TODAY NEWS ON August 31, 2025

Source: The Hindu, Indian Express and others

PM Modi lands in China after seven years; to meet Xi, Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tianjin on Saturday (August 30, 2025), for his first visit to China since 2018. He is set to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several other leaders before attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on Monday (September 1, 2025). The Prime Minister’s much-anticipated meeting with Mr. Xi on Sunday (August 31, 2025) afternoon comes amidst a marked improvement in bilateral ties against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war. This is the second meeting between the two leaders in less than a year, after their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last October.

What awaits PM Modi at SCO Summit?

Even without the overhang of the rift with the U.S., Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit is replete with symbolism, some awkward encounters and many significant firsts. Mr. Modi will come face to face with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the first time since the Pahalgam terror attacks and Operation Sindoor. This will be his first in-person attendance at the SCO Summit in three years, a grouping that he appeared to have put on the backburner since his last appearance at the Samarkand Summit in 2022.

Election Commission gets close to 2 lakh requests to remove names from Bihar voters’ list

The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Saturday (August 30, 2025) that it had received more than 1.97 lakh requests from individuals to exclude names from the voters’ list in Bihar under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State. The poll body said that while 1,97,764 requests were for exclusion, as many as 29,872 requests were made for inclusion in the electoral rolls. It said that 33,771 requests filed for claims and objections were disposed of after seven days.

Modi reassures Ukraine of India’s support during call with Zelenskyy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 30, 2025) conveyed to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that India supports all efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine. In a phone conversation initiated by Mr. Zelenskyy, PM Modi reaffirmed India’s steadfast and consistent position for peaceful settlement of the conflict.

WBSSC publishes lists of tainted candidates barred from fresh recruitment in schools

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Saturday (August 30, 2025) published lists of “tainted ineligible” candidates, who were recruited during the recruitment process carried out by the Commission in 2016. While the List 1 contained 1,804 names with roll numbers of “tainted ineligible”, candidates, the List 2 contained the names of tainted candidates, who have applied for the ongoing recruitment process in the State-run schools and have been issued admit cards. The List 2 contained 1,020 names though there can be multiple applications by the same person, the Commission stated.

Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel Prime Minister in Sanaa

The Iranian-backed Houthis said on Saturday (August 30, 2025) that an Israeli airstrike killed the Prime Minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement. The Israeli military said that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”

Pakistan evacuates half a million people stranded by floods

Nearly half a million people have been displaced by flooding in eastern Pakistan after days of heavy rain swelled rivers, relief officials said on Saturday (August 30, 2025), as they carried out a massive rescue operation. Three transboundary rivers that cut through Punjab province, which borders India, have swollen to exceptionally high levels, affecting more than 2,300 villages.

RCB announces ₹25 lakh financial aid to families of stampede victims

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh each to the eleven people who died in the franchise’s IPL victory celebrations. In a post on ‘X’, RCB stated, “We lost eleven members of the RCB family. They were part of us. Part of what makes our city, our community & our team unique. Their absence will echo in the memories of each one of us. No amount of support can ever fill the space they’ve left behind. But as a first step, and with the deepest respect, RCB has extended ₹25 lakh each to their families. Not just as financial aid, but as a promise of compassion, unity, and ongoing care.”

Mehul Choksi’s bail plea rejected by Belgian court of appeal

The bail plea of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, wanted in India in connection with over ₹6,300-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB), has again been turned down by a court of appeal in Belgium, just ahead of his extradition hearing before a court in that country, officials said. The court rejected the appeal on strong reasons conveyed by the CBI to the Belgian prosecution that Choksi had escaped from many jurisdictions earlier as well to evade legal proceedings, and may flee to another country if let out on bail, they said.

