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According to the latest statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board, no Sri Lankan nationals are among the foreigners reported missing following the devastating flash floods that struck Nepal’s Rasuwa area.

Accordingly, a total of 644 people are currently reported missing, including 517 foreign nationals from 32 countries and 127 Nepalese nationals.

Indian nationals account for the highest number of missing foreigners, with 178 reported missing. 

The latest list also includes 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians and 35 Australians, while 33 British nationals and 25 Canadians are also reported missing.

The report further states that nine Singaporeans, eight Germans, eight Russians, six Latvians, six South Africans, five Japanese, five New Zealanders, four French nationals, three Belgians and three Spaniards are among those missing.

Two nationals each from Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Portugal are also reported missing, while one person each from Belarus, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland is listed as missing, according to the statement. 

The Nepal Tourism Board said security forces and relief teams are continuing search and rescue operations and relief efforts to locate the missing persons.

(Adaderana.lk)

Sri Lanka must immediately overhaul its national disaster preparedness strategies to shield its vulnerable population from the severe ecological and economic threats posed by the impending El Niño–La Niña climate transition, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.

He made these remarks on Wednesday (26) during an event in the Matara–Hambantota region, where he attended the Akthapathra presentation ceremony for Venerable Sapugasyaye Dharmapala Thera following his appointment as Deputy Chief Sanghanayake of Talpe-Pattuwa.

Warning that unpredictable climate events could trigger severe droughts swiftly followed by intense torrential rainfall, the Opposition Leader urged the government to abandon reactive relief measures in favour of a modern, institutionalised framework.

Drawing attention to international crisis points including recent forest fires in France and Greece, he explained that the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change, which he co-chairs with Prof. L. M. Abeywickrama, has been evaluating scientific predictions indicating an abnormally destructive climate cycle this year.

He added that the island has already endured five major national crises in recent history, ranging from the Easter Sunday terror attacks to global geopolitical fallout, and risks facing a sixth major crisis if environmental risks are ignored.

Pointing to India’s Odisha state as an exemplary model of proactive disaster risk reduction, Premadasa said that Sri Lanka has failed to build a modern management apparatus despite the tragic loss of forty thousand lives during the 2004 tsunami.

He also observed that economically vulnerable and bankrupt nations remain exceptionally susceptible to external manipulation, highlighting that unified action involving government bodies, non-state institutions, and civil society is crucial to withstand interference from international financial institutions and multinational corporations.

*Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnSFPPexlk*

The death toll has risen to 162, according to Nepali police. Among those killed, 64 were found in downstream areas in the Chitwan district while another 26 were found in Nawalparasi East, police said in a statement this morning.

Twenty-eight police officers are among the hundreds still unaccounted for, it added.

Chitwan, a tourism hotspot known for its jungle safaris, is one of several municipalities that have been placed on high alert as floodwaters rise.

Source: BBC

A fresh 90-day detention order has been issued to former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay, allowing authorities to continue questioning him over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.

The new order permits investigators to further detain Sallay as inquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the attacks in April 2019.

Sallay is being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation into the events connected to the Easter Sunday attacks.

Muslims across Sri Lanka are observing Milad-un-Nabi today (25), marking the birth of Prophet Muhammad and reflecting on his life, teachings and message of peace.

The 42nd National Milad-un-Nabi celebration is scheduled to take place at 3.00 p.m. at Al-Hilal College in Periyamulla, Negombo, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

A series of religious, educational and community programmes have been organised alongside the national event, with emphasis on the values associated with the Prophet Muhammad’s life and teachings.

Milad-un-Nabi, also known as Mawlid or Mawlid al-Nabi, is an observance commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad, whom Muslims regard as the final prophet in Islam. He was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in the 6th century CE, during Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

The observance developed into a formal public religious tradition centuries after the Prophet’s lifetime, with practices varying among Muslim communities. These may include religious gatherings, sermons, prayers, recitations, poetry, discussions on the Prophet’s life and charitable activities.

The occasion provides Muslims with an opportunity to reflect on qualities associated with the Prophet, including compassion, honesty, patience, justice, generosity, forgiveness and concern for others.

