Week 5 (Oct 29 – Oct 31) (2026/10/29 to 2026/10/31)
Liverpool advanced to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals after a tense penalty shootout win over Chelsea, while Manchester City avoided an upset against Brighton in a nervy night of cup football. The draw sets up Liverpool against Bournemouth and Manchester City against Bradford City in the next round.
Haryana all-rounder Nishant produced a defining first-innings century built on endurance, discipline and an unusually long stay at the crease, spending 420 minutes in the middle as the pitch increasingly helped the spinners. His unbeaten effort stood out as a textbook example of application in a format where survival and scoring often demand equal measure.
India’s Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu will compete in the 53kg category at the World Championships, a move that underscores a calculated shift in her international campaign. The decision places one of India’s most accomplished weightlifters back in a division where she has previously delivered elite-level results, while also sharpening expectations around her medal prospects.
HDFC Bank has launched an internal investigation after concerns emerged that confidential business information may have been shared outside the organisation. The probe has found that two senior executives allegedly disclosed sensitive strategic details to outsiders, and the bank has already informed the individuals of its findings while the review continues.
Pine Labs reported a sharp jump in quarterly profitability, with net profit rising more than six times year-on-year to ₹38.6 crore in Q2 FY27 from ₹6 crore a year earlier. Revenue climbed 24% to support the improved earnings performance, underscoring stronger operating leverage in the fintech company’s business model.
Kochi City Police have registered a case and begun investigating an alleged email impersonation fraud in which unidentified persons posing as representatives of an Italian company allegedly cheated Lulu Group out of about Rs 1.64 crore. The fraudsters are said to have sent fake invoices and bank details for gaming equipment payments, leading the retail major to transfer 150,500 euros to accounts supplied by the impostors.
Aka, the new rooftop venue at Radisson RED Auckland, is emerging as a marker of how the city’s drinking culture is shifting toward design-led, experience-first hospitality. With signature cocktails, locally developed gin and sweeping harbour views, the venue blends destination dining with a distinctly Auckland sense of place.
Bengaluru-built, San Francisco-headquartered CPA firm Inkle has acquired Finally’s bookkeeping division in an undisclosed all-cash deal, marking a notable expansion in its U.S.-India cross-border accounting platform. The transaction lifts Inkle’s workforce to about 160 people across five countries and broadens its reach beyond startups into non-tech small businesses.
India’s Legislative Department has convened a workshop to promote the adoption of best practices under Special Campaign 6, underscoring the government’s continuing push for cleaner administration, improved record management and more efficient public service delivery. The initiative reflects a broader effort to institutionalise governance reforms beyond symbolic compliance and into day-to-day administrative routines.
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation has begun Special Campaign 6.0, a targeted administrative drive aimed at clearing long-pending matters and improving institutional efficiency. The initiative reflects a broader push within the government to reduce backlog, streamline records management, and strengthen service delivery across public institutions.
BP Singh, the television producer and director who helped define Indian crime and horror programming, has died at the age of 75. Best known for creating the long-running investigative series ‘CID,’ Singh leaves behind a body of work that shaped mainstream television storytelling for more than two decades.
Award-winning director and cinematographer Chezhiyan has died, prompting an outpouring of grief from the Tamil film industry and admirers of his restrained visual style. Best known for his minimalist sensibility, he made a lasting impression with To Let, a film that notably rejected background score to heighten realism and emotional precision.
The final trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three’ has intensified anticipation for the franchise’s next chapter, framing the story as a confrontation over power, faith and the cost of empire. The footage spotlights Paul Atreides’ deepening authoritarian turn, Chani’s resistance, and Robert Pattinson’s arrival as a new antagonist in a conflict that appears poised to reshape the saga’s political and emotional stakes.
Air India Group’s losses more than doubled in the first quarter of FY27 to exceed ₹6,000 crore, underscoring the strain on India’s largest airline complex from adverse foreign exchange movements, elevated aviation turbine fuel costs and repeated airspace closures. The latest deterioration highlights how external shocks continue to overwhelm the carrier’s ongoing turnaround efforts, even as demand for air travel remains broadly resilient.
