🏛️ Centre and TN Govt must team up on VC appointments

VIT Chancellor G. Viswanathan stated that the Centre and Tamil Nadu government must collaborate on higher education issues. This coordination is crucial for appointing Vice-Chancellors in the State's 17 universities. He warned that without these appointments, the high enrolment ratio cannot ensure quality education. The address took place in Vellore during a Jnanpith Award felicitation for Tamil poet R. Vairamuthu. Moving forward, cooperative dialogue is needed to support quality in the state's higher learning institutions. 📚

📱 Best phone for Fortnite gaming: RedMagic series shines

The RedMagic 11 Pro and 11S Pro are highly rated as top gaming phones for playing Fortnite. These devices feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 CPU and 1 TB of storage, supporting 2K resolution at 144 Hz. Outlets like GamesRadar deem them the best gaming phones of 2026, despite their thicker build and basic cameras. The RedMagic 11S Pro costs $799, which is cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099. However, these phones use virtual controls and are pricier than some consoles. 🎮

🏛️ Stoic wisdom from ancient Roman emperor

Marcus Aurelius, an extraordinary figure, shared profound thoughts on handling life's hardships. He was born in Rome on April 26, AD 121, and became emperor in AD 161 during a tumultuous time. His rule faced wars with the Parthians and Germanic tribes, plus the Antonine Plague, until his death in AD 180. His philosophy stressed focusing only on controllable actions, like one's own judgment and character. This wisdom, detailed in Meditations, remains relevant today for personal resilience.

🕊️ Peace Starts Inside, Says Archbishop in Hyderabad

Archbishop Prince Antony Panengadan stated that peace originates from within and is not just a passive state. He addressed the 'Heal the World - Voices of Peace' programme at St Francis College for Women in Hyderabad. Drawing from ancient Indian thought, he promoted 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' as a global message of peace. Deepak John also emphasized that love and peace are fundamentally linked to each other. The event encouraged students to actively become agents who practice and spread peace.

💻 Microsoft launches Data Centre training in Hyderabad

The second batch of the Data Centre operations management training program has officially begun. This program is being run by United Way of Hyderabad at the transit campus of Young India Skills University in IIIT Hyderabad. Forty students have enrolled for this latest session. The initiative follows the first batch, which achieved an impressive 80% placement rate. Key figures like VLVSS Subba Rao and Tianji Dickens attended the launch event.

⚖️ Can critiquing the CJI stop you from becoming a lawyer?

Several NALSAR students voiced objections to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant being the chief guest at their convocation. This protest came after a Supreme Court hearing on July 22 regarding protests at Jantar Mantar over alleged police action. The Bar Council of India temporarily blocked the entire 2026 graduating batch from State Bar Council enrolment. The BCI also requested details concerning those who organized the recent campaign. Eventually, the enrolment order that was issued by the BCI was withdrawn.

🤖 Google lets users ditch visible AI watermarks

Google announced that users can now remove the visible watermark from its AI creations, including images, videos, and songs. This feature is available for Nano Banana, Omni, and Lyria models across Gemini and Flow editors. The change was announced on Friday, August 14, 2026, to balance creative control with content identification. Invisible SynthID watermarks and C2PA metadata will remain active for transparency. This rollout allows users to manage the visible mark via Settings > Media Watermark soon.

😔 IIT-Kharagpur student dies after campus fall

An 18-year-old second-year mechanical engineering student died after allegedly falling from the third floor of a building at IIT Kharagpur. The student, who was from Rajasthan, was reportedly going to a class at the Nalanda complex on Thursday afternoon, August 13, 2026. A cleaning staff member found him with serious injuries around 3 p.m., leading to his death at the campus hospital. Police are investigating the incident, noting that no suicide note was found among his belongings. This marks the third student death involving engineering students this year at the institute. 😔

🚨 Pregnant woman murdered in 'Drishyam' style plot

A pregnant woman from Odisha was brutally murdered in a case mimicking the 'Drishyam' film. The incident occurred in the Gajapathinagaram area of Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. The accused allegedly killed her, hid the body for two days, and then buried it there. Police used cyber-technical methods to trace the case and recover the body. The main accused and an associate have been arrested while the motive is under investigation. 💔

🏢 GCC boom pushing office demand beyond big cities

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have leased over 123 million sq ft of office space in India's top nine cities between 2022 and H1 2026. The expansion is being driven by state-level policies aiming for nearly 1,380 new centres and 1.18 million jobs by 2029-31. Currently, 94% of GCC professionals are clustered in six tier-I cities. The next wave of growth is expected to move into tier-II and tier-III cities due to lower costs and incentives. Future success relies on better infrastructure and talent pipelines in these emerging locations. 📈

🇮🇳 Kerala schools skip Vande Mataram directive

A debate arose regarding the mandatory singing of Vande Mataram during Independence Day celebrations. The Director of General Education issued a circular to all school head teachers and education officials in Kerala. This circular, dated August 11, directs schools to hoist the flag and recite the national anthem for the 79th Independence Day. The directive emphasizes following the Flag Code of India, 2002, and observing green protocol for all events. The Chief Minister stated that the State government's position would be clear on Independence Day.