newsmart – Latest News

thehindu.com | 1 hrs. 13 min. ago

ECI hiding information on ECINET software as it will reveal manipulation: Congress

The opposition party also reiterated the demand that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar must go as well as the SIR be suspended forthwith

theguardian.com | 1 hrs. 43 min. ago

‘Why would I leave?’: Middlesbrough pushes back against ‘hardest place to grow up’ label

Teesside town has come out worst in children’s commissioner’s report, but residents say such rankings are demoralising and counterproductive“It’s disappointing, it’s just another kicking,” said a youth worker after the town in which they work was labelled as the hardest place in which to be a child in England.“It suggests our children are living unhappy lives,” said a teacher, who described her pupils as joyful.

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mirror.co.uk | 2 hrs. 40 min. ago

School breakfast clubs are a lifeline - but staff shortages threaten survival

Primary school breakfast clubs are under threat despite soaring demand, with Kellogg's-commissioned research showing 73% of teachers report increased pressure over five years

thehindu.com | 3 hrs. 51 min. ago

Main LPG distributors' unions oppose strike, seek dialogue for commission hike

The LPG Distributors Association of India (LDAI) has called for a day-long dharna on October 26 in Delhi

theguardian.com | 3 hrs. 52 min. ago

AFP boss says politicians’ heated rhetoric is fuelling threats against MPs

Commissioner Krissy Barrett says women are more often singled out, often with threats of sexual violenceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s top federal law enforcement official has drawn a direct link between politicians’ rhetoric and threats and abuse being directed at leaders.The safety of elected representatives at all levels has been thrown into the spotlight after independent MP Helen Haines was allegedly deliberate attacked outside her Wangaratta electoral office.

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abc.net.au | 8 hrs. 55 min. ago

Federal police chief links threats against MPs directly to political debate

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett says there is an "immediate" and "direct connection" between heated moments of political discourse and the number of threats reported against politicians.

nypost.com | 16 hrs. 44 min. ago

New York’s union-loving Board of Regents is wrecking our schools — let’s scrap it

New York State’s education system is in steep decline. Enrollment is down, but spending is up, and academic results are either stagnant or declining. It’s time to reform our system of governance by axing the Board of Regents and giving the governor direct control of the State Department of Education.

State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa,...

thehindu.com | 19 hrs. 19 min. ago

Healthy life, clean surroundings every citizen’s right: NCDRC member Indrajit Singh

Speaking during his visit to the Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Indrajit Singh emphasises the need to give equal importance to environmental protection alongside consumer protection.

thehindu.com | 20 hrs. 25 min. ago

Economist Parakala Prabhakar joins the human chain protest at Tank Bund in Hyderabad against the SIR

Economist Parakala Prabhakar joined a human chain protest at Tank Bund in Hyderabad on Saturday, October 24, alongside citizens demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

thehindu.com | 20 hrs. 25 min. ago

Education, legal awareness key to preventing child abuse and child marriage: Women’s commission chief

Education and legal awareness are essential to prevent child abuse and eradicate child marriage, says Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary

thehindu.com | 20 hrs. 26 min. ago

Schools can restrict mobile phones, long hair, says Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Students must follow school rules on hair grooming and called for uniform guidelines. Teachers may check students’ bags to prevent them from carrying harmful items, including intoxicating substances, but must respect their dignity, says the panel

theguardian.com | 20 hrs. 27 min. ago

Is London really the most-taxed city? Banks accused of cherrypicking data

Lobby group’s figures, shared with John Healey, are misleading as they do not include major rival Paris, say campaignersA banking lobby group has been accused of cherrypicking data and trying to mislead the British government by claiming a tax rise for banks at next week’s budget would leave London less competitive than rival financial hubs.UK Finance, which represents banks including Lloyds, JP Morgan and Revolut, commissions an annual report tallying up all the taxes shouldered by a large bank, including corporation tax, social security, VAT and bank-specific levies.

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thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Prime accused are being spared without questioning, remarks Kerala HC on PSC exam irregularities case

The PSC had approached the Court to quash the prosecution sanction granted by the government against the Commission’s employees, and the FIR registered in the case with the Crime Branch

scmp.com | 1 days ago

Hong Kong customs seizes 600 million illicit cigarettes in first 9 months of 2026

Hong Kong customs officers seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks in the first three quarters of this year, the department chief has said as he revealed plans to roll out more advanced contraband detection equipment at additional border checkpoints to ease manpower pressure. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat told a radio programme on Saturday that the seizure amount in the first nine months this year nearly matched the 2025 annual total.

He said that of the 600 million sticks...

livemint.com | 1 days ago

8th pay commission: Here's what ToR says on dearness allowance and govt's response to DA merger demands

The 8th CPC is consulting employees, pensioners and unions before submitting recommendations on salaries, allowances and benefits by May 2027. Here's what the ToRs state on dearness allowance and why employees are demanding DA merger… 

livemint.com | 1 days ago

8th Pay Commission: Will DA merge with basic pay? What past panels decided and what employees should know

Will the 8th Pay Commission merge dearness allowance (DA) with basic pay? Here is what the 5th, 6th and 7th Pay Commissions recommended, along with FNPO, Bharat Pensioners Samaj and AIDEF’s key demands. Read on to know more. 

livemint.com | 1 days ago

8th Pay Commission: How could a 450-day leave encashment limit boost retirement payouts? Expert explains

The 8th Pay Commission may consider raising the leave encashment limit for central government employees from 300 to 450 days. Know how the proposal could boost retirement payouts, what unions are demanding and whether the change has been approved.

