Nepal has projected a reconstruction requirement of approximately $4.78 billion to rebuild following the severe floods caused by the Bhote Koshi River. The government released this estimate through its Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment after the disaster on August 26. The assessment indicates that direct physical damage amounts to around $1.8 billion, while economic losses are estimated at roughly $883 million. Officials clarified that these figures encompass damages across social, productive, and infrastructure sectors. The floods impacted communities and vital infrastructure across districts such as Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and others.
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German President Frank-Walter_Steinmeier greeted UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Villa Borsig in Berlin during the Emirati leader’s official state visit to Germany. The ceremony took place at the historic lakeside residence on Sept. 10, with the national anthems of the United Arab Emirates and Germany playing to commence the event. Sheikh Mohamed then inspected a guard of honour before engaging with senior German officials. This event marked the first-ever state visit to Germany by a president from the United Arab Emirates. The official schedule, spanning from Sept. 9 to 11, featured meetings with top German political leaders. Later, Sheikh Mohamed and Steinmeier engaged in talks at Villa Borsig focusing on bilateral relations and regional and international issues. Their discussions encompassed cooperation efforts and diplomatic initiatives aimed at fostering peace, security, and stability in the Middle East. UAE and Germany advance their strategic alliance.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed’s Germany state visit highlights bilateral ties and Berlin talks. Traveling with a high-level delegation, the UAE president’s entourage encompasses officials responsible for foreign affairs, trade, industry, defence, national security, and advanced technology. Among them are Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Al Jaber. The delegation also includes Foreign Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi and Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh. Several presidential advisers and other senior UAE officials have accompanied Sheikh Mohamed to Berlin. On Thursday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will host Sheikh Mohamed at Villa Borsig as part of the ongoing official program. The two heads of state will engage in discussions with their respective delegations after the ceremonial welcome. Later in the day, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet Sheikh Mohamed at the Federal Chancellery. The German government has announced that their talks will focus on economic relations, the strategic partnership, as well as regional peace and stability. The agenda also includes regional and international issues relevant to both nations. Focus on Strategic Alliances and Economic Cooperation Diplomatic ties between the UAE and Germany date back to 1972, with a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2004. This framework fosters political dialogue, trade, investment, and cooperation across multiple economic sectors. Pre-visit figures from the UAE indicate bilateral trade reached approximately 13.6 billion euros in 2025, reflecting a roughly
Worsening air pollution triggered by regional peatland fires forced Malaysia to enact an emergency declaration in Sarawak’s Serian district as the Air Pollutant Index breached the extreme 500 mark. Reaching a peak API reading of 519, the hazardous conditions led educational and health administrators to suspend classes across 647 schools to protect students and staff. Federal authorities are coordinating emergency mitigation measures, including cloud-seeding sorties and mask distributions, as agricultural fires burning across neighboring Indonesian Kalimantan continue to transport thick smoke plumes across shared maritime borders.
The UAE Search and Rescue Team is conducting field operations in Nepal’s flood-hit Rasuwa district. The deployment supports Nepalese authorities searching areas damaged by the August 26 Bhote Koshi River flood. Crews are conducting ground searches and field surveys at affected sites. They are using drones for aerial imaging, surveying and three-dimensional mapping. The technology helps crews identify search locations and reach areas where flooding damaged access routes and infrastructure.
Business
Travel
Etihad adds Red Sea International Airport to its growing Saudi Arabia flight network. This route will be serviced by an Airbus A320 configured with eight Business Class seats and 150 Economy Class seats. Etihad highlighted that passengers across its network will be able to reach the Red Sea with just a single connection in Abu Dhabi, including travelers coming from markets across the Gulf and the Indian subcontinent. Tickets for the route are already accessible via Etihad’s booking platform for travel starting on the launch date. This new connection joins existing routes to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, and Al Qassim in the airline’s Saudi route portfolio.
Indonesia resumed operations at Jakarta’s primary airport along with several regional airports on Tuesday following disruptions caused by volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau. The incident resulted in delays, cancellations, or diversions for over 340,000 travelers, impacting nearly 3,000 flights across the nation. Authorities reopened Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after winds cleared ash from critical aviation zones. Anak Krakatau remained active on Tuesday, with monitors recording three smaller eruptions during the morning hours.
Air Arabia increases Bangkok frequency with four daily flights from Sharjah to meet growing regional travel demand across commercial corridors. The expanded Bangkok operations complement the airline’s existing schedule to Thailand, which includes 21 weekly non-stop flights between Sharjah and Phuket. With the addition of the fourth daily Bangkok frequency, Air Arabia will operate a combined total of 49 weekly non-stop flights between its primary Sharjah hub and Thai destinations. The route expansion strengthens air connectivity between the Arabian Gulf and major Southeast Asian tourism and trade centers.
During that month, the country saw 2,093,223 foreign visitors, representing a 20.8% increase from 1,733,199 in July 2025. This figure also equates to 144.6% of the July 2019 count, before global travel was impacted by COVID-19. Foreign visitor arrivals in South Korea rose 20.8% year on year in July. Compared to July 2024, the total shows a 48.6% rise from the 1,408,499 foreign arrivals. The latest data indicates widespread growth among South Korea’s leading source markets for inbound tourism. China remained the top origin of visitors for the month, with approximately 777,000 arrivals. Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong followed in visitor numbers. Japan contributed roughly 330,000 tourists in July, while Taiwan brought in about 261,000. The United States accounted for around 150,000 visitors, and Hong Kong contributed about 76,000. All five markets also surpassed their July 2019 figures. Chinese arrivals grew by 49.6% compared to July 2019, Japanese arrivals increased by 20.2%, and Taiwan experienced the highest percentage jump, up 129.4% from its 2019 level. Leading Asian Markets Drive Visitor Growth Visitor numbers from the United States rose 54.4% compared with July 2019, with Hong Kong seeing an increase of 29.
Health
The World Health Organization reports that severe shortages of trained staff, operational partners, and financial resources are creating a critical bottleneck in controlling the expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Technical briefings indicate that the outbreak has extended beyond its initial focus in Bunia to six northeastern provinces. Caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, the ongoing epidemic has surpassed 6,000 cases and resulted in 3,175 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. Staff shortages and funding issues continue to hinder Ebola response efforts as international agencies urge global donors to accelerate financial contributions.
Technology
Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with major camera, performance and battery upgrades. The new models feature a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, a first for the iPhone. Both phones run on the new A20 Pro chip and include a redesigned thermal system. Preorders begin September 12, with retail availability scheduled for September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions.