BCI chairman apologises to law students amid enrolment ban controversy

Days after the Bar Council of India (BCI) tried to prevent NALSAR students from enrolling with State Bar Councils before a backlash forced it to recant, BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday (August 15, 2026) apologised to law students for any hurt caused by his words or communications. In a three-page letter issued on Independence Day, Mr. Mishra — who is also a senior advocate and BJP MP — said he regretted and apologised for any of his statements or directives that may have hurt students.

Iran fires back at Trump’s threat to declare Hormuz a U.S. territory

Iran on Saturday (August 15, 2026) fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory, saying the crucial energy waterway it has blockaded “will remain Iranian”. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said the strait, which Tehran effectively closed at the start of the West Asia war in late February, is under U.S. control, an assertion the Islamic Republic denies. “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X.

Jharkhand students demand CM Soren’s resignation, ask Congress to ‘withdraw support’ from JMM coalition

Students, protesting against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations, on Saturday (August 15, 2026), accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress of playing politics over their issues and announced that they would gherao Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence in Ranchi on August 20, demanding his resignation. The protesters also demanded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi withdraw support from the JMM-led coalition if the “CM is not listening” to him.

Rahul Gandhi demands justice for woman killed at Uttarakhand resort

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has met the family of Ankita Bhandari, who was killed at a resort in Uttarakhand for allegedly “resisting the demands of a VIP guest”. In a social media statement on Saturday (August 15, 2026), Mr. Gandhi said four years had passed since the murder, but even today the family is waiting for justice. Mr. Gandhi said he met Ms. Bhandari’s parents two days ago. Maintaining that the post-mortem report also confirmed evidence of violence and drowning, he said Ankita’s room at the resort was demolished before any kind of investigation could take place, which was suspicious in itself.

Mahua Moitra seeks Lok Sabha Speaker’s intervention over alleged eviction bid from Circuit House

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking his intervention in the Nadia district administration’s alleged attempt to force her to vacate a Circuit House after she was initially allotted a room at the State-owned property. The Krishnanagar MP has also threatened to move court over the alleged harassment, as she claimed that a large crowd had gathered outside the Circuit House on Friday (August 14, 2026) night, shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans after she refused to leave the premises.

With slogans and tears, Ujjain schoolgirls protest plan to shift government schools far away

Hundreds of school girls in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain have come out in protest against plans to merge and shift various government schools in which they study to Daudkhedi, a location about six-10 kilometres from their respective schools, and out of the city limits. At least six middle and secondary schools from areas including Sarafa, Mahakal Maidan, Maharajwada, and Jaisinghpura are likely to be impacted under the State government’s ongoing measures to merge smaller schools into larger schools, such as the Sandipani schools, earlier known as the flagship CM Rise schools.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Minahassa Peninsula; third to strike Indonesia

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Minahassa Peninsula, Indonesia, on Sunday (August 16, 2026), the German Research Centre for Geosciences said. This comes as a magnitude 6.5 quake struck Indonesia on Saturday afternoon (August 15, 2026), hours after a devastating 7.7-magnitude quake in the morning killed more than 40 people, CBS News reported.

Lebanon reports 11 dead in strikes that Israel says targeted Hezbollah

Lebanon said Israeli strikes on the south killed 11 people, including three children, on Saturday (August 15, 2026), the deadliest raids since deals in June eased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanese leaders condemned the strikes, which Israel’s military said were in retaliation for an attack by the Iran-backed militant group, with one targeting a Hezbollah commander it accused of using his family as “human shields”. The strikes came as Israel and Lebanon were set to hold an eighth round of U.S.-sponsored direct negotiations early next month in Rome.

Death toll in Zimbabwe ferry capsizing rises to 68: police

The death toll after a ferry capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba this week has risen to 68 after more bodies were recovered on Saturday, the police said. The overloaded passenger ferry run by the government’s Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) overturned on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) in choppy waters. The police “advises Zimbabweans and relevant stakeholders that the death toll in the Kariba RIDA boat accident is now 68 following the recovery of 22 bodies” on Saturday, they said in a short statement.

Ukraine attacks Russia’s Samara industrial site as Kyiv ramps up long-range strikes

A large-scale Ukrainian attack struck industrial infrastructure in Russia’s southwestern Samara region Saturday (August 15, 2026), a Russian official said. Ivan Noskov, head of the region’s capital, Samara, said air defence forces had repelled a “massive” missile attack, with “localised damage” to the city’s industrial sites. He also said that medical assistance had been provided to those injured in the attack but did not give further details.

Street rallies held as Taliban government marks five years ruling Afghanistan

The Taliban government celebrated five years of ruling Afghanistan on Saturday (August 15, 2026), with supporters taking to the streets, while critics decried tightening restrictions in all areas of daily life. Afghans packed into cars decorated with flags and drove around Kabul on a day that government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said “will be written in golden lines in the history of Afghanistan”.

Published - August 16, 2026 08:16 am IST