US has deployed over 20 warships to the Middle East to enforce a naval blockade on Iran, US CENTCOM said. It said US forces have redirected at least 55 vessels, disabled two, and boarded two others since the blockade came into force. The deployment comes as Iran and Oman are close to agreement establishing shipping lanes through Strait of Hormuz.

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, resigned on Sunday. He was replaced by Mohsen Rezaei, who is also an adviser to the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. The move comes amid ongoing talks between Iran and the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Both Rezaei and Zolghadr are reportedly hardliners.

According to Oxford International’s Student Global Mobility Index, about 81% of Indian students planning to study abroad expect to return to India after completing their courses. Postgraduate programmes remained the top choice, with seven in 10 respondents applying for master’s or other postgraduate courses. Business and management was the most popular field, chosen by 75% of respondents.

A Japanese national, Miyako, travelled to Uttarakhand's Bageshwar to perform the final rites and submerge the ashes of her late American husband, Robert, in the Saryu River, reports stated. Robert had expressed a desire for his final rites to be conducted according to Hindu customs. Traditional Vedic rituals were performed at the Saryu-Gomti confluence with local priests, reports added.

The commander of Iranian Army’s ground forces, Ali Jahanshahi, said that if US military personnel set foot in Iran, “we will cut them off.” Meanwhile, Iranian Minister Abbas Araghchi said that current negotiations with US are taking place through intermediaries. “Tehran will not return to direct talks until Washington addresses its past breaches of their bilateral agreement,” he added.

Google veteran Jeff Dean is winning praise after former intern Yoonseok Yang recalled how Dean accepted his random 2022 calendar invite and met him. The story highlighted Dean's accessibility despite his seniority. As Dean leaves Google after 27 years, he is launching AI startup Discovery Loop with Sanjay Ghemawat and other researchers to accelerate scientific experimentation.

At least seven civilians were killed after Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight strikes, with attacks causing deaths, injuries and damage on both sides as the nearly four-and-a-half-year-old war continues to intensify. Five people were killed in Russia's Belgorod region following a Ukrainian drone attack, while Russian missile strikes on Ukraine killed two people, according to local authorities.

Tensions have risen along the India-Bangladesh border after a 35-year-old tea farmer from West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district was allegedly abducted and taken across the international border into Bangladesh. The incident reportedly came two days after the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested a Bangladeshi man who was allegedly attempting to enter India by cutting through a barbed-wire fence.

Two Texas customers have sued Popeyes for over $1.5 million after allegedly finding a "condom-like foreign object" inside fried chicken bought at a Houston outlet. Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon claimed they became nauseated and feared contamination. Popeyes disputed the allegation, saying internal video showed no evidence, but called the incident unacceptable.