Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 years of continuous leadership in government and expressed readiness to deepen the partnership between India and Belgium.

In his congratulatory message, Wever described his recent visit to India as “productive.”

In a post on X, Wever stated, “I warmly congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 years of continuous leadership in government, from Gujarat to New Delhi. Following my productive visit to India last month, I look forward to further deepening the strong partnership between our two countries.”

Bart De Wever’s statement comes as PM Modi marks 25 years of uninterrupted leadership as head of government, beginning with his oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, and continuing through three terms as Prime Minister of India.

In October 2001, PM Modi was chosen to replace Keshubhai Patel as Gujarat Chief Minister at a difficult time for the state, which was still dealing with the aftermath of the devastating Bhuj earthquake as well as political and administrative challenges. He remained Chief Minister until 2014 before moving to national politics.

PM Modi’s tenure as India’s Prime Minister has been marked by an expanded international profile for the country, with the government pursuing greater diplomatic engagement, stronger relations with major powers and a prominent role for India in the Global South.

Last month, Bart De Wever was on an official visit to India. It was his first visit to India after assuming office in February last year and also the first visit by a Belgian PM to India in two decades.

During his visit to India, Wever reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties with PM Modi during their bilateral talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the partnership between India and Belgium while also discussing regional and global issues of mutual interest.

“The two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, with a focus on defence, trade, investment, innovation, semiconductors, fintech, critical minerals, people-to-people ties, and academic and research cooperation. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the close and multifaceted India-Belgium partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X.

PM Modi and PM Bart De Wever witnessed the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of defence, renewable energy, combating crime and establishing diplomatic training between the two nations. The two sides agreed to double the bilateral trade in next five years, establish a business forum, an investment forum and a consular dialogue, the MEA stated.

Kathmandu, Oct 6: The devastating August floods in Nepal are expected to have a material negative impact on the country’s economic prospects in the short term, the World Bank said on Tuesday as it lowered its economic growth projection for the Himalayan nation.

The global development lender said Nepal’s economic growth is projected to slow to 3.7 per cent in the current fiscal year 2026-27, which began in mid-July, from the 4.2 per cent projected in April, reflecting disruptions to industry and services.

In its report titled Nepal Development Update: Building Back Differently for the Future, released on Tuesday, the World Bank said the August 2026 floods are expected to affect Nepal’s economy through four primary transmission channels: energy, transportation, trade and tourism.

“Agriculture and banking and insurance are also channels through which the economy would be affected, but with relatively lower potential impact,” it said.

According to the bank’s report, energy, particularly hydropower, is the most critical transmission channel. The floods affected 12 hydropower projects, including seven operational projects with a combined capacity of 256.1 MW and five projects under construction with a combined capacity of 395.02 MW, as well as a 25 MW solar facility.

“Damage to transmission infrastructure disrupted an additional 149.6 MW, bringing total affected generation and transmission capacity to approximately 430.7 MW, equivalent to 10.6 per cent of Nepal’s FY26 installed hydropower and solar capacity,” the bank said.

Transportation and trade are other key transmission channels, given the concentration of Nepal’s international and domestic trade along a limited number of corridors, according to the World Bank.

As many as 1,455 people have been confirmed dead and 5,285 remain missing to date following the disaster, which destroyed communities and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

According to the Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) report prepared by a joint technical team of the National Planning Commission and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the recent floods are estimated to have caused physical damage worth 274.48 billion Nepali rupees (about 1.93 billion US dollars), while overall losses and damages have reached 408.28 billion rupees (about 2.87 billion US dollars).

The preliminary assessment suggests that more than 723 billion rupees will be required for the reconstruction and recovery of affected infrastructure and assets. The Nepali government is now working on a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment involving a more extensive assessment of the damage.

The World Bank said industry is expected to be the main drag on growth, reflecting extensive damage to hydropower, solar energy, electricity transmission and transport infrastructure, which will constrain electricity generation and production and disrupt the movement of goods.

“For instance, it took nearly a year to fully restore generation at the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, which was severely damaged by the July 8, 2025, Bhotekoshi (Lhende River) flood,” it said.

The same project has once again been badly affected by the August floods.

“This illustrates the potential for flood-related damage to disrupt electricity supply and impose substantial reconstruction costs,” the global development lender said.

“Hydropower construction in areas not directly affected by the flood is expected to continue, although projects could face higher insurance premiums, financing reassessments, and cost overruns,” it added.

“Services are expected to be affected through disruptions to trade, transport, tourism, and financial activity, while agricultural losses are expected to have limited effects on aggregate output but significant impacts on livelihoods in affected areas,” the bank said in the report.

Tourism is expected to face a potentially prolonged impact, reflecting both physical disruptions and heightened perceptions of travel risks, according to the report.

It said more than 200 hotels and restaurants were damaged across the affected districts, while access to major trekking and pilgrimage destinations—including Langtang, Gosaikunda and the Kailash Mansarovar corridor—has been disrupted.

However, economic activity is expected to gradually recover in fiscal year 2027-28 as reconstruction activity begins to gain momentum and damaged infrastructure and productive capacity are progressively restored, the bank said.

Riyadh, Oct 6: As many as three people were injured, and property was damaged after attacks targeted two airports in Saudi Arabia on Monday evening, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.

In a statement shared on X, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport were targeted on Monday evening. It said that emergency response teams and relevant authorities responded immediately under established emergency plans.

The three injured people were taken to hospital for medical treatment. GACA said it was working with the relevant authorities to assess the damage, verify the safety of the airport facilities and take measures to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain the safety and security of Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation system.

On Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks targeting sites in southern Saudi Arabia, including military facilities and airports, Gulf News reported.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Houthis ‘ targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the country and Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strongest condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist Houthi militia’s continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom; its blatant and repeated attacks against the holiest sites on earth-Makkah and Madinah— the capital Riyadh, and the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu; and its targeting of Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait,” the ministry posted on X.

“The Kingdom affirms that, since the terrorist Houthi militia’s coup against Yemen’s legitimate government in 2014, the Kingdom has made sustained and tireless efforts to support a comprehensive and lasting political solution in Yemen. However, consistent with its rejection of peace, the terrorist Houthi militia has instead chosen continued military escalation, dragging Yemen and the brotherly Yemeni people into further humanitarian and economic suffering to serve and advance external agendas,” it added.

Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its right to defend its territory, resources, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to take all necessary measures to protect its security in accordance with international law. It also renewed its political and military support for the Presidential Leadership Council, the Yemeni government, and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the coup and restore the state and its institutions from the control of the Houthi militia.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its call on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the Security Council, to fulfil its responsibilities, implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, and provide full support to Yemen’s legitimate government in confronting the Houthi militia and ending the threat it poses to Yemen, the region, and the world.