Now Reading: Today in India: 9 November 2026
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Today in India: 9 November 2026
Modi offers peace help to Ukraine as Zelenskyy prepares for US-mediated talks. Bengaluru police find last two victims of a cab driver's seven murders. Mumbai bans rockets after Diwali fire calls surge to 142.
Modi offers India's help to Zelenskyy for Ukraine peace
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, reiterating India's readiness to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. The PMO said Modi reaffirmed India's 'human-centric approach'. Zelenskyy briefed Modi on preparations for US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 to 11 November, and called on Russia to show readiness to de-escalate.
16 sources, 16 neutral
Rodrigues back for South Africa tour, Mumbai captaincy
Jemimah Rodrigues returns to the Indian women's squad for all three formats on the tour of South Africa in December 2026, after recovering from a hamstring injury. Smriti Mandhana will captain the side in one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Deepti Sharma is vice-captain for the Test and ODIs, and Shafali Verma for T20Is. Jintimani Kalita receives her first Test call-up. Renuka Thakur Singh is left out of the Test squad but retained for T20Is.
4 sources, 4 neutral
All seven bodies recovered in Bengaluru cab driver murder case
Bengaluru police recovered the last two bodies of a seven-member family allegedly murdered by cab driver S Indushekhar alias Sekar, found in Shiradi Ghat forest on Monday. The victims, Shankar and Nalini, were the accused's brother-in-law and his wife. All seven bodies have been recovered from four locations across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Earlier finds included the accused's wife, mother-in-law, and others near Yercaud, Chamundi Hills and Nandi Hills.
5 sources, 5 neutral
Kane Williamson says chat with Virat Kohli sealed retirement decision
Kane Williamson revealed that a phone conversation with Virat Kohli a day before his announcement helped him decide to retire from international cricket in June 2026. On the 'Between Two Beers' podcast, Williamson said the chat felt 'like looking in the mirror' as they shared experiences of captaining teams, raising children, and stepping away after 16 years. He retired during the Test series against England, finishing with 19,356 international runs.
2 sources, 2 neutral
More from today
BMC bans rockets, aerial firecrackers till Nov 25 after fires
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation banned rockets and aerial firecrackers across Mumbai from 9 November until 11:59 pm on 25 November, after a surge in Diwali-linked fires. The Mumbai Fire Brigade recorded 142 fire calls on 8 November, of which 137 were caused by firecrackers. Three major fires damaged huts, shops, a garage and a commercial building in Dongri, Vidyavihar and Andheri, no casualties were reported. Additional municipal commissioner Prajakta Lavangare-Verma signed the order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
10 sources, 10 neutral
Kochi doctor denies rape, says drinks and hotel stay not proof
Kochi-based doctor Johnson K Varghese, 41, has denied sexual assault charges and argued in an anticipatory bail petition before the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court that voluntary alcohol consumption and sharing a hotel room do not by themselves establish rape. The FIR was registered by Infopark police on November 6 under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
4 sources, 4 neutral
WMO says 2026 one of four warmest years, El Niño may persist
The year 2026 is on course to be one of the four warmest years on record, the World Meteorological Organization said in its State of the Climate Update released on 6 November. The global average surface temperature from January to September touched 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, higher than the full-year averages for 2025 and 2023 and slightly below the 2024 record of 1.55 degrees.
4 sources, 4 neutral
EC likely to announce five-state poll schedule in January 2027
The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the schedule for Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa in the first half of January 2027, according to sources. The Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners are expected to visit all five states in late November or December after Deputy Election Commissioner-level teams complete their assessments.
4 sources, 4 neutral
Kerala begins petrol sample tests as Karnataka presses ethanol dispute
Civil Supplies officials in Kannur district began collecting petrol samples from fuel stations on Monday after the Kerala government ordered state-wide inspections to check ethanol levels. The first sample was taken from Jayashree Petrol Pump at Kannothumchal by a team led by District Supply Officer M. Sunil Kumar. Similar inspections are under way in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts, ordered by Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob.
3 sources, 3 neutral
Akhilesh demands Aadhaar-linked voting, Kejriwal backs him
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday demanded Aadhaar-linked voting and metal voter identity cards with biometric identification for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alleging it would prevent the BJP from rigging polls. The demand follows opposition protests against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and calls for the CEC's resignation. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed 1.27 crore Hindu voters' names were deleted and Muslim voter proportion rose by 1.63 per cent.
3 sources, 2 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Useful today
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IBPS RRB PO prelims admit card released for 4,256 posts
IBPS released the RRB PO prelims admit card 2026 on 9 November for 4,256 Officer Scale-I posts under CRP RRBs-XV. Download from ibps.in using registration number or roll number and password or date of birth. Prelims on 21 and 22 November, mains on 20 December. Carry a printed copy with valid photo ID.
7 sources, 7 neutral
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WBCHSE releases HS Semester 3 final answer key, three questions dropped
WBCHSE published the final answer keys for HS Semester 3 examination 2027 on 9 November at wbchse.wb.gov.in. Three questions, one each from English, Chemistry and Biology, lacked a correct option. Candidates paid Rs 200 per challenged question by the 2 November deadline.
4 sources, 4 neutral
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Delhi-NCR air crisis: advice on buying air purifiers
Delhi-NCR AQI crossed 400 on 9 November after Diwali, renewing demand for air purifiers. Buyers should check CADR, HEPA filter standards, activated carbon capacity, filter replacement cost, noise levels and power consumption. Avoid machines that emit ozone, warned Business Today.
2 sources, 2 neutral
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DGH extends deepwater oil blocks bidding deadline to December 10
The DGH extended the bidding deadline for deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil and gas blocks under OALP-X and OALP-XI to December 10, 2026. This is the seventh postponement for OALP-X and the third for OALP-XI. Companies can evaluate the Rs 84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme released on 22 October.
4 sources, 4 neutral
The closing thought
Modi's phone call with Zelenskyy signals India's desire for a diplomatic role in Ukraine, but Russia's commitment to de-escalation remains unclear. The Bengaluru murders and Mumbai's Diwali fires show how fast tragedy strikes when systems fail. The WMO data is a cold fact: 2026 is on track to be one of the warmest years, and El Niño may persist. Watch the EC's January schedule for five state polls, and whether the ethanol dispute between Kerala and Karnataka spreads.
This digest is refreshed through the day at indianopinion.org/today.
This digest was compiled and written by AI from the day’s Indian Opinion coverage.
