Today News Headlines for School Assembly, October 19, 2026: Indian Railways launches direct train to Vaishno Devi; Asian Para Games to begin today

Today's school assembly news headlines feature several noteworthy events. Indian Railways has introduced a direct train service from Sabarmati in Gujarat to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, catering to the pilgrims who visit the revered shrine. The train journey is expected to take around 33 hours.

Meanwhile, in France, approximately 5.5 million individuals demonstrated against soaring living expenses, deteriorating school conditions, and budget cuts to public services. Police arrested over 1,200 protesters and sustained injuries to more than 150 officers during the unrest.

The Iranian parliament has officially appointed Mehrdad Akhlaqi as the country's Minister of Defence, replacing Majid Ebn al-Reza, who had been acting in the role since the assassination of former Defence Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh in February 2026.

In sports news, India is set to send a team of 168 para athletes to participate in the Asian Para Games, scheduled to take place from October 18 to October 24, 2026, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Indian team achieved remarkable success in the last edition of the games, winning a combined total of 27 gold, 32 silver, and 49 bronze medals.

The central government has also imposed a trade margin cap of 30% on 137 anti-cancer drugs, including several patented medications such as pembrolizumab, ribociclib, and abemaciclib. This revision is projected to lower the retail prices by 20-70%, resulting in an estimated annual savings of approximately Rs 2,500 crore.

Additionally, the Ministry of Railways is constructing a maintenance hub worth Rs 307 crore at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, aimed at conducting extensive repairs on 24-coach Vande Bharat trains. This facility, part of Phase II of the Sabarmati Integrated Coaching Depot (ICD), is under the jurisdiction of Western Railway's Ahmedabad Division.