‘Propitious environment needs to be created’: Bangladesh says PM Tarique Rahman will not visit India until Hasina’s extradition

Bangladesh said on Sunday (August 16, 2026) that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would not visit India until New Delhi extradited Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi former premier who fled during a 2024 uprising. The countries have had a strained relationship since deadly anti-government protests brought down Ms. Hasina’s government and prompted her to escape to neighbouring India, where she remains. She faces the death penalty in Bangladesh after being convicted of crimes against humanity, and Dhaka has repeatedly requested her extradition.

‘Congress policy to oppose anything patriotic’: BJP on Vande Mataram ‘insult’

The BJP on Sunday (August 16, 2026) alleged that opposing anything patriotic is the Congress’ policy and asked if anyone believing in the sovereignty and integrity of India would get “angry” over the invocation of Vande Mataram on Independence Day. The ruling party demanded that the Congress publicly apologise within 24 hours for the “insult” to the national song if it has even an “iota” of patriotism. The remarks came in the wake of the BJP’s allegations that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge showed “utter disrespect” towards Vande Mataram when it was sung at the party’s Independence Day event on Friday (August 14).

Two injured after Air India Express passenger’s gun goes off at Varanasi airport

Two people were injured after an Air India Express passenger’s gun went off at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Sunday (August 16, 2026). A passenger identified as Kamlesh Rai — a resident of Azamgarh district — arrived at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport with his wife to go to Mumbai on Air India Express flight IX1810, according to a statement issued by DCP Gomti Zone. He was carrying a licensed pistol. During the security check, an accidental firing occurred when the weapon and its ammunition were being inspected, police said.

FDA notice to Shah Rukh, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over Vimal Elaichi ad

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a show-cause notice to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, claiming it prima facie amounts to “indirect or surrogate” promotion of prohibited pan masala and tobacco-related products. The use of the expression “Vimal Elaichi” in the advertisement appeared to create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand and could mislead consumers while indirectly promoting the prohibited product, FDA said.

Asish Banerjee, former Bengal Minister and Trinamool leader, found dead in party office

Former West Bengal Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Ashis Banerjee was found dead on Sunday (August 16, 2026) morning inside a party office near his residence in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. The 75-year-old leader was a five-term Trinamool Congress MLA and was Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly from 2021 to 26. He lost the 2026 Assembly polls to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dhruba Saha. A note was also found, and the body has been sent for autopsy. Asish Banerjee, who taught at Rampurhat College, was a leader with a clean image. The note stated that he was not involved in any “wrongdoing”. “I had nothing to do with corruption and yet all these completely false allegations to malign me…” the note read.

ONGC gets U.S. licence to resume full Venezuela operations, eyes operatorship

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has secured a licence from the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), allowing it to resume full operations in Venezuela after years of limiting activity because of sanctions-related risks, a senior company official said. The U.S. approval removes a key hurdle for ONGC’s Venezuelan investments and could pave the way for the state-run explorer to expand production, sign new agreements and take over operatorship of some projects from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, Anupam Agarwal, director-finance at ONGC, said at an investor call post first-quarter earnings announcement.

Proud to be ‘dimagi Naxal’: Congress’ P. Chidambaram hits back at PM

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘dimagi naxal’ remark, and said, “I am proud to be a dimagi naxal”. Mr. Chidambaram’s dig at the PM came a day after Mr. Modi warned the country about the ‘dimagi naxals’ who have allegedly entrenched themselves in the system and continue to pose a threat to society by manipulating policies. Mr. Modi urged the citizens to “identify and isolate” them. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said the country had succeeded in removing armed Naxalism from the forests but warned that its ideological supporters were seeking opportunities to promote violence and anarchy.v

Thousands evacuate after Indonesia earthquake kills 51, cuts roads

Around 5,000 people have been evacuated after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake smashed an area in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 51, blocking roads and causing landslides, authorities said on Sunday (August 16, 2026). Thirty-six people were seriously injured in the Saturday morning (August 15, 2026) quake in East Nusa Tenggara province, while 77 had minor injuries, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus told a televised meeting. The quake, followed by some 341 aftershocks, is the Southeast Asian nation’s deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java.

At least 12 killed, 10 injured in Polish bus crash in Hungary

A dozen people were killed and at least 10 injured after a Polish bus overturned at night on a motorway in eastern Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Sunday (August 16, 2026) morning in a Facebook post. The bus ran into a ditch and tipped over early on Sunday (August 16, 2026) near the town of Mezokeresztes in eastern Hungary, police said, adding that the bus was heading towards the city of Nyiregyhaza on the motorway when the accident happened. State news agency MTI said there were 57 passengers and two drivers on the bus. Pictures from the scene showed a badly damaged red bus lying on one side in a ditch by the motorway with windows smashed and belongings and suitcases scattered around.

In one of its largest aerial attack, Ukraine kills atleast six in Russia

Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia on Sunday (August 16, 2026), killing at least six people in one of Kyiv’s largest aerial attacks of the war. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that it had destroyed 822 drones overnight, with 600 headed toward the Russian capital. Five people were killed in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, where three towns came under attack, local Governor Yury Slyusar said.

Published - August 16, 2026 06:05 pm IST