1. Class 9 student gives birth to baby boy at government-run residential school in Karnataka’s Yadgir

In a shocking incident, a minor girl studying in Class 9 at a government-run residential school in Yadgir district gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) afternoon. According to Shashidhar Kosumbe, member of the Karnataka State Commission for Child Rights, the girl gave birth in a toilet in the residential school at 2.30 p.m. Action has been initiated to register a suo motu case with the Commission.

Deputy Commissioner Harshal Bhoyar rushed to the hospital where the minor mother and baby were being treated. Pruthvik Shankar, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that a case will be registered under the POCSO Act against the principal, warden, staff nurse and also the brother of the victim, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will also be added after enquiry. He added that the age of the minor girl is 17 years, according to her educational documents.

2. Nada Habba is cultural, Chamundeshwari temple is Hindu: Pramoda Devi

The political rift over inauguration of Mysuru Dasara, and the recent statements of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar that “Chamundi Hills is not the property of Hindus alone”, has stirred a fresh controversy with Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family expressing “deep distress” over the developments.

While Ms. Wadiyar has not objected to the selection of Booker Prize awardee Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Dasara, she has also firmly stated that the temple follows Hindu traditions and rituals and affirmed its Hindu character. However, she sought to differentiate between the State government’s Dasara, which she said is a cultural celebration and the one observed by the royals.

3. Bengaluru airport awarded Level 2 accreditation for accessibility

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has been awarded Level 2 Accreditation under the Airports Council International (ACI) Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation programme. The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said that the Level 2 Accreditation makes KIA the first airport in India and among a select group of airports globally to reach this milestone.

Awarded under the Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation (AEA) programme, the world’s only initiative dedicated to benchmarking and advancing accessibility in aviation, this programme by ACI assesses airports on facilities, services, and governance, recognising continuous improvements that embed accessibility into strategies, policies, and passenger experiences.

4. First mechanical elephant in Mangaluru region to be unveiled at 1,000-pillar Jain temple in Moodbidri

‘Airavata’, a three-metre tall and 800 kg mechanical elephant will be unveiled at the thousand pillar Jain temple, Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi, at Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada on August 29. The elephant is being gifted by actors and mother-daughter duo Raveena Tandon and Rasha Thadani, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India).

The basadi will be the world’s first Jain temple to have a mechanical elephant, the release claimed. It will be the 12th mechanical elephant donated by PETA India to temples, the first in the Mangaluru region, and a landmark fifth to be embraced by a temple in Karnataka through PETA India’s compassionate efforts, the release said.