🔬 Antarctica's 'Blood Falls' hold ancient sea secrets 🧊

A new study revealed that marine-specific microbes in Antarctica's Blood Falls suggest the subglacial brine is ancient seawater. This discovery was made by researchers analyzing 167 samples from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, show 9.34% of eukaryotic microbes match nearby marine communities. This suggests seawater got trapped under Taylor Glacier after sea levels dropped during cooler periods. Scientists can now better model life in extreme, icy extraterrestrial environments.

🤖 CBSE launches AI & STEM program for students and teachers

CBSE, partnering with CCL, IIT Gandhinagar, is launching the '3030 Eklavya' Online Series on August 15, 2026. This initiative focuses on boosting Computational Thinking, AI, and STEM education for schoolers and educators nationwide. The program includes eight sessions, starting with an episode on August 15 at 4 pm, with subsequent live streams every Sunday. It is open to voluntary participation for teachers and students in Classes 6 and above. Participants can earn certificates by completing assignments, with CPD hours available for teachers.

⚖️ SC stops arrest of Abhishek Banerjee's aide in land scam case

The Supreme Court has stayed the arrest of Sumit Roy, the Personal Assistant to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, in the Salboni land-grabbing case. This action was taken in connection with an alleged government land fraud case being investigated by the Salboni Police. The bench issued the order on Thursday, August 6, after the Calcutta High Court had previously rejected his anticipatory bail plea on August 3. The court mandated that Roy must fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation, remaining available from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. However, the bench explicitly ordered that his arrest must remain stayed. ⚖️

🥛 Malabar Milma drops ₹5 crore Onam bonus for farmers 🥛

Malabar Milma is distributing a total of ₹5.04 crore as an Onam gift to dairy farmers this season. This support benefits nearly 1,00,000 dairy farmers and around 1,200 primary APCOS across the Malabar region. The package includes a ₹4.2 crore additional milk price payout and ₹84 lakh in cattle feed subsidies. Farmers will receive an extra ₹2 per litre for standard-quality milk supplied between June 1 and 30. These funds will reach dairy farmers before Onam, as the board finalized the decision.

😡 Men Beaten & Paraded Over Cable Theft in MP

Three men were allegedly assaulted by a mob and publicly paraded in Madhya Pradesh. The incident occurred on Wednesday at Western Coalfields Limited's Iklahara township in Chhindwara district. Roughly 70 to 80 people were reportedly present during the violent event. The men were accused of stealing cables from a defunct filter plant premises. Authorities stated that a compromise was reached, but legal action is possible if a formal complaint is filed. 😥

🤖 AI might make big firms job losers, says Nilekani

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani suggested that AI could make large corporations net job losers, as they are highly structured and easy to automate. He stated that job creation in India's future will primarily come from millions of small businesses instead. This view was shared during an event organized by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Thursday. Nilekani urged simpler regulations and the use of applied AI in areas like healthcare and education. He also called for portable social security benefits for workers across different employers. 🤖

🧠 AI explanations might actually mess up medical diagnoses

New MIT research warns that AI explanations can sometimes worsen medical diagnostic errors. The study looked at 623 public members and 153 primary care physicians across various skin-disease diagnosis tasks. Data from August 6, 2026, showed non-experts trusted wrong AI diagnoses more readily. LLM explanations were particularly convincing, even when inaccurate, leading to automation bias. Therefore, healthcare systems need tailored AI interfaces to support human judgment.

🚗 Son of Gangster Killed en route to meet jailed brother

Aban Ahmed, a son of the late gangster Atiq Ahmed, died in a road accident in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He was traveling with four others to visit his brother, Ali Ahmed, who is in the Jhansi district jail. The crash happened while the group was traveling from Prayagraj to Jhansi. Ali Ahmed is imprisoned for an extortion case and is also accused in the 2023 killing of Umesh Pal. Investigators believe Ali took charge of the IS-227 syndicate after his father's death. 😥

🚗 Gangster's Son Dies in Accident Near Brother

Aban Ahmed, son of the late gangster Atiq Ahmed, died in a road accident in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He was traveling with four others when the vehicle crashed into a highway divider. Aban and one other occupant died instantly at the scene. The group was heading from Prayagraj to Jhansi to visit Ali Ahmed, who is in the district jail. Ali Ahmed was transferred to this prison on October 1, 2025.

📱 Xiaomi drops Redmi Note 17 with Snapdragon chip

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 17 smartphone on Thursday, August 6, 2026, targeting mid-segment buyers in India. This new device features a 6.9 TrueColour AMOLED display and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It boasts an 8,000 mAh battery with a 45W charger and runs on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 processor. The phone starts at ₹27,999 for the 6 GB/128 GB variant and includes 4 years of software support. It is available in Arctic Blue, Starlight Purple, and Dark Night colors. 📱

😠 Wangchuk claims govt broke promise on hunger strike photos

Sonam Wangchuk stated that the government broke a promise by releasing photos of him ending his hunger strike. This incident occurred after he undertook a 26-day fast in late June at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The hunger strike was to push for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak row. Wangchuk claimed the photos were supposed to remain private until opposition and student leaders were informed. He rejected allegations of a midnight deal with the authorities. 😠