Bihar SIR row hearing continues; petitioners in SC argue low-coverage documents make Bihar SIR exclusionaryThe Supreme Court continued its hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the 11 documents required to be submitted by an elector for Bihar’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll as opposed to seven documents in summary revision conducted previously showed the exercise was “voter friendly”. Meanwhile, petitioners argued that the ECI has included documents such as pension cards, which are held by only a small fraction of Bihar’s population, making the process exclusionaryPM Modi likely to visit U.S. for UNGA session next monthPrime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the annual high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the United Nations. According to the provisional list of speakers for the high-level debate of the 80th session of the General Assembly, India’s “Head of Government (HG)” will address the session on the morning of September 26.Illegal betting app case: Suresh Raina appears before Enforcement Directorate on August 13“Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in New Delhi for questioning in an alleged illegal betting app-linked money-laundering case,” official sources said. The former Indian cricketer is understood to have been linked to the app through certain endorsements. The ED officials are expected to understand his links with this app during the questioning.Hindu temple desecrated in U.S., Indian consulate calls it ‘reprehensible’The signboard of a Hindu temple was defaced in the U.S. city of Indiana, an incident described by the Indian consulate as “reprehensible”. The “hateful act” took place at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Greenwood city, the temple’s official public affairs account said in an X post. The Indian Consulate in Chicago took strong note of the act and called it “reprehensible”.Pakistan will not allow India to snatch ‘even one drop’ of its water: PM Shehbaz SharifPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said India would not be allowed to snatch “even one drop” of water belonging to Pakistan, amid tensions between the two neighbours. I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even one drop of Pakistan,” Prime Minister Sharif said while addressing a ceremony in Islamabad.U.S. embeds trackers in AI chip shipments to catch diversions to ChinaU.S. authorities have secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips they see as being at high risk of illegal diversion to China, according to two people with direct knowledge of the previously unreported law enforcement tactic. The measures aim to detect AI chips being diverted to destinations which are under U.S. export restrictions, and apply only to select shipments under investigation, the people said. They show the lengths to which the U.S. has gone to enforce its chip export restrictions on China, even as the Trump administration has sought to relax some curbs on Chinese access to advanced American semiconductors.Indian Olympic Association formally approves India’s 2030 Commonwealth Games bidThe Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally approved the country’s bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games during its Special General Meeting (SGM) in New Delhi. India has already submitted an Expression of Interest for the 2030 CWG with Ahmedabad as the host city. But the nation will have to submit the proposals for the final bid before the August 31 deadline.CJI agrees to consider listing stray dog issue after petitioner unearths 2024 SC order to treat animals with compassionChief Justice of India B.R. Gavai agreed to look into an urgent request to list a case regarding community dogs in the backdrop of an August 11 order of the apex court directing them to be rounded up from Delhi streets and detained in shelters within six to eight weeks, never to be let out in public spaces again. In an urgent mentioning, a lawyer informed the Chief Justice about a May 9, 2024 order to treat stray canines with compassion.Supreme Court cancels wrestler Sushil Kumar’s bail in Chhatrasal Stadium murder caseThe Supreme Court cancelled bail to Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar at the Chhatrasal Stadium in the national capital. The wrestler has been asked to surrender within a week. Mr. Kumar and others are accused of fatally assaulting Dhankar in May 2021 over an alleged property dispute.Tejashwi claims Muzaffarpur Mayor has two EPIC numbers, days after allegation against Bihar Deputy CMThe Leader of the Opposition in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav suggested that yet another high-profile name has two EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) numbers, days after accusing Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha of the same. Following the allegation by Mr. Yadav, the ECI issued a notice to Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi and sought her reply by August 16, 2025. The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Muzaffarpur sent her the notice.Our relationship with both India and Pakistan is ‘good’: U.S.America’s relationship with both India and Pakistan is “good”, the U.S. State Department has said, asserting that the diplomats are “committed to both nations”. Speaking at a briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the U.S. working with both nations is good news for the region and the world, and will promote a beneficial future.At least three dead, thousands displaced as wildfires rage across southern EuropeWildfires intensified across southern Europe after a nightlong battle to protect the perimeter of Greece’s third-largest city, with at least three more deaths reported in Spain, Turkiye and Albania. Firefighting resources were stretched thin in many affected countries as they battled multiple outbreaks following weeks of heat waves and temperature spikes across Mediterranean Europe.