New York | 26 Aug 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has opposed an August 29 event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden, triggering divided reactions from Indian political leaders and civil rights organisations.

• Mamdani opposes Bhagwat’s event
• Universal Oneness Celebration
• Indian political leaders respond
• Groups seek cancellation

Mamdani opposes Mohan Bhagwat’s New York event

Mamdani said he did not support the private gathering but acknowledged that the New York City administration might not have the authority to prevent it from taking place.

“I don’t support the rally, but I don’t know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event.”— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim and Indian-American mayor, said his family had taught him to view India as a pluralistic and secular republic in which every citizen belonged equally. He described movements based on what he called an exclusionary vision as troubling and said they conflicted with New York’s commitment to diversity.

His comments did not amount to an order cancelling the programme, and no cancellation had been announced as of August 26.

Universal Oneness Celebration scheduled for August 29

Bhagwat is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Universal Oneness Celebration on August 29. The programme is being organised by the AHEAD Forum, formally known as American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue.

Organisers describe the gathering as an initiative promoting shared heritage, interfaith harmony and the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning “the world is one family”. The AHEAD Forum said more than 200 Hindu American organisations were supporting the programme.

The event coincides with Raksha Bandhan and is part of the RSS’s centenary-year international outreach. Bhagwat’s overseas itinerary also includes visits to Canada and the United Kingdom.

Indian political leaders divided over Mamdani’s position

Mamdani’s opposition prompted contrasting responses from Indian political parties. BJP leaders Syed Zafar Islam and Bhola Singh criticised his position and defended the RSS as an organisation involved in social service and nation-building.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC accused Mamdani of appeasement politics and questioned what she described as double standards towards the RSS and organisations associated with its community work.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey also called the opposition unwarranted. Although acknowledging his party’s political differences with the RSS, Dubey argued that those disagreements should not result in opposition to an Indian leader visiting another country.

Congress MP Imran Masood questioned the purpose of the programme and the message its organisers intended to convey internationally. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, meanwhile, said opposition to the event was understandable in a religiously diverse city such as New York.

Interfaith and civil rights groups seek cancellation

Several interfaith, civil rights and community organisations have urged Madison Square Garden to cancel Bhagwat’s appearance. Groups involved in the opposition include Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Center of New York.

The organisations have raised objections to the RSS’s ideology and record. The RSS rejects allegations of intolerance and describes itself as a Hindu-centred cultural and civilisational movement focused on social organisation and national development.

The AHEAD Forum has maintained that the programme is intended to promote mutual respect, unity and dialogue across communities. With Mamdani questioning the city’s jurisdiction over a privately organised indoor event, any decision affecting the booking would rest with the venue or organisers unless a valid legal or public-safety ground emerged.

New Delhi | 25 Aug 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government aims to make India free of illegal immigration in the shortest possible time, describing unauthorised entrants as a threat to national security, the economy and demographic stability.

• Four-pronged border security plan
• Long-term internal security strategy
• Criminal laws and fugitives
• Technology and narcotics enforcement

Four-pronged plan targets illegal immigration

Addressing the valedictory session of the Intelligence Bureau’s two-day National Security Strategies Conference in New Delhi, Shah said the Home Ministry had visited every state sharing a land border during the past eight months.

He said the ministry had shared a document setting out a four-pronged border security approach with those states. Each state should appoint a nodal officer of at least Senior Inspector General or Additional Director General rank to coordinate the campaign, he added.

“Our aim is to make the country infiltrator-free in a very short time.”— Amit Shah, Union Home Minister

Shah said India was not a “dharamshala” for people entering or staying illegally. Foreign nationals wishing to live in the country must use legal channels and obtain the required permission from the ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs, he said.

The conference was attended physically and virtually by senior police officers, directors general of police from the states and representatives of central security agencies.

Shah calls for long-term internal security strategy

Shah urged security agencies to study trends that could shape India’s internal security over the next 15 to 20 years and prepare preventive strategies before emerging problems become major threats.

He said security planning must account for global instability, uncertainty over energy and resources, supply-chain disruptions, growing radicalisation, cyber warfare and misinformation campaigns. Stronger coordination between the Centre, states and security agencies would be essential, he added.

Shah also asked the Intelligence Bureau to convene a meeting with districts along India’s maritime borders before the next conference and prepare a time-bound security roadmap.

Criminal laws and fugitive tracking

The Home Minister said the three new criminal laws would be fully implemented within the next year. He claimed the reforms would help conclude criminal cases through the Supreme Court within three years and increase the conviction rate by 25 per cent.

