Latest News Today Live Updates: With 90 per cent of votes counted, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc has 48. Arab-led parties have surged to 19 seats, leaving the political battle finely balanced as the country awaits the final results. Israel Police have rejected claims of election fraud made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, as vote counting shows a closely contested political battle.
Russia claimed to have downed the vast majority of 613 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow and the surrounding region overnight between Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29
The United States is preparing for the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress and shape the legislative agenda during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.
At least 68 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a southbound Renfe AVE train rear-ended a stationary Iryo high-speed train in Spain’s central Toledo province. Initial findings point to a possible signalling system failure, manual traffic control and human error, though the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
In Kolkata, a police investigation has attributed the deadly Durga Puja stampede to congestion at the exit gate of a north Kolkata pandal, where women reportedly gathered to protect their outfits and makeup from heavy rainfall. In Noida, customers of Punjab National Bank’s Greater Noida branch have alleged a fraud involving ₹12 crore. All employees at the branch have reportedly been suspended following the allegations.
Stay with us for more latest news, breaking updates and developments as they unfold
"Thirteen people were killed in a Russian attack on Dnipro. At least five more were wounded," Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram, while the state Ukrainian Railways operator said a Russian drone had hit a platform at the Dnipro station where a train headed for Zaporizhzhia stood parked.
Russia downed most of 613 drones heading towards Moscow overnight, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. While in Ukraine, Russia attacked Kharkiv, the country's second biggest city, damaging an educational institution, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee raised questions over the transparency of the investigation and sought an impartial probe into the roles of the organisers.
Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called for the arrest of Israeli Arab leaders whose parties made strong gains in this week's election, citing unproven accusations of foreign funding.
"Israel's security agency Shin Bet must order, already this morning, the arrests of the heads of Arab parties suspected of involvement in Qatari money," he wrote on X.
The parties could be kingmakers after neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the opposition bloc secured a majority. Ben Gvir pointed to claims that the parties took money from Qatar, the Gulf powerbroker that has channels to Hamas.
Hong Kong leader John Lee has apologised for last year's deadly fire that killed 168 people, after a report found the government "partially responsible" for the disaster. Housing Minister Winnie Ho resigned following the inquiry into the November 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court, the world's deadliest residential blaze since 1980.
The report said four government bodies should bear part of the responsibility, with the Housing Bureau bearing a greater share. Authorities have filed charges, including manslaughter, against seven individuals and two companies, and arrested at least 35 people.
The Centre has assured the Delhi High Court that no demolition would be carried out at the Race Course Masjid until the Delhi Waqf Board's representation is decided, with the government promising a decision within four weeks. However, the court declined to grant relief to worshipper Syed Ahmed Saud seeking permission to offer namaz at the mosque.
Justice Anish Dayal also heard arguments over the petitioner's locus standi. The mosque, located inside the Race Course Club near the PM's residence, has existed since before Independence and is a notified Waqf property. The matter is listed for December 16.
Israeli Central Elections Committee Chair Justice Noam Sohlberg has asked Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate allegations of foreign interference in Tuesday's election, with findings sought within a week.
The move follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Arab parties had "stolen" the election using bribery and threats.
Projections show Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc winning 53 seats, short of the 61 needed for a majority, while the opposition bloc is projected at 48 and Arab parties at 19. All eyes are on whether the anti-Netanyahu bloc can bring Arab parties on board to form a government.
Norway's tourism authority has turned President Donald Trump's insult into a genius toilet humour-rich marketing campaign. Using the POTUS's "shithouse country" comment to show off its "most beautiful toilets", the agency did this!
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After chairing a Cabinet meeting through a hybrid mode on Thursday (Oct 29th) morning, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will be visiting cyclone-hit regions in the Dr B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema District later in the day. Naidu is visiting the region after he wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, seeking Central assistance for cyclone damage, citing the 70,000 hectares of cultivated land that has been inundated by the intense rainfall that pounded the region.
The United States has fired its top military planner, The Atlantic reported Wednesday, in a surprise shake-up as President Donald Trump appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran.
Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed this week from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the magazine reported, citing unidentified defense department officials. Sylvia's ouster would be the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the military since Trump returned to power a year ago.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said last month that the United States has slashed the number of its generals and admirals by 20 per cent, in a move he said is aimed at “accountability.”
A vessel has caught on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, north of the Omani coast, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported after receiving information from the master of a third-party vessel in the area.
The status of the crew is ‘unknown’ as of yet, and no damage assessment has been carried out at present.
“UKMTO has received a report of an incident occurring in the Strait of Hormuz, 9NM north of Khasab, Oman. The Master of a third-party vessel has reported sighting another vessel on fire. The status of the crew is unknown. There is no damage assessment or environmental impact report at present,” the UKMTO’s warning system noted.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would stay out Brazil's post-election turmoil after Flavio Bolsonaro, who fled to the United States after losing, declared himself the true Brazilian leader.
