Jat leaders and khap heads in Shamli are set to meet district officials to address concerns regarding the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan. This follows an emergency panchayat held after Balyan was shot dead on August 26, a crime linked to the Gogi gang, which has already led to the killing of two sharpshooters in a police encounter.
The Chintan Shivir is expected to discuss the progress of government schemes, policy implementation, time management, inter-ministerial coordination, and public service delivery, among others.
Tanya Chaudhary broke the women's hammer throw national record with a distance of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final. Avinash Sable also made a strong return to the 3000m steeplechase, winning his first race in over a year. The event served as a crucial tune-up for Indian athletes heading to the Asian Games, with several other notable performances including wins by Harita Bhadra, Animesh Kujur, Rohit Yadav, and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.
Jharkhand successfully defended their Hockey India Sub Junior Women National title, defeating Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in the final. Odisha secured the bronze medal.
The 'CHESS+' initiative, Championing Excellence in Sport Skills, has been launched to establish a structured chess curriculum in schools across India. This program, a collaboration between the All India Chess Federation and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, aims to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students, starting with a pilot in 30 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
'Major unions should be included. If this goes on, decision-making will become heavily one-sided and we will be forced to continue our strikes.'
As of December 2025, India had 880 Fast-Track Courts with 1.39 million pending cases, despite disposing of 1.33 million cases during the year.
A Fast-Track Special Court in Hoshiarpur has sentenced a 33-year-old migrant labourer, Nanke Yadav alias Radhe Sham, to death for the aggravated sexual assault and murder of a five-year-old boy. The court termed it a 'rarest of rare' case, with the death sentence subject to confirmation by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Kayastha Pathshala Trust has revoked permission for Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Prayagraj, citing an Allahabad High Court order restricting the use of KP College ground and waterlogging. Despite the cancellation, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai insists Gandhi will still interact with students on August 8 and has sought an alternative venue, alleging political obstruction.
Experts at AI Manthan 2.0 in Kanpur stressed the need for Artificial Intelligence to be customised for India's specific requirements in education, healthcare, agriculture, and governance. Discussions highlighted the development of local language models, AI solutions for farmers like crop loss assessment and a single-window platform, and AI's role in healthcare for diagnosis and reducing doctors' workload, all while ensuring data privacy through federated learning.
Haryana showcased its wrestling prowess by sweeping all three overall team titles men's freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling at the U-23 National Wrestling Championships held in Rohtak. The host state secured top honours with significant points, while Services Sports Control Board and Maharashtra also performed strongly, with individual athletes from various states claiming gold medals across different weight categories.
Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO of BMW Group India, has urged state governments like Delhi to remove price caps on road tax benefits for electric vehicles (EVs), arguing that such limits deter luxury-car buyers and hinder the transition to cleaner mobility in pollution-affected regions.
Tamil Nadu sprinters Neil Samraj R and T Mrithika secured gold medals in the men's and women's 100m events, respectively, at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana. Both athletes set new records, with Samraj breaking the youth national record and Mrithika surpassing a meet record previously held by Dutee Chand.
Chinese President Xi Jinping notably skipped a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS leaders and other dignitaries, with sources suggesting he returned to his hotel to rest. Meanwhile, a grand cultural performance, 'BRICS Symphony - One Rhythm, Many Cultures', featuring artistes from member countries, was a highlight of the evening.
Police are investigating a revenge angle in the recent murder of a gym trainer in South Delhi's Aya Nagar. The killing is suspected to be part of an ongoing feud between two families, with alleged gang involvement and a social media claim of responsibility by a foreign-based gangster.
Former Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and ex-trustee Anil Mishra, who had stepped down amid a temple donation theft controversy, are now actively holding meetings and interacting with seers in Ayodhya. This re-emergence coincides with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) sharing its final report on alleged irregularities in Ram temple donations with the Trust, sparking speculation about its findings.
Traffic congestion allegedly caused by Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Durvijay Singh Shakya's roadshow triggered a political row in Budaun on Friday after several candidates claimed they missed the second shift of the state Teacher Eligibility Test.
India's Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced the formation of a 10-member Task Force, chaired by Niti Aayog's Yugal Kishore Joshi, to assess the feasibility and challenges of reviving Formula 1 in the country. The committee aims to develop a roadmap for India to host a Grand Prix by 2028, focusing on sustainable growth, policy interventions, and addressing past issues like taxation. The Adani group, owners of the Buddh International Circuit, will also be involved.
State officials report that at least 114 tourists from Maharashtra are estimated to be stranded in flood-hit Nepal, with 53 confirmed safe. The Maharashtra government has initiated coordination efforts with tour agencies and central authorities, establishing helplines and control rooms to assist and gather information on those affected by the devastating flash floods.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution, moved by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, urging the Centre to recognise Tamil as the principal language of the Madras High Court. The resolution highlights Tamil's classical status and the need for judgments to be available in the local language, while also addressing historical demands and constitutional provisions.
