Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions linked to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to an Indian Express investigation. The objections covered changes to Form 6 for new voters, deletion and restoration of names, and concerns over centralised access to the voter database. Sandhu and Joshi said some decisions were taken without their knowledge. They also questioned the legal basis for restricting access to electoral roll software. In Goa, software problems reportedly prevented officials from recording the eligibility of 97 voters. The concerns were also raised with CEC Gyanesh Kumar. (PC: X)

India will have several medal opportunities at the Asian Games on Thursday, September 24, with Roshibina Devi leading the country’s challenge in wushu. She will face China’s Xiaoyu Zhang in the women’s 60kg sanda final at 6:10 am IST.   Indian rowers will also compete in several finals, while shooting features 10m air pistol and mixed-team skeet events. Athletics will begin with Indian athletes competing in the heptathlon, triple jump, 100m and 10,000m. India’s men’s hockey team will face South Korea, while the men’s and women’s kabaddi teams take on Chinese Taipei and Japan respectively. (PC: NDTV)

An Indian sailor was killed after the commercial vessel MV Cape Dao came under attack while sailing towards India near Oman, the Indian Embassy in Muscat said. The embassy said 19 Indian nationals were aboard the vessel and 18 fellow Indian crew members were rescued. The Indian Embassy is coordinating with Omani authorities and the recruitment and placement agency to ensure the crew’s safety and support the deceased sailor’s family. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack and called for an end to attacks on commercial ships and seafarers. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India identified the deceased as Suraj Yadav from Uttar Pradesh. (PC: India Today)

India will have several medal opportunities at the Asian Games on Thursday, September 24, with Roshibina Devi leading the country’s challenge in wushu. She will face China’s Xiaoyu Zhang in the women’s 60kg sanda final at 6:10 am IST.   Indian rowers will also compete in several finals, while shooting features 10m air pistol and mixed-team skeet events. Athletics will begin with Indian athletes competing in the heptathlon, triple jump, 100m and 10,000m. India’s men’s hockey team will face South Korea, while the men’s and women’s kabaddi teams take on Chinese Taipei and Japan respectively. (PC: The Hindu)

Two Royal Air Force pilots ejected from a Hawk T2 training aircraft before it crashed and burst into flames near Pencarnisiog on Anglesey, Wales. North Wales Police said both pilots suffered minor injuries and were taken to Birmingham for treatment. The aircraft crashed close to RAF Valley, with emergency helicopters sent to the scene. Police said there were no reports of other injuries or wider damage. Witnesses said the aircraft appeared to be in trouble shortly after take-off, with one describing flames coming from the plane. The Royal Air Force has temporarily paused Hawk training while an investigation into the crash continues.

Cockroach Janta Party co-convener Saurav Das called Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar the “original anti-national” and demanded his arrest over the Election Commission’s voter-roll revision process. His remarks came after an Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times in 10 months over decisions taken in the poll panel’s name. The report focused on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the deletion of millions of voter names. Das alleged that the process had stolen people’s “right to vote for change”. Election Commission officials, however, said decisions were taken unanimously. (PC: The Telegraph India)

Australia has announced stricter migration rules that will prevent most international students and graduate visa holders from bringing family members into the country. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the changes on September 17 as the government seeks greater control over migration. Students already in Australia are exempt, while some Pacific and ASEAN students and those in certain courses, including PhDs, are also excluded from the restriction. Students will generally be allowed to move only to higher qualifications, with fresh visa applications required for some course changes. Australia also plans limits on working holiday visas and aims to reduce net overseas migration to 245,000 in 2026-27. (PC: HT)

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded Assembly elections in the state using the pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter list. Her demand followed a media report claiming Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to aspects of the voter-roll revision exercise. Banerjee demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and announced pan-India protests against him. She alleged that the BJP and Election Commission had benefited from the process. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that 30 lakh names were deleted from Bengal’s voter rolls. The Election Commission said SIR decisions were taken unanimously. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held up photos of students killed in a US attack on a school during his address to the United Nations General Assembly. Referring to the incident, Pezeshkian said, “US bombed our school,” as he criticised Washington’s military actions against Iran. He displayed the photographs while speaking about civilian casualties and the impact of the conflict on Iranian people. Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of targeting civilians and said Iran would not surrender under pressure. His address came amid continuing tensions between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv, with the Iranian president calling for diplomacy while rejecting threats against his country. (PC: The Hindu)

A developing “super El Nino” could cause up to 451,000 excess heat-related deaths worldwide between September 2026 and February 2027, according to researchers at the University of Chicago’s Climate Impact Lab. The number of extremely hot days is expected to rise 44% above normal levels, increasing heat-related risks in several regions. Nigeria is projected to record about 31,400 excess deaths, followed by Indonesia with 19,300 and Sudan with 17,600. The Sahel could see 66,800 additional deaths, while Southeast Asia could record 19,400. India and Pakistan are considered particularly vulnerable during their summer months. Researchers warned the toll could rise if El Nino persists into 2027. (PC: BBC)