A new study titled The Many Urban Indias, by PRICE in collaboration with Tata Sons Research, highlights major differences in household financial behaviour across India’s cities. Bengaluru records the highest average household income, while Chandigarh has the highest household spending. Chennai has the highest household debt-to-income ratio, making it the leading city for borrowing, whereas Hyderabad records the lowest borrowing levels. Bengaluru also leads household savings among India’s six major metros. Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR remains the country’s largest consumption market, with the top six metros accounting for a significant share of urban consumption. The findings underline India’s varied patterns of earning, saving, spending and borrowing. (PC: ET)

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has told the Bombay High Court that Old Monk cannot be marketed as rum because certain variants are made using neutral spirit and rum flavouring. The regulator said the product could instead be labelled a “rum-flavoured spirit.” The company has submitted revised labels, removing the phrase “7 years old blended,” after concerns that consumers could be misled about the product’s ageing. FSSAI is reviewing the new labels, while the court has scheduled the next hearing for September 11. The company claims losses of around ₹1 crore daily during the ban. (PC: X)

Former Indian Air Force Group Captain and Vir Chakra awardee Abhinandan Varthaman has joined Goa-based regional airline FLY91 as a commercial pilot after retiring from the IAF. He served for nearly 22 years and became widely known after the February 2019 India-Pakistan aerial engagement following the Balakot strikes. Flying a MiG-21 Bison, Varthaman was involved in the downing of a Pakistani F-16 before his aircraft was hit and he was captured after ejecting over Pakistan. He was released three days later. Varthaman is now undergoing training to fly ATR aircraft for FLY91. (PC: PTI)

The Sikkim Mahananda Express was safely stopped in West Bengal to allow a herd of elephants, including calves, to cross the railway tracks. Train No. 15484 Up halted between Rajabhatkhawa and Alipurduar Junction around 9:40 pm after the crew spotted the elephants on the tracks. Loco Pilot Debojit Hore and Assistant Loco Pilot Subhas Ch. Das controlled the train in time, preventing a possible accident. The incident was captured on video, showing the train waiting as the elephant herd crossed safely. After the animals moved away from the tracks, the Sikkim Mahananda Express continued its journey.

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday offered to publicly show his Boston University degree if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the same, amid renewed questions about his educational credentials. The challenge followed a podcast claim that there was no record of Dipke graduating from the US university. Dipke has rejected the allegations, saying his education was funded through a Boston University scholarship and an education loan. He earlier showed his scholarship letter in an interview. Questions over his education and funding had also surfaced after an RTI activist sought scrutiny of his family’s finances and education expenses. (PC: X)

Delhi Police’s Special Cell questioned former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi for around nine hours on Wednesday over social media posts allegedly related to the Election Commission of India. Joshi, a former Controller of Communications in the Department of Telecommunications, was questioned in connection with a case registered under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said he was confronted with his social media posts and released after his claims were verified. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit earlier said Joshi was taken by police while on a morning walk in Nehru Park. Police later dropped Joshi home.

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)

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)

More than 14 million people in Kolkata, Mumbai and Dhaka face an immediate risk of losing their homes to permanent inundation caused by rising sea levels, according to a new United Nations report. The report said global sea levels are rising faster than at any time in recorded history, damaging infrastructure, water systems, transport networks and coastal ecosystems. Sea levels rose by 4.7 mm annually between 2014 and 2023, before reaching a record 5.9 mm in 2024. The UN said melting glaciers and warming oceans are driving the acceleration, making long-term adaptation planning urgent. (PC: NDTV)

The Bombay High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the 2020 death of Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Salian died after falling from a building in Mumbai on June 8, 2020, days before Rajput’s death. Her father had sought a fresh investigation, alleging serious doubts about the circumstances of her death. The court has directed the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a comprehensive probe, while stressing that no individual should be treated as an accused without sufficient evidence. The case has remained surrounded by public and political speculation.