Top news of the day: Rahul Gandhi targets ECI for not meeting Opposition MPs; Physics Nobel 2026 awarded to Francis Halzen for astrophysical neutrino discovery, and more

‘We represent crores of Indians’, Rahul Gandhi slams ECI for not meeting Opposition MPsStanding inside the Akashvani Bhavan premises, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi said Opposition MPs from both Houses only wanted to meet the Election Commissioners, including CEC Gyanesh Kumar, to raise questions on behalf of the millions who voted for them. He questioned why the Election Commission was unwilling to meet or answer them. Later, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had “hijacked” the country with the help of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.Physics Nobel 2026 goes to Francis Halzen for discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical originThe Nobel Prize in Physics for 2026 has been awarded to Francis Halzen “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Francis Halzen has laid the foundation for an entirely new type of astronomy. His idea was to use glacial ice at the South Pole to capture the secretive particles called neutrinos.UN chief calls for Gaza ceasefire ahead of October 7 anniversaryUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday (October 5, 2026) called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. “It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent. It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale. And it is time to respect international law,” Mr. Guterres said in a statementU.S. moves to strip 40 persons of American citizenshipThe U.S. launched the largest denaturalisation effort in modern history by moving to strip 40 individuals, including one of Indian origin, of their American citizenship, the Department of Justice said. The 40 individuals facing denaturalisation actions in multiple U.S. courts have been accused of serious offences, including acting as an agent for a foreign government, committing voluntary manslaughter, and aggravated sodomy against a man with special needs.Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India women’s teamHarmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India’s women’s cricket team across all three formats, bringing the curtains down on a leadership tenure that reached its peak with India winning its maiden women’s ODI World Cup last year. The 37-year-old announced her decision in an Instagram post a day after she, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar met BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati to discuss the roadmap for the women’s team.India’s blind women cricketers still wait for house sites and jobs a year after their World Cup winDeepika T.C. captained India to victory in the first Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind in November 2025. Nearly a year later, she is still waiting for the house site that leaders and officials promised her. She and her 15 teammates, who won the tournament hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka, say they are unable to get the support they need from society and the government in their day-to-day lives. They do not get playgrounds and fitness guidance in their localities, and they cannot afford training in big cities.Privilege versus free speech case in Supreme Court disposed of in half an hour after two-decade waitAfter a pendency of well over 20 years in the Supreme Court, a seven-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant took less than half an hour on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) to dispose of as infructuous a reference related to questions linked to legislative privilege being used to choke free speech, arising out of a 2003 Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution to arrest editors of The Hindu for an editorial criticising then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.CJP activists getting police notices, being pressured not to join October 10 Delhi protest: Abhijit DipkeCockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) alleged that CJP activists were receiving police notices questioning their travel expenses and being pressured to stay away from the group’s proposed agitation in New Delhi on October 10. This is “dictatorship”, Mr. Dipke charged at a press conference in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city.Puppet has to go but puppeteer pair must be held accountable too: CongressThe Congress on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) alleged that the West Bengal assembly polls were a “textbook case of mass manipulation and rigging” which was overseen by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It asserted that the “puppet” has to go but the “two puppeteers” too have to be held accountable. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a screenshot of a media report that claimed that judges of more than a dozen Tribunals appointed in West Bengal on the orders of the Supreme Court to process SIR appeals, including those of 27 lakh deleted electorsDelhi Police arrests ‘independent journalist’ over AI-generated video showing ACP Vivek Bhagat misbehaving with woman protestorThe Delhi Police have arrested a 24-year-old ‘independent journalist’ for creating and circulating a fabricated video that allegedly falsely portrayed Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat in an objectionable situation with a woman, and are probing whether the episode was part of a larger conspiracy to provoke unrest during a protest. This comes a day after 17 protesters, including a woman journalist who had accused Mr Bhagat of sexually harassing and shoving her during the October 3 protest, were arrested by the Delhi PoliceDelhi Police wear body cameras at INDIA bloc protest, days after sexual harassment allegationsDelhi Police personnel deployed to manage an Opposition protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) in central Delhi on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) were equipped with body cameras, in a heightened documentation measure, days after three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police personnel during a previous demonstration at Jantar Mantar.Union Cabinet to take up ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, centralised infra authorityThe Union Cabinet on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) is likely to take up a proposal by the Ministry of Finance to set up a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, and a Ministry of Commerce proposal for the setting up of an Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA), The Hindu has learnt. According to a note sent out by the Cabinet Secretariat and reviewed by The Hindu, the SME Growth Fund will be “for direct equity investments in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to create future champions”.