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)

Two men have been detained over the killing of a Hindu family of four in Bangladesh’s Rangpur, police said. The suspects were allegedly taking Yaba, a potent methamphetamine-based drug, on the family’s rooftop when retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty confronted them. Police said the men then killed Ganapati, his wife and their two children. Investigators said the suspects stayed inside the house for six to seven hours after the killings. They allegedly ate dates and cucumbers, took a bath and later left. Police said evidence recovered from the house helped identify and arrest the suspects, who reportedly confessed during questioning.  

Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das has mocked the BJP’s new Gen Z outreach programme and questioned its choice of leaders. Reacting to the newly formed team, Das wrote, “Three claps to the BJP for a marvellous set of ‘Gen Z faces’.” He also referred to earlier remarks by BJP president Nitin Nabin about young people and protesters. Das further criticised Smriti Irani, who is part of the outreach team. The BJP has formed the team to strengthen its engagement with younger voters. The programme will focus on their concerns and expectations through discussions, interactions and other activities across the country.  

The government spent a record Rs 92.35 crore on repairing, renovating and furnishing Union Ministers’ official homes in Delhi during 2025-26, an RTI reply has shown. The amount was more than three times the Rs 27.47 crore spent in 2014-15. The Central Public Works Department spent Rs 547.68 crore on these homes between 2014-15 and 2025-26. Officials said inflation and the cost of maintaining old buildings led to higher spending. Many colonial-era bungalows have seepage, termite damage, ageing electrical systems and plumbing problems. Spending was Rs 71.98 crore in 2024-25 before rising to its highest level in 2025-26. (PC: India Today)

Former diplomat Navdeep Suri, who represented India as ambassador to the UAE and Egypt and High Commissioner to Australia, has highlighted difficulties faced during Punjab’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Suri revealed that volunteers informed him that some of his details did not match records from 2003, creating problems in establishing his citizenship despite his long public service career. Sharing his experience on social media, Suri questioned procedural inconsistencies in the voter verification process. The incident has sparked debate over the implementation of SIR in Punjab, with concerns that ordinary citizens may encounter similar hurdles while updating or verifying their electoral records. (PC: X)