&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Latest News India and World LIVE updates: Polling hoax hits US midterms; 7.2 quake triggers tsunami warning; US intel warns of Iran threats")
A second polling hoax has rocked the US midterm elections after a firm tracked by top media outlets and political campaigns admitted to completely fabricating its poll results. The case involving Wedgewood Polls threatens to weaken trust in independent pollsters in an already deeply polarised political climate. Political pundits have also warned that fast-evolving AI tools are making it easier to fake results.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake off Vanuatu triggered a tsunami warning on Saturday (Oct 24), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. "Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters... hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 KM of the earthquake epicenter," the Hawaii-based monitor warned after the shallow quake in waters around the island nation of Vanuatu. The quake, with a magnitude of 7.2, had an origin time of 0231 UTC on October 24, 2026, at coordinates 13.8 degrees south, 165.7 degrees east. Its depth was 10 km (6 miles), in the Vanuatu region. It's epicentre was around 200 kilometres (124 miles) north-west of Vanuatu's Port-Olry, according to geological monitor USGS which later revised the magnitude of the tremor down to 6.9. It also reported a second quake of magnitude 6.3 nearby.
US intelligence has found that Iran has ‘substantially increased’ its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching ‘advanced stages’, according to an October 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio obtained by Axios. The intelligence has raised concerns among US officials about potential threats to American personnel and is one reason the State Department is reducing staffing at several US embassies across the Middle East amid fears of a wider regional conflict.
Stay with us for the latest news, breaking updates and developments as they unfold.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge, according to South Korean officials. The visit on Saturday comes about a week after the bridge linking the two countries was officially opened, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its small, nuclear-armed neighbour.
A man who had links with the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media was arrested by the Mumbai police on Saturday (Oct 24). Following a tip-off, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar, 33, from Mahim Metro Station.
More than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes are set to be deployed across France as the country braces for a new round of protests against deteriorating school conditions and the rising cost of living.
An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck Tibet on Saturday (Oct 24), according to National Center for Seismology. the quake struck at around 2:09 IST at a depth of 15 km.
Peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. He further said that he expected leaders of the countries to meet soon.
A man who had links with the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media was arrested by the Mumbai police on Saturday (Oct 24). Following a tip-off, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar, 33, from Mahim Metro Station.
Ukrainian forces struck the Tolyattikauchuk plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti, Samara Oblast, as well as an aircraft at the Yeysk airfield in Krasnodar Krai, said Ukraine’s General Staff.
Two military planes crashed mid-air during training at an air base in the Philippines, killing four pilots, the air force said Saturday.
The SF-260 single propeller planes crashed at Fernando Air Base, south of Manila, on Friday afternoon.
"Both aircraft went down within the base perimeter, with no other casualties reported," Philippine Air Force spokesman Colonel Alvin Capinguian said in a statement.
An investigation was opened to determine the cause of the mishap, and Capinguian said the air force's fleet of SF-260s has been temporarily grounded as a precaution.
Emergency crews scrambled on Saturday to restore power to tens of thousands of homes in Taiwan after Typhoon Champi's fierce winds battered the island, with the storm moving towards China and Japan.
Authorities evacuated more than 5,000 people from their homes ahead of the storm, which toppled trees, brought down power lines, and triggered brief flooding.
One person has been killed and more than 500 injured since Thursday, when the government began issuing warnings about the approaching typhoon.
German police said Saturday they had detained a suspect following a fire at Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest, in the state of Bavaria.
Around 200 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze at the Nazi dictator's remote and difficult-to-access Kehlsteinhaus residence, on the peak above Obersalzberg in southern Germany.
Firefighters saw flames rising high into the air as they approached the scene, only to find the building "completely ablaze", police said.
Peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. He further said that he expected leaders of the countries to meet soon.
Zelensky spoke for the first time with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on Friday after their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. He again stressed that any negotiation would require strong security guarantees for Ukraine and funding for 10 years to maintain the Ukrainian army.
The White House had no immediate comment on the plans for a trilateral meeting at the technical level.
Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton warned on Friday.
The warning comes after Washington ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia this week, following increasing attacks from Yemen's Houthis.
The kingdom has come under near-daily attacks this month from the Iran-backed group, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the kingdom's deadliest in years.
A second polling hoax has rocked the US midterm elections after a firm tracked by top media outlets and political campaigns admitted to completely fabricating its poll results. The case involving Wedgewood Polls threatens to weaken trust in independent pollsters in an already deeply polarised political climate. Political pundits have also warned that fast-evolving AI tools are making it easier to fake results.
The matter surfaced earlier this week when polling aggregator FiftyPlusOne contacted Wedgewood as part of an investigation into its surveys. In a statement on X, Wedgewood admitted that "most" of its data was made up. It said the firm had been experimenting to see how easily "an entirely fabricated polling firm" could gain traction and be taken seriously. Its X account has since been taken down.
US President Donald Trump on Friday (Oct 23) said American warships returning from the Middle East could make a stopover in Cuba once they return from the Iran war. Speaking at an election campaign event for the midterms in Florida, Trump ominously said, "We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran. Those beautiful ships, they'll pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands, and then we're gonna send Marco Rubio in."
