Nepal ends flood rescue as South Asia, US and UK see key developments
A series of international developments on Monday ranged from disaster response in Nepal and political exchanges in South Asia to security, aviation and economic updates across Europe, West Asia and the United States. Nepal said it has ended the search and rescue operation after the August 26 flash floods and will now focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction, while Bangladesh said it had never ruled out Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India.
In other developments, US President Donald Trump drew attention after mixing up India and Brazil while criticising the American election process before later correcting himself, British Airways said one of its London-Chicago flights returned to the UK shortly after take-off, and the IMF said it had reached a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on the seventh review under its bailout programme.
Officials in Kathmandu said Nepal on Monday concluded the search and rescue operation launched after the devastating August 26 flash floods, which claimed at least 1,455 lives. They said the government's focus is now shifting to rehabilitation and reconstruction.
In Washington, Trump mixed up India and Brazil while attacking the US election process. In an earlier social media post, he referred to Brazil's presidential election as India's to argue that the electoral process in the US was "corrupt". He later corrected himself.
In London, flight tracking data showed that a British Airways flight on Monday made a U-turn back to the UK about an hour into its journey from London to Chicago.
From Islamabad, authorities said Pakistan's top defence and military officials would attend a high-level meeting of the trilateral Makkah alliance in Riyadh on Monday. The meeting is expected to discuss regional developments amid tensions following attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
In Dhaka, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh had never ruled out Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to India. He said discussions were under way to finalise the tour under a "proper bilateral framework", amid strains in ties between the two neighbours.
In Colombo, the International Monetary Fund said it had reached a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on the seventh review under its Extended Fund Facility. The agreement will allow the country access to USD 345 million from the USD 2.9 billion bailout facility approved in 2023.
Pakistan also said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the country from October 6 to 8. During the visit, he is scheduled to meet the top leadership and discuss regional and international developments.
In the UK, two 17-year-old boys were sentenced to 10 years in prison over an arson attack on an Indian restaurant in east London. The attack caused serious injuries to diners.
In Ukraine, local media reported that a 52-year-old employee of a pharmaceutical warehouse belonging to Indian owners was killed in a Russian drone strike in Sumy.
Overall, the day's developments included Nepal's move from rescue to rebuilding after deadly floods, political and diplomatic updates involving India and its neighbours, and major international developments spanning the US, the UK, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ukraine.
