US President Donald Trump reportedly made a secret plane switch after leaving a NATO summit in Turkey last month. According to US media reports, Trump boarded Air Force One in front of cameras before being moved to a smaller military aircraft. A catering truck was reportedly used to hide the transfer. The move came after US intelligence detected a possible Iranian missile threat against his plane. Journalists and some White House staff on Air Force One were reportedly unaware of the switch. Trump later returned to the presidential jet in the UK. The White House has not confirmed the reported operation but said security measures protect the president.

The pilot-in-command of Air India flight AI2379 has tested positive for marijuana in a second laboratory test, sources said. The test followed the August 4 Phuket-Delhi flight incident, when the aircraft suddenly lost around 300 feet during cruise. Both pilots were tested for psychoactive substances and have been removed from flying duties while the investigation continues. The Airbus A320 was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members. Twenty passengers and four cabin crew were injured. Investigators are also examining reported technical problems, including autopilot and hydraulic failures. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it will study all technical, medical and operational evidence before reaching conclusions.

India said it is assessing the national-security and regional-stability implications of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi remains committed to safeguarding its national interests and will take “all necessary measures”. The pact builds on a 2025 Pakistan-Saudi defence agreement and states that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all. Jaiswal also urged the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for alleged human-rights violations, including violence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where more than 90 people were reportedly killed. He said India’s Pakistan policy remains unchanged. (PC: Reuters)

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland on Monday, killing 224 people and leaving more than 3,000 missing, while over 900 were injured. More than 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed, with deaths concentrated in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. Rescue operations entered a second day as emergency teams searched collapsed buildings using excavators and bare hands. Cali reported at least 85 deaths, while Pereira recorded 66. Parts of a hospital in Cali collapsed, trapping patients and forcing around 600 people to receive treatment outdoors. Tremors were also felt in Venezuela. The disaster has revived memories of the devastating 1999 earthquake, which killed more than 1,000 people in the region.

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday gave assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making it law and criminalising intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of India’s national song, “Vande Mataram”. The amendment gives the national song legal protection similar to that already provided to the national anthem. Earlier, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act prohibited intentionally preventing the singing of the national anthem or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in singing it. The government said the new law extends comparable protection to “Vande Mataram”, adding a fresh criminal provision concerning deliberate interference with its singing. (PC: Rashtrapati Bhavan)

Madhya Pradesh is facing a growing human-wildlife conflict, with at least 50 people killed in wild animal attacks and more than 45 tigers dying in the first eight months of 2026. Tigers accounted for 22 human deaths, followed by wild boars with eight, elephants with seven and sloth bears with four. Thirty fatalities occurred between March and May, when villagers, particularly tribal communities, enter forests to collect tendu leaves and mahua flowers. The state’s tiger population is now estimated at around 1,000, while forests and wildlife corridors face increasing fragmentation from settlements and infrastructure. Officials say conflicts are intensifying along forest fringes, exposing both communities and wildlife to growing risks. (PC: NDTV)

Two Indian farmers from West Bengal’s Nadia district were allegedly kidnapped and taken into Bangladesh on Tuesday by Bangladeshi farmers seeking the release of a farmer they claimed was detained by the BSF, Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo reported. The incident comes days after a 35-year-old tea farmer from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district was allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi men near the India-Bangladesh border. The latest abducted farmers were identified as Sachin Karmakar and Narayan Deb. The BSF guards India’s border with Bangladesh. According to the report, the Bangladeshi villagers crossed into an Indian village before taking the two farmers across the border. The incidents have raised fresh concerns over security and cross-border tensions along the India-Bangladesh border. (PC: India Today)

India has warned China that the state of affairs along the border will influence broader bilateral ties, amid reports of an alleged Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district. Reports claimed Chinese troops crossed the LAC near Pukar La and Ollo, though Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had denied any such incursion and said the Army was effectively guarding Indian territory. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border remains essential and cited discussions at the August 6 WMCC meeting. India and China agreed to use existing diplomatic and military channels to prevent misunderstandings. India also reiterated Arunachal Pradesh is an “inalienable part” of India. (PC: NDTV)

The US government has filed a civil denaturalisation case against Indian-born Harinder Singh, also known as Harinder Singh Sanghera and Rushpal Singh, alleging he obtained American citizenship using a false identity. Authorities said he was stopped at JFK Airport in 1991 as Rushpal Singh and ordered deported in 1995, but there is no record he left the US. In 1996, he allegedly applied for immigration benefits as Harinder Singh, changing his date of birth, entry date and basis for his claim. The INS approved his permanent residency application in 2000, and he became a US citizen in 2008. The Justice Department seeks to revoke his citizenship and cancel his naturalisation certificate. (PC: Pexels)

The UK Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Al-Khair Foundation following allegations that the prominent Muslim-registered charity and some of its partners may have links to Hamas. The regulator said it received a complaint last month alleging connections to Hamas and possible funding for the group. The commission initially assessed the concerns and gathered additional information before escalating the matter to a formal investigation. The development follows the arrest of a senior figure in a US terror-related case, raising further scrutiny around the charity. The inquiry will examine the allegations and the organisation’s activities and partnerships. The claims remain allegations, and the Charity Commission’s investigation is ongoing. (PC: Times Now)