In Sri Lanka, Milad-un-Nabi has been observed by the Muslim community for generations and has become an important religious and community occasion. Programmes are held at mosques, schools and community institutions across the country.

The observance also carries a wider social significance in Sri Lanka’s multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, with national and community celebrations often highlighting peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and understanding.

This year’s national celebration in Negombo is expected to bring together religious leaders, government representatives and community members to commemorate the occasion and reflect on messages of peace, compassion, unity, tolerance and service to humanity.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called on Sri Lankans to draw inspiration from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad to foster peace, justice, and co-existence across the island’s multi-ethnic society.

In a message issued to mark the holy day of Milad-un-Nabi, the Opposition Leader extended his greetings to Muslims in Sri Lanka and across the globe, emphasizing that the Prophet’s historical guidance offers a practical framework for harmonious living in diverse nations.

Highlighting the historical significance of the Constitution of Medina, Premadasa noted that the Prophet demonstrated how distinct religious and cultural groups could unite under principles of mutual respect and collective protection.

He observed that genuine peace extends beyond the mere absence of conflict, requiring the active fulfillment of justice and shared understanding.

Applying these principles to Sri Lanka, he stressed that maintaining brotherhood and mutual respect among all communities remains essential for achieving long-term national stability and economic progress.

The Opposition Leader concluded by urging citizens of all faiths and ethnicities to collaborate in building a fair society rooted in unity, expressing hope that the festival would mark the beginning of a peaceful future for the country.

The world's oceans are hotter than ever recorded, new data suggests, as they suffer from human-caused climate change and the growing El Niño weather phenomenon.

The average surface temperature of the planet's seas outside the polar regions hit 21.1C (70F) on Saturday, according to figures from the European Copernicus climate change service.

That edges past the 21.09C recorded on three separate days in March 2024, and is far above average for the time of year.

Warmer oceans can have wide-reaching consequences, including supercharging extreme weather, raising sea levels and harming marine life.

"This record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress," said Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.

"El Niño is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming," she added.

The data is based on sea temperatures 10m (32ft 10in) below the surface, using measurements from buoys, ships and satellites, which are combined to produce a global estimate.

While the margin of record is currently very small and any global estimate comes with uncertainties, scientists say its timing is particularly notable.

Average worldwide sea temperatures tend to reach their yearly peak in March or April, which corresponds to the end of summer in the southern hemisphere - and not in August.

The southern hemisphere contains more of the planet's ocean surface than the northern hemisphere and so exerts a bigger influence on average sea temperatures.

What is especially concerning to scientists is that the oceans are already so hot when the natural El Niño weather phenomenon is still some way off its expected peak.

El Niño brings unusually warm waters to the surface of the eastern and central tropical Pacific Ocean. Warmer waters across such a large area means that global average temperatures typically spike too.

El Niño is expected to keep strengthening until Christmas time, with scientists warning that it is on course to be the strongest in centuries.

This could see ocean temperatures climb yet further.

"The fact that we are already breaking records is an early indicator of how strong the El Niño is becoming," said Dr Jeremy Grist, senior research fellow at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton.

"All things being equal we might expect the ocean temperature record to be broken again in March [or] April 2027," he added.

The waters far away from El Niño's Pacific hunting ground are also extremely warm, including around the UK and Europe.

The western English Channel has seen almost continuous marine heatwave conditions for more than three years, peaking at 7C above normal in July, according to Prof Tim Smyth, director of science at Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

“This is unprecedented,” he added.

Scientists say such widespread warmth around the planet is a clear sign of the growing effect that human-caused climate change is having on the world's seas.

The oceans take up more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by humanity's greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels.

"The latest Copernicus data reinforce the troubling upward trend in ocean temperatures,” said Smyth.

Warmer seas help to fuel more extreme weather. They can provide storms with extra moisture and energy, and can intensify heatwaves on land in some coastal regions by reducing the cooling effect of sea breezes.

Warmer water also takes up more space, raising sea levels and bringing a greater risk of coastal flooding - while intense ocean heat can be devastating for sea habitats, such as coral reefs.

The increasing frequency of marine heatwaves is already "putting increasing pressure on marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them", Burgess said.

(BBC)