Students of the Government Seth Anandilal Poddar Higher Secondary School for the Deaf and Mute in Jaipur staged a silent protest over poor sanitation, unsafe classrooms, water shortage and other basic issues. Using only sign language, the students demanded better facilities without raising slogans. After an official inspection confirmed their complaints, the Rajasthan Education Department removed the school principal and placed a teacher and a Class IV employee under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO). A special committee has also been formed to recommend long-term improvements, including repairs to the school building, toilets, drinking water facilities and overall campus infrastructure.  

The Centre has spent ₹74.59 crore on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits between January and July 2026, according to data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in the Rajya Sabha. Modi visited 13 countries during the period, including Israel, France, Australia and New Zealand. The highest expenditure, ₹17.46 crore, was incurred during his visit to Norway, followed by ₹11.92 crore for Israel. The MEA also said total spending on the Prime Minister's overseas bilateral visits since 2021 has reached ₹557.51 crore, with the figures excluding inflation and currency fluctuations. (PC: HT)

The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court has convicted former *Tehelka* editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 rape case involving a former junior colleague, overturning his 2021 acquittal by a trial court. Tejpal was sentenced to 10 years in prison and given two weeks to surrender. The High Court ruled that the trial court had relied on stereotypes about how a sexual assault survivor should behave. Tejpal, who has maintained his innocence, told the court he was a "victim" and said he would challenge the conviction before the Supreme Court. (PC: NDTV)

Air India has named former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new CEO, replacing Campbell Wilson, who stepped down in April. The Tata Group-owned airline said Gebremariam was unanimously selected to lead its next phase of growth after overseeing Ethiopian Airlines' expansion into Africa's largest and most profitable carrier. He takes charge as Air India faces major challenges, including a record $2.3 billion loss, reduced international operations, and the aftermath of the 2025 Ahmedabad-London crash that killed 260 people. Industry experts believe his crisis management experience could help accelerate Air India's turnaround and restore passenger confidence. (PC: BBC)

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday launched the nationwide 'Kya Bolti Public' campaign to gather people's concerns, with education as its first focus. Speaking after the party's core committee meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Dipke said rising school, college and coaching fees have made quality education unaffordable for many families. He claimed increasing education costs are forcing parents into debt and called for reforms to reduce the financial burden. Dipke also criticised the political and judicial systems, alleging that public trust in democratic institutions has weakened in recent years. (PC: X)

The death toll from Assam's latest wave of floods has increased to 95, with around 1.6 lakh people affected across 14 districts since July 19. Sivasagar is the worst-hit district, reporting 50 deaths and over 57,000 affected residents, while neighbouring Charaideo has recorded 21 fatalities. Golaghat and Jorhat have also suffered heavy losses. Union Health Minister J P Nadda said restoring normalcy will take time due to the scale of the disaster. Rescue and relief operations remain underway as authorities continue providing food, shelter and medical assistance to affected families across the flood-hit regions. (PC: X)

The student protest over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC CGL recruitment examinations entered Day 13 in Ranchi, with protesters demanding the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Students accused the government of being unresponsive and renewed their demand for a CBI probe into the recruitment process. Protest leaders said they would continue their hunger strike despite deteriorating health and confirmed plans to gherao the state assembly on August 10. The state government has invited student representatives for talks, while Soren has assured the Governor that the government is committed to ensuring justice and examining the allegations. (PC: HT)

The Indian government quietly completed a Rs 31,500-crore sale of a 6.5% stake in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), making it the country's biggest secondary share sale through the stock exchange. According to Bloomberg, even some investment bankers advising the deal were informed only hours before its launch to prevent traders from influencing LIC's share price. The government initially offered a 2.5% stake before increasing it to 6.5% after strong institutional demand. The sale raises LIC's public shareholding to 10%, helping the insurer meet SEBI's minimum public shareholding requirement well before the May 2027 deadline. (PC: India Today)

The Bombay High Court's Goa bench on Thursday convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case, overturning his acquittal by a Goa Sessions Court in 2021. The court found him guilty of raping a woman colleague at a Goa hotel during an event in 2013. Tejpal was arrested the same year after the survivor accused him of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator. He had denied the allegations throughout the case. The Sessions Court had earlier acquitted him, citing insufficient evidence, but the High Court reversed that verdict. (PC: X)

Anti-reservation protests are gaining momentum across India, with demonstrations reported in Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow and Visakhapatnam. Student groups, social media campaign Reservation Hatao Andolan (RHA), and Shri Rajput Karni Sena are demanding changes to the country's caste-based reservation system. In Jaipur, Karni Sena supporters clashed with police during a march against the UGC Equity Regulations, after which the outfit vowed not to support the BJP in upcoming local elections. Protesters are seeking income-based reservations, periodic policy reviews and rollback of the UGC rules. While the movement is expanding online and on the streets, the government has not indicated any change to the existing reservation framework. (PC: India Today)