The bodies of two women from Kerala, who were found dead at their home in California, are set to be brought back to India after Union Minister Suresh Gopi intervened. The victims were identified as Ranjitha and Rekha. US authorities are investigating the deaths, while details about the motive and allegations remain unclear. Following appeals from their families, Gopi coordinated with officials to help complete the process of repatriating the bodies to Kerala. (PC: The Indian Express)

The family of American mercenary and former prisoner of war Matthew VanDyke has appealed for urgent US diplomatic intervention to secure his release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail. VanDyke was arrested by the NIA in March after investigators alleged he entered Mizoram without a required permit, illegally crossed into Myanmar and contacted ethnic armed groups. The agency also accused him of helping train rebel groups in weapons handling and drone warfare. In a post from VanDyke’s verified X account, his family alleged that he remains in solitary confinement and is being denied basic detainee rights. The case is under investigation. (PC: India Today)

Senior officials from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to hold their first meeting in Istanbul on Monday under the newly signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. Signed on August 7, the pact brings together three Sunni-majority US allies amid the Iran war and wider regional instability. It states that an armed attack on any one member would be treated as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s collective-defence principle. Foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs are expected to attend. India is watching the arrangement cautiously over its potential implications for regional security, Pakistan’s influence and Gulf ties, while Bangladesh’s possible participation is also a concern. However, the pact is not yet considered a direct military threat to India. (PC: AP)

An Indian woman has alleged that she and her friends faced racist harassment from a group of teenagers during an outing near a lake in the UK. She said five or six teenagers, appearing around 13 or 14, initially threw mud at the group before allegedly making taunts about their race and religion. The group warned them they would call police if the behaviour continued. After the teenagers allegedly identified them as Muslims, the woman clarified that they were not Muslim but said they felt targeted. Her husband called police, who reportedly took nearly an hour to arrive. Later, officers identified the children, spoke to their guardians and offered the group formal charges or written warnings. They chose warnings.

World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have gathered in Bishkek for the two-day 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 and September 1. Marking 25 years of the grouping, the summit will focus on counter-terrorism, regional security, trade, connectivity, energy and digital development. India is expected to reiterate concerns over cross-border and state-sponsored terrorism, while members discuss local-currency trade and alternative payment mechanisms. Connectivity corridors linking Central Asia with major markets will also feature. Modi and Putin are scheduled to discuss strategic ties, energy and defence logistics. Modi-Xi interaction is also being closely watched amid efforts to ease India-China border tensions. The summit is expected to adopt the Bishkek Declaration.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, addressing the “Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship” event in Toronto, said, “If Hindus are awake, the world will awaken,” while emphasising India’s culture of global helpfulness and unity. He said India’s tradition views diversity as a natural form of unity and highlighted the Hindu worldview’s emphasis on oneness among humanity and nature. Bhagwat urged the world to embrace “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, saying true enlightenment lies beyond external differences. He said Bharat became “Vishwaguru”, rather than “Mahashakti”, by serving the world. Bhagwat also said India’s ancestors travelled from Mexico to Siberia and Southeast Asia, spreading knowledge such as astrology and Ayurveda without conquering countries or converting people.

India is moving to secure long-term uranium supplies as it prepares to expand nuclear power capacity from around 8.8 GW today to 100 GW by 2047. New Delhi is pursuing a long-term uranium arrangement with Uzbekistan, its second major uranium deal in less than two months after an agreement with Australia in July. Uzbekistan produced around 4,000 tonnes of uranium in 2024 and has significant recoverable resources. Australia, meanwhile, has around 1.67 million tonnes of identified recoverable uranium resources and produced about 4,600 tonnes in 2024. The SHANTI Act, passed in December 2025, has also opened India’s civil nuclear sector to greater private participation, investment and technology, supporting its ambitious expansion plans.

India has deployed a specialised tunnel search and rescue team to flood-hit Nepal, joining the Nepali Army in operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang regions. The move comes as Nepal’s disaster authority reported 788 deaths and at least 2,502 people missing after devastating flash floods. More than 9,435 people have been rescued so far. Road access to the hard-hit Rasuwa region has also been restored, allowing relief teams to reach areas previously accessible only by helicopter. Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Ministry said 149 Indian nationals have been rescued from the disaster-hit region. (PC: X)

Indian forensic experts have reached flood-hit Nepal to assist in identifying victims of the devastating disaster, while a 15-member technical team in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar remains on standby for DNA matching. The team includes forensic specialists and wet lab technicians, with specialised facilities prepared to examine biological samples, tooth fragments and skeletal remains recovered from Nepal. DNA profiling and matching procedures will begin as soon as samples arrive. The forensic effort comes as authorities face the difficult task of identifying bodies recovered from the flood-ravaged region, many of whom remain unidentified. (PC: NDTV)

Hundreds of foreign nationals remain missing after devastating floods struck Nepal’s border regions, with at least 320 Indian citizens among those unaccounted for. Nearly 100 Chinese nationals, 90 Americans, 62 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 41 Australians, 33 Britons and 30 Canadians are also reported missing. Smaller numbers of travellers from several other countries remain unaccounted for. The Nepal Tourism Board said 289 foreign nationals have been rescued since the floods began, while 591 people remained out of communication as of 6 pm local time on August 30. Search, rescue and evacuation operations are continuing across the affected areas. (PC: BBC)