Kerala's Ancy Sojan clinched the women's long jump title at the Indian Athletics Series Final, expressing strong confidence for the upcoming Asian Games where she aims to win gold and experience the national anthem on the podium.
A new study reveals that approximately 70 per cent of the year-to-year variation in winter air pollution across northern India can be explained by the frequency of western disturbances. These storm systems, originating from the Mediterranean, help clear pollution through precipitation and ventilation. The findings suggest that predicting the frequency of these disturbances could provide advance warning of severe pollution, allowing for better preparedness and implementation of control measures.
French aerospace and defence major Thales views India as a highly dynamic market for avionics, with significant growth potential as Indian airlines expand their fleets. The company, which has a substantial presence and MRO facilities in India, is also exploring opportunities to replicate India-developed solutions globally and sees increased use of AI in development.
Sanjay Dutt's confession about his inability to learn Marathi, even after six years in Yerwada jail, has inadvertently sparked controversy and put Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik in an awkward position, given Sarnaik's stringent policy on Marathi proficiency for auto and taxi drivers.
Uttar Pradesh authorities have implemented extensive security and logistical measures for the annual Kanwar Yatra, which began on Thursday and concludes on August 11. These include AI-enabled surveillance, additional security personnel, medical camps, dedicated control rooms, and traffic diversions, all aimed at ensuring a "zero incidents and zero accidents" pilgrimage for lakhs of devotees.
The Supreme Court on Monday took note of setting up of a four-member SIT headed by IGP Kiran S to probe alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to also include a forensic auditor in the probe team.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has accused anti-India forces of using social media to spread rumours and mislead society, calling it a 'medium' for conspiracies against the country. He also criticised the alleged historical neglect of Indian revolutionaries in favour of one political family.
Uttar Pradesh Police have uncovered an inter-state cyber fraud syndicate with suspected links to Nepal and Chinese handlers, arresting five people in Bareilly district.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan has pledged to ensure justice for Nishu Azad's father, who was severely injured during protests at Jantar Mantar. Paswan has filed a formal complaint against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, who allegedly assaulted Azad's father and boasted about it, claiming political connections. Bhardwaj has since been detained. Paswan also called for an investigation into molestation allegations against a state minister from his party.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Muzaffarnagar has publicly questioned the administrative recall of 97 serious criminal cases from his court. His remarks, made in an acquittal order, highlight concerns about judicial independence and the legality of withdrawing "part-heard" cases without proper procedure, especially after he had delivered 23 death sentences.
Uttar Pradesh's 'zero tolerance' policy against crime has resulted in a conviction rate of more than 93 per cent over the past year, according to the state's newly appointed DGP, Rajeev Krishna. Courts convicted 42,681 accused, and authorities seized properties worth nearly Rs 788.38 crore linked to criminal activities.
'We have a very demanding electorate which expects us to do something. So we will have to do something which is a bit out of the ordinary while at the same time keeping in mind the risk factors.'
Gujarat Police have arrested 13 additional individuals, including a man from Madhya Pradesh identified as Anand Chhandi, for their involvement in the Bhavnagar hooch tragedy that claimed 13 lives. Chhandi is accused of playing a significant role in manufacturing the methanol-laced spurious liquor and procuring chemicals, bringing the total arrests to 27.
The Uttar Pradesh government is conducting large-scale training of crime scene experts at the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science (UPSIFS) to modernise policing and make it more result-oriented.
The crime branch has arrested a telecaller from Uttar Pradesh linked to an illegal loan app, in connection with the alleged suicide of a first-year BDS student in Kannur. The student, Nithin Raj, was reportedly harassed by the loan app operators and also by two college faculty members, who are also accused in the case.
The BCCI has banned Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav for two years due to age misrepresentation, following discrepancies found in his birth certificates and Aadhaar records. This ban comes after he had already represented India's U-19 team. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has also declared 62 other players, including former U-19 World Cup winner Ravi Kumar, ineligible for similar age-related issues, highlighting a wider crackdown on age fraud in junior cricket.
If you find dead bodies being kicked around by cops or a minister advocating caning of school-going students, or Dalits being denied entry into Hindu temples, you can be rest assured that all this can happen only in India's most populous state -- Uttar Pradesh. Sharat Pradhan reports.
A man who allegedly reinvented himself as a small-town "doctor", married, raised a family and quietly ran a clinic in Madhya Pradesh while evading law for nearly 28 years over the murder of a cop has been finally arrested by the Delhi police.
The Kerala High Court has intervened to protect a young woman, known as the 'Kumbh Mela girl', from being transferred to Madhya Pradesh police without its order, despite a directive from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
Indian cricketer Zeeshan Ansari attributes his red-ball cricket resurgence to the invaluable lessons learned from spin legends Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
