Hamas says ready to free hostages; Trump urges Israel to halt bombing
Hamas said on Friday (October 3, 2025) it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signalled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details. Hamas reiterated its agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats.
Cough syrups not contaminated, says Centre; T.N. test detects adulteration
The Union Health Ministry said on Friday (October 3, 2025) that tests had confirmed that cough syrups linked to the recent deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan did not contain contaminants causing serious kidney injury. However, the Tamil Nadu’s Drugs Control Department issued an immediate stop production order to the manufacturer of the Coldrif brand of cough syrup after an analysis by the Government Drugs Testing Laboratory found a batch to be “not of standard quality” and “adulterated with diethylene glycol”.
Bihar Cabinet hikes DA from 55% to 58% for govt. employees, pensioners
As a bonanza ahead of the festive season of Diwali and Chhath, the Bihar Cabinet on Friday (October 3, 2025) approved a 3% increase in dearness allowance (DA) for its government employees, pensioners and family pensioners. “The Cabinet has taken a decision to increase DA by 3% from the existing 55% to 58%. It will be payable with effect from July 01, 2025. The hiked DA will be payable to government employees, pensioners and family pensioners,” Cabinet Secretariat Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar Chaudhary told reporters in a post-Cabinet briefing in Patna.
Karur stampede: Court dismisses anticipatory bail pleas of TVK leaders ‘Bussy’ Anand, Nirmal Kumar
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday (October 3, 2025) dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions filed by TVK general secretary N. Anand, alias ‘Bussy’ Anand, and joint general secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar. They had apprehended arrest by the Karur police in connection with the stampede during a rally at Velusamypuram, in which 41 people died.
RSS did not take prior permission from JNU for holding march: SFI
The Left-affiliated Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Friday attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for organising a march at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to mark its centenary year. The SFI said the RSS “did not take prior permission” from the university for holding the march on September 28.
Pilots welfare group meets government agency probing AI 171 crash
A not-for-profit for pilots’ welfare pressing for an observer status in the probe into the Air India 171 Ahmedabad crash that killed 260 people held its first meeting with the government’s air accidents investigation body on Friday (October 3, 2025).
Centre fines ‘Drishti IAS’ for misleading advertisements
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh on coaching institute Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures Pvt. Ltd.) for publishing misleading advertisements based on the results of the civil services examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2022.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs gets four years in prison for case involving sex workers, violence
Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on Friday (October 3, 2025) four years and two months in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters, capping a sordid federal case that featured harrowing testimony and ended in a forceful reckoning for one of the most popular figures in hip-hop.