The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, through a voice vote, without any discussion, paving the way for IIM Guwahati to be recognised as an institute of national importance. The House was repeatedly adjourned amid disruptions before the Bill was finally passed.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the legislation, which seeks to include IIM Guwahati under the IIM Act of 2017. The move follows a Memorandum of Settlement signed between the Centre, the Assam government, and representatives of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) aimed at accelerating development in the region.

The Bill provides a corpus fund of Rs 555 crore over five years, from 2025-26 to 2029-30, after which the institute is expected to be financially self-sustaining through its internal accruals. “After five years, no additional support shall be extended to the Institute since it shall be generating enough revenue on its own,” the legislation states.

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, aimed at promoting sustainable mining, zero-waste practices, and advancing the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission. The bill follows its earlier passage in the Lok Sabha last week amid opposition demands for debate on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar.

Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, said the Modi government is committed to transparency in the mining sector, with production enhanced through the use of modern technology. He highlighted that critical minerals, vital for sectors including electric vehicles, batteries, LEDs, automotive parts, machines, and space applications, were largely neglected before 2014, leaving India dependent on imports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Tuesday approved the construction of a six-lane, access-controlled Capital Region Ring Road (Bhubaneswar Bypass) in Odisha under the hybrid annuity model (HAM). The total project cost is ₹8,307.74 crore, a PIB release said.

Currently, the stretch from Rameshwar to Tangi on the existing National Highway faces severe traffic congestion. Heavy traffic flows through urban centres such as Khordha, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack, causing delays and higher logistics costs.

To tackle these challenges, the new highway will be developed as a six-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor, which will help in diverting heavy commercial vehicles away from city centres. This will improve freight efficiency, reduce transport costs and drive economic growth in Odisha and neighbouring states.

Achyut Potdar Death News: Veteran actor Achyut Potdar passed away at the age of 91 in Thane, Mumbai. Achyut was known for playing several memorable roles in Hindi, Marathi cinema as well as television shows. According to reports, the actor was admitted to Jupiter Hospital in Thane after he faced some health issues. However, he could not survive and passed away on Monday.

It is also reported that his final rites will be held on Tuesday in Mumbai. Over the course of his long career, he acted in more than 125 Hindi and Marathi films, and nearly 100 television serials. Hansal Mehta paid his last respect and wrote on X, “I was a fan of his character as Jaggu dada’s father. The line “Ae Jaggu” from “Angaar” made me his permanent fan. Was a privilege to have directed him in my directorial debut “Jayate”. He played a professional medical witness. Amazing timing and a super caustic sense of humour. Go well Achyut.”

Assam Rifles, in collaboration with IIIT Manipur, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Mantripukhri today to promote drone technology for defence and security. The event was attended by Maj Gen Ravroop Singh, IG Assam Rifles (South), and the Director of IIIT Manipur, highlighting the importance of defence-academia cooperation.

As part of the initiative, an Advanced Drone Training and Refresher Course was also launched for Assam Rifles personnel, covering drone flight operations, maintenance, and DGCA-certified training. The programme aims to strengthen surveillance, reconnaissance, and logistics support capabilities. Around 80 participants, including defence personnel and IIIT faculty, took part in the event, reaffirming the shared commitment to innovation and capacity building.

Kapil Bainsla from Palwal, Haryana, won India their first gold of the 16th Asian Shooting Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, firing 243.0 in the 10m air pistol men junior final, leaving Uzbekistan’s Ilkhombek Obidjonov 0.6 behind in second.

Kapil’s compatriot Jonathan Gavin Antony won bronze shooting 220.7, bowing out after the 22nd shot of the 24-shot final.

Earlier Kapil had shot 579 to finish fourth in qualification and made the top eight alongside Jonathan who was second with 582. Mukesh Nelavali was just two inner 10s less than Jonathan, to finish third and make it three Indians in the final. Korean Kim Dooyeon topped the board, also shooting 582, but with at least six shots in the inner 10-ring more than Jonathan.

Malayalam film director Nisar, known for making mainstream movies on small budgets, died on Monday while undergoing treatment in Changanassery, industry sources said.

He was 65.

Born in Thrikkodithanam near Changanassery, Nisar made his debut in 1994 with the hit film 'Sudinam'.

Over the next two decades, he directed 27 films in Malayalam and Tamil.

His last release was 'Laughing Apartment Near Girinagar' in 2018.

The directors' union FEFKA paid tribute, saying Nisar stood out for finishing films quickly without compromising on quality.

Every day, humanitarians from all over the world put their lives in danger to deliver aid during emergencies. So, every year on August 19, people celebrate World Humanitarian Day to honour their bravery and to acknowledge the compassion that motivates humanitarian workers to help people in need. In times of global issues like conflict, climate change, and natural disasters, this day serves as a reminder of the value of empathy, solidarity, and group effort.

This day was initially set to commemorate the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of 22 aid workers. Since then, World Humanitarian Day has developed into a worldwide movement to draw attention to the ceaseless work done by humanitarians and to demand more robust assistance for communities that are at risk.

Real Madrid is, for the second year in a row, the most valuable football club brand in the world, as well as boasting the strongest brand for a fourth year on the bounce, according to the Football 50-2025 report, published by Brand Finance. Our club's brand value has risen by 14% to set a new record of 1.921 billion euros.

The Brand Finance report highlights that “record revenues achieved over two consecutive seasons, and the continuous increase in brand value, underline the strength of the Real Madrid brand, and reflect the fundamental role played by a solid, valuable brand in sustaining long-term growth. Real Madrid leads global markets as the favourite team among fans around the world."
Strongest brand in football.

Brand Finance also determines the strength of brands through a range of metrics which assess marketing investment, brand stakeholder equity, and business performance. In this area, Real Madrid maintains top spot for a fourth consecutive year, receiving a score of 94.9 out of 100, and the best possible AAA+ rating.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and IIT-Guwahati have collaborated to introduce biodegradable and compostable materials as a replacement for conventional plastic to ensure environmental sustainability, officials said.

As a pilot initiative, NFR has introduced eco-friendly green bed-roll bags on its trains, replacing traditional plastic bags used for distributing linen to passengers.

Developed at IIT-Guwahati's in-house research and development facility, the bio-plastic degrades in compost within a short time, according to an official release.

It was formally rolled out on August 15 with around 40,000 such bags to be distributed across 25 trains originating from terminals in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, it said.