TODAY NEWS ON August 22, 2026

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

India calls for stronger global tech collaboration at BRICS meet

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Friday (August 21, 2026) said emerging technologies are creating unprecedented opportunities for progress and called for stronger international collaboration to ensure that innovation remains accessible, affordable, trusted and sustainable. Delivering the inaugural address at the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting in Chennai on Friday (August 21, 2026), Dr. Singh said emerging technologies included advanced materials, biotechnology, photonics, geospatial technologies and high-performance computing.

Trade unions sound alarm over Supreme Court judgment on definition of industry

Left-leaning trade unions have expressed concern over a nine-judge bench judgment of the Supreme Court that said the definition of industry as per a 1978 judgment of the apex court will not be applicable to the recently implemented Industrial Relations Code. They alleged that the latest judgment reflects “a structural tilt” towards institutional and managerial interests over the collective rights and bargaining power of workers.

India won’t be safe till its borders are secure: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Asserting that neither West Bengal nor India will be safe until its frontiers are secured, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (August 21, 2026) lamented that despite repeated requests, previous Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not provide land required for fencing the India-Bangladesh border in the State.

Stating that no previous CMs of the State ever attended programmes of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) or the BSF, Mr. Shah congratulated Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari for breaking the glass ceiling.

Two vessels with 22 Indians on board hijacked by pirates in Yemen and Somalia

Two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals have been hijacked by pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia, a senior Shipping Ministry official said on Friday (August 21, 2026).

An Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker, M T Sibu 1, with 20 crew members including 16 Indians, was hijacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen on August 20, the official told PTI. Another Cameroon-flagged cargo ship with six Indians among its 10 crew members was hijacked by pirates off Somalia’s Puntland coast on August 17, he said.

Neeraj Chopra finishes second, Pathirage wins title in Lausanne Diamond League

Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra produced his best performance in more than a year but was pipped to the post by the rising Sri Lankan star Rumesh Pathirage for the top spot by a mere nine centimetres in the Lausanne Diamond League meet in Lausanne on Friday (August 21, 2026). The 28-year-old Chopra’s 88.05m throw in the second round, which fetched him the second spot in the nine-man star-studded field, was his best after the 88.16m he recorded while winning the Paris Diamond League in June 2025. It was also his season’s best throw.

‘Sergio Gor’s J&K and Ladakh visit highlights growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue’

As U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor avoided any high-profile meetings in Ladakh, the embassy on Friday (August 21, 2026) termed the three-day tour of the envoy as a sign of “growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue and cultural engagement”. “Ambassador Sergio Gor wrapped up a visit to Srinagar and Leh this week, highlighting the growing U.S.-India partnership through meaningful dialogue and cultural engagement,” said the U.S. embassy in a post on X.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir takes oath as Bangladesh's President

Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Friday (August 21, 2026) sworn in as Bangladesh’s 23rd President. Mr. Alamgir, a long-time secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was administered the oath of office by Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, the official office-cum-residence of the head of state.

China says U.S. 'sanctions and pressure' on Iran not a solution

China said on Friday (August 21, 2026) that U.S. “sanctions and pressure” would not resolve the conflict in West Asia, after Washington urged governments, including Beijing, to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. The United States has vowed it would “collapse” the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as “economic terrorism” doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began.

Centre denies permission for Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s U.S. visit

The Centre has denied permission to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to visit the United States as part of his TelanganaRising delegation, prompting him to cut short his London tour and return to Hyderabad on August 23 instead of proceeding to Boston.

The Ministry of External Affairs, which had been approached by the State government for clearance for the Chief Minister’s official visit to the U.K. and the U.S., approved only the U.K. leg of the tour. The State government was informed of the denial of permission for the U.S. visit after the official delegation had already reached the U.K. The MEA cited denial of clearance from the “political angle.”

Jadavpur University files police complaints over campus violence

Jadavpur University on Friday (August 21, 2026) lodged police complaints over the violence that broke out on its campus, officials said. One of the complaints was lodged over a crowd’s entry to the campus at midnight, the attempt to damage the main gate, setting on fire festoons and locking some students inside one of the buildings, they said. “The complaint sought an investigation, and asked the police to prevent recurrence of such incidents on the campus,” an official of the State-run varsity said.

Approval granted for conferring President’s Medal for Gallantry on former cop: Centre to Supreme Court

The Centre on Friday (August 21, 2026) told the Supreme Court that approval has been granted for conferring the prestigious President’s Medal for Gallantry on a former police officer who shot dead two dacoits during an operation in 2003. The Apex Court had in July expressed its displeasure over the Centre’s non-compliance with a Madhya Pradesh High Court direction to confer the award on former police officer Vivek Singh Chouhan.

Jharkhand High Court stays notifications cancelling appointments of CDPOs, recruitment through JSSC-CGL exam

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday (August 21, 2026) stayed the notifications cancelling the appointments of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and those recruited through the JSSC-CGL examination. The court had on Wednesday (August 19) stayed the notifications cancelling the 11th and 13th Jharkhand PSC exams.

After Rahul Gandhi’s dharna, police register FIR on pellet gun use at Delhi protest

Following a seven-hour dharna (sit-in) by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, outside the office of New Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, police registered an FIR against the use of pellet guns on protesters during the July 20 march to Parliament. Mr. Gandhi sat in the dharna after Sahil Lochab, a 19-year-old who lost his vision in one eye after being hit by pellets during the protest, said the police had refused to register an FIR on his complaint.