Top news of the day August 1, 2026: Preeti, Jaismine win boxing gold medals at CWG 2026; PM Modi inaugurates ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram; and more

CWG 2026: Preeti, Jaismine win gold in women’s 54kg and 57kg boxing

Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria and Preeti Pawar won the gold medals in the women’s 57kg and women’s 54kg final bouts, respectively, at the Commonwealth Games here on Saturday (August 1, 2026). Preeti claimed the gold with a dominant 5-0 victory over Canada’s Scarlett Delgado in the women’s 54kg before reigning world champion Jaismine clinched the yellow metal with the same scoreline against Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh, who was the defending champion.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 1, 2026) inaugurated the newly developed Alluri Sitharama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, marking a significant milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s aviation infrastructure and regional connectivity. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, and Union Minister for Civil Aviation K. Ram Mohan Naidu. Several senior officials, dignitaries, and representatives of the GMR Group, the developer of the airport, were also present on the occasion.

Death toll reaches 82 as 1.92 lakh people remain affected by floods in Assam

Assam’s Sivasagar, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon and Charaideo districts continued to reel under flood, with 1.92 lakh people in the state still affected, while two fatalities took the death toll to 82, officials said on Saturday (August 1, 2026). The flood situation has improved since Thursday (July 30, 2026), when more than two lakh people in eight districts were affected. However, Dikhow and Dhansiri rivers were reported to be in a “severe flood situation” at Sivasagar and Numaligarh in Golaghat, with the authorities urging the people to stay away.

Spain-Morocco border crisis: Death toll in Ceuta reaches 67

“The death toll in Spain’s Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67,” the Spanish government said on Saturday (August 1, 2026). Spain announced it was installing a containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after tens of thousands of migrants breached the tiny Spanish territory’s border this week. “The death toll in Spain’s Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67,” the Spanish government said on Saturday. They included some who drowned and some who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier.

Four killed in landslips as heavy rain triggers floods across Kerala

Four people were killed while several others were rescued following separate landslips in Idukki and Kottayam districts today, as incessant heavy rain triggered floods and fresh landslides across Kerala, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded the rain alert for Kerala by issuing a red alert for nine districts, warning of extreme heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours. The remaining five districts were placed on orange alert, where very heavy rainfall is likely on August 1, 2026.

Cauvery row: Karnataka CM urges protesters not to obstruct flow of water in Kabini river amid flood alert

With the Water Resources Department of Karnataka issuing a flood alert over the likely release of water from the Kabini reservoir following heavy rainfall in its catchment areas, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to farmers’ organisations and Kannada groups not to make any attempt to obstruct the flow of water in the river. On his first visit to Mysuru after assuming office as Chief Minister, Mr. Shivakumar said he was visiting the city on the auspicious occasion of the Kabini reservoir reaching full capacity.

Congress says PM Modi owes apology to youth, not ‘forgiveness’

The Congress on Saturday (July 31, 2026) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “playing the victim card” and said he owed an apology to the country’s youth instead of claiming to have forgiven them. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took exception to the Prime Minister’s reported remarks in an Instagram interaction in which he said he had forgiven the youth. Describing the statement as “an act of supreme self-obsession”, Mr. Ramesh said it was “an insult to the nation and to our youth”.

Russian attacks on Kyiv kill 9, wound more than two dozen

Russia rained drones and ballistic missiles on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight, killing at least nine people and causing damage across the city, officials said. Of the 27 ballistic missiles launched, Ukraine could only intercept one due to shortages of air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine has pleaded with its allies for more supplies of U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors in recent months, its only line of defence against ballistic attacks..

Kulgam terrorist attack: Chhattisgarh government declares ₹20 lakh aid for kin of two workers killed

The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday (August 1, 2026) announced an ex gratia of ₹20 lakh each for the families of two migrant workers from the state killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, officials said. Deepak Ratre, a resident of Sakti district, and Bhupendra Bhaina from Sarangarh-Bilaigarh district, both in their 20s, were gunned down at the brick kiln where they were employed in the Kelam area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district late on Friday evening (July 31, 2026).

Gor calls on Bangladesh to join Pax Silica initiative

U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor on Saturday (August 1, 2026) discussed bilateral ties, trade and investment with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and called on Dhaka to join the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, local media reported. In a meeting with PM Rahman at his office in Tejgaon in Dhaka, Mr. Gor said that Bangladesh has significant potential to become a partner in the global economic security alliance focused on critical minerals, energy, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

‘Another low’: Kapil Sibal slams saffron colour change of hockey jersey

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday (August 1, 2026) slammed the change of jersey colour of the Indian hockey team from the traditional blue to saffron as “another low” that had not been seen before. The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams will be seen in saffron jerseys instead of their traditional blue kits at next month’s FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, a change that has been questioned by former players but defended as a technical necessity by Hockey India.

Published – August 01, 2026 06:03 pm IST