Ed Nathanson, who calls himself the “World’s Greatest Snack Detective,” says discovering Indian cuisine around five years ago completely changed his taste and how he views other cuisines. In an Instagram video, he joked that Indian food had created a “problem” because food from other countries no longer seemed as special. Describing his first experience, Nathanson said it felt as though the “gates of heaven had opened.” He praised pani puri as “little flavour bombs” and said Gobi Manchurian made cauliflower taste extraordinarily good. Comparing Indian cuisine’s complex flavours with simpler foods elsewhere, he said his eating habits also changed. Despite being a “hardcore carnivore,” Nathanson now orders vegetarian dishes. Social media users offered mixed reactions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the upcoming SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Government sources said no formal bilateral with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected, though a pull-aside meeting may occur. A full Modi-Xi bilateral is more likely during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Modi and Pezeshkian are also expected to meet at the BRICS Summit. Meanwhile, Pezeshkian and Putin are scheduled to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues, following a $25-billion agreement on new nuclear facilities. India will focus on terrorism, separatism and extremism, with the SCO’s RATS mechanism remaining key to regional security cooperation. (PC: X)

The Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Maharashtra Police has arrested three more people, including two foreign nationals, in connection with a Mephedrone (MD) racket busted on a street in Balewadi, Pune, in June. The suspects were identified as Cisse Sadio alias Alex, 30, a Senegalese citizen; Jele Beasmark, 30, a citizen of the Kingdom of Eswatini; and Indian national Vikram Kalekar, 30, from Karjat in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. All three were arrested on Thursday and remanded to ANTF custody for six days by a Pune court. Police recovered 22 grams of MD and eight mobile phones from Alex, and 14 grams of MD and six phones from Jele. The case now has seven arrests. (PC: The Indian Express)

Delhi Police’s Special Cell has arrested a Delhi couple, Sahil, 25, and his wife Sameera, 21, for alleged links to a Pakistan-based espionage network. Police said the couple met in 2022 and married in 2024. Sameera, who worked at a Noida call centre, allegedly came into contact with a Pakistani “agent” on Instagram and later introduced Sahil to him. According to police, the agent told them they could make money through espionage-related activities. Investigators allege the couple sent Indian SIM cards to Pakistan via Dubai and were tasked with gathering information and recruiting operatives. Police said the Instagram trail helped uncover the alleged connection and led to the couple’s arrest on Friday. (PC: The Indian Express)

India will purchase the Javelin anti-tank guided missile system from the United States, strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries. The ground-launched, medium-range, fire-and-forget missile can engage tanks, armoured vehicles and fortified positions at distances of up to 5 km. The US Embassy in India welcomed the Indian Army’s signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the acquisition. In November 2025, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency had notified approval for the sale of 100 Javelin missiles, one fly-to-buy round, 25 command-launch units, training aids, simulation rounds, spare parts and lifecycle support. The agreement also opens discussions on co-production and strengthening both countries’ defence industrial bases. (PC:  Lockheed Martin)

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Friday that 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable following devastating flash floods in Nepal, while around 100 persons of Indian origin are also missing. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 21 Indians from Tamil Nadu who had reached Kathmandu from the affected areas safely arrived in Delhi. Another 63 Indian workers at the Trishuli One hydropower project were rescued on Thursday. Meanwhile, 96 Indians stranded on the Chinese side safely crossed into Nepal by land, with efforts underway to evacuate them. The MEA said some uncontactable persons may have been travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and could hold nationalities other than Indian.

Nepal’s devastating flash floods have raised the risk of flooding in Bihar as water levels in the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi and Burhi Gandak rivers continue to rise following heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Nepal. The floods, triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near Nepal’s border with China, have affected several districts and left at least 826 people missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management authorities. Bihar officials said several rivers have touched or crossed danger levels in bordering districts, while the Gandak, Kosi, Ganga, Burhi Gandak and Ghaghra are flowing above danger marks at multiple locations. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have increased monitoring of downstream river systems.

India is stepping up relief and rescue efforts in flood-hit Nepal, sending specialised teams to help locate people who may still be trapped inside a hydropower tunnel. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has also offered Bailey bridges, portable prefabricated structures that can be rapidly assembled, to restore connectivity after floods washed away bridges, towns and villages. India is also sending medical teams, while two aircraft carrying relief supplies have already reached Nepal and a third was scheduled to depart. Nepal Army teams have rescued 350 labourers and locals from a hydropower tunnel, though around 100 remain trapped. India is also working to contact more than 315 Indians still unaccounted for, while about 85 have been rescued from different locations.

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)

India and Canada are working together to make cross-border remittances easier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. The discussions focus on improving the mechanisms through which money can be transferred between the two countries, potentially benefiting individuals and families sending funds across borders. Sitharaman’s remarks come as India and Canada seek to strengthen economic engagement and address practical issues affecting financial transactions between their citizens and businesses. Easier remittance channels could particularly help the large Indian diaspora in Canada, who regularly transfer money to India. The initiative forms part of broader efforts to facilitate smoother financial connectivity between the two economies. Further details on the proposed measures, timelines and implementation were not provided in the information available from the report. (PC: Fortune India)