Hindustan Times

Flash floods on Wednesday killed at least 160 people in Nepal and left hundreds missing, including 57 tourists from Tamil Nadu traveling for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. Twenty-one of the Tamil Nadu group reached safety at an Armed Police Force outpost while 36 others and two drivers remain unaccounted for. At least 341 foreigners are reported among the missing across multiple nationalities.

Indian authorities issued a flood alert and evacuated more than 4,000 people from parts of Bihar following high discharge from the Valmiki Nagar barrage on the Gandak river. Discharge peaked at 1.50 lakh cusec around midnight before receding, with no reported damage to embankments. Nepal flash floods killed scores and left 133 Indian citizens and hundreds of tourists missing.

India communicated its standard practice of limiting media questions after high-level bilateral meetings ahead of the Modi-Trump encounter at the June G7 summit in France. The government described the request as routine VVIP coordination, while unverified reports indicate the US side proceeded with a 45-minute press conference. Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India, is referenced in related coverage of pre-meeting coordination.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday to express condolences and offer assistance following flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district. At least eight people died in Nepal and 105 Indians are reported missing after the Bhote Koshi River surged through the Rasuwagadhi-Timure area. Indian teams are coordinating rescue and relief efforts with Nepal.

Multiple sources report 384 travellers missing after a flash flood on the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal's Rasuwa district, with 291 identified as foreign nationals. Conflicting reports cite either 95 or 22 deaths, while Nepal has requested rescue assistance from India and China.

Multiple outlets report that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced the Annapoorani Super Six scheme providing three free LPG cylinders annually to eligible households and expanded free bus travel for women. Verified details include an estimated annual cost of ₹4,000 crore for the LPG scheme, direct bank transfers to female heads of households, and eligibility criteria covering income under ₹2.5 lakh, small farmers, and families with disabilities. Several elements including announcement date, exact beneficiary numbers, scheme name, and transgender eligibility remain disputed or unverified across sources.

A flash flood struck the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning, with at least 384 travelers reported missing according to multiple outlets. Verified figures list 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals among the missing, alongside a related mudslide at Gyirong Port on the Tibetan side and more than 50 stranded Tamil Nadu pilgrims. Body recovery counts remain disputed between sources.

BPSC examination controller Rajesh Kumar Singh used the Hindi proverb “haathi chale bazaar, kutte bhonke hazaar” during questioning about candidate protests over a new two-stage teachers’ recruitment exam format. The video circulated widely on social media, prompting criticism and a request from Singh to disregard the remark. Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav called for an apology, while reports differ on whether the comments addressed exam irregularities or the format change itself.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was granted a 21-day temporary release from Sunaria Jail on Tuesday and left the facility at approximately 6:05 a.m. This marks his 17th such release since 2020, with the convict heading to Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Supported reports confirm his imprisonment since August 2017 and convictions in two murder cases.

A mud and rock collapse along the Nepal-China Tibet border triggered flash flooding that affected mountain towns in Nepal and left at least three dead and 265 missing in Tibet. Rescue operations continued on August 27, 2026, with a verified group of 47 tourists reported missing in the Rasuwa area. Indian authorities placed NDRF teams on alert in border states while disputed casualty figures circulated across outlets.

A CRPF personnel sustained a leg injury in a gunfight in Taphou, Senapati district, on Monday. Two houses belonging to a Kuki family and a Poumai family were set ablaze by an unidentified group, locals blocked National Highway 2, and additional security forces were deployed. The Taphou Kuki Village Authority condemned the events.

A glacial collapse in Tibet triggered mudslides on Wednesday, leaving 558 people missing according to Associated Press reporting. Related flash floods along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district have left at least 133 Indians and dozens of foreign nationals unaccounted for, while death toll claims in Nepal range from unverified higher figures to lower confirmed counts contradicted by some sources.

Heavy rainfall occurred across Delhi-NCR on Monday, with the India Meteorological Department issuing red alerts for parts of the region. Supported reports confirm waterlogging, traffic congestion in Gurugram, and children in flooded streets. IMD alert details remain disputed between sources, and several specific flooding incidents lack verification.

The Ministry of External Affairs denied political clearance for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's US travel while approving the UK portion. Reddy described the decision as an insult to Telangana. The denial occurred amid a proposed itinerary tied to the Telangana Rising 2047 initiative.

