⚽ Mourinho's Madrid pre-season takeaways

Real Madrid has concluded five pre-season friendlies, winning four and drawing one against Fiorentina. Jose Mourinho has focused heavily on intense physical preparation and tactical identity for the squad. Carlos Espi has made an instant impact, scoring two goals in his limited appearances. Bernardo Silva is adapting to a deeper midfield orchestrator role, crucial for control. Despite defensive upgrades, some players like Mbappe and Bellingham still show old habits.

🏛️ Savarkar family link in Rahul Gandhi case

The Pune court heard a case related to Rahul Gandhi, where the connection to Nathuram Godse was brought up. Savarkar's kin appeared before the court regarding the proceedings. This discussion involved details about Nathuram Godse's past involvement with the RSS. The court is examining these connections as part of the ongoing legal matters. Further developments in this case are expected to unfold soon.

🕵️ UK PM Burnham chats with fake Susie Wiles

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an impersonator of Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s chief of staff. This exchange happened after Burnham entered Downing Street. The incident was raised with the White House by the British embassy in Washington. Government officials worried about potential compromise of Wiles’ cellphone. A White House official later denied that Wiles' devices were hacked in this specific case.

🧑‍🍳 Citizen teams to boost food safety in Karnataka

Citizen-led food safety watch teams will be formed at the taluk level across Karnataka to ensure better food safety. Health Minister U.T. Khader announced this during the 'Eat Right' campaign launch in Bengaluru on Monday. These teams will include senior citizens and experienced chefs, and a 10-day deadline is set for PGs to correct violations. The department will also inspect private college hostels and collect samples from places like railway stations. Furthermore, a QR code-based complaint system was launched for public reporting. 🧐

🔊 Sonos brings back missing phone controls for speakers

Sonos has finally reintroduced lock screen music playback controls for its speakers using iOS' Live Activities. This feature allows users to pause or skip tracks on their iPhone without needing to open the app. The controls were previously removed in summer 2023 due to Apple guidelines and were also affected by the May 2024 Android app redesign. The return of this functionality signals a major recovery for the Sonos app after widespread criticism. CEO Tom Conrad has teased a September event showcasing new, AI-friendly products as part of this renaissance. 🎧

🗳️ Chavan alleges massive fake voters in Maharashtra

Former CM Prithviraj Chavan claimed there are over 56,118 duplicate voters across five surrounding Assembly constituencies in his region. This was revealed during an interview in Mumbai on August 17, 2026, after analyzing voter lists. In his own constituency, 21,132 voters were registered 48,741 times, suggesting voter manipulation. Chavan feels cheated, pointing to an alleged directive from Amit Shah to increase votes by 10%. He has since filed an election petition in the Bombay High Court. 🧐

🧐 Savarkar's grandson admits Godse brothers were RSS members

In a key development in the Rahul Gandhi defamation case, the complainant Satyaki Savarkar admitted that Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse were active members of the RSS. This admission was made during cross-examination by Rahul Gandhi's counsel before JMFC Amol Shriram Shinde in Pune. Satyaki also confirmed family ties between the Savarkar and Godse families and the 1948 assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The witness agreed that Gandhi was assassinated at Birla House, Delhi, on January 30, 1948. The cross-examination was incomplete and has been deferred until September 1. 🧐

📺 YouTube video views count instantly from first frame

YouTube is changing how video view counts are measured starting next week. This update will apply globally across all video formats, meaning a view registers immediately when playback starts. The official change date is set for August 24, 2026. This aims to eliminate metric confusion for creators and show clearer exposure data. Importantly, this update will not change monetization rules or YouTube Partner Program eligibility. 📈

🧐 Jharkhand students protest over flawed job exams

Students in Jharkhand have been protesting in Ranchi for over three weeks against flawed JPSC and JSSC exams. Two platforms, JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch and JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, protested after the July 2 result of the 14th Combined Civil Services preliminary exam. This involved about 3.5 lakh aspirants facing issues like undisclosed cut-offs and merit list oddities. They demand exam cancellation and a CBI probe into the system's deep-rooted issues. The government responded with CID raids and cancelled exams by TSR Data Processing since 2014. 🧐

🏛️ Russia bans opposition party, jails leader

The Supreme Court upheld the ban on the anti-war party Yabloko from September’s parliamentary elections. This action was taken in Moscow against Yabloko, which was challenged by the pro-Kremlin party Rodina. The ruling was finalized last week, removing the only registered party calling for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Additionally, deputy leader Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years and one month for opposing the war. Activists view these moves as evidence of Russia's declining democracy. 😔

😠 JSSC-CGL cleared students protest CM's order

Students who successfully cleared the JSSC-CGL examination have started protests against a recent directive. The protests are happening across various locations following the order issued by CM Hemant Soren. This cancellation order was announced recently and is causing significant unrest among the successful candidates. The situation stems from disputes over the validity of the exam results and the subsequent job opportunities. Authorities are now looking into the grievances raised by the protesting students. 😠