Hospital executives are urging the government to base healthcare pricing and reimbursement on the actual cost of delivering quality care, arguing that current treatment rates often lag behind inflation, technology costs and clinical requirements. The call comes amid growing concern that underpriced packages could weaken hospital finances, distort care delivery and ultimately limit patient access to advanced treatment.
Moms Home has scaled into a ₹10 crore quick commerce business by targeting a deceptively simple problem: parents need baby essentials at exactly the moment they cannot afford delays. By combining emergency hospital-bag purchases with planned nursery and bedding buying, the startup has carved out a focused category in India’s crowded consumer market. Its rise underscores how sharply defined use cases can still create meaningful venture-scale businesses in quick commerce.
At TechSparks 2026, founders from SolarSquare and Boson Whitewater argued that India’s next technology surge will depend as much on efficient power and water use as on artificial intelligence infrastructure. Their message was blunt: in climatetech, the hardest problems are often not technical, but commercial and behavioural, from consumer trust to pricing gaps and perception barriers.
Trucking platform BlackBuck reported a 41.8% year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to ₹41.4 crore for the September quarter of FY27, underscoring stronger operating momentum in India’s digital freight market. Revenue climbed 56% to reflect broad-based growth in its platform-led business, even as investors continue to watch whether the company can sustain profitability at scale.
The Income-Tax Department is expected to begin issuing notices to resident Indians whose overseas property holdings have not been disclosed, using information gathered through spontaneous exchanges and earlier investigations into foreign assets. The move underscores a sharper compliance push even as the government’s FAST-DS disclosure window continues to offer a penalty-free route for voluntary regularisation of small foreign holdings.
Capcom’s latest expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2 arrives as a substantial corrective rather than a cosmetic add-on, introducing a new area, broader progression incentives, and a slate of gameplay refinements. For players who found the base game ambitious but uneven, Dark Arisen positions itself as the version that better matches the series’ scale and systems-driven promise.
The Kerala High Court on Friday directed police not to arrest the judicial officer accused in the Cheranalloor luxury car crash case until further orders, while hearing an anticipatory bail plea. Justice Kauser Edappagath orally observed that the court could not “succumb to public opinion” as it allowed the victim’s family members to be impleaded in the proceedings.
Nagaraju Maddirala, the former financial services secretary, has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. for a two-year term, according to a Ministry of Corporate Affairs order dated October 12. His appointment comes as IL&FS continues to operate under a government-appointed board after its well-documented financial collapse and restructuring efforts.
Investment momentum is building across emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, defence and space, but formal bank and NBFC financing remains limited, according to a new report. The funding mix is uneven: equity is carrying much of the load in AI and space, while lenders remain cautious because of technology risk, delayed payments and uncertain commercial timelines.
Morbi’s ceramic exporters have begun cautiously resuming shipments to Gulf markets after a disruption linked to the Strait of Hormuz, offering only partial relief to a cluster already under severe strain. Industry executives say nearly 40% of units remain shut, and even with trade routes reopening, FY27 exports could still shrink by as much as 40% if demand and logistics do not normalize quickly.
The sensational run of Kannada film 'Premada Oorali', directed by Manoj Kumar and starring Shree Raam, Thapaswini Poonacha and Ramika Shivu, has become a talking point across Sandalwood. Beyond its box-office momentum, the film is being read as a reminder that strong emotional writing, credible casting and clear creative intent can still cut through a crowded market. Industry watchers say its success may sharpen the case for smaller, story-led films in Kannada cinema.
Abhishek Sharma downplayed the significance of Yuvraj Singh’s playful 12-ball fifty challenge after producing a blistering 38-ball 113 and steering India to a six-wicket victory. The left-hander, named Player of the Match, said the focus remained on execution and team success rather than personal milestones.
