Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour, defeating defending champion Fabiano Caruana 15–13 in the final at St. Louis. Praggnanandhaa entered the final day trailing Caruana by six points at 3–9 but produced a remarkable turnaround by winning both rapid games and taking the lead. He then held his advantage through the blitz games to secure the title. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa a $200,000 prize and capped a remarkable 2026 campaign. The historic triumph marks the biggest Grand Chess Tour achievement by an Indian player. (PC: PTI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay has emerged as the third-most preferred choice for India’s next Prime Minister, according to the India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey. For the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, 48.7% of respondents preferred Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while 27.1% chose Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Vijay received 9.2%, placing him ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (2%) and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav (1.7%). The survey highlights Vijay’s rapid political rise after entering politics in 2024. TVK leaders have also increasingly projected him as a potential national leader. 

Nepal’s devastating flash floods have killed 469 people, according to Nepal Police, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors and those still missing. � The disaster struck the Nepal-Tibet border after a massive glacier collapse sent torrents of water, mud, rocks and debris through Himalayan valleys, destroying villages, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. More than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals. Authorities are also warning of a fresh flood threat as debris-blocked lakes and rivers continue to rise. Rescue operations remain difficult because infrastructure has been severely damaged, while helicopters are being used to reach isolated areas and evacuate survivors. (PC: AP)

King Charles on Thursday expressed deep sorrow over the deaths caused by devastating flash floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, offering condolences to affected families. In a message shared by the Royal Family, the King said he and his wife were “heartbroken” by the destruction and recognised the strong ties between people in the United Kingdom and the affected region. He also acknowledged the distress of families awaiting information about relatives and friends who remain unaccounted for. King Charles said the UK stands ready to provide assistance as Nepal deals with the disaster. The floods and landslides have caused widespread devastation, with hundreds dead and many people still missing across the affected areas.

Bangladesh is considering joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral security pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7, 2026. Sources told NDTV that the issue was discussed when Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir met Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Jeddah. A Bangladesh Foreign Ministry source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka to join, though the timing of the invitation was unclear. The prospect has raised concerns in India, given Türkiye’s support for Pakistan and New Delhi’s broader concerns over Islamabad’s growing ties with Dhaka. Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami welcomed the possibility, while analysts said joining could represent a significant shift towards Pakistan under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s “Bangladesh before everything” foreign policy. (PC: NDTV)

Three UK airports including Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands have been hit by a cyberattack that exposed personal data belonging to about 8.7 million customers. Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates all three airports, said hackers accessed information linked to car park, lounge and fast-track bookings, as well as airport Wi-Fi registrations. The compromised data included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. MAG said bank and payment information was not stored on the affected system and that passenger safety, aviation security and normal airport operations remained unaffected. The incident represents a major data breach affecting millions of passengers, although the group has not indicated that financial information was compromised. (PC: X)

Devastating flash floods in Nepal and neighbouring Tibet have killed more than 350 people and left nearly 1,500 missing, with many Indian nationals among those unaccounted for. Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, an Indian-origin couple based in Texas, disappeared after the floods struck near the Nepal-Tibet border while they were returning from a Mount Kailash pilgrimage. Their daughters, Ashna and Shreya, have been desperately seeking information about their parents and pressing officials for answers as rescue teams search the disaster zone. Communication remains disrupted across affected areas, complicating efforts to trace missing people. The sisters continue to hope their parents will be found and brought home safely as rescue operations continue. (PC: Reuters)

Russia on Thursday warned that it could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Britain was “one step away” from becoming complicit in what Moscow described as “terrorism” and warned of “inevitable catastrophic consequences” unless London changed course. The warning followed Britain’s decision to allow Ukraine access to classified technology to begin domestic production of Storm Shadow missiles capable of deep strikes inside Russia. The UK Ministry of Defence said it remained “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and committed to supplying equipment to defend against Russia’s invasion. Russia also criticised France for supplying missile technology.

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck Nepal on Thursday night, about an hour after a magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit China’s Tibet region, according to the National Centre for Seismology and German Research Centre for Geosciences. No damage was reported. The tremors came as rescuers continued searching for hundreds missing after devastating Nepal-Tibet flash floods, which have killed 392 people. The Nepal quake occurred at 9:18:58 pm IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre at 27.483°N, 88.008°E. The Tibet earthquake’s epicentre was hundreds of miles north of areas hit by Wednesday’s floods. Around 290 Indian nationals remain missing amid ongoing rescue operations. (PC: iStock)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered Nepal “any help” it needs after devastating flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border, calling the disaster “terrible.” Trump said Washington had contacted Nepal’s leadership and was sending aid. Search and rescue operations continue across debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, with at least 392 people killed and 1,468 missing in Nepal and Tibet. Nepal reported 910 missing, including 517 foreigners, while Tibet reported 558 missing, including 260 foreigners. Nepal’s Tourism Board separately listed 667 missing tourists and travellers. The US State Department said 90 Americans were unaccounted for; three were rescued. Washington is sending a disaster response adviser and $500,000 in aid.