long-sentence prose explores dystopia, chaos, and beauty in decay.
17. China says resumption of direct flights with India positive move to improve ties
Beijing: China on Thursday described the resumption of direct flights with India after a five-year hiatus as a positive step, saying it demonstrated that both countries are "faithfully acting" on the understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to strengthen bilateral ties.
18. UK welcomes ‘moment of profound relief' with Gaza peace plan
London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is on an India visit, welcomed an agreement on the first phase of the Gaza peace plan to halt Israel-Hamas hostilities on Thursday as a “moment of profound relief”. By Aditi Khanna