Actor-politician and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s growing “Vijay for PM” pitch has triggered criticism from the DMK and Congress after a Mood of the Nation survey placed him third among preferred prime ministerial choices. The survey gave Vijay 9.2% support, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. TVK leaders and supporters amplified the result, fuelling speculation about Vijay’s national ambitions ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. DMK leaders dismissed the campaign, while Congress leaders stressed their support for Rahul Gandhi as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial face. (PC: India Today)

Sonam Wangchuk has said leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) considered ending their Jantar Mantar protest after the July 20 police crackdown left the movement’s leadership demoralised. Speaking on Prakhar Gupta’s PGX podcast, Wangchuk said the organisers felt the protest had collapsed after the stage was dismantled and protesters dispersed. They even asked him to prepare a message urging demonstrators to return home and rest. However, young protesters returned the next day despite the police action, restoring the leaders’ confidence. Wangchuk said their return encouraged CJP to continue the agitation and press its demands. (PC: HT)

Delhi’s draft electoral roll has excluded nearly 47.7 lakh voters from the city’s previous electorate of around 1.45 crore following the Special Intensive Revision. The draft list contains about 97.5 lakh electors whose enumeration forms were collected and digitised during a house-to-house exercise. The remaining voters were tagged as absent, shifted, dead, duplicate or others and do not appear in the draft roll. Those excluded can file claims with supporting documents until September 30. The Election Commission is scheduled to review claims and objections before publishing Delhi’s final electoral roll on November 4. (PC: The Indian Express)

The United States and Iran have exchanged fresh military strikes for the first time in weeks, escalating tensions around the strategic Strait of Hormuz. US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reporting two people killed and two injured. Washington said the action targeted Iranian minelaying forces posing an imminent threat to shipping. Iran responded by claiming missile strikes on US military bases in Jordan, while Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles. Iranian state media also reported a drone attack on a UAE air base, a claim denied by Abu Dhabi. Iran vowed a decisive response. (PC: BBC)

A 16-year-old Class 11 student has alleged that she was raped by a bus driver and conductor inside a moving sleeper bus in Delhi-NCR after they offered her a lift to Noida. The incident allegedly occurred on August 4 during the bus’s 47-km journey from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida to Kashmere Gate in Delhi. Police have arrested both accused, identified as Kuldeep and Sandeep, and seized the bus for forensic examination. The girl approached police after being dropped near Kashmere Gate. Investigators said the bus was empty and its curtained sleeper section prevented people outside from seeing inside. (PC: India Today)

Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added another record to his growing list of achievements, becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history. The 15-year-old reached his fifty in 42 balls during East Zone’s semifinal against Central Zone, hitting five fours and three sixes. At 15 years and 157 days, Sooryavanshi broke a 57-year-old record held by Laxman Singh, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he scored a Duleep Trophy fifty in 1969. Sooryavanshi also briefly captained East Zone after Ishan Kishan left the field following a blow to his wrist. (PC: NDTV)

India is monitoring 195 glacial lakes considered vulnerable to sudden flooding, but Nepal’s recent deadly glacier collapse has highlighted another risk that is only beginning to be mapped. A May 2026 IISc study identified 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin, some above busy pilgrimage routes. Collapse simulations showed potential flow heights of up to 51 metres near Badrinath. India has expanded glacier-lake monitoring after the 2023 Sikkim disaster, while mitigation includes reducing lake water levels and testing warning systems. However, experts say ice collapses can trigger cascading disasters that current lake-focused monitoring may not directly capture. (PC: HT)

The family of American mercenary and former prisoner of war Matthew VanDyke has appealed for urgent US diplomatic intervention to secure his release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail. VanDyke was arrested by the NIA in March after investigators alleged he entered Mizoram without a required permit, illegally crossed into Myanmar and contacted ethnic armed groups. The agency also accused him of helping train rebel groups in weapons handling and drone warfare. In a post from VanDyke’s verified X account, his family alleged that he remains in solitary confinement and is being denied basic detainee rights. The case is under investigation. (PC: India Today)

Bangladesh has said it sees “no risk” in joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7, and maintained that membership would not restrict its ties with other partners. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman earlier told Parliament that Dhaka would positively consider joining if invited, describing the pact as an internal matter of “our Muslim family.” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir reiterated the position after meeting Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah, calling the agreement a “unique pact” offering new opportunities. He said Bangladesh was discussing the matter and indicated that talks with its bilateral partners were progressing positively, according to the report. (PC: India Today)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Tehran is not seeking war, but warned that Iran would respond decisively to any aggression. Speaking ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Pezeshkian said Iran had consistently conveyed its opposition to war while maintaining that it would not remain silent if attacked. His remarks come amid renewed tensions following US strikes on two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, which Washington said were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan, according to reports. Pezeshkian’s statement underscores Tehran’s simultaneous emphasis on avoiding war and maintaining a deterrent response to further attacks. (PC: Fox News)