News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Exp and others

SCO must confront countries using terrorism as instrument of state policy: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to confront countries using terrorism as an instrument of State policy and reject “double standards” in the collective fight against terror financing and recruitment, remarks widely viewed as a direct swipe at Pakistan.

In presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping and many other global leaders, Mr. Modi told the annual SCO summit that the grouping should work unitedly to “dismantle the entire ecosystem” of terrorist financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens.

SC seeks Centre’s stand on use of totalisers in polls; EC warns against risks, flags public misapprehensions against EVMs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) sought the Centre’s response on the use of ‘totalisers’, which are machines designed to consolidate and count votes from multiple Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) Control Units simultaneously without revealing booth-wise voting trends, as a “fall-back option”. The court’s order to the Union government came despite a warning from the Election Commission of India that bringing in totalisers now, when even EVMs are subject to frequent public questioning, may not be the right move.

“It is relevant to state that the present time is one in which the functioning and integrity of EVMs are still a subject of frequent public questioning… In such a climate, the introduction of new and as yet unregulated mechanisms such as totaliser could give rise to fresh allegations and controversy, thereby further complicating public confidence in an already sensitive area of the electoral process,” the Election Commission (EC) cautioned.

NEET protests: Supreme Court quashes FIRs against protesters under Article 142

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) directed all FIRs concerning NEET-UG protests registered between July 20 and July 25 be quashed under Article 142 of the Constitution.

As the Bench assembled to hear the Delhi Police’s application to invoke plenary powers under Article 142, Cockroach Janta Party’s Saurav Das informed the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant that the outfit has decided to call off its planned September 5 protest march. Mr. Das said that the decision was taken after “assurances” from the Centre regarding withdrawal of FIRs and compensation to victims.

Bank unions announce strikes on September 11 over unresolved issues

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which claims to represent more than 90% of the banking workforce, has announced a series of strikes over unresolved issues related to the five-day banking week and the government’s revised Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

The UFBU has called for a one-day strike on September 11, followed by a three-day strike from September 28 to 30. If its demands are not addressed, the unions have announced an indefinite strike from October 26, 2026. The forum comprises seven unions — AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBOC and INBEF — and represents workers across public sector, private, foreign, regional rural and cooperative banks, according to the union release.

Indian tunnel rescue team makes progress at Chilime, Langtang hydropower sites

India’s specialised tunnel rescue team made progress at two hydropower sites in flood-hit Nepal, establishing a foothold inside a tunnel at Chilime and probing up to 185 metres at Langtang, the Indian envoy in Kathmandu has said. The team worked at the Chilime and Langtang sites in coordination with the Nepali Army despite inclement weather and difficult access conditions, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said in a post on X on Monday (August 31, 2026).

India has deployed specialised teams to assist Nepal following the devastating flash floods of August 26, which swept through northern and central parts of the country, killing hundreds, leaving thousands missing and destroying homes, roads and bridges and hydropower projects.

U.S. and Iran trade strikes as hostilities flare again

The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday (September 1, 2026), and Tehran fired missiles and drones in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. The U.S. strikes followed others on Sunday that abruptly ended a month without military action and threatened to fully reignite a conflict that has spiked global oil prices and posed political problems for Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections. The renewed fighting comes after President Donald Trump had appeared to pivot toward trying to bend Iran to his will through economic sanctions.

Three candidates shortlisted for Ram Janmabhoomi Trust’s first CEO

The search committee constituted to select the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust (SRJTKT) has shortlisted three candidates and submitted their names to the Trust, the committee said on Tuesday (September 1, 2026). The Trust, which oversees the Ram temple in Ayodhya, is expected to choose one of the three candidates at a meeting on Wednesday (September 2, 2026).

Avoid ‘unfamiliar, unusual’ fish from Nepal’s flood waters, Bihar govt. advisory cautions

Against the backdrop of the devastating flash flood in Nepal, which has left hundreds dead and many more missing, the Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department of Bihar on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) issued a public advisory cautioning against the consumption of “unfamiliar and unusual” fish caught from the flood waters flowing into the State’s rivers from Nepal.

Zelenskyy warns ‘safe days in Russian skies are over’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) warned airlines, insurance firms and passengers that Russian airspace would be “completely unsafe” and filled with Ukrainian drones for the duration of the war. “Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” he said in his nightly address.

Former U.K. PM Starmer to step down as MP

Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would step down as MP and focus on “international affairs” among other areas, even as his successor, Andy Burnham, faced lawmakers for the first time in the House of Commons since ousting Mr. Starmer from office in July.

Kuki MLAs asked to stay away from Manipur Assembly session

The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki community, has asked the Kuki-Zo MLAs to stay away from the State Assembly session beginning Wednesday (September 2, 2026). The Manipur Assembly session is scheduled to continue until September 7, with three sittings planned.

In a statement on Tuesday (September 1, 2026), the KIM said the resumption of legislative proceedings should not be treated as a return to normalcy, as the community’s demand for a separate political administration remained unresolved. It said Kuki-Zo MLAs must demonstrate solidarity with the community. It warned that those who ignore the directive would be seen as moving away from the community’s collective political position.

Dhoni’s ₹100-crore defamation suit: Madras High Court directs Registry to number retired IPS officer’s plea

The Madras High Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) directed its Registry to number three applications filed by retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G. Sampath Kumar to video record the evidence of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a ₹100-crore defamation suit filed by him in 2014 against the former police officer and a few others for dragging his name in the 2013 IPL betting scam.

Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi issued the direction after the three applications were listed before her by the Registry for deciding their maintainability. The applicant’s counsel contended the three prayers sought for by his client were maintainable in view of a Supreme Court order in a similar case. After perusing the order, the judge was convinced such applications could be filed.