TODAY NEWS ON August 26, 2026

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

Modi, Xi have given ‘clear and positive direction’ to relations, says NSA Ajit Doval in Beijing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have given “a clear and positive direction” to the India-China relationship which has been “steadily returning to normalcy”, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said in Beijing on Tuesday (August 25, 2026). Mr. Doval held extensive consultations with Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi, as the two sides held the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives on the boundary question.

Mr. Doval and Mr. Wang spent several hours in each other’s company, first during “small group” discussions that both sides described as detailed and went on for more than 90 minutes, then during larger delegation level talks. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Doval also called on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Opposition, BJP spar in Home Affairs panel over demand for discussion on Delhi protest crackdown

A heated exchange broke out in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) after Opposition members demanded a discussion on alleged police excesses during the July 20 protest in Delhi, including the alleged use of pellet guns.

U.S. country music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80: family

U.S. country music legend Dolly Parton, who grew up poor in Tennessee and became a household name with hits like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors,” has died at age 80, her family said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026). “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew said in a video on social media.

NYC Mayor Mamdani opposes RSS chief Bhagwat’s Madison Square event

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) said he does not support the planned event at Madison Square Garden where Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will address members of the Indian diaspora. However, he said the city may not have jurisdiction to cancel the “private” event, which is scheduled for August 29.

Identify, eliminate threats before they grow big: Amit Shah urges security agencies

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) said India’s security policy must be framed keeping in view emerging global challenges, including geopolitical instability, energy and resource insecurity, supply chain disruptions, rising radicalisation and cyber misinformation campaigns, while urging security agencies to anticipate threats before they become major crises.

U.N. committee calls for addressing ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’ in India

The official Indian delegation at the 11th periodic review of the State of India by the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) had “rejected” the findings of the Committee, said official sources on Tuesday (August 26, 2026).

Iran, Oman hold talks on managing Strait of Hormuz

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaid met Tuesday (August 25, 2026) with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss a framework for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. A joint statement by the two countries, located on opposite sides of the narrow strait, said the proposed framework includes a “joint temporary navigational corridor” and both countries working to clear mines from the waterway.

Congress backs women’s right to choose attire, says bodily autonomy ‘firmly’ supported

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) said the party stood firmly for women’s bodily autonomy and agency, asserting that every woman, irrespective of her caste, class or religion, had the right to choose what she wore. “Whether the hijab is essential to Islam or not is for religious scholars to decide. From a socio-political standpoint, we stand firmly for women’s bodily autonomy and agency,” Mr. Khera said in a post on social media platform X.

Supreme Court refuses to interfere in Delhi Race Club plea against eviction

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) refused to intervene in a challenge raised by the Delhi Race Club against an order to evict from an 84-acre premises on Lok Kalyan Marg. A Bench headed by Justice Satish Chandra Sharma allowed the club to approach the jurisdictional District Judge, who is the appellate authority, for relief later that same day (August 25, 2026).

West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court demands data on appeals as municipal polls close in

Five months after constituting 19 appellate tribunals to hear appeals arising from the special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) found that public information regarding these proceedings remains sparse or speculative, even as upcoming municipal elections draw near in the State.

OBC creamy-layer criteria: Supreme Court to set up special Bench to hear Centre’s plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) agreed to consider setting up a special Bench to hear Centre’s plea seeking clarification on the applicability of its March 11 judgment on OBC creamy-layer criteria to candidates of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seeks directions allowing the government to proceed with service allocation of the 958 candidates recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for CSE-2025 on the basis of the OBC creamy-layer determination applied before the March 11 verdict.

Wearing a headscarf has not been established as an ‘essential religious practice’ for women in Islam: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court recently held that wearing a headscarf could not be established as an “essential religious practice” of Islam. The observation was made in a case involving a Muslim student’s demand to wear a hijab with her school uniform. A Division Bench of Justices J.J. Munir and Indrajeet Shukla, in an order of August 21, 2026, dismissed the petition filed by a Class 11 student seeking permission to wear a headscarf along with the prescribed uniform at the Tagore Public School in Prayagraj.

In her plea, the student had argued that wearing the scarf was an essential religious practice protected by her fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. She had worn a headscarf at the same school from Class 6 onwards without objection, she said.

Supreme Court dismisses Tarun Tejpal’s plea, directs him to surrender within two weeks

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) directed journalist Tarun Tejpal to surrender in two weeks in a 2013 rape case in which he has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Alok Aradhe said the appeal would be heard once the certificate of his surrender is filed in the Supreme Court on or before September 22, 2026. The State of Goa, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that Tejpal should surrender before his appeal is listed for hearing in the Supreme Court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for Tejpal, said his client’s appeal ought to be listed first.

NEET-UG protests case: Petitioners seek re-constitution of high-powered enquiry committee

Petitioners urgently sought before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant a re-constitution of the “under-equipped” high-powered enquiry committee (HPEC) chaired by former apex court Judge R. Subhash Reddy constituted to probe all issues concerning the police crackdown on students protesting NEET-UG paper leaks on July 20.

An application filed by the petitioners clarified that they were not commenting on the personal integrity of any members of the HPEC, but they said the “enquiry is required to test the role of persons occupying the highest levels of the Union Executive, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force”.

‘Structural differences have not disappeared’: Chinese strategic affairs scholar on India-China ties

Ahead of talks in Beijing on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Hu Shisheng, a leading Chinese strategic affairs scholar on South Asia, said the focus of both countries would be on “institutionalising stability” even as “structural differences” in the relationship remained.

India and China will on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) hold the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SRs) on the boundary question. Mr. Doval and Mr. Wang, who is also a member of the Politburo, will also take stock of relations ahead of next month’s expected visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the BRICS Summit, his first visit in seven years.