TODAY NEWS ON August 19, 2026

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

Jharkhand Government releases list of 44 recruitment exams cancelled due to irregularities

The Jharkhand Government on Tuesday night (August 18, 2026) released a list of 44 recruitment exams that have been cancelled due to irregularities, amid student protests over the issue. The cancelled exams include recruitment for drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental doctors, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors and forest range officers, among others.

UAE accuses Iran of firing ballistic missiles at shipping

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles at shipping in the Gulf, an allegation later denied by Tehran. “UAE air defences detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country, with the first falling outside the country’s territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters,” the Ministry said, in a statement posted to social media. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei “categorically rejected the United Arab Emirates’ claim that Iran had launched a missile toward that country”, calling it harmful to regional trust and security efforts.

Ready to drop FIRs against student protesters, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) agreed to use an exceptional power under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against students who joined nationwide protests over the NEET-UG exam paper leaks that led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister and compelled the government to introspect. The court sought a list of FIRs in which only students were named.

Census 2027 questionnaire seeks parents’ religion, place of birth up to village level

The questionnaire or the schedule for the population enumeration phase of Census 2027, which has gone live in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of three other States ahead of the rest of the country, seeks information on religion, date of birth and place of birth up to the village level of both the father and mother, according to the questions seen by The Hindu. Under the data head “Family Particulars,” the questionnaire also has an option to record the place of birth of the father and mother if they were born outside India. Other than the six religions—Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim and Jain—respondents can record “other religion” in a separate column.

NTA removes 600 experts from its team in revamp bid

The National Testing Agency (NTA) officials said that 600 experts from its examination team have been removed and new experts onboarded as part of a revamp. “We are revamping the examination team by removing 600 experts and onboarding new experts. A four-tier question paper checking system will be put in place to strengthen the scrutiny of examination papers,” a senior NTA official said. The NTA said that 20 to 25 new officials will be inducted over the next two to three weeks, while NTA offices will be swiftly shifted to their new premises, where security will be reinforced with the aid of Central Industrial Security Force teams.

PM CARES fund saw 592% jump in donations in 2024-25 to ₹480 crore, spent 0.1% of that

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund saw the donations it received grow by 592% in 2024-25 to nearly ₹480 crore, as per the audited financial statements for 2023-24 and 2024-25, which it made available on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) after having failed to upload the annual disclosure documents since 2022-23. The Hindu had highlighted the lapse on August 8.

The PM CARES Fund, a public charitable trust established in March 2020 to support relief efforts during public health emergencies and other disasters, is chaired by the Prime Minister and funded entirely through voluntary contributions, as per information released by the Central government.

BRICS condemns EU carbon tax

BRICS countries on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) opposed what they described as “unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist” climate measures, including the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), while calling for a significant increase in international funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change. The positions were contained in the joint statement adopted at the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, held under India’s chairship. The Ministers specifically said that carbon border measures such as CBAMs could “undermine developing countries' efforts to address climate change and build resilience”.

Grenade blast near school complex in the Afghan capital wounds at least 42 children, the UN says

An explosion near a school complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul wounded at least 42 children, the United Nations said on Tuesday (August 18, 2026). The UN political mission in Afghanistan confirmed the injuries near the education centre and said the children are between 9 and 14 years old, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Gold mine collapses in Central African Republic, killing at least 30 miners

A gold mining site collapsed on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) in the western part of the Central African Republic, killing at least 30 miners and leaving others trapped, authorities and residents said. The low-tech, artisanal mine collapsed on Tuesday morning (August 18, 2026) in the Abba region of the Nana-Mambere prefecture, according to Florian Gaguende, one of the surviving miners. He said rescuers were searching for additional miners believed trapped, but that the chance of finding them alive “is getting slimmer”.

Hockey World Cup: India routs South Africa, jumps to top of the table

An hour before pushback, China did India a massive favour by beating England 4-2. India seized the opening in Pool-D, by hammering South Africa, the lowest-ranked side in the World Cup, 6-1 to go top of the table on Tuesday (August 18, 2026). India, however, made a sloppy start, with misplaced passes and mistraps, and was let off by South Africa on the turnovers. Sakshi, the youngest player in the squad at 18, capped off an excellent game by firing into the roof of the net. South Africa finished the game better, managing to get on the scoresheet from a well-worked PC with Kayla de Waal deflecting the ball in.

Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking abolition of execution by hanging

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) dismissed a petition seeking the abolition of the present practice of executing a death row convict by hanging and replacing it with less painful methods such as intravenous lethal injection.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said its verdict would not preclude the Centre from undertaking a comprehensive review of the existing method of execution through an expert body with a view to examining whether any alternative method of execution better serves the constitutional objective of minimising unnecessary pain while preserving the dignity of the condemned prisoner.

Supreme Court directs Govt response on plea for special, time-bound probe into paper leak cases

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) asked the Centre to respond to a plea for “standard questionnaire and special investigation procedure” to ensure time-bound investigation and speedy trial of paper leak cases.

A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha issued notice to the Union and State governments filed by petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who has also sought a direction for assessment of entire property of perpetrators and their family members.