#US Country singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress Dolly Parton passed away at 80

Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000). 

A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

At her request, a small, private service will be held for her immediate family members.

#US Ambassador visits #Tata #Lockheed Martin 's C-130J Super Hercules aircraft factory in #Hyderabad

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor visited the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) facility in Hyderabad on Monday, August 24. The visit highlighted the growing cooperation between the United States and India in aerospace manufacturing and defence.During the visit, Gor toured the production line where empennages for Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules aircraft are manufactured. The visit also comes as Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin look to expand their partnership and work towards opportunities linked to India's recently released Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) requirement.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Lockheed Martin are looking to expand their aerospace and defence partnership as India moves ahead with its recently released Medium Transport Aircraft requirement. The development was highlighted during a visit by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor to Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) in Hyderabad on August 24.

C-130J production supports MTA opportunity

During the visit, Gor toured TLMAL’s production line for empennages for the C-130J Super Hercules. The Hyderabad facility forms part of the companies’ established manufacturing partnership and supports the integration of Indian aerospace production into the global C-130J supply chain.

Electric joins Databricks to bring WASM Postgres to #AI agent sandboxes

Electric, the maker of PGlite, is joining Databricks to bring WASM Postgres to AI agent sandboxes.

Electric is leading the way in pioneering backend technology purpose-built for agents. With PGlite, every agent gets its own WASM Postgres build right inside the sandbox where it runs. And Electric’s real-time sync engine synchronizes distributed state back to a central Lakebase, enabling teams of agents to collaborate without losing track of shared context.

Lakebase delivers Postgres at production scale. PGlite brings WASM Postgres into the agent's own sandbox. Sync keeps the two consistent. By combining the power of Lakebase Postgres with the local execution of PGlite, agents get the lightweight databases they need to move fast and the infrastructure required to deploy at any scale.

For developers, this means:

Building collaborative, agentic applications on a single Postgres standard.

Running Postgres directly inside the agent sandbox, giving each agent a lightweight database it needs to move fast.

Keeping teams of agents in sync to instantly share context and act on fresh data, while centralizing control in Lakebase Postgres on cheap, durable object storage.

Shrinking open space in #Kolkata

Kolkata has a critically low per capita green space of approximately 0.67 square meters, falling significantly short of the World Health Organization's recommendation of at least 9 square meters per person.

Planned global cities average around 80 sqm per resident, Bengaluru records 17 sqm, and Gandhinagar reaches a high of 162 sqm per dweller.

Kolkata's green cover stands at a low 5.5%, significantly trailing behind the national average of 19.49% and major metropolitan areas like Delhi (19.09%) and Mumbai (18%). This decline poses severe environmental and ecological challenges for the city.

World Wetlands Day occurs on February 2 every year to mark the date of adoption of Convention of Wetlands on the same day in 1971. But what are wetlands? According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the Ramsar Convention technically defines a wetland as the “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is a treaty which aims to conserve and sustainable use of wetlands. There are 2242 Ramsar sites which have been identified for protection. East Kolkata Wetlands is the largest resource ecosystem which helps in treating 600 million litres of wastewater and sewage on a regular basis. Natural and man-made canals and creeks which were made during the colonial era used to bring sewage which would flow through this wetland. East Kolkata Wetlands cover 125 square kilometers and consist of salt meadows, settling ponds and sewage farms. These act as a natural flood control system for the city. Located away from river Hooghly, the drainage and sewage system of the city has a design which gets benefitted from the East Kolkata Wetlands. These wetlands serve as a gigantic spill basin which becomes highly advantageous during the monsoons when the flooding is common through the Gangetic delta for the low-lying city of Kolkata.

We cannot afford to undermine the significance of East Kolkata Wetlands as they are indispensable when it comes to human survival. These are the most productive environments of the world that provide various ecosystem services ranging from supply of fresh water, food that attract animals, stores flood water, maintains water flow and mitigation of climatic change, offers habitat to fish, maintains diversity, haven for flora and fauna. The benefits are simply countless but how much do we acknowledge and decipher the significance?

