Two Air India group pilots have tested non-negative in mandatory psychoactive substance screening, sources told India Today. Their samples have been sent for confirmatory testing, with final results awaited. A non-negative initial screening result does not confirm that a pilot consumed a prohibited substance. Confirmatory tests will determine whether the pilots actually tested positive. The airline group introduced mandatory screening for all pilots from August 13 after the Phuket-Delhi flight fiasco involving an Air India pilot. Sources said around 300-400 pilots have undergone screening so far, while the testing process remains underway across the airline group. (PC: NDTV)

US visa applicants will face revised USCIS forms from September 15, 2026, affecting H-1B families, international students, exchange visitors and other eligible non-immigrant visa holders. USCIS will introduce new versions of Form I-539 and Form I-765 for status and employment-related applications. Form I-765, used to apply for an Employment Authorization Document, will carry a September 15, 2026 edition date, replacing the August 21, 2025 version. USCIS has warned that there will be no grace period for using the older form after the deadline, and applicants using outdated versions could face rejection. The update makes checking the correct form edition especially important for applicants filing status or employment-related applications from September 15 onward. (PC: iStock)

Protesting students in Jharkhand burnt effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Ranchi on August 16, marking the 23rd day of their agitation over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations conducted by JPSC and JSSC. Demonstrations and effigy-burning were also reported in other districts, with protesters accusing the JMM-led government of ignoring their demand for a CBI probe. Students said Congress had promised to withdraw support from the State government if their demand was not addressed by August 15. Amid the continuing protest, the Jharkhand government has called protesters for a fourth round of talks. The agitation centres on alleged recruitment examination irregularities and demands for an investigation. (PC: PTI)

At least seven people were killed and several injured after a stampede at Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai on Monday, amid a massive rush of devotees during the third Monday of Shravan. Preliminary reports suggested an electric pole may have fallen, with rumours of electrocution triggering panic. However, Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said an unprecedented crowd, intensified by two trains arriving around 6.30–6.45 am, caused barricading outside the temple to collapse, resulting in people falling over one another. Around 50,000 devotees were reportedly present. Police, district officials and medical teams launched rescue operations, while ambulances transported the injured. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed condolences and ordered prompt treatment for the injured.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) after three UGC-NET June 2026 papers were cancelled and rescheduled for September. The English, Commerce and Sociology papers, conducted between June 22 and 30, will be held again after the NTA identified multiple errors, including factual, typographical and translation mistakes, along with questions repeated from previous examinations. Gandhi said students were being made to pay for mistakes committed by the examination body. In a post on X, he questioned why thousands of candidates who had spent months preparing should have to appear again because of NTA errors. He also directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. (PC: India Today)  

The Rajasthan government has restricted unauthorised entry of outsiders, photography, videography, interviews and live streaming inside state-run schools, citing student privacy, safety and dignity. The directive came as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Ashutosh Ranka announced plans to visit schools under its “School Thik Karo” campaign to audit infrastructure and education quality. Ranka said requests had come from schools in Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Barmer and Hanumangarh, allegedly facing poor conditions. The rules require visitors to obtain prior permission and register their entry, while access to student areas must be supervised. Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dostara criticised the move, accusing the BJP government of hiding shortcomings in the education system.

Hollywood actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles as Claire Bennet in Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville, has died at 36. Her representative confirmed her death to ABC News, while details surrounding the cause and circumstances were not immediately disclosed. Panettiere began her career as a child actor and went on to build a successful career across television and film. Her notable credits included Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4. She also appeared in the Scream franchise and was known for her voice work in animation and video games. Panettiere's death comes just days before her 37th birthday, on August 21. (PC: GMX)

A fabricated social-media claim about Iran’s nuclear programme travelled from an anonymous Indian X account to Israeli and US political circles, influencing rhetoric at the highest levels. On August 5, the account claimed Iranian commander Brig Gen Ahmad Vahidi said Tehran would pursue nuclear weapons while Israel and the US possessed them. The post included an AI-generated mushroom-cloud image, but there was no evidence Vahidi made the statement or that Iran had built a nuclear weapon. Israeli accounts amplified it before Israel’s Channel 14 aired the claim, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited it in a speech. Trump envoy Mike Waltz and Senator Rick Scott also shared it. Waltz later deleted his post, highlighting misinformation’s rapid geopolitical impact. (PC: Times Now)

Russia struck ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s largest steel producer and part of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal’s ArcelorMittal group, in a missile attack on August 16, killing two people and injuring 13 workers and contractors. The strike damaged energy systems and blast furnace facilities at the sprawling Kryvyi Rih plant, forcing a partial suspension of production. Firefighters, rescuers and medical teams responded as specialists assessed the damage and repair requirements. The company confirmed the facility is civilian industrial infrastructure and said the attack disrupted production. The plant had previously been hit by a Russian missile in 2022, destroying a rolling mill and killing one worker. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih remains a key Ukrainian steelmaking facility. (PC: X)

Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran and Department of Economic Affairs consultant Akash Poojari have proposed restoring E10 petrol for older two-wheelers alongside E20, amid continuing concerns over ethanol’s impact on ageing vehicle components. In a column published in The Indian Express, they argued that India’s ethanol policy should look beyond whether E20 works in older vehicles and assess the broader food-versus-fuel trade-off. They said higher ethanol blending could require more agricultural land and water, potentially affecting food and feed production and other agricultural uses. The economists urged India to carefully weigh these trade-offs before increasing ethanol blending beyond 20%, highlighting the need to balance energy goals with agricultural and resource priorities. (PC: India Today)