Vummidi Ethiraj, one of the principal craftsmen who made the historic Sengol, died in Chennai aged 99. In 1947 he took part in crafting the gold-plated silver Sengol, which stood for the transfer of power from British rule to independent India. The Sengol was made by Vummidi Jewellers, a firm whose history spans more than 125 years.
Under the IndiaAI Mission, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the World Bank Group's World Development Report (WDR) 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence. The report notes that ChatGPT drew half its traffic from middle-income countries within six months, showing AI is spreading quicker than electricity or the internet did.
Scientists at the Marine Biology Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Chennai, have identified two marine fish species new to science, a sandperch and an electric ray. The sandperch lives on the seabed over sand or rubble in shallow waters and eats crustaceans, polychaetes and young fish.
The 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) took place in Baku, Azerbaijan. India restated its commitment to cooperation in Asia that is inclusive and based on consensus. It urged CICA members to stand together against terrorism in all its forms and emphasised respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand took effect on 20 October 2026, becoming India's 17th operational FTA. New Zealand has scrapped tariffs on all Indian goods, while India has started offering tariff concessions on chosen New Zealand imports.
The International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is marked every year on 17 October. It celebrates the variety of living heritage found around the world and seeks to build awareness on why such heritage must be safeguarded. The observance was proclaimed by the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference, held in November 2023.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories has been granted approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Zytorvi (toripalimab) in India. The drug is meant for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ESCC is a form of esophageal cancer that arises in the squamous cells forming the inner lining of the esophagus, the food pipe.
The Indian Army has carried out Exercise Akhand Prahar-II at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The exercise was held to evaluate how prepared the forces are for combat and to put technology-enabled military operations to the test. Through this drill, the Army assessed both its readiness on the battlefield and the use of modern technology in conducting its operations.
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