Morning Digest: Iran vows ‘apocalyptic war’ if U.S. strikes again; hundreds of applications exposed in censor board data breach, and more

Iran vows ‘apocalyptic war’ if U.S. strikes againIran said on Saturday (October 24, 2026) that U.S. warships would not be allowed to enter the Persian Gulf and warned that any attack by the U.S. and Israel would have repercussions beyond the country, amid reports that Washington was considering resuming air strikes.“Preserving the country’s [territorial] integrity and safeguarding its national and religious identity are among the most important responsibilities of the Iranian nation today,” Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in Tehran.Hundreds of applications exposed in censor board data breachA data breach at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) exposed information from applications for more than 500 titles, dozens of which were feature films, The Hindu found. The leak appears to have originated from the e-Cinepramaan portal, launched nearly a decade ago to digitise the CBFC’s work. The exposed material includes detailed shooting scripts, cut orders and other documents submitted by filmmakers seeking certification for their films to be screened in Indian cinemas. The breach did not expose any feature films themselves, which are usually handled separately.IMD warns of heavy rainfall over several TN districts; red alert for 5 districts in KeralamThe IMD on Saturday warned of heavy to very heavy rain over the Nilgiris district and forecast heavy rainfall activity in several districts of Tamil Nadu for the next three days. The IMD has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in five Keralam districts on Sunday and Monday. Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts are under red alert on October 25, while Idukki and Palakkad are under red alert on October 26, according to the IMD’s latest update.An orange alert has been issued for Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod on Saturday, indicating the possibility of very heavy rainfall in isolated areas.Odisha braces for cyclone Arnab, CM Majhi targets zero casualties as storm nears coast on October 28With a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal likely to intensify into a deep depression on Sunday (October 25, 2026) before possibly developing into a cyclone, the Odisha government on Saturday (October 24, 2026) stepped up preparedness as part of its efforts to ensure zero casualties with disaster response teams on high alert. Educational institutions in five Odisha districts will be closed on October 28 and 29 while fishermen along the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast have been warned not to venture into the sea as per standard advisory.PM to visit Odisha on Sunday to inaugurate RBI’s data centrePrime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha on Sunday to inaugurate the Reserve Bank of India’s ₹169-crore data centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar, officials said. According to the tentative itinerary, Mr. Modi is scheduled to land at Biju Patnaik International Airport here around 4.10 pm aboard a special Indian Air Force aircraft.Supreme Court defers AP municipal poll final list to October 25 on YSRCP plea, directs SEC to decide on nominationsThe Supreme Court on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) held that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had made out a prima facie case in its plea for an extension of time to file nominations for the urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh. The party had alleged that its candidates were met with violence and blocked from filing nominations.The court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the publication of the final list of candidates till October 25.Jamia shifts classes online amid student union protest; SFI allege crackdown at strike siteJamia Millia Islamia on Saturday shifted to online classes amid escalating tensions over the demand for students’ union elections after protesting students and university staff confronted each other at the hunger strike site. In a notice issued by the registrar’s office, the university said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure students’ safety and security and maintain continuity in the teaching-learning process. Urging students across all courses to adhere to their online class schedules and avoid visiting the campus, the university said that gates and libraries would remain closed until further notice.Palestinian Authority calls for international pressure on Israel after displacementsThe Palestinian Authority called on Saturday for international pressure on Israel to protect Palestinians after some residents of the West Bank city of Hebron were displaced from their homes in response to an attack that killed Israeli soldiers. Confronting “the growing threats to expand the scope of forced displacement and destruction requires urgent international action that goes beyond condemnation to adopt tangible and deterrent measures”, the PA’s foreign ministry said in a statement.Houthis attack Yemen’s Aden, say Saudi strikes kill 16Yemen’s Houthis launched fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia and the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Saturday (October 24, 2026) after blaming the kingdom for strikes that the Iran-backed group said killed 17 people.Saudi Arabia and the government it backs in Yemen have come under sustained attack in recent weeks from the Houthis as a years-long truce broke down in the summer, shifting the focus of the wider U.S.-Iran war that erupted in February.