Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint.. I’m Nelson John and here are today’s top stories.

Wang Yi’s Delhi Visit: Setting the Stage for Modi’s China Trip

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi will be in New Delhi on August 18 to meet NSA Ajit Doval under the Special Representatives dialogue — just ahead of PM Modi’s August 31 visit to Beijing for the SCO summit. The talks aim to rebuild ties fractured by the 2020 Galwan clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers. Recent thaw signs include meetings between EAM Jaishankar and Wang, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s China visit, and the resumption of direct Delhi-Beijing flights. Analysts say Trump’s 50% tariff hike on Indian imports has also pushed New Delhi to keep Beijing channels open.

Perplexity’s $34.5B Bid for Google Chrome

AI search startup Perplexity, led by Aravind Srinivas, has made an audacious $34.5B cash offer to buy Google Chrome — despite being valued at just $18B. The firm, backed by Nvidia and SoftBank, says unnamed funds are ready to finance the deal. Chrome’s 3B users could supercharge Perplexity’s AI browser, Comet. Google hasn’t put Chrome up for sale but faces monopoly rulings and interest from OpenAI, Yahoo, and Apollo.

Karnataka MLC Admits to Killing 2,800 Stray Dogs

JDS MLC SL Bhojegowda told the Karnataka Legislative Council he poisoned and buried 2,800 stray dogs to curb attacks on poor children. His statement came days after the Supreme Court ordered all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR removed to shelters within eight weeks. The admission has sparked outrage from animal rights groups and could lead to legal consequences.

Zelensky Rejects Donbas ‘Land Swap’ Ahead of Trump-Putin Talks

With Trump and Putin set to meet in Alaska to discuss ending the Ukraine war, President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding Donbas. He insists Ukraine must be part of the talks and warns the region is key to Russia’s future offensives. Trump says he’ll try to win back some territory for Ukraine, but Putin wants Kyiv to withdraw entirely from Donetsk and Luhansk — 9,000 sq km of land Russia hasn’t fully seized in over a decade.