West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday defended religious preacher Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, popularly known as Bageshwar Baba, over his appeal to people to avoid meat during the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations. Speaking in the Assembly, Adhikari said Shastri had expressed his views but had not forced them on anyone. The Chief Minister also said he had seen people burning photographs of the preacher outside Bhawanipore police station. He directed the Kolkata Police Commissioner to take action and arrest those involved. Shastri had made the vegetarian appeal during his recent visit to Liluah, where he also spoke about nationalism, culture and Akhand Bharat. (PC: X)

The payment infrastructure for settlements between Russia and India in their national currencies is fully operational, Sberbank India CEO Ivan Nosov said. Speaking at the INNOPROM. India exhibition in New Delhi, Nosov said earlier challenges involving banking, insurance and logistics have largely been resolved. More than 90% of payments from Russia to India are now processed in under 10 minutes, while 30% are completed within a minute. He also highlighted growing opportunities for Indian exporters, saying more than 100 categories of Indian products have been identified as competitive in the Russian market, where demand for Indian goods remains strong. (PC: Economic Times)

Lamine Yamal became the youngest captain in Barcelona’s history as the Spanish giants began their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win over Feyenoord at Camp Nou. The 18-year-old wore the captain’s armband and also found the net, scoring Barcelona’s fourth goal with a free-kick. Raphinha scored twice, while Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus also found the net as Barcelona dominated the match. Sem Steijn scored Feyenoord’s only goal. The victory continued Barcelona’s perfect start to the season, with Hansi Flick’s side winning all five of their matches across competitions. Yamal’s landmark night added another achievement to his remarkable rise. (PC: NDTV)

IIM Bangalore has entered the global top 25 in the Financial Times Masters in Management (MiM) 2026 ranking, securing the 21st position worldwide and retaining its No. 1 spot among Indian B-schools. The institute’s two-year full-time Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) climbed from 28th globally in 2025 and 41st in 2024. It is the only Indian B-school to feature in the global top 25. The improvement was supported by stronger career outcomes, with its Career Progress rank rising to 69 from 90. Its Careers Service rank also improved to eighth. The ranking evaluates schools on 19 criteria.  

Marvel’s next Black Panther David Jonsson will lead the voice cast of *Bollywoof*, a new animated family film set in Kolkata. Oscar winner Olivia Colman and *The Big Bang Theory* star Kunal Nayyar are also part of the cast, alongside Rhys Ifans, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Ambika Mod. The film follows a British pet dog who gets lost in Kolkata and teams up with a street dog while travelling across India to find his way home. Directed by Frederik Du Chau, *Bollywoof* is produced by Prime Focus Studios and will combine comedy, action, music and colourful visuals in a story rooted in India. (PC: The Telegraph)

New York marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a striking drone display over New York Harbor, recreating the Twin Towers in the night sky. The tribute, titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor,” used 2,977 illuminated drones, representing each person killed in the 2001 attacks. The drones first appeared as individual lights before coming together to form the outline of the original World Trade Center towers. The free public art installation was developed with input from 9/11 survivors, victims’ families and first responders. The emotional display honoured those who died while highlighting New York’s resilience and unity.

Indian-origin engineers Anuradha and Vikas Sinha have donated $20 million to the University of North Texas (UNT) to establish a new college focused on artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. The university will name it the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics in recognition of their contribution. The college will focus on AI, data science, cybersecurity, advanced analytics and health informatics, while also supporting research and innovation. The donation will create six permanent endowments for scholarships, faculty positions, entrepreneurship, research and emerging technologies. The couple previously supported UNT's data science department and innovation lab. (PC: NDTV)

Russia is moving closer to major civil aviation deals with Indian companies involving up to 105 regional passenger aircraft, as Moscow seeks to expand its aviation presence in India ahead of the BRICS summit. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) CEO Vadim Badekha said talks with Indian partners have progressed significantly over the past six months, with several agreements expected during the Innoprom India exhibition in New Delhi. The proposals include 50 IL-114-300 aircraft for Pinnacle Air, up to 20 for Air Kerala and 35 linked to an MoU with Sleek Aviation. Russia is also in advanced talks to produce SJ-100 regional jets in India jointly with HAL. (PC: India Today)

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has filed an FIR with the Delhi Police against 63 social media handles for allegedly sharing misleading and factually incorrect posts about waterlogging at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The action follows heavy rainfall on September 4, when temporary water accumulation occurred at the Terminal 3 arrival forecourt. DIAL said the water was cleared within 20 minutes and airport operations were not affected. The operator also flagged an old video of waterlogging at Dubai Airport that was falsely presented as footage from Delhi. DIAL said such posts created unnecessary concern among passengers and damaged the reputation of a critical public utility. (PC: X)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted a flight-acceptance hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine at an uprated thrust of 220 kN (22 tonnes), marking a key step towards increasing the payload capacity of India’s LVM3 rocket. The test was carried out on September 9 at ISRO’s Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The CE20 powers the cryogenic upper stage of LVM3, also known as India’s ‘Bahubali’ rocket. ISRO said the test also demonstrated the performance of the LOX Tank Pressurisation Module planned for Gaganyaan missions. The successful test brings the upgraded C32 upper stage closer to operational use on future LVM3 missions. (PC: ISRO)