"Well I'm not going to make a comment about that, but I know that we gave him a pass to come into the country, so we'll see," Trump told reporters when asked about right-wing ally Bolsonaro's statement
Australia is considering purchasing missile interceptors developed for Israel's Iron Dome as it seeks to rapidly build an air defence shield, officials said
Pakistan briefly closed its airspace to Taiwanese cargo and passenger flights, Taiwan said Thursday, suspecting China of being behind the unprecedented move. "We suspect definitely China was behind this," Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told AFP after confirming that Pakistan had closed and reopened its airspace to Taiwanese airlines
The impact of Cyclone Arnab has been widely felt across Gajapati district, where continuous rainfall since Wednesday has triggered a flood-like situation in the Mahendratanaya River basin. Floodwaters have entered several areas, including Baghasala, Bhinnala and Bapuji Peinth in Goshani block, disrupting daily life in the district. Persistent rainfall has raised water levels in rivers and streams, inundating agricultural fields and entering villages at several places. Waterlogging has been particularly severe in parts of Goshani block, raising concerns among locals.
Armed men shot dead an Indigenous activist who defended families displaced by violence in Mexico, authorities said
Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged people who he said 'want to protect democracy and the Constitution' to join the ‘Chalo Delhi Ramlila March’ scheduled for November 1, calling it a movement to “save democracy”, stop “vote theft” and protect the Constitution.
In a video message shared in a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said the march is aimed at stopping vote theft, stressing that it was not associated with any one political party. “Chalo Dilli Ramlila March, it is a march to save democracy, to stop vote theft, to save the Constitution. This is not a march of any one political party; it is a march of the soul of India. All the people who are fed up with Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar, all the people who want to save democracy, who want to protect the Constitution, you all come,” he said.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc are preparing for a public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, with a meeting being held on Wednesday at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to discuss preparations for the programme. The meeting was attended by Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Meira Kumar, Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi, along with Mahua Manjhi, John Brittas, Derek O'Brien, RJD leader Abhay Sinha and Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik, among others.
There is "no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy", Pope Leo XIV said, adding that everyone must look to rebuild peace everywhere, not prepare for more wars. He also appealed to all as the threat of renewed conflict looms over West Asia and the Eastern European region.
“We must rebuild peace everywhere, not prepare for more wars. War can never be waged in the name of God. For us believers, “to fight in the name of religion means attacking religion itself” (Magnifica Humanitas, 223). There is no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy,” Pope Leo XIV said during his message at the International meeting ‘unarmed and disarming peace’.
A ship on fire has been reported in the Strait of Hormuz, British maritime agency UKMTO said on Thursday, without providing details of the cause of the blaze or any casualties
All employees of Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) Accher branch in Greater Noida have been suspended after a group of farmers alleged that more than ₹12 crore was fraudulently transferred from their savings accounts and fixed deposits (FDs), police said
The United States government has officially banned imports from three major Chinese genomics companies due to their alleged involvement in human rights abuses and the forced labour of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region
Protests erupted outside Spain’s Transport Ministry in Madrid following a deadly high-speed train collision that killed 68 people and injured more than 100. Around 500 demonstrators demanded Transport Minister Óscar Puente’s resignation. READ MORE
Almost 12 hours after high-speed train collided in Spain killing 68 people and injuring more than 100, a maintenance and freight train derailed near the Padre Pío-Palmete Cercanías station in Seville on Wednesday (Oct 28-29). The incident forced the immediate suspension of Seville's C4 Cercanías commuter line. READ MORE
North Korea on Thursday (Oct 29) test-fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles were launched at around 12:30 p.m. (0330 GMT) from an area around Wonsan on North Korea's eastern coast, the JCS said in a statement. READ MORE
A private car driver was allegedly stabbed several times in West Delhi's Nihal Vihar area on Tuesday for demanding "extra chole" to the street food vendor, police said. The 35-year-old victim, Sandeep, had an altercation over second helping of chole with the bhature he was having after which he was allegedly attacked by the vendor. READ MORE
The United States banned imports from three Chinese genomics companies on Wednesday over claims they collected genetic material used to track persecuted ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region.
Russia downed the vast majority of 613 drones launched by Ukraine toward Moscow and the surrounding region overnight between Oct 28-29
Women revellers congested the exit gate of a north Kolkata Durga Puja pandal to protect their attire from rain, triggering jostling as the crowd swelled and a stampede that killed 19 people, a city police officer said, citing preliminary findings. The Kolkata Police’s probe into the stampede is focused on possible lapses in crowd management, shortage of women volunteers and police personnel, and delays in coordination among agencies, an officer has said.
Israel Police have rejected claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that Arab-led political parties "stole" the 2026 general election. In an official statement issued on October 29, 2026, law enforcement officials confirmed that there is absolutely no investigative or intelligence-based evidence to support the widespread voter fraud allegations. The police, along with senior officials from the Central Elections Committee (CEC), stated that election day passed with very few irregularities, even when compared to previous election cycles
The Central Election Committee (CEC) said Wednesday afternoon that with 89.8 percent of ballots counted, the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to win 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, and the bloc led by Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot would win 48 seats, leaving both blocs far from a 61-seat majority.

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