As Indian companies expand beyond domestic markets, payments complexity is increasingly becoming a strategic barrier to growth. Prism’s partnership with Adyen shows how a unified payments platform can help businesses localize payment experiences, reduce operational friction, and scale across markets without rebuilding their financial infrastructure from scratch.
Arvind Sanger, managing partner at Geosphere Capital Management, said India remains an attractive market, but one where investors should temper expectations as global liquidity tailwinds are unlikely to improve materially from here. He said the next leg of performance will depend less on easy money and more on a credible revival in corporate earnings. The view underscores a more selective stance on Indian equities even as structural growth arguments remain intact.
The Dharamshala International Film Festival is marking its 15th edition with a renewed case for non-mainstream cinema, as founder Ritu Sarin and programming director Bina Paul describe the festival as a platform built around discovery rather than scale. In a media landscape dominated by star-driven releases and algorithmic visibility, DIFF has positioned itself as a rare space where small, formally adventurous films can find an audience, critical attention and cultural legitimacy.
Freshworks has acquired Israel-based AI startup Robusta Dev in a move aimed at strengthening its IT operations and service management platform. The deal, announced without financial terms, underscores the Nasdaq-listed SaaS company’s effort to embed more automation and AI into enterprise support workflows as competition intensifies across the ITSM market.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday sharpened his attack on the Centre and the Election Commission after the Supreme Court said it had not yet ruled on the legality of using a “logical discrepancy” category to examine voter details during the Special Intensive Revision. He argued that the observations strengthen the case for restoring what he described as West Bengal’s elected government, framing the issue as one of democratic legitimacy and institutional overreach.
Jio Platforms Ltd. has delivered India’s largest IPO, raising $3.1 billion and sending its shares up 27% in a debut that underscores the enduring market power of the Ambani family. By reshaping the deal structure and tempering valuations, the family broadened investor appeal and secured a landmark listing for the telecom-to-digital giant. The offering has lifted Jio’s market value above $130 billion, making it India’s second-most valuable company and a defining moment for the Ambani dynasty.
The rupee opened firmer on Wednesday, rising 11 paise to 95.17 against the U.S. dollar in early trade after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at 3.75%–4.00%, a move that traders said tilted sentiment mildly against the greenback. Forex dealers said the reaction was modest but supportive for the Indian currency, even as broader dollar demand and domestic market cues continued to shape trading.
Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon have been brought on to voice the Hindi version of the horror blockbuster 'Obsession,' a move that underscores how global studios are increasingly localising breakout genre titles for the Indian market. The film, reportedly made on a budget of about USD 750,000, has become a worldwide phenomenon, grossing more than USD 500 million and turning a modest production into one of the most profitable horror releases in recent memory.
A light, quiz-style entertainment feature may appear modest on the surface, but it reflects a larger truth about India’s fast-moving culture sector: audiences are increasingly consuming celebrity, film, and pop-culture content in quick, interactive formats. In a media environment defined by speed, the appeal of a Sunday morning quiz lies in its simplicity, familiarity, and shareability.
A new fusion theatre work, Ghat Ghat Baje Naad, premiered in Delhi under the aegis of the Dara Shikoh Centre and the Temple of Understanding Foundation of India, bringing together music, puppetry and dance in a layered exploration of faith and identity. Directed by veteran theatre-maker MK Raina, the production traces a soul’s passage through diverse spiritual texts and traditions, positioning performance as both artistic experiment and cultural inquiry.
Infosys co-founder and digital public infrastructure architect Nandan Nilekani has called for expanding India’s Account Aggregator framework beyond salaried borrowers to include self-employed workers, gig workers and street vendors. He argued that a broader data network could help lenders assess creditworthiness more accurately and unlock formal finance for millions currently excluded from the banking system.
Hero MotoCorp reported a sharp improvement in second-quarter performance, with consolidated profit rising 41% year on year to Rs 1,861 crore and revenue climbing 23% to Rs 14,971 crore. The country’s largest two-wheeler maker said demand from scooters, 100cc motorcycles and its VIDA electric scooter line, along with overseas expansion and investment-led momentum, supported the stronger showing.