The lust for land has created a huge impact on East Kolkata Wetlands. The relentless pressure of the real estate industry for land has choked the unique wetlands known for its sustainable symbiosis. Illegal landfills and construction have given rise to usurpation of the wetlands over the years. Since the colonial times, the area of wetland has shrunk unimaginably. Even after being recognized as a Ramsar site in 2002, the encroachment of the fertile wetlands has only increased with each passing day. No wonder, flooding in certain areas of Kolkata have become a common phenomenon during monsoons. The unique and precious wetlands of Kolkata might soon turn into a long-forgotten history if more buildings are constructed in this region in days to come.

Belvedere at Raffles #Udaipur #Rajasthan Recognized as ‘Best Rooftop Bar’

Belvedere at Raffles Udaipur Recognized as ‘Best Rooftop Bar’ at Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s Delicious Dining Awards 2026.

Belvedere is part of Raffles Udaipur’s collection of dining experiences across its private island and lakeshore property. Set on the tranquil Udai Sagar Lake, the resort features 101 rooms and suites on its private island and 36 rooms and suites at Raffles Lakeshore. With an intimate setting, the Lakeshore features four destination dining and culinary experiences and two celebration venues, while also serving as the arrival point for guests travelling to the private island by boat. The property brings together the heritage of Raffles with the architecture, culture and landscape of Rajasthan, complemented by its signature Raffles Butler service.

SKF India (Industrial) appoints Sujeeth Pai as its new #MD

SKF India (Industrial) appoints Sujeeth Pai as its new Managing Director.

The new would be effective from September 1, 2026, subject to shareholder approval.

In his new role, Sujeeth will lead SKF India (Industrial)’s operations and drive the company’s profitable growth agenda.

Pai holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from P.E.S.I.T., Bangalore, and an MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Since 1907, SKF has been making some of the world’s most innovative bearings, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring solutions, and services to reduce friction. Less friction means more energy saved and by reducing it, we make industry smarter, more competitive, and more energy efficient, building a more sustainable future where we can all do more with less. SKF is represented in approximately 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2025 were SEK 91,583 million and the number of employees was 37,271.

Accor to open Fairmont resort in #Rishikesh

Hospitality group Accor has partnered with Javi Home for Fairmont Rishikesh, Himalayas, adding to its luxury development pipeline in India.

Set to open in 2031 in the tranquil Shivpuri Range of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, the upcoming resort will bring Fairmont’s renowned service, destination-led experiences, and distinctive approach to luxury hospitality to one of India’s most revered wellness and spiritual destinations.

Fairmont Rishikesh, Himalayas will span across approximately 16 acres of pristine landscape, featuring 220 guestrooms, four dining venues, 3,000 square meters of event space, a spa, fitness center, swimming pool, kids’ club, and a range of thoughtfully curated guest experiences.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is one of Accor’s leading luxury brands globally, with more than a century of history, and landmark hotels positioned in extraordinary destinations worldwide – from The Plaza in New York City and The Savoy in London to Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai and Fairmont Royal Palm in Marrakech. In India, Fairmont continues to grow its presence with Fairmont Jaipur, Fairmont Mumbai, and Fairmont Udaipur, alongside upcoming openings in Shimla Fagu, Goa, and Agra, further reinforcing the brand’s commitment to bringing its renowned hospitality to exceptional destinations across the country.

The expansion coincides with the ongoing increase in demand for luxury hospitality experiences in the Shivpuri-Rishikesh region. The location offers a great chance to provide world-class hospitality while meeting the growing demand for immersive, nature-led, and experience tourism, and fill the gap of branded luxury resorts in the region.

