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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek during the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. The August 31 meeting covered political ties, trade, defence, energy, space, mobility and contacts between people. Modi and Putin also discussed regional conflicts and cooperation through major multilateral forums. The talks marked their first in-person meeting of 2026 and continued a series of high-level exchanges between India and Russia.

The Egyptian Presidency said the visit will include talks on strengthening bilateral relations across several sectors. The agenda also covers the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that Egypt and China established in 2014. Both sides plan consultations on regional and international issues of common interest. El-Sisi and Xi have maintained regular high-level contact since the partnership began. Egypt has also expanded its participation in China-linked economic initiatives during that period, including projects connected with infrastructure, manufacturing and transport.

The report says almost 19% of the world’s children now live in conflict zones. That compares with about 10% during the 1990s. By the end of 2024, conflict and violence had displaced 48.8 million children worldwide. The total was nearly triple the roughly 17 million recorded in 2010. It includes refugee and asylum-seeking children, along with millions uprooted within their own countries by conflict and violence. Climate hazards are adding another layer of risk for children around the world. Nearly half of all children, or 1.1 billion, face at least three overlapping climate hazards. Almost every child faces at least one such hazard, according to UNICEF’s 2026 climate risk assessment. More than 4 million children face as many as six overlapping threats. The hazards include drought, extreme heat, heatwaves, floods, fires, tropical storms and sand and dust storms. Digital environments have also expanded the range of threats facing children, according to the UN assessment. About one in three internet users worldwide is under 18. More than 300 million children each year experience online sexual exploitation and abuse, according to data cited by the UN office. At least 1.2 million children said artificial intelligence had turned their images into sexually explicit deepfakes during the previous year. Other risks include cyberbullying, fraud, identity theft, trafficking and harmful content. A 2025 poll by M’jid’s office gathered responses from more than

The Nepal authority said rescue teams have brought 10,451 people to safety, including 252 foreign nationals. It listed 592 foreigners among those still missing, alongside 933 workers from hydropower projects along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli corridors. Officials recorded 267 injured people, while 156 had left medical care after treatment. Nepal has deployed more than 20,000 security personnel for search, rescue and relief work across affected districts. Helicopters are also moving survivors and emergency supplies between isolated communities.

Economic cooperation formed a major part of the talks. Bilateral trade reached $1.3 billion in 2025, up 33%, according to the Uzbek government. Both countries set a target of raising annual trade to $5 billion by 2030. The number of joint ventures has increased sevenfold in recent years. India and Uzbekistan also have 14 direct flights each week, while four Indian universities currently operate in Uzbekistan. The leaders called for broader industrial and business links.

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes Longchang City in China Sichuan province as local emergency management agencies initiate preliminary impact assessments across the county level territory. Regional emergency services dispatchers confirmed that no immediate reports of casualties, injuries, or structural property destruction were filed in the hours following the tremor. Local civil defense departments mobilized inspection units to evaluate public infrastructure, including municipal water supplies, power grids, gas pipelines, and transport corridors across Neijiang. State media reporting relayed by Xinhua News Agency verified that rural townships nearest to the epicenter reported minor ground shaking without disruptions to local utilities.

ALGERIA / RankWire.AI / – Wildfires across northeastern Algeria have killed at least 12 people and injured 54, authorities said Wednesday night. Five deaths occurred in Jijel, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou, Interior Minister Said Sayoud said. Six injured people remained in critical condition and were receiving intensive care after suffering burns. The fires spread across several provinces during a severe heatwave affecting Algeria and other parts of North Africa.

The written statement submitted by the Ministry for Narcotics Control detailed that Saudi Arabia accounted for the vast majority of repatriations, expelling 15,500 Pakistani nationals during the four-month window. The United Arab Emirates deported 3,803 individuals, followed by Oman with 1,606 deportations, Bahrain with 521, Qatar with 429, and Kuwait with 97. A significant subset of the repatriated individuals involved 4,628 absconders, 1,294 individuals who served prison sentences, and 472 individuals specifically identified as beggars.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s North Sumatra province on Tuesday, shaking communities across parts of Sumatra. The earthquake occurred at 1:02:23 p.m. western Indonesian time, or 06:02:23 UTC. Official data placed the epicenter in the sea, 147 kilometers southeast of South Nias Regency. The earthquake had a depth of 29 kilometers, with its source beneath waters west of Sumatra. Residents across other parts of Sumatra also reported shaking after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, said the earthquake had no potential to generate a tsunami. Residents in South Nias felt weak shaking for about three to five seconds.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history. Government data showed 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths as of Aug. 16. Health officials recorded 101 new confirmed cases during the previous 24 hours. The death toll has now surpassed the 2,299 fatalities recorded during the country’s 2018 to 2020 Ebola outbreak.