Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted normal life across Delhi-NCR on Monday, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic jams and major flight delays. According to FlightRadar24, over 390 flights were delayed, 26 cancelled and 15 diverted due to adverse weather. Several areas of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram reported severe congestion. Gurugram authorities advised offices, schools and other institutions to allow work from home on August 25. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for Gurugram and Faridabad and forecast more heavy rainfall across parts of Delhi-NCR and nearby states. (PC: India Today)

Gurugram authorities have advised offices to allow employees to work from home and asked schools to conduct online classes after heavy rain caused widespread flooding and traffic disruption. The city received around 70 mm of rainfall by 1.30 pm, affecting major areas including Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk and Old Delhi Road. Several roads and parts of the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway were submerged, leaving vehicles stranded and commuters stuck in long traffic jams. The district administration issued the advisory as residents raised concerns over repeated waterlogging and poor civic infrastructure during the monsoon season. (PC: NDTV)

A ginger cat at Mumbai's Gundavali Metro Station has become an internet sensation after receiving the playful title of “Chief Feline Officer” from the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd. The unusual honour came after commuter Sandesh Samant shared a photo and jokingly asked the metro operator to give the station's familiar feline an official role. Playing along, MMMOCL said the cat's duties included station inspections, observing commuters and sitting where passengers could admire it. The operator added that its performance had been “purrfect”. The light-hearted exchange quickly went viral, winning smiles from commuters and social media users.  

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has written to education ministers across India, seeking state-wise data on government school infrastructure, teacher vacancies and funding. Calling public education an urgent priority, Dipke raised concerns over the lack of basic facilities such as safe drinking water, functional classrooms, toilets and benches. He asked states to disclose details of school repairs, vacant teaching posts, education spending and digital and sports facilities. The move is part of CJP's ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, under which party teams are visiting and auditing government schools. Dipke urged governments to improve schools on a war footing. (PC: HT)

Kerala's 19-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo has been crowned Miss Universe India 2026 after defeating 52 finalists at the grand finale in Jaipur. She received the crown from outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma. Mejo will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in November. India's first Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen, was among the judges. Vaishnavi Gannesh was named first runner-up and Miss International India 2026, while Anushri Satavlekar finished second runner-up. Tejaswini Shrivastava and Anubha Vashist Chaudhary were named third and fourth runners-up, respectively. (PC: NDTV)

The Cockroach Janta Party’s National Working Committee will meet on Monday to decide its next course of action after alleging that the Centre failed to honour key assurances made following recent student protests. CJP said its concerns include the withdrawal or quashing of FIRs against students and protesters, protection from punitive action and compensation for families of deceased NEET victims. The party alleged that the government did not provide a consolidated list of FIRs sought during Supreme Court proceedings. Calling it a “vishwasghaat” or betrayal of the youth, CJP said another round of peaceful nationwide protests remains an option. (PC: HT)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced three free LPG cylinders annually for families earning below Rs 2.5 lakh, starting from Pongal 2027. The Annapoorani Super Six scheme is expected to benefit around 1.30 crore families and cost the state Rs 4,000 crore annually. Vijay also announced free bus travel for transgender persons and expanded free travel for women to include Express, LSS, Deluxe and inter-district government buses. The expanded scheme, named Vetri Payanam, will begin on October 2 and cost an additional Rs 6,000 crore annually. (PC: India Today)

Three newborn babies died after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Amravati’s District Women’s Hospital, a government hospital, at around 3.30 a.m. on Monday, August 24. According to Senior Police Inspector Gorakhnath Jadhav, a ventilator in the outborn babies’ compartment caught fire on the third floor. The three newborns suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation and died, while six other babies were rescued and remain in critical care. Police said the fire was brought under control within 10 to 15 minutes. The incident triggered an emergency evacuation of dozens of infants undergoing treatment. Amravati guardian minister Chandrakant Bawankule has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the tragedy.

Several people were detained after around 300 protesters gathered at Delhi’s Connaught Place to demand reforms in the reservation system. Police said more than 20 people were removed as the protest had not received permission. The demonstration was organised under the banner of Reservation Hatao Andolan, with protesters calling for greater focus on economic criteria and a review of the existing quota system. They also demanded changes related to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Police said prohibitory orders were in force in the area, restricting gatherings and demonstrations without permission. (PC: HT)

Retired diplomat Navdeep Suri, who represented India as ambassador to the UAE and Egypt and High Commissioner to Australia, was asked to prove his Indian citizenship during Punjab's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Suri said he submitted his voter ID and Aadhaar card, but officials later flagged a mismatch with the 2003 voter records because he was posted abroad at the time. He was subsequently asked to provide his passport. Suri questioned what ordinary citizens would face if a former diplomat had difficulty establishing citizenship. Punjab is currently conducting the second phase of the voter roll revision. (PC: India Today)