India

The Congress has begun alliance talks with the AAP and Revolutionary Goans Party ahead of the 2027 Goa Assembly elections. State chief Girish Chodankar said discussions were positive and indicated that seat-sharing talks would follow after the Goa Forward Party resumes negotiations

A Rashtrapati Bhavan notice cancelling Saturday’s Change of Guard ceremony for Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman’s welcome rehearsal was withdrawn, triggering fresh uncertainty over his proposed India visit. The development comes amid strained bilateral ties ahead of the BRICS summit

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi staged a dharna at a Delhi police station demanding an FIR over alleged pellet injuries suffered by youth Sahil Lochab during a July 20 protest. Gandhi accused police of denying justice, while officials said the complaint would be investigated

Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused former Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of delaying land allocation for India-Bangladesh border fencing, while praising Suvendu Adhikari’s cooperation. Shah announced a security headquarters in Siliguri and highlighted technology-driven measures to strengthen border surveillance

Punjab witnessed disruptions as the Qaumi Insaf Morcha’s bandh call over the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ affected markets, transport and highway movement. Shops remained closed and protesters blocked roads across several districts, while police maintained security arrangements to prevent untoward incidents

IndiGo’s website faced another technical disruption on Friday, with passengers reporting failed bookings, web check-in problems and payment confirmation issues. The airline said its core reservation platform was experiencing intermittent problems, marking the second such disruption reported this week

Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar accused the CJP and Congress of trying to disrupt the state’s education progress following clashes over a Jaipur school inspection. The CJP has demanded arrests and Dilawar’s resignation, threatening a major agitation across Rajasthan

India has emerged as the top data centre market in the Asia-Pacific region outside China, with live IT capacity quadrupling to 1.7 GW in six years. BloombergNEF expects electricity demand from data centres to rise eightfold by 2035.

A CJP team faced a scuffle and alleged stone-pelting while visiting a government school in Jaipur district as part of its School Thik Karo campaign. The group alleged attacks by BJP workers, while villagers claimed the school could be repaired

Taapsee Pannu-starrer Gandhari, directed by Devashish Makhija and produced by Kanika Dhillon, will premiere on Netflix on September 3. Set in the fictitious town of Joypurra, the action thriller follows Bani, a mother facing difficult challenges

Two commercial vessels carrying 22 Indian nationals were hijacked by pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, the Shipping Ministry said. All Indian crew members are reported safe. Armed pirates seized control of the vessels, with no injuries reported

Locals allegedly pushed a Cockroach Janta Party team out of Rampura Kanwarpura village in Jaipur while members inspected a government school under the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign. Villagers protested the visit, citing school repair plans, while CJP criticised Rajasthan’s restrictions

India’s first large-scale biopolymer plant, being constructed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri at Rs 3,080 crore, is expected to become operational in October. The facility will convert sugarcane into PLA bioplastic, feature zero liquid discharge technology and boost sustainable industrial growth

Fire and Fury Corps chief Lieutenant General Madanraj Pande visited forward areas of Ladakh to assess operational preparedness and readiness. During his visit to Trishul Division, he reviewed new-generation equipment and indigenous solutions, praised troops’ readiness, and stressed professionalism and mission excellence

Lumino Industries will launch its Rs 700 crore IPO on August 27, featuring a Rs 500 crore fresh issue and Rs 200 crore OFS. Proceeds will reduce debt, fund machinery purchases and facility upgrades. Shares will list on BSE and NSE September 3

Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty traded marginally higher in early deals amid elevated crude prices and weak US markets. Geopolitical tensions, renewed US-Iran concerns and foreign fund outflows kept investors cautious, while banking and metal stocks supported the domestic market

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has pitched Starlink's satellite internet services as a way to connect underserved and rural parts of India. His comments came amid reports that Starlink has made a fresh application to offer satellite communication services in the country

The Congress has demanded an immediate review of the E20 fuel policy, alleging that ethanol blending has contributed to higher food and travel costs. Jairam Ramesh also sought non-ethanol fuel options, citing concerns over mileage, vehicle compatibility and consumer choice

Delhi is likely to witness partly sunny and generally cloudy conditions on Friday, with light to moderate rain possible in some areas. Temperatures may range between 27 and 35 degrees Celsius, while the city's air quality remains in the poor category

An Indian national and director of seven Singapore companies has been declared bankrupt after 407 workers lodged claims for unpaid wages. The companies provide air-conditioning, plumbing and building services, while authorities have been investigating the wage-related complaints

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend programmes in Siliguri on Friday during his three-day West Bengal visit. His schedule includes SSB infrastructure projects, interaction with personnel, an exhibition on new criminal laws and reviews of border security arrangements

The NTA has defended its Rs 200 answer key challenge fee, saying the system is designed to benefit all candidates. The agency said the fee discourages frivolous objections and is refunded when a candidate’s challenge to an answer is upheld.

Despite the High Court’s landmark judgement, landowners in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh continue to face harassment and denial of property rights due to the persistent misuse of Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908

Though Washington remains India’s biggest customer, it no longer has to be the only one that matters