The Indian Navy-US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Exercise 2026 will be conducted at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, from today till the 14th of this month. The Defence Ministry said the bilateral exercise aims to enhance interoperability and strengthen professional cooperation between the specialist diving and EOD teams of the two navies.

The five-day exercise will comprise Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, cross-training, equipment demonstrations and scenario-based practical exercises. The Ministry noted that the Indian Navy and US Navy have been conducting joint Salvage and EOD exercises since 2005 and the forthcoming engagement marks the eighth edition of this specialised bilateral training exercise.

India on Saturday launched E-Samudra, a comprehensive digital platform aimed at transforming maritime governance by bringing services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other stakeholders under a single digital window.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the platform at a national stakeholder interaction on “Seafarer Security, Safety and Welfare and Inauguration of E-Samudra” in Mumbai.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to make maritime administration more transparent, technology-driven and accessible while strengthening the safety, security and welfare of India’s growing seafarer workforce.

The government has extended the tenure of the Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Rahul Navin, by one year from the 13th of this month to the 13th of August next year. The extension in service will continue beyond his scheduled retirement on the 31st of July, 2027. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has given its approval to extend the tenure of Rahul Navin, who is a 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.

Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Mohsen Rezaee has been appointed by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as his representative to Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), a decree published on Sunday said. He will replace Mohammad Baqir Zolghadr, who took up leadership of the council in March.

Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy of Communications and Information of the Office of the President, made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter).

"In light of the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr from his position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to new functions, President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei as the head of this body," he said.

HAL Airport in Bengaluru has become the first airport in the country to operationalise the Required Navigation Performance – Category H (RNP CAT H) helicopter approach procedure, a state-of-the-art satellite-guided precision navigation system developed exclusively for helicopters.

The advanced navigation procedure, developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), was validated through flight trials conducted by HAL test pilots before receiving approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The system enables helicopters to fly highly accurate and optimised flight paths, allowing safer operations even in challenging weather conditions.

One of the biggest advantages of the new system is its ability to significantly reduce approach time.

The Indian Home Ministry has issued a slew of new guidelines prohibiting any new solar, wind and hybrid renewable energy projects within 1 km of the border and barring the employment of engineers, staff, employees and labour from land border countries, especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, for project implementation without the permission of the government.

Under the guidelines issued by the Ministry's Internal Security wing, areas within 50 km of the Line of Control (LOC), Line of Actual Control (LAC) or the international border have been designated as "sensitive areas".

Projects proposed within 20 km of the border will also require a separate No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Defence.

These requirements are part of fresh guidelines issued by the MHA for granting national security clearance to solar, wind and hybrid projects proposed in border areas.

The guidelines further state that project developers cannot transfer land to a foreign company without prior approval from the federal government, including security clearance from the Home Ministry.

Claiming a historic turnaround, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains on Thursday, August 06, 2026 said the state has overtaken Kerala to rank No. 1 in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026. While 8,000 schools had no boundary walls and 4 lakh children sat on the floor in 2022, today Punjab has 882 NEET qualifiers from government schools and has become the first state in the country to introduce Artificial Intelligence as a core subject from Classes I to XII. This is the revolution AAP led government promised.

Participating in a discussion on an education-related resolution moved by MLA Prof. Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, Mr. Bains recalled the dire state of affairs when he assumed office in July 2022.

The Government of India has formally assigned standard names to 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, reinforcing its official cartographic records amid the continuing boundary dispute with China.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Friday that the exercise was carried out in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

The newly designated names have been incorporated into the official maps of the Survey of India (SoI), providing uniform legal, administrative and cartographic recognition to the identified locations.

The move comes against the backdrop of Beijing's repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, which China refers to as "South Tibet".

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday urged greater adoption of modern technology and digital platforms to ensure the sustainable growth of India’s handloom sector, while emphasising the need to encourage young entrepreneurs, designers and startups to connect traditional crafts with contemporary markets and global value chains.

The President was addressing the 12th National Handloom Day celebrations at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre (RBCC), where she presented the prestigious Sant Kabir Handloom Awards and National Handloom Awards 2025 in recognition of outstanding craftsmanship, innovation and contributions to preserving India’s rich weaving traditions.

On the occasion, President Murmu also released four commemorative postage stamps celebrating India’s diverse handloom weaving traditions and unveiled “Earth. Root. Thread – Aal Dyed Handloom Textiles of Central India”, a publication of the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms documenting India’s weaving heritage and excellence in the sector.

Ariha Pangambam has become the first Indian to win a gold medal in the senior women's individual event of the Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships.

The Indian gymnast topped the podium with a score of 19.100 in the final, finishing ahead of the continental field to claim India's maiden gold in the event.

Ariha earned 8.650 for artistry, 7.600 for execution and 2.850 for difficulty to seal the title.

"A great achievement for us. Did very well. Kudos to her and her coach," Gymnastic Federation of India president Sudhir Mital said.