Former Indian Air Force fighter pilot and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman has taken premature retirement after 22 years of service and joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a commercial pilot, PTI reported, citing sources. The former Group Captain reportedly joined the airline in August. Varthaman has not commented, while FLY91 declined to discuss employee information. He became a national hero in February 2019 after downing a Pakistani F-16 during an aerial dogfight, before his MiG-21 Bison was hit and he was captured in Pakistan. He was released after three days and later awarded the Vir Chakra. (PC: X)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he does not believe India and Iran are negotiating a trade deal, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek during the SCO Summit. Rubio said countries should not help Iran evade US sanctions or create mechanisms to generate revenue for Tehran, warning that such countries could face sanctions. Modi said India remained committed to strengthening its long-standing friendship with Iran and expanding bilateral trade. The two leaders also discussed regional developments, peace, commercial shipping and cooperation through BRICS and the SCO.

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has alleged political vendetta after his name was deleted from Punjab’s draft electoral rolls under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and marked “permanently shifted”. Chadha, who quit AAP and joined the BJP in April, said his voter ID remains registered in Mohali and claimed the AAP was using state machinery against leaders who left the party. He said the protected-list provision for public representatives was violated. Punjab’s claims and objections window remains open until September 12, while final rolls are expected in October. The deletion does not affect Chadha’s Rajya Sabha membership. (PC: India Today)

Photos of missing loved ones hang outside Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Hospital as families desperately search for relatives after Nepal’s devastating August 26 flash floods. The disaster has killed more than 1,200 people, while over 4,000 remain missing, according to the latest figures cited in the report. At least 161 bodies remained unidentified at the hospital as of September 2, with doctors struggling to collect fingerprints or other identification marks. DNA samples are being collected, while unidentified bodies are temporarily buried for possible exhumation. In hard-hit Nuwakot, families are also holding symbolic Hindu funerals using straw effigies for missing relatives.

Flood conditions persisted across Uttar Pradesh, with 23 districts currently affected and 16,784 people evacuated to safety, officials said. Of them, 3,042 people were rescued on Wednesday. Three people, including an 18-month-old child, died in rain-related incidents. The government has deployed 1,499 boats and motorboats and 1,067 medical teams for rescue and relief operations. As many as 1,311 flood shelters have been established, while rivers continue to rise in several districts. More than 36,000 livestock have also been affected. Relief agencies are distributing food, medicines, chlorine tablets and ORS as authorities scale up operations. 

Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has questioned India’s reported 7.8% GDP growth, saying the headline figure looks strong but does not reflect the economy’s “real” growth. Garg argued that revisions to earlier GDP estimates and changes in the calculation method had affected the comparison. He said the April-June quarter’s real growth could be closer to 2.6% when compared with the previously published figures. Garg’s remarks triggered a debate over India’s GDP methodology, with the government defending the 7.8% estimate and saying the revisions reflect improved data and updated methods, not manipulation. (PC: India Today)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf slammed the United States after a reported strike hit a wedding in Sirik, southern Iran, killing five people and wounding several others. “If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan,” Ghalibaf said, accusing Washington of responsibility for the attack. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the United States, describing it as “Satan America”. The US had not immediately commented on Iran’s allegations. The reported strike came amid escalating conflict between Iran and the United States in the Middle East.

The upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi has sent five-star hotel prices soaring, with several luxury properties fully booked and available rooms costing up to Rs 2.55 lakh a night. The summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13, drawing official delegations, business travellers and international media to the capital. ITC Maurya listed some rooms for September 12 at up to Rs 2.55 lakh, while rooms at Shangri-La Eros cost up to Rs 1.50 lakh. Taj Mahal Hotel, Taj Palace, The Oberoi and other luxury properties reported limited or no availability for key dates. (PC: First Post)

Millions of people in India, Nepal and China face the growing threat of glacial lake outburst floods as climate change destabilises Himalayan glaciers, the United Nations and Chinese experts have warned. The warning follows the August 26 disaster in Nepal and Tibet, where a glacier collapse near Langtang Lirung triggered devastating flooding. More than 1,000 people have been reported dead, over 4,000 remain missing and more than 900 hydropower workers are trapped in a tunnel. China’s water ministry said unstable glaciers around the affected Cuojian River valley could trigger further flooding, while landslides could form new barrier lakes. (PC: WION)

Millennials have the highest alcohol drinking rate of any generation, with 81% reporting that they drink, according to IWSR’s latest Bevtrac survey. Gen X ranked second at 77%, followed by Gen Z at 74%, while Boomers recorded the lowest rate at 71%. The survey found Gen Z drinking has risen from 66% three years ago, challenging the belief that the generation drinks less. However, moderation is growing across all age groups, with drinking frequency and the number of drinks consumed per occasion falling. The H1 2026 survey covered more than 32,000 respondents across 19 markets.