In a proud moment for Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur (JNTUA), the university’s Vice-Chancellor H. Sudarsana Rao participated as a panel speaker at the World Education Summit held in New Delhi. He shared valuable insights on the future of higher education, global skill development, and the role of universities in national progress.

Mr. Sudarsana Rao shared his ideas on the topic “Panel Discussion 1: Reimagining Higher Education for Global Skills – Positioning India as a Global Leader through Talent Prepared for Future Needs.” He emphasised the need for radical changes in the Indian higher education system to align with evolving global demands, rapid technological advancements, and the skill requirements of the industry.

The JNTUA Vice-Chancellor suggested that universities should transform into centres that foster creativity, a research-oriented mindset, problem-solving abilities, skills, ethical values, and a commitment to lifelong learning among students, rather than functioning merely as institutions that award degrees.

He highlighted four priorities for transforming higher education — shaping skilled future graduates, strong linkages between educational institutions and global industries, emphasis on digital education, artificial intelligence, research and innovation, and progressive educational policies – building dynamic universities.

He emphasised the need to evaluate student success based on actual skills, practical knowledge, multidisciplinary understanding, and creative thinking, rather than relying solely on academic qualifications. “Students should be prepared for future job opportunities and global competition through experiential learning, project-based instruction, and flexible educational pathways,” Mr. Sudarsana Rao emphasised.

Mr. Sudarsana Rao also highlighted the necessity of effective partnerships among universities, international educational institutions, research centres, and industries. He noted that digital technology plays a pivotal role in making quality education accessible to all. The Vice-Chancellor suggested expanding the development of structured e-content, modern teaching methodologies, and technology-driven learning systems.

He stressed that the primary objectives of universities should be to foster a research-oriented mindset among the youth, develop their capacity to find innovative solutions to real-world problems, and prepare them to seize global opportunities.

Mr. Sudarsana Rao articulated the need to prepare students for the future through quality teaching, research, technological innovation, industry linkages, and the development of world-class skills.

Tamil Nadu head coach V. Yo Mahesh urged his players to be more ruthless ahead of the team’s second Ranji Trophy fixture against Uttarakhand here on Saturday.

“I think one important aspect is for us to be — once you have settled — ruthless. It’s not a question of talent, potential, or skill. Everything is in place. It’s just about how hungry we are,” said Yo Mahesh.

“One area that I have been very straightforward with the team about is to change our attitude when it comes to how we play. It’s important that we go there, be strong, and be tough, regardless of who the opponent is or what the situation is.”

On the learnings from the first game, the former TN player highlighted the bowling unit’s performance, especially the quicks, as heartening.

“We need to have little patience with the bowling department. But I see it as a great start. Out of the 10 wickets that fell in the first innings, the fast bowlers took 7. Fast bowlers are very critical for the Ranji Trophy. D. Deepesh had a great debut and showed he has an X-factor,” he added.

On the batters failing to convert starts, Yo Mahesh admitted the seniors have to take the onus. “I think it is important that the top order, one has to bat long for sure. If they are settled, they have to stay until the end, until we cross the line. It has been made crystal clear to them, and I am sure they will definitely do it in the coming games,” he said.

West Indies skipper Shai Hope opted to bowl against India in the rain-truncated fifth and deciding T20 in Bengaluru on Saturday (October 17, 2026).

The match has been reduced to nine overs per side after two hours were lost to rain and a wet outfield.

West Indies named an unchanged side from the fourth T20, while India made two changes, bringing in Shivam Dube and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav.

Teams:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.

West Indies: Shai Hope (w/c), Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.

Hundreds gathered at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Parliament Square in London on Saturday (October 17, 2026) for a protest organised by the Opposition Congress and UK-based Indian students’ groups against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

While the “Stop Vote Chori” protest cheered for activist Dhruv Rathee as the keynote speaker, chants of “Modi, Modi” rang out from a smaller group across the Gandhi statue, being kept apart by Metropolitan Police officers.

The face-off between the groups got heated as each tried to drown out the other’s chants.

“We don’t want any foreign interference. I am here at Parliament Square to address Indians and NRIs,” said Mr. Rathee, addressing the gathering in Hindi.

“It is important to spread the message against ‘vote chori’ in our country. These protests will stop the moment the Chief Election Commissioner is replaced by a candidate that is chosen in agreement between the government and Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

His address followed slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Vande Mataram” and the reading of the preamble of the Constitution of India.

