Top news of the day: Madras HC admits plea seeking probe into Saurav Das’s nationality; all six on board killed in Uttarakhand chopper crash; and more

Plea in Madras High Court seeks probe into nationality of Cockroach Janata Party co-convenor Saurav DasThe Madras High Court on Friday (October 30, 2026) ordered notice to the Centre on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, which sought a direction to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to probe into the nationality of Saurav Das, co-convenor of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and cancel his passport and Aadhaar card if he is not found to be an Indian.Chopper with six on board crashes near Uttarakhand’s JoshimathA helicopter on the way from Badrinath to Dehradun carrying six people, including the pilot, crashed near Joshimath on a rained out, overcast Friday afternoon (October 30, 2026), Uttarakhand disaster management officials said. The six people on board the Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd.’s helicopter were identified as Capt. Himanshu and five male passengers — Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, and H S Natraja. There is no immediate confirmation of casualties.INDIA bloc postpones ‘public impeachment’ of CEC Gyanesh Kumar to Oct. 31 due to rainINDIA bloc’s “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has been postponed to Thursday afternoon (October 31, 2026) due to the rains in New Delhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday (October 30, 2026).Labour Ministry sets up National Social Security Boards for unorganised, gig and platform workersThe Union Labour Ministry on Friday (October 30, 2026), constituted National Social Security Boards for Unorganised Workers, and Gig & Platform Workers. Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya will be the chairman of both boards, which will have representatives from Central and State Governments, prominent aggregator companies, employers, civil society organisations, workers’ unions and gig and platform Associations.Public banks not assets to be sold off, they are tools to build nation: Rahul amid IDBI bank sale rowAmid the IDBI Bank disinvestment row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has expressed solidarity with the bank employees and questioned the government’s decision to sell off the profitable public bank to a Canadian firm. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha asserted that public banks are not assets to be sold off, they are tools to build the nation.Supreme Court directs expelled JD(U) MLA Anant Singh to surrender by December 1In a setback to expelled JD(U) MLA Anant Singh, the Supreme Court on Friday (October 30, 2026) directed him to surrender by December 1 in connection with the Dular Chand Yadav murder case. Mr. Singh, who was earlier arrested in the case for allegedly orchestrating the killing in October last year, was granted bail by the Patna High Court in March this year. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale passed the order while hearing a plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to Singh.Netanyahu’s party claims Israel election ‘stolen’ as results show him losing majorityIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, potentially with foreign assistance, as final results showed his bloc had lost its majority in parliament.Cyclone Arnab: Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat among 35 trains cancelledSouth Central Railway on Friday (October 30, 2026) rescheduled four more trains because of the flooding on the line near Ichchapuram after Cyclone Arnab. The Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express (12703) will leave at 2.45 p.m. instead of 8.25 a.m., and the Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad Visakha Express (17015) at 10.30 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. The Secunderabad-Shalimar Express (22850) will leave at 6 p.m. instead of 3.55 a.m. The Charlapalli-Shalimar Express (18046) has been put back by a day, to 8.40 a.m. on October 31.Marco Rubio hosts G20 Foreign Ministers as Iran, Ukraine wars divide membersU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host his G20 counterparts, including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, for talks on Friday (October 30, 2026) that are expected to be fractious, with wars in Ukraine and Iran and surging energy prices fanning discord. The Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, taking place just days before crucial U.S. midterm elections, will set the stage for a December G20 leaders’ summit in Miami at President Donald Trump’s Doral resort.Glacial lake outburst in Bhutan triggers flood alert in northern West Bengal, AssamA glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in Bhutan has triggered a high flood alert in parts of northern West Bengal, prompting evacuations in areas along the Sankosh River and its tributaries amid fears of a sudden rise in water levels, officials said on Friday (October 30, 2026). Residents of riverbank villages in Alipurduar district were seen leaving their homes with their cattle after the administration issued evacuation instructions.Countdown progressing for ISRO’s crucial GSLV-F18 launch carrying navigation satellite NVS-03The 24-hour countdown for the launch of India’s next-generation navigation satellite, NVS-03, has commenced and is progressing, ISRO said on Friday (October 30, 2026). The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying on board the GSLV-F18 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 11.51 p.m. on Friday (October 30, 2026) from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR). The countdown officially commenced at 11.51 p.m. on Thursday (October 29, 2026).Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan becomes first men’s player to claim 200 T20I wicketsFormer Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan became ​the first bowler to claim ‌200 wickets in men’s ​Twenty20 internationals on ⁠Thursday, reaching the milestone during Afghanistan’s second T20 against Zimbabwe ‌in Sharjah. The leg-spinner brought up ‌the landmark when he ‌trapped ⁠Tadiwanashe Marumani lbw for ⁠two in the ninth over.Mumbai Indians appoint Robin Uthappa as batting coachFormer India batter Robin Uthappa was on Friday (October 30, 2026) appointed the batting coach of Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League season. A member of India’s victorious squad at the inaugural men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, the 40-year-old Uthappa had played for MI in the inaugural season of the league.