Punjab: Supreme Court orders fresh elections in 50 municipal wards
India’s Supreme Court has overturned election results in 50 Punjab municipal wards—28 in Patiala and 22 in Moga—and ordered fresh elections within six weeks. A fact-finding commission reported serious irregularities during nominations, including allegations of threats, violence and destruction of nomination papers.
India: RBI introduces emergency measures to support the rupee
The Reserve Bank of India announced fresh measures on October 10 to reduce pressure on the rupee, which has fallen more than 7% against the dollar in 2026.
From Monday, the RBI will supply dollars directly to three state-owned oil companies—Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum—from its foreign exchange reserves. It has also tightened rules governing foreign-exchange derivatives to discourage excessive speculative activity.
India: Thousands detained during protests over voter-list revisions
Authorities detained more than 2,000 protesters in New Delhi on October 10 during demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protests concern voter-list revisions that opposition parties claim unfairly removed eligible voters and benefited the ruling BJP. Authorities imposed extensive security restrictions, including mobile internet suspensions and closures affecting metro stations and markets. The Election Commission and BJP deny wrongdoing.
Ukraine: Russian strike kills civilians as US changes Russian diesel policy
A Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia on October 10 killed 12 people, including three children, and injured 14, according to Reuters. Residential buildings were damaged, while parts of Kyiv and the surrounding region experienced power disruptions. Reuters
The attack followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump that sanctions on Russian diesel exports would be lifted under a deal intended to ease fuel-price pressures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the decision, arguing that it could provide Moscow with additional resources to continue the war.
Sudan: Drone strike kills 41 displaced people
A drone strike in Sudan’s Blue Nile province killed 41 people, including eight children, according to the rights group Emergency Lawyers. The attack occurred near the Ethiopian border and reportedly targeted a gathering of displaced people. The group attributed the strike to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces; the force had not responded to the allegation in the report. AP News
Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023, has displaced more than 12 million people and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.