Today News Headlines for School Assembly, September 2, 2026: Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma becomes first highest-ranking woman IAF officer

National News

Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has scripted history by becoming the first woman officer (in the non-medical branch) in the tri-services to reach the rank of an Air Vice Marshal (or its equivalent). She has taken over as the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) at the Air Headquarters.

Read | Today News Headlines for School Assembly, September 3, 2026: ISRO all set to launch satellite EOS-05

The Supreme Court has scrapped all FIRs against Cockroach Janta Party protesters after the Centre moved the court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for promoting ‘Swadeshi Bharat’ and ‘Vocal for Local’, urging Indians to choose domestic locations for destination weddings instead of going abroad. He said this would help build on India’s 7.8% GDP growth and promote the ‘Wed in India’ campaign.

The Ministry of Railways has approved a new Vande Bharat Express, which will connect Surat in Gujarat with Udaipur in Rajasthan. The 26903/26904 Surat-Udaipur City service will be operated and maintained by Western Railway. In addition to this, the Railway Board has discontinued train numbers 26963/26964 Udaipur City-Asarva Vande Bharat Express.

World News

US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of killing more than 100,000 protesters and called it a “failed nation”. The accusation comes after US strikes on two Iranian launch systems on Larak Island. He also claimed that Iran lacks functioning military forces and currency, faces 300% inflation, and said its leaders should face war-crimes trials.

Story continues below this ad

Iran claimed that it had made retaliatory attacks on US bases in Jordan and American military targets at Al Menhad airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the UAE has dismissed the claims of Al Menhad airbase being attacked.

Sports News

Argentine football player Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 39, ending a 21-year Argentina career. He leaves the sport as the country’s record scorer with 125 goals in 207 appearances, having won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles.

For the first time in the nine year history of U23 World Championships, three Maharashtra women wrestlers, namely Ahilya Shinde, Vaishnavi Patil and Amruta Pujari, have secured spots in India’s squad. They will compete at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026, which is scheduled from October 12 to October 18 in Las Vegas.

Business News

India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown to 7.8% in the April-June quarter of FY 2026-27, beating the RBI’s forecast of 7%. The growth is driven by strong manufacturing and services. Manufacturing rose 9.2%, while services expanded 10%, despite West Asia-related economic challenges.

Story continues below this ad

Indian Railways has approved Rs 675 crore worth of projects across West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to improve safety, signalling and freight movement. The projects include an 11-km freight bypass in West Bengal for Rs 272 crore, electronic interlocking at 21 Bihar stations for Rs 233 crore, and Kavach 4.0 on 712 route km in Uttar Pradesh for Rs 170 crore.

Education News

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced that SC and ST students will not have to pay admission fees for government medical and engineering colleges in the state. The decision comes after he noticed that students from these communities face financial difficulties during admissions even after scoring well in entrance exams.

The State Service Commission (SSC) has revised the exam dates for Stenographer Grade C and D Tier 1 recruitment examination 2026. The exam will now be conducted from September 9 to September 15, 2026, instead of the previously announced dates, September 9 to September 12, 2026.