Indian students recorded the sharpest decline in US student visa approvals during the 2025 admissions cycle, with F-1 visas dropping 62% year-on-year, nearly double the decline among Chinese applicants. According to the Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS), US consulates issued 22,149 F-1 visas to Indians between May and August 2025, compared with 58,694 during the same period in 2024. Chinese student visas fell 34%, from 61,075 to 40,034. The report links the decline to tighter Trump-era immigration rules that have created uncertainty around admissions and post-study work opportunities. The May-August period is the busiest season for F-1 visa processing ahead of the US academic year. (PC: India Today)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged young Indians to celebrate National Handloom Day on August 7 by creating “Get Ready With Me” (GRWM) videos featuring handloom outfits. In an Instagram Reel, he linked the day to the Swadeshi Movement launched on August 7, 1905, and called on people to recognise and support India’s weaving community. Modi said showcasing handloom products through a popular social media trend could help promote artisans’ craftsmanship globally while strengthening their livelihoods. He encouraged citizens to buy at least one handloom product, share videos online and inspire others to do the same, saying the initiative would contribute to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat by economically empowering weaving families across India.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reduced the deadline for social media intermediaries to remove "unlawful information" from 36 hours to three hours after receiving a valid notice from the government or a court. The revised IT Rules, amended in February, also require platforms to clearly label AI-generated content and attach traceable metadata, enabling users to identify synthetic material and reduce deception or misuse. The rules strengthen platform due diligence and user accountability by mandating awareness of legal consequences for unlawful AI-generated content. Intermediaries must also take prompt action against child sexual exploitation material, non-consensual intimate imagery, impersonation and other harmful AI-generated content. (PC: Pexel)

Indian-origin UCSB doctoral student Vikram Mubayi was found dead after going missing during a solo hiking trip in California's Big Pine Lakes area. Mubayi, a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, had travelled to the eastern Sierra Nevada over the weekend. Authorities launched a search after he failed to return as planned and stopped communicating with his family. According to the Daily Nexus, search teams later recovered his body. Officials said the case remains under investigation, but there are currently no signs of foul play. Mubayi's death has shocked the university community, with the incident drawing attention to the risks associated with solo hiking in remote mountainous terrain. (PC: r/SierraNevada)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a dark, tinted-window vehicle at a secret Tehran location, where he allegedly could not see him and later questioned whether the voice he heard was Khamenei's, according to Iran International. The report said the brief meeting, secured after repeated requests and resignation threats, ended without a handshake before Pezeshkian was asked to leave. However, Pezeshkian had earlier described a separate May meeting as cordial and lasting two-and-a-half hours. The report also highlighted his difficulty communicating with Khamenei, alleged policy rifts, denied follow-up meeting requests, and Khamenei's continued absence from public view for five months. (PC: NDTV)

Rail services across large parts of the UK were thrown into chaos on Wednesday after an electrical failure at a railway communications centre disrupted operations. National Rail said the outage affected routes across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and north-west England, forcing widespread cancellations, delays of up to 60 minutes, and train rescheduling. The disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day as engineers work to restore normal operations. Passengers have been advised to check the latest travel information before starting their journeys and allow extra time. The incident adds to ongoing concerns over the resilience of Britain's rail infrastructure during peak travel periods. (PC: iStock)

Panic erupted aboard a Batik Air flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi after a passenger allegedly smashed an emergency exit window panel and tried to open the emergency exit door mid-air. The incident occurred between 9.30 pm and 11 pm on flight OD 231. The accused, 36-year-old Jamsheer Athanikkal from Kerala's Palakkad district, reportedly threatened passengers and cabin crew before being restrained by fellow travellers. Police said there was no apparent provocation, and he later told investigators he acted because he "felt like it." After the aircraft landed safely at Kochi airport, Batik Air's security team lodged a complaint, leading to Jamsheer's arrest. (PC: The Indian Express)

The government told Parliament that nearly ₹550 crore has been spent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits since 2021, with ₹74.58 crore incurred so far in 2026. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita said expenditure stood at over ₹180 crore in 2025, ₹109 crore in 2024, ₹93 crore in 2023, ₹55 crore in 2022, and ₹36 crore in 2021. The highest spending this year was ₹17.46 crore for the Norway leg of Modi's five-nation May tour. The ministry added that several 2026 figures remain provisional and highlighted that India received USD 381.8 billion in FDI between April 2021 and December 2025. (PC: Wallpapers Den)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over phone to discuss the ongoing West Asia conflict, regional developments and the India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership. The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation across defence, trade, investment, space, energy, cybersecurity and critical technologies. They also discussed strengthening collaboration in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, agriculture, water management, fintech and biotechnology. Both leaders supported deeper people-to-people ties and called for an early conclusion of the proposed India-Israel Free Trade Agreement, while agreeing to remain in regular contact on regional security and strategic issues.

The Centre has stepped up scrutiny of Meta after senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) held high-level talks with the company's global leadership following the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook video. Government sources said the discussions covered compliance with Indian laws, platform accountability, deepfakes, child sexual abuse material and the responsibilities of social media companies. Officials reportedly made it clear that platforms operating in India must follow Indian regulations rather than rely solely on standards used in other jurisdictions. The government is also considering stricter rules for artificial intelligence and online platforms to strengthen accountability and curb harmful content. (PC: India Today)