Two U.S. service members from the USS Abraham Lincoln were sent back to the aircraft carrier and confined on board after a drunken brawl in Pattaya, Thailand. Thai police responded to an emergency call at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and took the sailors to a joint U.S.-Thailand operations centre before they were returned to the ship. The incident was described as minor. The Lincoln, carrying about 5,000 sailors and Marines, arrived in Thailand after a record 286 days at sea. The five-day port call was meant to give the crew time to rest and recover after the prolonged deployment. (PC: The Independent)

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be among the top leaders President Donald Trump wants to meet at the G20 Summit in December.   Gor said Trump considers Modi a friend and hinted that their meeting could go beyond the main summit. He also said Trump may visit India next year.   On trade, Gor said India and the US were close to reaching an agreement. He praised India as a trusted defence partner and said more senior US officials would visit the country. Gor also said the US wants to hold a Quad leaders’ summit.  

Two workers were rescued alive after spending nine days trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal. Mechanical engineer Sanjay Sah and worker Kabir Maharjan were pulled out on Friday.   They were trapped after flash floods hit the Trishuli-3A hydropower project. Sanjay was working in the control room when water and debris entered the tunnel. He helped other workers move to safer areas but later became trapped.   Sanjay said he kept chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra during the ordeal. Rescue teams, including experts from India, found the workers after hearing voices inside the tunnel. Many workers are still feared trapped.  

Two workers were rescued alive from a tunnel at Nepal’s Trishuli-3A hydropower project, nine days after devastating flash floods struck the region. Mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, 45, and foreman Sanjay Sah, 30, were pulled out after rescuers detected voices inside the tunnel. Sah said he endured the ordeal by repeatedly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. The workers had been trapped about 170 metres inside the tunnel as floodwater and debris blocked escape routes. Their rescue has renewed hopes of finding other survivors, with hundreds of workers still feared trapped across hydropower projects along the Trishuli River. (PC: X)

US Vice-President JD Vance faced criticism after a US missile strike in southern Iran reportedly killed four people, including a child, during a wedding celebration. The Iranian Red Crescent said shrapnel struck a residential home in Kuhestak, Sirik county, killing four and injuring more than 50 people. When asked whether the US was responsible, Vance said he was “extremely skeptical” of Iranian reports and insisted that America does not target civilians, adding that “sometimes things happen.” The incident has intensified scrutiny of US military operations in Iran and renewed concerns over civilian casualties as the conflict continues into its seventh month. (PC: Getty Images)

Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned, taking political responsibility for problems surrounding a €70 million ammunition procurement deal intended to supply artillery shells to Ukraine. The agreement, signed in 2024, involved Italy-registered Datasel S.R.L., owned by Indian company Neco Defence Munitions. Reports said the companies had no previous record of selling artillery ammunition when the contracts were awarded. Estonia had paid around €70 million upfront using European Union funds. The procurement later faced concerns over delays and ammunition requirements, triggering a dispute. Estonia’s National Audit Office criticised weaknesses in defence procurement, prompting Pevkur to step down. 

Nepal’s devastating flash floods and mudslides have left more than 1,200 people dead, while thousands remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. The disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border, sent huge volumes of ice, rock, mud and water through Himalayan valleys, destroying homes, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities. Rescue teams face difficult terrain, debris and rising river levels, while authorities remain alert to possible fresh flooding from unstable lakes and landslide-dammed waterways. Security forces, supported by specialist teams, are searching affected areas and hydropower tunnels for survivors. The disaster has also displaced thousands and created major reconstruction challenges. (PC: Reuters)

Two workers were rescued alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days after devastating flash floods and landslides trapped workers underground. The survivors, identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were found inside the tunnel during an intensive rescue operation involving Nepalese Army personnel and other teams. Sah was rescued first, while Maharjan was later brought out and taken for medical treatment. The disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse, caused widespread destruction across the Trishuli River valley and left hundreds missing. The successful rescue has renewed hopes of finding more survivors as search operations continue at several affected hydropower projects. 

Apple’s new CEO John Ternus is set to receive a compensation package worth about $58 million for fiscal 2027 after succeeding Tim Cook on September 1. The package includes a $3 million annual salary and a targeted $55 million stock award, along with a prorated $2.5 million equity grant for fiscal 2026. A key condition is that 75% of his fiscal 2027 equity award depends on Apple’s shareholder returns outperforming the S&P 500. The performance-linked structure places significant emphasis on delivering results. Meanwhile, Tim Cook remains Apple’s executive chairman with a separate compensation package. 

New York City Public Schools will impose a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for students from 2-K through eighth grade during the 2026–27 school year. The policy, described as the nation’s broadest school AI restriction, aims to protect critical thinking, creativity, human interaction and independent problem-solving. High school students will instead receive AI-literacy education twice yearly and gain limited access to five vetted AI programs under direct teacher supervision. Companion chatbots will be prohibited across all grades. The city will also recommend daily screen-time limits and continue allowing necessary assistive technology for students with disabilities and English-language learners. (PC: Getty Images)