Shah said the government had strengthened mechanisms for bringing fugitives back to India, with around 274 people returned from abroad between 2019 and 2026. He asked state police forces to establish dedicated systems for pursuing fugitives residing overseas.

He also highlighted provisions for trials in absentia under the new legal framework and asked police chiefs to create dedicated units to follow up on such cases.

Technology and narcotics enforcement

Shah said an integrated data bank connecting CCTNS, ICJS, NATGRID and NAFIS had been created. He encouraged officers to use artificial intelligence for data analysis, identifying criminal methods and generating actionable intelligence.

On narcotics, he directed state police forces to implement the Narcotics Control Vision Document 2026–2029 and follow the “Detect, Disrupt and Destroy” approach. Dedicated teams should be formed in every state to carry out the programme, he said.

Shah said early identification of security challenges, supported by Centre-state cooperation, was necessary to build what he described as a secure, infiltration-free and drug-free India.

Rasuwa | 26 Aug 2026

A sudden Rasuwa flood left 28 security personnel out of contact on Wednesday after the Bhote Koshi River surged through Timure and Syabrubesi, damaging settlements, police posts and power infrastructure and triggering downstream warnings across five Nepalese districts.

• Search begins for 28 security personnel
• Rasuwa flood alert extends downstream
• Homes and power infrastructure damaged
• Flood cause and rescue response

Search begins for 28 security personnel

The personnel include 19 members of Nepal Police and nine from the Armed Police Force, according to information presented at an emergency meeting of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Thirteen of the 22 officers assigned to the Rasuwagadhi Police Post remained unreachable, while six of nine officers stationed in Syabrubesi were also out of contact. Nine Armed Police Force personnel deployed at the Timure Border Outpost had not established contact.

The flood struck at about 9 am after water entered the Bhote Koshi from the Tibetan side of the Nepal–China border. Officials were still assessing the overall casualty toll and the full scale of the destruction.

Rasuwa flood alert extends downstream

Authorities placed communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers on high alert in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan. Residents near riverbanks, markets and other vulnerable areas were instructed to move to safer ground.

The government advised people to avoid the Prithvi Highway, the Galchhi–Nuwakot–Rasuwa–Syabrubesi road and the Mugling–Narayangadh corridor while emergency operations continued.

Floodwater entered Nuwakot District Prison, but its inmates were transferred to a safe location. The water level there later began receding, according to the prison administration.

Homes and power infrastructure damaged

Preliminary assessments indicated that approximately 60 houses near Trishuli Bazaar in Nuwakot were swept away. Two concrete bridges across the Trishuli River were also destroyed. No deaths had been reported in Nuwakot at the time of the district administration’s initial assessment.

The Nepal Electricity Authority reported damage to six major power facilities: Rasuwagadhi, Chilime, Trishuli 3A, the Trishuli 3B Hub 220-kilovolt substation, Trishuli Hydropower Station and Devighat Hydropower Station. Electricity distribution infrastructure was also affected.

Markets, houses, hotels and vehicles were reported damaged in Timure and Syabrubesi. Three Nepal Police offices—the Timure Area Police Office, Syabrubesi Police Post and Rasuwagadhi Police Post—also sustained damage.

Flood cause and rescue response

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said rainfall was not considered the cause of the flood. Senior meteorologist Meen Kumar Aryal said rainfall in parts of Rasuwa had not exceeded seven millimetres during the preceding 24 hours.

Officials were investigating whether a glacial lake outburst or another upstream event caused the sudden surge. No definitive cause had been established.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah ordered intensified search, rescue and relief operations. The Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and district authorities mobilised personnel, while two military helicopters and medical teams were deployed to the affected region.

The government also convened emergency disaster-management and Cabinet meetings to coordinate evacuations, relief supplies and the search for those who remained unreachable.

Mumbai | 26 Aug 2026

Veteran Hindi filmmaker Kuku Kohli has died at 77 in Mumbai after suffering a massive heart attack. Kohli, best known for directing the 1991 film Phool Aur Kaante, which launched Ajay Devgn as a leading actor, died on Tuesday, 25 August, at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

• Kuku Kohli dies at 77 after heart attack
• ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ launched Ajay Devgn
• Kuku Kohli’s film career
• Tributes and last rites in Mumbai

Kuku Kohli Dies at 77 After Massive Heart Attack

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, a friend of Kohli, confirmed the death. He told PTI that Kohli had felt uncomfortable and was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday.