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Election Commission sought explanation from officials as goof-up in voter list went viral

“There is a possibility of mistakes when doing any work for the first time. Out of 14,81,310 entries in the voter list, there are a total of 158 entries in which the names of the voters or their relatives appear strange. The strangeness of these names is due to such a mistake,” says statement released by Chief Electoral Officer, Uttar Pradesh

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Students protest against SIR at Mumbai University, demand arrest of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Organised by the Disha Students’ Organisation and Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra (BSJAY), the demonstration also called for the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners

scmp.com | 1 days ago

Meet Wicker star Marli Siu, who was born in Hong Kong

One of the most highly anticipated films of 2026 is Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s Wicker. Starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, it follows a lonely fisherwoman who commissions a weaver to make her a husband out of wicker, only for the creation to come to life, sparking an enviable romance.

The cast includes Peter Dinklage as the Basket Weaver, Elizabeth Debicki as the Tailor’s Wife and Marli Siu as the Bottle-Washer’s Wife. View this post on...

abcnews.com | 1 days ago

European leaders gather in Budapest for anniversary of Hungarian revolution as Magyar resets EU ties

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has joined other foreign guests in Budapest to mark the 70th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, signaling a new chapter in relations after the ouster of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

theguardian.com | 1 days ago

Reform UK braces for Farage standards verdict over undeclared £5m gift

Party insiders say they expect initial verdict to be against leader and are preparing to appeal against adverse findingsNigel Farage’s Reform is braced for a negative report from the standards commissioner over his failure to declare a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and plans to appeal against any adverse findings.The party is on tenterhooks over the report, with multiple Reform insiders saying they are readying for a fightback through the appeals process and fully expect the initial verdict to find against their leader.

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iol.co.za | 1 days ago

Mbeki missed a chance to confront racism at the Khampepe Commission

Former president, Thabo Mbeki said Advocate Paul Hoffman’s line of questioning was conducted in an utterly “condescending manner”.

bbc.co.uk | 1 days ago

Police yet to receive £2m after A66 crash, says commissioner

Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey says it has been nearly two months since force was promised the cash.

euronews.com | 1 days ago

EU trade Chief seeks to rebalance EU-China trade as Brussels weighs tougher measures

The European Commission hopes to curb Chinese imports in additional sectors in upcoming talks with Beijing while exploring new trade defence measures, though the move risks triggering retaliatory action from China.

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

ULB polls: no relief despite Supreme Court orders, allege YSRCP leaders

Alleging that party candidates continue to face obstruction during filing of nominations, they lodge complaint with State Election Commissioner seeking urgent intervention

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Punjab CM alleges he was made to sit at Delhi airport, officials told him they were ‚Äėunder pressure from above‚Äô

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told the Punjab Assembly he was kept at the airport for two hours on his return from France and asked to pay an ‚Äúarbitrary‚ÄĚ challan of ‚āĻ50,000; the House passed a resolution for an independent probe into the functioning of the Election Commission

defence-blog.com | 1 days ago

EU blames Russia after cargo ship sinks off Romania

A drone strike sank a merchant ship carrying Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors off Romania’s Black Sea coast on Oct. 23, 2026, killing one crew member and leaving three missing, prompting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to condemn what she called another Russian escalation in the Black Sea.

The Comoros-flagged Khoryv sent a distress […]

livemint.com | 1 days ago

Insurance regulation: Reform must strengthen the market, not weaken its foundations

Proposed changes to insurance commissions could reshape distribution, jobs and access to protection. Reform must be backed by evidence of lower costs and better consumer outcomes.

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Supriya Sule alleges use of spy cams in the MLC polls in Maharashtra

Calling these complaints extremely serious and concerning, she appealed to the Election Commission and the government to take note of them

thehindu.com | 1 days ago

Insurance Mis-selling: Are you losing money on the wrong policy?

Pocket Money | In this episode, we examine the scale of life insurance mis-selling in India, the staggering commissions and low persistency rates, and whether IRDAI’s proposed reforms can protect policyholders.

livemint.com | 1 days ago

Paid ₹1.15 lakh to move goods to Nagaland, got damaged TV and 23 missing items; what did consumer commission order?

After her belongings were delayed, damaged and partly lost during a Delhi-to-Nagaland move, Longchar sought compensation. The consumer commission held the movers deficient in service and rejected Urban Company’s claim that it was merely an intermediary.

koreatimes.co.kr | 1 days ago

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon acquitted in political funds case

An appeals court on Friday acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of political funding charges linked to opinion polls conducted ahead of his 2021 election, overturning a local court conviction that threatened his tenure and political future. The Seoul High Court panel, led by Judge Ku Hoi-geun, reversed a July ruling that fined Oh 10 million won ($7,500) and ordered him to forfeit 21 million won — a sentence that would have cost him his mayoral post had it become final.

The case centered on allegations that Oh commissioned opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election and had his supporter, a businessman named Kim Han-jung, pay for them. The charges involved 10 polls and payments totaling 33 million won.

The central dispute was whether Oh had requested the polls and knew that Kim was paying for them. “Myung’s testimony is the only direct evidence on the central issue in this case, but it is inconsistent overall and conflicts with objective circumstances on numerous points, making it difficult to believe,” the judge said.

“It is diffic

iol.co.za | 2 days ago

Western Cape voters feel duty to vote, but trust in democracy is waning

The Independent Electoral Commission held a stakeholder seminar to unpack the voter survey that was conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council on its behalf.

thehindu.com | 2 days ago

More boats for flood-prone areas this monsoon season in Chennai

The GCC has mobilised 132 boats for flood-prone areas, says Commissioner Sameeran. Councillors have also arranged additional boats and volunteers to help sick residents reach arterial roads