Police in Bihar used water cannons and detained dozens of protesters attempting to march on the governor's residence in Patna on Tuesday. Demonstrators demanded cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission exam amid allegations of question paper leaks. Officials later stated that most demands had been addressed and the situation had become peaceful.

Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi sent a letter dated August 20, 2026, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to the use of open-ended questions for caste enumeration in the Population Census 2027. The letter, written in Hindi and briefed to reporters by Jairam Ramesh on August 25, 2026, argues that regional variations in caste names risk fragmenting counts. The government has selected open-ended recording for the first post-Independence caste count.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra, representing Krishnanagar in West Bengal, was directed by the Nadia district administration on August 14 to vacate the local Circuit House. She made an urgent oral mention before the Supreme Court after a prior High Court protective order, which the court declined to list immediately. A crowd gathered outside the facility that evening chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'.

BSP leader Mayawati issued a statement on the hijab row calling for local resolution between schools and authorities rather than court intervention. She referenced the Constitution framed under Dr. B R Ambedkar and emphasized rights to religious customs for all faiths. The Allahabad High Court separately dismissed a related petition from a minor student in a private Prayagraj school.

On August 25, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging exemption from the Teachers Eligibility Test for 328,701 teachers appointed before August 23, 2010. The resolution, moved by School Education Minister Rajmohan, calls for amendments to Section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and NCTE guidelines. It references a Supreme Court directive requiring TET clearance by August 31, 2028, for promotions.

A video showed fish being prepared at a banquet hall in Ayodhya for a welcome program for Congress state president Ajay Rai during the month of Sawan. Yogi Adityanath addressed the event in a speech in Raebareli, accusing Rai of duplicity after visiting Hanumangarhi temple. The program was attended by members of the Nishad community.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and held talks with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov during a two-day visit to Moscow. The meetings addressed bilateral trade growth, Russian fertilizer supplies to India, and upcoming summits including BRICS. Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

A chlorine gas leak occurred early Monday morning at a water treatment plant in Godhni, Nagpur, leading to 56 hospitalizations including 8 ICU cases. Responders contained the leak by submerging a faulty cylinder, and the National Disaster Response Force was deployed. The precise origin and cause remain undetermined, with reporting limited to two left-center sources.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated on August 25, 2026, that the government is considering annual random drug tests for all pilots. Current DGCA rules require testing of 10 percent of pilots, while DGCA is consulting stakeholders on changes. Air India began voluntary 100 percent testing on August 13 after an August 4 incident involving a marijuana-positive pilot.

Students marched in Patna on Tuesday against alleged irregularities in the 70th BPSC examination, moving from Gandhi Maidan toward Raj Bhavan. Police deployed water cannons and detained protesters after demonstrators broke through barricades and attempted to approach the chief minister's residence. The Bihar government stated that nearly all student concerns had been resolved, while protesters continued demands for a single-tier exam, greater transparency, and oversight by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued notices dated August 25 to 20 rebel TMC MPs who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, requiring responses within seven days to petitions filed by Abhishek Banerjee under the anti-defection law. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the matter and issued notices to the MPs while handling related procedural requests. Sources consist exclusively of left-center outlets, limiting perspective diversity.

A sudden flood hit the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa district, Nepal, on Wednesday morning, killing at least 22 people and leaving hundreds missing while damaging homes, bridges, and infrastructure. The event affected the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, prompted high alerts downstream, and involved cross-border search efforts by China in the Gyirong area. Cause remains disputed between reports of a Tibetan glacier lake outburst and an ice avalanche, with coverage limited to left-center sources.

A commuter traveling from Sector 48 to New Delhi Railway Station on Monday encountered waterlogged roads after rain began at 12:45 p.m., advancing only 500 metres by 3 p.m. The Gurugram district disaster management authority issued orders on Tuesday restricting school buses to safe routes during flooding. All details derive from two left-center sources with no additional perspectives represented.

Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, addressed the 60-member state assembly regarding Ministry of Coal leases for 12 coal blocks with production underway in three. The assembly unanimously passed a resolution, moved by Sangma, prohibiting uranium mining and processing facilities in the state. These developments follow the 2014 National Green Tribunal ban on rat-hole mining and the 2019 Supreme Court allowance for scientific methods.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy returned to Hyderabad on August 24, 2026, after spending three days in London. The Centre denied permission for the US portion of his trip. Reddy held meetings with UK universities that agreed to explore collaborations and later convened state officials while receiving support from Congress figures.