Good evening, readers! Here is your 5-minute window into the major news headlines of the day. From the biggest stories from India and around the world to the latest in sports and entertainment, check out your quick dose of news.
Asian Games Day 14: India win 6 golds, finish historic day with women’s hockey gold
India enjoyed a stunning medal haul at the Asian Games, winning 10 medals - six gold, two silver and two bronze — to take its overall tally to 76. The day ended on a high as Salima Tete-led India beat China 1-0 to win the women’s hockey gold after 44 years. India also struck gold in women’s recurve archery and men’s boxing and wrestling, matching its joint-best gold-medal haul from the 2023 Asian Games. Read here
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reaches Mumbai’s Shivaji Park for anti-CEC protest
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reached Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday to lead a protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demonstration is being held near Gate No. 6 amid heavy security, with Dipke planning to expand the agitation across the country before a proposed culmination at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Read here
PM Modi praises flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar for saving 174 lives
Deep Dive
What are the main demands of the Cockroach Janta Party during their protest?
Why is the CJP protesting against the Chief Election Commissioner?
How is the CJP's protest in Mumbai intended to unfold over time?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar and praised his courage and composure during the September 30 cockpit attack. Machchhar was injured after his co-pilot allegedly stabbed him aboard flight FZ1073, which plunged more than 14,000 feet over Saudi Arabia before landing safely in Tabuk. Modi told the pilot that his actions had saved everyone on board and praised him for protecting the image of Indian pilots. Read here
Barapullah Phase III: How a decade-long delay left a 2010s traffic plan to solve a 2026 problem
{{/usCountry}}Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar and praised his courage and composure during the September 30 cockpit attack. Machchhar was injured after his co-pilot allegedly stabbed him aboard flight FZ1073, which plunged more than 14,000 feet over Saudi Arabia before landing safely in Tabuk. Modi told the pilot that his actions had saved everyone on board and praised him for protecting the image of Indian pilots. Read here
Barapullah Phase III: How a decade-long delay left a 2010s traffic plan to solve a 2026 problem
{{/usCountry}}When the Barapullah elevated road was conceived, Delhi was preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the objective was to create a signal-free corridor linking east and south Delhi while easing pressure on the existing road network. But the nearly decade-long delay in completing Phase III, which opened on Wednesday, has meant that a project designed around the traffic conditions and projections of the late 2000s has opened in a very different Delhi. The result was clear when a promised 15-minute commute turned into a long ordeal on the first day. Read here
Exclusive | Some of Samantha's deepfakes were extremely obscene: Legal representative
Following the Bombay High Court’s decision on Thursday to grant actor Samantha interim protection against the unauthorised use of her name, image, voice and other personality traits, her legal team has opened up about the circumstances that led to the suit. Lavin Hirani, managing partner of Hirani & Associates, the law firm representing Samantha, says there was an “urgent need” to approach the court. Read here