👶 Birth under torchlight during massive earthquake

A 39-year-old woman, Maria Florida Nogo Kelen, gave birth via emergency C-section under torchlight after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit eastern Indonesia. The event occurred in East Nusa Tenggara on Saturday while she was eight months pregnant, necessitating immediate delivery to prevent fatal seizures. The baby girl, named Gempita, weighed 1.3kg and was born amidst continued aftershocks and hospital damage. Kelen survived a subsequent hemorrhage, and the baby remains stable in a tent incubator in Nagekeo. The disaster has claimed at least 68 lives and left over 1,300 homes damaged. 😥

🕌 BJP promotes two Muslim leaders in national team

The BJP has made organizational reshuffles by appointing Kunwar Basit Ali as Minority Morcha chief and retaining Tariq Mansoor as national vice-president. Both individuals hail from Uttar Pradesh and are linked to the party's Pasmanda outreach efforts. These appointments were made on Monday as the party gears up for the crucial 2027 Assembly elections. The move reflects the BJP's ongoing strategy to strengthen its connection with Muslim voters across the state. This strategic elevation aims to expand the party's ground presence in key demographic segments.

🧑‍⚖️ 4 lawyers recommended for Orissa High Court judgeship

The Supreme Court Collegium recently recommended the appointment of four advocates to serve as judges for the Orissa High Court. These recommended individuals are Sasmita Tripathy, Aditya Narayan Das, Rajjeet Roy, and Gautam Misra. The Collegium approved these proposals during a meeting held on August 18, 2026. Currently, the Orissa High Court operates with only 17 active judges, including Chief Justice Harish Tandon. With two judges retiring this year, the court is short of its sanctioned strength of 33 judges. 🧑‍⚖️

🧐 Exam body overhauls with 600 experts removed

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is undergoing major reforms to boost public trust in national exams. Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi ordered the removal of 600 experts and the introduction of a four-tier checking system. These changes come after controversies like the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, which led to a CBI probe. Additionally, 20-25 officials will be inducted in the next two to three weeks, and offices will move to reinforced premises. These steps aim to create a more secure testing environment for millions of aspirants. 🧐

🗣️ Dhruv Vikram addresses personal life scrutiny

Dhruv Vikram has spoken out about the intense scrutiny surrounding his personal life. This discussion came after actress Anupama Parameswaran made viral comments about narcissism in her past relationship. Vikram shared at the India Today Tamil Roundtable that anchoring oneself in reality is key to handling such attention. He mentioned that he prefers staying off social media despite enjoying creating videos and edits. The actor stated that when one is aligned with the truth, public scrutiny has limited reach. 🎬

✅ Kerala CM shuts down Onam kit irregularity claims

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has strongly denied reports suggesting irregularities in the distribution of free Onam kits. He stated that 75,885 ration cardholders have already received their kits as of Tuesday. The government prepared 6,02,609 kits, and 3,06,092 kits have been delivered to ration shops so far. Satheesan dismissed claims of delays, asserting the distribution is running exactly on schedule. Furthermore, ten essential items are available at subsidized rates through Supplyco outlets. 🥳

🕵️‍♀️ Writing quirks in ransom notes could help find Nancy Guthrie

Investigators are looking at writing quirks from two ransom notes connected to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. The notes were found in Tucson, Arizona, following her abduction from her home near the KVOA newsroom on February 1, 2026. These notes, released in July, show consistent use of 'comma splices' and unusual compound words. A retired investigator believes these linguistic patterns, or idiolect, could help identify the author. Law enforcement is now asking the public to spot similar writing styles in other communications. 🕵️‍♀️

🗺️ Activist wants old map for Karnataka-AP border

Mining activist Tapal Ganesh has asked the State government to drop the Survey of India strip map for the Karnataka-AP border. This request was made to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh on Monday, referencing the original 1896 notified forest map. Ganesh points out that the May 4, 2022 strip map lacks village boundaries present in the 1896 records. He urges adherence to the position taken in a 2011 Supreme Court affidavit concerning the boundary demarcation. Furthermore, he seeks recovery of ₹884 crore lost due to illegal mining by Obulapuram Mining Company. 🗺️

🎬 Shubhra Shetty on parents' take on her dating Anurag Kashyap

Shubhra Shetty shared that her parents had strong opinions about her relationship with Anurag Kashyap. Her mother reportedly called him a 'bakra' and thought he was like a henpecked husband. They met him themselves, and Shubhra did not need to convince them of the romance. They bonded over things like books and films during his pre-Bombay Velvet phase. The couple eventually had their relationship exposed by a journalist looking for a scoop.

🛡️ UAE warns after Iran fires missiles

The UAE's defense ministry confirmed detecting two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the Gulf nation on Tuesday. Both missiles landed in the water, with one falling inside UAE territorial waters. The country affirmed it is on high alert and ready to confront any threats to its sovereignty. These incidents occurred while talks between Iran and Oman continued regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE stressed its preparedness to deal with any potential security challenges in the region. 🛡️

⛽ Govt greenlights PNG connection boost scheme

The government has officially approved a new incentive scheme designed to significantly boost the connections for piped natural gas (PNG). This initiative targets residential and commercial consumers across various regions in India. The scheme details include subsidies and reduced connection fees starting from the next fiscal quarter, scheduled for Q3 2024. This move aims to increase the adoption of cleaner energy sources and reduce reliance on conventional fuels. Further guidelines and application processes are expected to be released by the relevant ministry shortly.