The number of people missing after Nepal’s massive flash floods and mudslides has risen sharply to 4,247, while at least 903 deaths have been confirmed. The missing figure includes 3,655 Nepali citizens and 592 foreigners, rising from 2,502 reported earlier. Rescue teams are searching for 933 missing workers linked to hydropower sites, many believed to be trapped in tunnels at the Trishuli-3A and Chilime projects. Teams from Nepal, India and China are assisting the search, but difficult weather and delays have hampered operations. The disaster has caused widespread devastation across several Himalayan regions. (PC: BBC)

Actor-politician and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s growing “Vijay for PM” pitch has triggered criticism from the DMK and Congress after a Mood of the Nation survey placed him third among preferred prime ministerial choices. The survey gave Vijay 9.2% support, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. TVK leaders and supporters amplified the result, fuelling speculation about Vijay’s national ambitions ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. DMK leaders dismissed the campaign, while Congress leaders stressed their support for Rahul Gandhi as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial face. (PC: India Today)

Delhi’s draft electoral roll has excluded nearly 47.7 lakh voters from the city’s previous electorate of around 1.45 crore following the Special Intensive Revision. The draft list contains about 97.5 lakh electors whose enumeration forms were collected and digitised during a house-to-house exercise. The remaining voters were tagged as absent, shifted, dead, duplicate or others and do not appear in the draft roll. Those excluded can file claims with supporting documents until September 30. The Election Commission is scheduled to review claims and objections before publishing Delhi’s final electoral roll on November 4. (PC: The Indian Express)

The United States and Iran have exchanged fresh military strikes for the first time in weeks, escalating tensions around the strategic Strait of Hormuz. US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reporting two people killed and two injured. Washington said the action targeted Iranian minelaying forces posing an imminent threat to shipping. Iran responded by claiming missile strikes on US military bases in Jordan, while Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles. Iranian state media also reported a drone attack on a UAE air base, a claim denied by Abu Dhabi. Iran vowed a decisive response. (PC: BBC)

Bangladesh has said it sees “no risk” in joining the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan on August 7, and maintained that membership would not restrict its ties with other partners. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman earlier told Parliament that Dhaka would positively consider joining if invited, describing the pact as an internal matter of “our Muslim family.” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir reiterated the position after meeting Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah, calling the agreement a “unique pact” offering new opportunities. He said Bangladesh was discussing the matter and indicated that talks with its bilateral partners were progressing positively, according to the report. (PC: India Today)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Tehran is not seeking war, but warned that Iran would respond decisively to any aggression. Speaking ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Pezeshkian said Iran had consistently conveyed its opposition to war while maintaining that it would not remain silent if attacked. His remarks come amid renewed tensions following US strikes on two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, which Washington said were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan, according to reports. Pezeshkian’s statement underscores Tehran’s simultaneous emphasis on avoiding war and maintaining a deterrent response to further attacks. (PC: Fox News)

Nepal’s devastating floods have left a rising death toll and widespread destruction as rescue and recovery operations continue. The latest update puts the death toll at 903, according to Nepalese authorities. In the worst-hit areas, volunteers are clearing debris, recovering bodies and providing food, water and temporary shelter. Near Gyirong, a barrier lake formed after the floods has “naturally drained and is basically cleared”, easing fears of another major flood, though China has warned of continued rainfall through Tuesday. At the devastated border crossing, 117 firefighters and 13 rescue dogs are searching through mud and debris. Earlier figures cited 2,502 missing, including 933 hydropower workers and 592 foreign nationals. (PC: PTI)

At least 933 hydropower project workers are believed to be trapped across around half a dozen projects in Nepal following last week’s devastating floods, according to the country’s disaster management authority. Rescue teams are focusing on tunnels inundated with mud, rock and floodwater, particularly at the Upper Trishuli hydropower complex. Nepal has deployed thousands of security personnel and received specialist tunnel-rescue assistance from India and China. At one tunnel, rescuers have located the entrance and begun clearing debris, while equipment including oxygen supplies and cameras is being prepared for entry. The floods, triggered by a massive glacial collapse, have killed more than 780 people and left over 3,000 missing, severely damaging infrastructure and Nepal’s power-generation capacity. (PC: Khaleej Times)

Iran launched ballistic missiles at two US-operated air bases in Jordan on Sunday, hours after US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the missiles targeted technical infrastructure, maintenance facilities and fighter-jet positions at King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases, causing “heavy damage”, while Jordanian air defences intercepted the launches. The US said it attacked the Iranian launchers after observing preparations to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategic waterway. The strikes mark the first known US attacks on Iran since July and come six months into the conflict. Iran vowed retaliation, calling the US action a “grave blunder”. The escalation has pushed oil prices higher.

US forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, marking the first known American strikes on Iran since late July, according to a US official. The official said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz when the launchers were targeted. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said several soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded and vowed a “response and punishment.” Iran subsequently attacked US forces stationed in Jordan with ballistic missiles, according to a US source cited by Fox News, though nearly all incoming missiles were reportedly intercepted with no significant impact. The strikes come as the six-month Iran war remains in a stalemate and tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continue. (PC: Reuters)