“He was feeling uncomfortable and was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday. He passed away due to a massive heart attack around 4.30 pm.”— Ashoke Pandit, filmmaker and Kuku Kohli’s friend

Separate accounts from Kohli’s family and representatives said doctors had treated a cardiac blockage and placed a stent before his condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening.

Kohli is survived by veteran actor Aruna Irani and his two daughters from an earlier marriage, Pooja Kohli and filmmaker Karishma Kohli.

‘Phool Aur Kaante’ Director Gave Ajay Devgn His Film Debut

Kohli remains most closely associated with Phool Aur Kaante, his 1991 directorial debut. The action-romance introduced Ajay Devgn as a leading actor and also featured Madhoo, Aruna Irani, Jagdeep and Amrish Puri.

Devgn’s entrance in the film, balancing with one foot on each of two moving motorcycles, became one of the most recognisable debut sequences in mainstream Hindi cinema.

Kohli later worked with Devgn again in the 1994 action film Suhaag, which also starred Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor and Nagma, and in Haqeeqat in 1995 alongside Tabu.

Kuku Kohli’s Career Included ‘Suhaag’, ‘Anari No. 1’ and ‘Zulmi’

Before becoming an independent director, Kohli worked in filmmaking under established directors including Raj Kapoor and was associated with productions such as Betaab and Arjun.

His directing credits included Kohraam, Suhaag, Haqeeqat, Anari No. 1, Zulmi and Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa. His final feature-film directorial release was Woh Tera Naam Tha in 2004.

Film Industry Pays Tribute as Last Rites Set for Wednesday

Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association president Abhay Sinha also confirmed Kohli’s death and expressed condolences. Ashoke Pandit separately shared a tribute remembering the filmmaker.

Kohli’s last rites are scheduled to be held on Wednesday, 26 August, at Mumbai’s Oshiwara Crematorium. Reports said the cremation was planned for 11 am, following a final viewing earlier in the morning.

New Delhi | 25 Aug 2026

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said politics and warfare were inseparable, arguing that military force must serve clearly defined political objectives. He made the remarks during a discussion on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi on Tuesday.

• Political objectives shape military options
• Defence preparedness determines available choices
• Operation Sindoor remains strategically relevant
• Chauhan calls for changing military strategies

Political objectives shape military options

Invoking Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, Chauhan said a country’s political interests remained paramount and the armed forces were one of several instruments available to protect them.

“Politics and war are inseparable. Clausewitz said that war is a continuation of politics by other means.”— General Anil Chauhan, former Chief of Defence Staff

Chauhan said that when a democratic government decided to use force, the military had two principal responsibilities: offering options capable of meeting the government’s objectives and giving the political leadership confidence that those options could be executed successfully.

He stressed that each military choice involved a different level of operational risk and had to be evaluated against the political purpose it was intended to achieve.

“Each option has a certain kind of risk involved in it. So, it’s an interplay between risk and attainment of political objectives.”— General Anil Chauhan, former Chief of Defence Staff

Defence preparedness determines available choices

According to Chauhan, the number and quality of options available during a crisis depend on investments made during peacetime. Defence capabilities, military training, war games and contingency planning must be developed well before the government considers deploying force, he said.

Military leadership also influences the choices available to the government through the quality of training and operational scenarios it prepares. No armed force could remain completely prepared for every contingency at all times, he added, making continuous assessment and adaptation essential.

Operation Sindoor remains strategically relevant

Discussing the Operation Sindoor aftermath, Chauhan said the main phase of active operations had concluded but the campaign remained relevant to strategic communities in India and abroad.

“In some ways, it is ongoing. The major part of active operations has concluded, but this remains a subject of interest for the strategic community.”— General Anil Chauhan, former Chief of Defence Staff

He said the operation should be assessed alongside the deficiencies identified during it, measures taken to address those gaps, the changing character of warfare and wider global uncertainty.

India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May 2025 following the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national. The Indian government said its forces targeted nine terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

India and Pakistan subsequently exchanged military strikes before agreeing on 10 May 2025 to stop firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea.

Chauhan calls for changing military strategies

Chauhan said military planners could not repeatedly rely on the same response because predictability reduced the prospects of success. He cited India’s different approaches following the Uri, Pulwama and Pahalgam attacks.

The response after Uri involved land-based surgical strikes, while the Balakot operation following the Pulwama attack used air power. Operation Sindoor employed another approach, including the use of lower airspace, which Chauhan said was intended to preserve surprise and control the threshold of conflict.

Chauhan served as India’s second Chief of Defence Staff until 30 May 2026. General NS Raja Subramani assumed charge as the country’s third CDS on 31 May 2026.

