Good morning, readers! Here are the top headlines from the day that you need to know - from politics and world news to sports and entertainment.
Indian IT firms among 8 hit by US green card curbs
The Trump administration froze on Thursday some Green Card filings by eight firms including India’s Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys and opened probes into nine elite universities, widening a visa crackdown it says targets fraud and American job losses.
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the suspension would cover Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Microsoft, Adobe and Capgemini. Read the full story here
Vote counting underway for Nandigram, Madurantakam, other seats
Deep Dive
Which companies are affected by the US green card filing suspension?
Does the green card filing freeze cancel H-1B visas held by employees of the affected companies?
Why did the Trump administration suspend PERM applications for these companies?
The counting of votes by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the bypolls to five Assembly seats, including Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, and Thattanchavady in Puducherry, as well as the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam, has begun.
The five seats went to the polls on October 6, 2026. Track LIVE updates here
INDIA bloc to march to Rashtrapati Bhawan today, security upped in Delhi
{{/usCountry}}The five seats went to the polls on October 6, 2026. Track LIVE updates here
INDIA bloc to march to Rashtrapati Bhawan today, security upped in Delhi
{{/usCountry}}The INDIA bloc will march to the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Friday, in what would be the fourth straight day of the Opposition's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.
Furthermore, security forces in Delhi have mounted one of the largest ground deployments yet. The police have issued media advisories (but also met with counter-advisories). Around 26,000 personnel from the CAPF have been deployed with Delhi Police ahead of the October 10 protest announced by the Cockroach Janta Party. Read the full story here.
New Zealand revise squad for T20Is against India
New Zealand have been dealt a couple of body blows ahead of the five-match T20I series against India as Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes have been ruled out of the contest due to injuries.
On Friday morning, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that Chapman and Foulkes would miss the marquee series due to hamstring and hip flexor injuries. Read the full story here.
Remembering Nana Patekar: Trailblazer who challenged the ‘hero’ stereotype
In his tribute to Nana Patekar on Thursday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray did more than mourn an actor. He placed Patekar within the story of the city and society that had produced him.
While it is an unusually political way of remembering an actor, no other frame fits Nana Patekar quite as well.
Patekar, one of Indian cinema’s distinctive actors across nearly five decades, died on Thursday after suffering a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa. The 75-year-old was rushed to hospital, but efforts to revive him failed and he was declared dead around 5.20am. Read the tribute here.