Commenting on the signing, Ranju Alex, CEO, Accor, South Asia said, "Another significant turning point in the strategic growth of the Fairmont brand in India is the signing of Fairmont Rishikesh, Himalayas. One of the most alluring luxury travel locations in the nation is Rishikesh, where spirituality, wellness, and immersive travel come together. This initiative demonstrates our dedication to providing outstanding hospitality to locations that provide genuine and significant experiences while bolstering our premium portfolio throughout the area.”

India's #Modi govt levying tax on #UPI and #RuPay transactions under #US pressure

UPI and RuPay driving US payment platforms like Visa and MasterCard out of the Indian market : US Trade Representative's 2026 report 

The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced by the Modi government, eliminates the statutory guarantee that had so far kept UPI transactions fee-free. It paves the way for imposing a merchant discount rate (MDR), which could easily be applied in the future to all types of digital payments. The burden of this will ultimately fall on ordinary people, who may now have to pay even for using UPI.

The Modi government's claim that this is the only way to keep UPI financially sustainabl

e is entirely wrong. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sufficient capacity to maintain the UPI system on a financially sustainable basis without imposing any additional fees on merchants or consumers. In 2025-26, the RBI had transferred a surplus of ₹2.86 lakh crore to the Modi government. Just a small portion of this amount would be enough to support this vital digital public infrastructure.

In fact, the real reason behind this amendment is perhaps even more concerning. This step has been taken following the U.S. Trade Representative's 2026 report, which criticized the fee-free nature of UPI and RuPay and accused them of driving American payment platforms like Visa and MasterCard out of the market. Is the Modi government, under pressure from its good friend Donald Trump, seeking to weaken UPI and open up the digital payments sector to American companies?

And this wouldn't be the first time. Donald Trump has publicly claimed more than 100 times that he pressured the Modi government into securing a sudden ceasefire during Operation Sindoor by threatening American tariffs. The United States has also claimed that India's gradual reduction in oil imports from Russia is a result of President Trump's directives. We also know that the Modi government, bowing to President Trump's bullying, accepted a trade agreement between India and the United States that was widely regarded as unfair and which particularly sacrificed the interests of our farmers and small businesses.

Union Agriculture Minister returns Rs. 99 lakh subsidy after media expose

Bhagirath Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture, returned ₹99 lakh he received for a commercial cucumber project on his Rajasthan property in Peeh village. The subsidy, part of a horticulture scheme under his ministry, was credited to his bank account in March 2026 following NHB approval. Choudhary, a lifelong farmer and BJP MP from Ajmer, defended following all rules and using the farm for training, while the Centre confirmed no guidelines bar public officials from such aid. The refund came a month after an Indian Express report highlighted the issue, with another BJP MP also noted as a recipient of smaller funds.

Since July 25, no death certificate being issued in #KMC area under #BJP government

Death certificates have reportedly not been issued in the KMC area since July 25, leaving hundreds of bereaved families unable to complete essential legal formalities.

• Around 1,000 death certificates are estimated to be pending, while nearly 300 cremations take place daily across 6 KMC crematoriums.

Nearly 300 cremations occur daily across 6 KMC-operated crematoriums  

Families submit medical death certificates and Aadhaar but receive only a money receipt, which holds no legal validity  

Cremation certificates are also not being issued  

The disruption stems from an ongoing probe into birth and death certificate issuance processes and recent changes in signing authority  

Officials warn the backlog could become unmanageable if the suspension continues

No official timeline for resumption of certificate issuance has been provided.  

Families face hurdles in accessing insurance, pension, and property transfer benefits without valid documentation.

• Families are currently receiving only a money receipt after submitting the medical death certificate and the deceased's Aadhaar, which has no legal validity for insurance, pension, banking, inheritance, property transfer or other statutory claims.

• Cremation certificates are also not being issued, leaving families from outside Kolkata unable to apply for death certificates in their home civic bodies.

• The disruption is reportedly linked to an ongoing probe into birth and death certificate issuance and changes in the authority to sign death certificates, with pressure mounting to restore the earlier system.

• Officials have warned that the backlog could become difficult to manage if the suspension continues.