Washington | 25 Aug 2026

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration was considering renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America”, linking the proposal to the escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada. No formal name-change measure was announced.

Table of Contents

• Trump’s Lake Ontario Proposal Remains Informal
• Canada Declines to Engage With Renaming Remark
• Tariffs Deepen US-Canada Trade Dispute
• Lake Ontario Is a Shared Boundary Water

Trump’s Lake Ontario Proposal Remains Informal

Trump raised the possible change in a post on Truth Social, saying the United States expected to conduct substantially less business with Ontario. He later shared an altered map showing the existing name crossed out and “Lake America” displayed in its place.

“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.”— Donald Trump, President of the United States

The post did not specify whether the administration would issue an executive order or pursue another formal process. Trump previously directed US federal agencies to use “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico through an executive order signed in January 2025.

Canada Declines to Engage With Renaming Remark

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for US trade, said the federal government would not respond to daily social-media statements from Trump or members of his administration.

The Canadian government did not indicate that it would recognise any alternative name for the lake. Trump’s proposal would not by itself determine how Canadian authorities, international organisations or institutions outside the United States identify the waterway.

Tariffs Deepen US-Canada Trade Dispute

The remarks came after bilateral trade negotiations broke down and Washington imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on Canadian goods valued at C$27.6 billion, effective from 22 August.

Canada subsequently announced matching counter-tariffs on C$27.6 billion of US products from 8 September. The measures cover sectors including steel and aluminium, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics and electronics. Existing Canadian counter-tariffs on US vehicles will remain in force.

Trump has also threatened tariffs of 50 per cent on Canadian vehicles, automotive components and steel. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has accused Washington of seeking concessions that would damage Canada’s automotive, steel and aluminium industries.

Lake Ontario Is a Shared Boundary Water

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes. It lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York and forms part of the international boundary between the two countries.

Canada and the United States cooperate on shared waters through arrangements including the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and the International Joint Commission. Trump’s post did not explain how the proposed name would apply to the lake’s binational status or existing cross-border institutions.

Trump Lake Ontario name change, Lake America proposal, US Canada trade dispute, Trump Canada tariffs, Canada retaliatory tariffs, Lake Ontario latest news, US Canada relations, Donald Trump Canada policy

#DonaldTrump #LakeOntario #LakeAmerica #CanadaUSTrade #WorldNews

India | 25 Aug 2026

Actor Kriti Sanon has defended her Raksha Bandhan advertisement following criticism of her attire and the campaign’s inclusion of a pet dog, arguing that a woman’s respect for culture should not be judged by her clothes.

The Bollywood actor addressed the controversy through an Instagram Story on Tuesday after the jewellery campaign generated divided reactions online and drew criticism from actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut.

Kriti Sanon Responds to Raksha Bandhan Ad Criticism

Sanon said the meaning of a festival comes from the emotions and significance attached to its traditions, rather than the clothes worn during the celebration.

She explained that she and her sister, Nupur Sanon, tie rakhis to each other because they believe they can protect one another as much as a brother could. She added that their prayers for health, happiness and longevity also extend to their dogs, whom they consider family.

Sanon also questioned why women continued to be told what they should wear and said ethnic fashion had evolved over time.

“Culture & Traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!”

— Kriti Sanon, actor

Although her statement came after Ranaut’s remarks, Sanon did not name the actor-politician directly.

Why the GIVA Campaign Sparked Debate

The Raksha Bandhan advertisement for jewellery brand GIVA features Sanon in an off-white bralette-style blouse, cape and draped skirt. It also includes a sequence in which she ties a rakhi to a dog.

Some social media users objected to the outfit and questioned the absence of familiar ceremonial elements such as a puja thali and tilak. Others defended the campaign and said the criticism amounted to policing a woman’s clothing.

Ranaut joined the debate through an Instagram Story on Monday. She questioned the choice of an outfit she compared with a bikini or undergarments and described the advertisement as appearing “intentionally creepy”.

Nupur Sanon Backs Her Sister

Nupur Sanon subsequently reposted her sister’s statement and criticised those objecting to the actor’s clothing.

“Imagine being this bothered by what another woman chooses to wear. Respectfully, EVOLVE!”

— Nupur Sanon, actor and singer

Nupur said she was the sister to whom Kriti tied the rakhi and questioned why others should object when she herself had no problem with it.

The dispute has developed into a wider social-media debate over women’s clothing, contemporary advertising and the representation of traditional festivals.