ED alerts Interpol member countries on unique money laundering modus operandi; gets Purple Notice published

The Directorate of Enforcement has got published its first Interpol Purple Notice with respect to a unique trade-based money laundering modus operandi detected by the agency during investigations in a case. “...the ED’s investigating team unearthed a unique modus operandi of the nature of trade-based money laundering, about which it alerted its counterpart global law enforcement agencies across the Interpol’s 196 member countries through this notice. Purple Notice is one of the eight types published by Interpol, providing member countries with ‘information on modus operandi, objects, devices, and concealment methods used by criminals’,” the agency said on Friday.

Jagdeep Dhankhar seeks pension from Rajasthan Assembly as former MLA

Former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has sought resumption of his pension from the Rajasthan Assembly as an erstwhile legislator, when he represented Ajmer district’s Kishangarh constituency between 1993 and 1998. Mr. Dhankhar’s pension was discontinued in 2019 after he was appointed the Governor of West Bengal.
 

Global traders see hope as Donald Trump’s tariffs head to U.S. Supreme Court; GTRI urges India to act

A U.S. court ruling against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs has rekindled hope among global exporters of fairer access to the American market, even as the battle shifts to the Supreme Court in October. For India, however, the judgment has also exposed a critical vulnerability — its lack of a coherent response to the tariff shock. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in a 7–4 decision on August 29, ruled that Mr. Trump had exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by declaring trade deficits and fentanyl inflows as “national emergencies” to justify broad tariffs. The judges reaffirmed that tariff powers lie with Congress, not the president.

Former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Parubiy shot dead in Lviv

A Ukrainian lawmaker who formerly served as speaker of parliament was shot dead on Saturday in the western city of Lviv, authorities said, in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as a “horrific murder”. Mr. Zelenskyy vowed a thorough investigation into the killing of Andriy Parubiy, a well-known politician who was parliamentary speaker in the 2010s. Police said Parubiy, 54, “died on the spot as a result of his injuries”.

U.S. warship enters Panama Canal, heading toward Caribbean

A U.S. guided missile cruiser, USS Lake Erie, was seen crossing the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Caribbean on Friday night, after the Trump administration deployed warships near the coast of Venezuela. AFP journalists saw the naval vessel passing through one of the canal’s locks at around 9:30 p.m. (0230 GMT Saturday) and navigating east toward the Atlantic. The United States has said the deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela’s territorial waters, was an anti-drug trafficking operation. “I didn’t know the ship was going to pass... I was surprised,” Alfredo Cedeno, a 32-year-old health technician, who took photos of the cruiser, told AFP.

Protesters set fire to Indonesian Parliament buildings in several provinces

Indonesian protesters set ablaze regional parliament buildings in three provinces during continuing demonstrations on Saturday, a day after three people were killed in violence that has presented a major test for President Prabowo Subianto. Parliamentary buildings in West Nusa Tenggara, Pekalongan city in Central Java and Cirebon city in West Java were set on fire by protesters, local media reported. Detik.com said the protesters looted Parliament’s office equipment in Cirebon while police shot tear gas to disperse them in Pekalongan and West Nusa Tenggara.

Class 9 girl delivers baby: Police arrest prime accused in Yadgir district of Karnataka

The police arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with the case of a class 9 student delivering a baby in the government-run residential school in Yadgir district of Karnataka, on August 30. Superintendent of Police Pruthvik Shankar told The Hindu over the phone, “The accused was arrested by the police.” He gave the name of the accused as Paramanna Ningappa Wari. The accused was initially booked under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita 2023, Sections 4, 6 and 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, and Sections 33 and 34 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 after he was accused of subjecting the victim to sexual assault.

Rahul Dravid steps down as head coach of Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals on Saturday announced that head coach Rahul Dravid will step down ahead of the 2026 IPL season, after turning down a “broader position” within the franchise. Dravid was appointed as the head coach of the Royals ahead of the IPL 2025 season. Interestingly, the Royals announcement comes amidst rumours that skipper Sanju Samson also wants to leave the franchise. “Rahul has been central to the Royals’ journey for many years. His leadership has influenced a generation of players, instilled strong values within the squad, and left an indelible mark on the culture of the franchise,” Royals posted in a statement on X.