The protest was organised by the Indian Overseas Congress Youth wing and supported by several diaspora platforms including Save Democracy, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) U.K. and South Asia Solidarity Group among others.

Meanwhile, India Diaspora (ID) U.K. had issued an “Urgent appeal to all London Bharat Premi Janta” to gather in counter-protest.

ID U.K. founder Hirdesh Gupta said: “The Indian diaspora in the U.K. stands firmly, shoulder to shoulder, with Modi Ji and his government in their vision of a strong, united and developed India.”

The big turnout followed a smaller protest and counter-protest gathering outside the High Commission of India in London on Friday (October 16, 2026).

The demonstration on Saturday (October 17, 2026) is among a series since an “Emergency Protest” on Tuesday, called to “amplify” the demands of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) — including the demand for the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the SIR of electoral rolls in India.

The Election Commission maintains that the exercise is intended to update electoral rolls by identifying deceased, duplicate, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries.

Observing that “a notification inviting applications is not a finish line etched in stone”, the Telangana High Court dismissed a batch of writ petitions challenging the State government’s decision to reserve 30% of Secondary Grade Teacher posts for candidates possessing Diploma in Education (D.Ed) in 2009, days after issuing notification. 

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Suddala Chalapathi Rao, pronouncing the verdict, said the “law does not ask the State to freeze its wisdom at the moment of first notification”. On December 6, 2008, the then government of the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh issued a notification to fill up 52,655 teacher posts across the State through District Selection Committees (DSCs). 

Nearly a month later, the government issued an order (GO Ms. No. 161) reserving 30% of the posts exclusively for D.Ed. qualification holders. The written test was held on May 29 and 30 in 2009, while results were declared on June 30. Some candidates who could not get selected for the posts moved the AP Administrative Tribunal questioning the government’s decision of reserving 30% posts to D.Ed. qualification holders.

They contended the reservation was illegal and arbitrary since it was announced after the ‘selection process had commenced’. The Tribunal dismissed their pleas. Questioning the Tribunal order, the batch of writ petitions were filed. The division Bench headed by the Acting CJ, holding that it found “no infirmity in the Tribunal order”, said the 30% reservation was a “modification made at the threshold of the DSC-2008 selection process.” It was “not a change in the rules of the game after the race had begun”, the verdict said.

The State cannot be denied its ordinary prerogative of refining its own design, the Bench said. However, such changes should be done in the open and the government must ensure its action did not snatch away by stealth or afterthought what it had promised to the applicants earlier, the judgement said. 

Under the glaring afternoon sun on Saturday, Urvil Patel faced throwdowns for more than 30 minutes in preparation for Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy duel against Delhi. For much of the net session at the Palam ground, the 28-year-old honed his attacking strokes.

He did so whilst donning yellow-coloured batting gloves, a not-so-subtle reminder of his association with Chennai Super Kings since the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Afterwards, the Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter spoke enthusiastically of the confidence that the CSK stint has infused. In the 2026 IPL, he notably took just 13 balls against Lucknow Super Giants to bring up a half-century, the joint-fastest in the T20 league’s history. M.S. Dhoni’s guidance from close quarters was the icing on the cake for Urvil.

“After playing in the IPL, confidence is high. Just seeing Mahi bhai around gives confidence. I was fortunate to have my seat next to his in the CSK dressing room,” Urvil told the media on Saturday.

With the added exposure, he is aware of the enhancements needed in his game. Despite his blazing 23-ball 65 versus LSG, he compiled just 129 runs in seven games this year.

“I was not satisfied with my overall performance. I reviewed how the season went and I’m working on the things that I have identified,” he admitted.

In the Ranji Trophy too, Urvil isn’t wary of taking the aggressive route. Last week, he hammered a 67-ball 85 against Odisha. “I look to be clear in my mindset. If I decide to attack, I show full conviction. I don’t have self-doubt.”

A 48-year-old woman riding pillion on a motorcycle was killed after being run over by a bus near Odathurai signal here on Saturday.

Police identified the deceased as M. Revathi of Edhumalai in Tiruchi district. 

Police sources said Revathi was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by her relative’s son and was proceeding to the government hospital to meet her relative when the private bus that came from behind hit the two-wheeler.

Revathi was thrown off the motorcycle and was run over by the bus. The bus driver was named as the accused. The Traffic North Investigation unit has registered a case. 

Ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s expected month-end Japan visit, diplomatic sources in Tokyo have told The Hindu that they are planning to create an ‘industrial value chain’ that will connect northeast Indian states with the Bay of Bengal region via Chittagong’s Matarbari deep-sea port that Japan has been funding.

In exclusive remarks shared with The Hindu, a senior diplomatic source in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Matarbari port can ‘transform’ Bangladesh into an industrial hub and enhance regional connectivity.

“The Matarbari Port holds the potential to transform Bangladesh into a regional industrial hub,” said a senior Japanese diplomatic source. The port is in focus as PM Rahman is likely to seek Japanese financial support for 2026-’31 for a number of projects, including the Matarbari industrial, port and commercial hub. As part of the preparation, PM Rahman visited Matarbari in August, where he was briefed about the further requirements of the project.

Once completed, the Japan-backed port will be the only deep-sea port in Bangladesh, which currently relies on Singapore, Colombo and other ports in Malaysia for big ships.

Japanese diplomats have envisioned Matarbari port as part of an industrial value chain that would connect the seven northeastern states with the Bay of Bengal and the Southeast Asian regions through Bangladesh. Japan has supported a similar industrial value chain that connects Bangkok of Thailand with Cambodia and Vietnam.

“A model to emulate is Bangkok, which led regional economic growth through its ports and the Southern Economic Corridor,” said the official in a written response to The Hindu, referring to the Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam developmental corridor project that is assisted by Japan with funding and infrastructure plans.

This connectivity project has been cited by Japanese diplomats as a success that they would like to replicate around Matarbari to enhance connectivity among Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, India and Bangladesh.

The Matarbari deep-sea port has received funding from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), and much of the work was carried out during the Sheikh Hasina period, when India-Bangladesh relations were relatively smooth, making connectivity projects feasible.

During that time, the Maitri Bridge, which connected Tripura over the Feni river, was built, opening possibilities of connectivity between northeast India and Chittagong and Matarbari ports. However, the Maitri bridge remains non-operational as India-Bangladesh relation has been hit with political uncertainties.

Japanese officials, however, have been largely positive about long-term India-Bangladesh dynamics and said, “Enhancing connectivity from Bangladesh to northeast India and neighbouring countries will further reinforce the utility of this port”.

Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh had earlier announced that Prime Minister Rahman had received an invitation from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit Japan for four days. The visit is yet to be officially announced by either side, but The Hindu has learnt that the bilateral agenda for the visit is being finalised, and the Maheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development Initiative is part of the agenda.

A chemical tanker carrying nine Indian seafarers, which was hit by a drone at an anchorage off Romania earlier this week, has reached the Port of Constanta, with all crew members safe, the Indian mission in Bucharest said on Saturday (October 17, 2026).

Ambassador Manoj Kumar Mohapatra spoke with Romanian search and rescue bodies, including SAR Romania and MRCC Constanta, as well as the chief security officer of the tanker YARA J, the Indian Embassy in Romania said in a post on X.

“It was confirmed that all nine Indian seafarers on board are safe and the vessel has arrived at the Port of Constanta,” the embassy said. “The Ambassador assured the crew of the Indian government’s full support and assistance,” it added.

On Friday (October 16, 2026), Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said YARA J was hit by a drone at Sulina Anchorage, Romania, on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). He had also said that crude oil tanker MT ST 3, carrying 15 Indian seafarers, was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Mr. Sonowal said all 24 Indian seafarers aboard the two vessels were safe, with no casualties or injuries. “The government was monitoring both situations and was in contact with the ship management companies,” he added. The identities of those behind the attacks were not immediately known.

The incidents come amid a series of attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers in the Black Sea region, a theatre of conflict in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway in West Asia which has been a flashpoint in the continuing U.S.-Iran conflict.

Earlier this month, three Indian nationals were rescued from Turkish-owned cargo vessel MV Royad Mammadov, which was attacked in the Black Sea.

The vessel, carrying corn from Ukraine’s Izmail port to Ravenna in Italy, was struck while sailing in the Black Sea outside Romania’s territorial waters. Two foreign seafarers were killed, and several crew members were injured, while all three Indians survived.

One of the Indian nationals was injured and received treatment at Constanta County Hospital before the three individuals departed for India last week.

India is the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, with 3,11,936 maritime professionals working in the global shipping industry, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026. The report estimates that Indians account for 12.16% of the global seafaring workforce, behind only the Philippines.