Country music star Dolly Parton has been laid to rest following a private family funeral in Tennessee. She was reportedly buried beside her late husband, Carl Dean, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum.   Parton died last week at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. Her great-niece, Lainey Parton, shared an emotional tribute after the funeral. She remembered Parton as a loving and supportive family member who always encouraged her dreams.   Since her death, fans and artists have paid tribute to the singer. Her famous song 'Jolene' has also returned to the UK music charts. (PC: Reuters)  

Travel between Delhi and Lucknow could take around two hours under a proposed new bullet train project, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. The planned corridor will connect Delhi with Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Patna. Travel from Delhi to Agra could take 58 minutes, while Kanpur may be reached in 1 hour and 50 minutes. The journey to Patna is expected to take around 4.5 hours. Vaishnaw said the project would be the next phase of India's bullet train network after the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor. The project is expected to boost tourism, business and economic activity.  

Rescuers in Nepal are using explosives to blast through a hillside to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside mud-filled hydropower tunnels. Teams are also pumping air into the tunnels as families wait anxiously for news. At least 939 people have died in the floods, while 3,925 remain missing. Hundreds of the missing are linked to hydropower projects. An international rescue team is leading the operation, with experts from several countries helping. So far, 279 workers have been rescued. Families fear time is running out but still hope their loved ones are alive. (PC: Nepal Army/Reuters)  

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football after 20 years with Argentina. The 39-year-old shared his decision on Instagram on August 31. Messi said he decided to retire two days after Argentina's 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain. He added that the death of his father made him even more certain about the decision. Messi played 207 matches for Argentina and scored 125 goals. He led the team to the 2022 World Cup title and two Copa América trophies. He will continue playing club football for Inter Miami.

AIIMS will re-conduct the CRE-5 examination for affected candidates in Jaipur on September 7. The August 31 morning shift was disrupted by a power failure at the iON Digital Zone Sitapura centre. The examination at centres RJ0101 and RJ0102 was cancelled after the disruption. Only candidates who were scheduled to appear in the affected morning shift can take the re-examination. The exam city will remain Jaipur, but the new centre details will be given in revised admit cards. AIIMS said the revised admit cards will be released soon. Candidates have been asked to check the official examination portal for updates.  

India recorded its hottest August since 1901, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. The country's mean temperature was 28.01 degrees Celsius, higher than the normal of 27.34 degrees Celsius.   The average minimum temperature was also the highest on record for August. Rainfall during the month was below normal at 213.3 mm.   The weather office said September rainfall across India is likely to be below normal. Monthly rainfall may remain below 91 per cent of the long-period average. Average maximum temperatures in September are also expected to be above normal. Strong El Niño conditions are influencing the weather.

Lionel Messi has announced that he will retire from international football after a 20-year career with Argentina. His final match for the national team was the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina lost 1-0.   Messi said he made the decision two days after the final. The death of his father, Jorge, made him even more certain.   The 39-year-old captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. He also won two Copa América titles and the Finalissima. Messi scored 125 goals in 207 matches. He will continue playing for Inter Miami.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use India’s “extensive contacts” with various countries to help pull warring sides away from conflict and towards dialogue and agreement. Speaking during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Pezeshkian thanked India for its support and cooperation during the recent war and called for stronger diplomatic efforts to restore regional peace and security. He criticised the United States for choosing “the path of war” instead of diplomatic mechanisms and said Iran had never welcomed war. Pezeshkian stressed that continued conflict serves neither Iran, the region nor humanity, and urged greater international efforts to strengthen peace, stability and security. (PC: X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India would continue supporting peaceful efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, stressing the need to move from “endless wars to the end of war.” Meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Modi said every day of war sets humanity back and called for efforts to end hostilities. He said India and Russia could move forward while keeping their respective interests in mind. Modi also said he carried a message of peace from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha. Putin said Russia-India relations were strengthening with Modi’s personal attention, while tourist exchanges between the two countries grew 16% in 2025, according to Sputnik.

India on Monday rejected the latest award by the Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the body “illegally constituted” and saying the 1960 treaty remains in abeyance. The Ministry of External Affairs said the tribunal was established by the World Bank in “patent breach” of the treaty’s terms and reiterated that India has never recognised its legal existence or participated in its proceedings. New Delhi said the tribunal has no jurisdiction over India’s sovereign decisions and that its current or future pronouncements would have no impact on projects being undertaken by India. The tribunal, meanwhile, ruled that India must continue observing its treaty obligations and imposed interim measures on the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project. (PC: ANI)