Morning Digest: Jaishankar welcomes UAE’s Foreign Minister Al Nahyan in Mumbai; gunmen kill at least 40 civilians in Mali, and more

Jaishankar welcomes UAE’s Foreign Minister Al Nahyan in Mumbai

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed his delight in welcoming UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Mumbai airport on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) ahead of their upcoming bilateral talks .“Delighted to welcome DPM & FM UAE @ABZayed to Mumbai. Look forward to our talks,” said Mr. Jaishankar in his social media post

Gunmen kill at least 40 civilians in Mali: security and community sources

More than 40 civilians have been killed in weekend attacks by armed men on camps in Mali’s northeastern Menaka region, security and community sources told AFP on Monday (October 19, 2026). The assailants reportedly rode in on motorcycles, targeting camps mainly housing members of the Daoussahak community, whose executive bureau blamed the killings on the Islamic State group.

SKM joins agitation over SIR irregularities; movement to grow bigger: Actor Prakash Raj

Actor-activist Prakash Raj on Monday (October 19, 2026) said the protest over alleged SIR irregularities was snowballing into a nationwide movement, with the SKM joining the agitation. He also claimed that voters would oust the Narendra Modi-led government in centre if it continued to suppress dissent.

Allahabad High Court stays conviction of murder convict who wishes to contest 2027 U.P. polls

The Allahabad High Court has stayed the conviction and sentence of a man convicted in a 2017 murder case after noting that he wished to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election either as an independent candidate or, if possible, on a BJP ticket.A two-judge bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi passed the order hearing a criminal appeal filed by Nandlal Rai alias Babloo Rai, who was convicted by the Varanasi Sessions Court in 2025 in connection with a 2017 murder case which was registered at Sigra police station.

RSS leader, W.B. Minister oppose attacks on book stalls set up by Left parties at Durga Puja pandals

As attacks on book stalls set up by Left parties near Durga Puja pandals continue in different parts of the State, a senior functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and a West Bengal Minister has come out openly criticising the move. Jishnu Basu, a prominent RSS leader from West Bengal, said that there is no valour in vandalising book stalls and those indulging in such acts are cowards. Mr. Basu, the Saha Khetra Prachar Pramukh of South Bengal, said that “those intoxicated by power and using the police to close down book Stalls” do not understand the country and cannot call themselves Hindu.

Japan successfully launches probe in historic Mars moon mission

Japanese scientists successfully launched a spacecraft Tuesday (October 20, 2026) that aims to be the first to retrieve samples from one of Mars’s moons, potentially helping unlock the origins of the Solar System and life on Earth. The flagship H3 rocket carrying the unmanned Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe blasted off into a pitch-black sky from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. (1941 GMT Monday), according to a live stream broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Saudi envoy meets Pakistan Army chief, discusses regional security dynamics

Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed envoy to Pakistan, Rajeh Tami Albugamy, met Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday (October 19, 2026) and discussed matters of mutual interest and regional security dynamics, the army said. During the meeting at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made under the framework of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and underscored the importance of strengthening defence collaboration, institutional linkages and strategic coordination, the army said in a statement.

Cyril Ramaphosa tells South Africa to prepare for loss of U.S.-Africa trade deal

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday (October 19, 2026) the country should “prepare” for the possibility of being removed from Washington’s duty-free trade programme for Africa, as ties between the two nations continue to fray. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the U.S. market, has been renewed until the end of 2028.