Cyclonic storm Arnab is expected to weaken into a depression on October 29, according to the India Meteorological Department, even as heavy rainfall continues to batter parts of southern Odisha and Andhra Pradesh counts the human toll from the system. At least 17 districts in Odisha have reported rain-related disruption, while Andhra Pradesh has recorded five deaths, prompting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to announce relief measures and emergency assistance.
India’s Abhishek Sharma has surged to the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings after a blistering run of form capped by a 113 off 38 balls in the third T20I on October 27. The left-hander’s fourth T20I century powered India to a six-wicket victory and underlined his rapid rise as one of the format’s most destructive batters.
At GeM Samvad 2026, officials and stakeholders highlighted a new push to make government procurement more accessible, affordable, and navigable for micro and small enterprises. The discussions focused on simplifying participation, lowering compliance friction, and widening the market reach of smaller suppliers through the Government e-Marketplace.
Stroke medicine experts have underscored that the difference between recovery and permanent disability often depends on how quickly patients receive treatment. They also warned that poor diet, physical inactivity and inadequate sleep are increasingly feeding the country’s stroke burden, making prevention as urgent as emergency response.
Residents in Kochi are reporting a visible deterioration in air quality, particularly after dark, as concerns mount over potential health risks from pollution. The issue has escalated into a governance problem after an MLA sought the Chief Minister’s intervention, while the state pollution control board remains unable to provide real-time AQI readings because key monitoring stations in Vyttila and Kaloor are non-functional.
Indian steel and metal stocks advanced in early trade after the government extended the minimum import price framework on 66 steel products, a move seen as supportive for domestic producers facing import competition. Shares of Hindalco, Hindustan Zinc, Jindal Steel, JSW Steel and Tata Steel rose more than 1% from the previous close as investors priced in a firmer pricing environment for local mills.
Sai Pallavi has been unveiled as IPS officer Nithya Reddy in 'OM – Chapter 1', the upcoming action thriller from actor-producer Dhanush and director Rajkumar Periasamy. The film, which also stars Malayalam icon Mammootty, is slated for a theatrical release on November 20, positioning it as one of the season’s most closely watched Tamil-language releases.
Apple TV's upcoming series 'Nocturne' is positioning itself as a high-profile adaptation of Lars Kepler's Joona Linna novels, with Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Stephen Graham and Rory Culkin describing a production shaped by Nordic noir atmosphere and the unsettling psychology of a serial-killer narrative. The cast says the series leans into the genre's cold precision while exploring the fraught, morally ambiguous dynamics that drive the story.
India’s public sector banks are stepping up the adoption of artificial intelligence and strengthening cyber resilience as part of the EASE₹ise 8.0 reform agenda, according to the latest annual report. The push reflects a broader effort to modernise legacy banking systems, improve customer service, widen financial inclusion and prepare for emerging risks ranging from cyberattacks to climate stress.
Unmarried rural youth in Maharashtra are preparing a statewide agitation to press the government for help in finding brides, reflecting a deeper crisis of demographic imbalance, economic insecurity and social frustration in the state’s countryside. Their demands go beyond marriage assistance to include an all-religion marriage registration bureau, direct financial support, stable rural employment and assured prices for farm produce.
Tamil Nadu dairy cooperative Aavin has increased the prices of butter, ghee, curd and other milk products from Wednesday, citing rising production costs and the need to remain competitive. The revision underscores the pressure higher input expenses are placing on consumer staples, even as dairy processors try to protect margins without losing market share.
A protest by lawyers against a High Court judge escalated into disorder inside the courtroom, with furniture reportedly thrown and proceedings brought to a halt. The conduct has prompted the court to weigh disciplinary action and contempt proceedings against those involved, underscoring the strain between institutional discipline and bar-led agitation.