Sanaa, Sep 8: An airstrike hit a prison in Houthi-controlled Al-Jawf province in northern Yemen, causing casualties, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, attributing the strike to the Saudi-led coalition.

The strike hit the prison in Al-Hazm, the provincial capital, on Monday (local time), the report said, adding that women and children were among the casualties.

Al-Masirah quoted the prison director as saying that 35 inmates and a woman visiting her husband remained trapped beneath the rubble.

Footage aired by al-Masirah apparently showed extensive damage to the facility and rescuers searching through debris.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting al-Masirah TV.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on social media platform X on Monday that the Saudi military operations in Yemen “will not go unanswered,” alleging that the operations included airstrikes, reconnaissance flights and the supply of weapons to Yemeni government forces.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

A UN-brokered truce that took effect in April 2022 expired six months later without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held until the recent escalation.

The Houthi group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping in July and has since claimed attacks on Saudi tankers and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has said that recent Houthi attacks across several frontlines are “an extremely alarming development” that threatens to further expand the conflict.

In a statement posted on social media platform X on Monday (local time), Grundberg said reports of civilians killed and injured, families displaced, and civilian infrastructure damaged were “deeply troubling.”

Grundberg said a return to sustained large-scale fighting will have grave consequences for civilians and make an already difficult path toward a political settlement even harder.

He called on all parties to “cease all hostilities,” exercise maximum restraint, and use existing channels, including the UN’s Military Coordination Committee, to prevent further escalation.

The envoy said he will continue engaging directly with the parties to contain the current escalation and preserve space for dialogue, while urging regional and international actors to use their influence towards those objectives.

New Delhi, Sep 7: India maintained a stable contribution to Germany’s inbound tourism with Indian visitor nights up 0.1 per cent year‑on‑year and the country’s ten leading city destinations accounting for about 61 per cent of all Indian overnight stays, a statement said on Monday.

Germany recorded 36.4 million international overnight stays in the first half of 2026, “while India maintains stable growth and strong long-term potential,” a statement from the German National Tourist Office said.

Germany’s international overnight stays saw year-on-year growth of 0.5 per cent, and June overnight stays rose 1.6 per cent compared with June 2025.

“India remains an important and highly promising source market for Destination Germany. The stable performance during the first five months of 2026 demonstrates the resilience of Indian travel demand despite geopolitical uncertainty and changing economic conditions,” said Romit Theophilus, Director – Marketing & Sales Office, India, GNTO.

Indian travellers are increasingly seeking safe, well-connected destinations that offer authentic cultural experiences, premium hospitality and excellent value, Theophilus said.

Germany is strongly positioned to meet these expectations, with its diverse cities, heritage, natural landscapes and efficient public transport network, he added.

“The Indian audience for Germany is also young and experience-driven, with an average traveller age of 38 years. Around 95 per cent of Indian travellers to Germany are below the age of 55, highlighting the market’s significant long-term potential,” Theophilus said.

He also expressed optimism about continued demand during the second half of 2026.

Hotel occupancy also increased by 1.2 percentage points to 65.5 per cent during the same period.

Germany offers a compelling combination of vibrant cities, historic attractions, nature, premium experiences and convenient onward connections across Europe for Indian travellers, the German National Tourist Office said.

Kathmandu, Sep 7: A national day of mourning is being observed on Monday in Nepal in honour of those who lost their lives in the devastating flood that struck the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district on August 26.

A Cabinet meeting held on September 3 decided to observe a national day of mourning on Monday in honour of those who lost their lives in the deadly floods, which occurred 13 days ago.

The national flag was flown at half-mast at government offices across Nepal, as well as at Nepali embassies and diplomatic missions abroad.

According to the Nepal Police, as many as 1,353 bodies of people who died in the floods had been recovered by Sunday evening.

According to the latest details, the recovered bodies include 530 men and 328 women, while 495 bodies were recovered in parts and remain unidentified.

Police said 3,992 people remain out of contact, including 595 foreign nationals.

Police said 1,044 of the recovered bodies have been safely buried, while the identification and management of the remaining bodies are underway.

Meanwhile, Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged elderly people affected by the floods not to feel that they are alone, assuring them that the state and government stand firmly with them.

Issuing a message on social media on Monday, Prime Minister Shah said, “You are not alone. The state is with you, and the government is with you.”

In an emotional statement, Prime Minister Shah noted that during the floods, some elderly parents had to flee to higher ground while clutching their grandchildren with trembling hands, without even caring about their own lives.

They were forced to endure such difficult circumstances in the later years of their lives, he said.

“Even legs that could barely move two steps without the support of a walking stick found extraordinary strength at that moment to save their children,” he added.

Security agencies have continued search and rescue operations for people who remain out of contact, particularly at hydropower projects along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors.

According to the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a representative body of private-sector power developers in Nepal, as many as 919 people employed at 11 hydropower projects remained out of contact as of Sunday evening.

There have been a few successful rescues of people alive from some hydropower projects, including two Nepali nationals from the 60-MW Upper Trishuli 3A project on September 4 and a Chinese national from the 216-MW Upper Trishuli-1 project on September 5.