International

After the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague said on 31 August that the Indus Waters Treaty remains “fully in force”, the Ministry of External Affairs rejected the award, saying the arbitral body was constituted by the World Bank in patent breach of the treaty and that its very establishment was a grave violation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in New Delhi on 3 September, and the two sides signed three government-level defence agreements and announced a fast trade mechanism. Belgium assured India it has no defence ties with Pakistan.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit concluded in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on 1 September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the grouping must dismantle the terror ecosystem. The Bishkek Declaration called for an inclusive government in Afghanistan and voiced deep concern over the war in the Persian Gulf region.

The death toll from the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flash floods rose past 1,000 on 1 September and to 1,252 by 3 September. Two hydropower workers were pulled alive from a debris-buried tunnel on 4 September. India’s External Affairs Ministry said 275 Indians were still missing and 169 had been rescued.

The United States struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz on 31 August, saying the aim was to stop Tehran mining the shipping lane. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan and the UAE, and later on 3 September attacked American bases again despite warnings from President Trump.

The General Assembly on 4 September adopted a resolution encouraging governments and institutions to replace the traditional Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection, which represents Africa and other equatorial regions at their true relative size. India voted in favour.

The Russian President ordered a 72-hour halt to attacks on the Ukrainian capital on 5 September, as U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow. The move came four and a half years into the war and after days of escalating aerial attacks by both sides.

Flash floods in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river system, set off by an ice-rock avalanche, killed 788 people by 30 August with about 2,500 still missing. Two fresh glacial lakes formed near the avalanche source, and a preliminary Chinese assessment pointed to the collapse of a high-altitude glacier. At least 320 Indians remained uncontactable and 400 were stranded; India sent aircraft with relief material and an expert panel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tashkent on 30 August, ahead of the SCO summit, and the two countries decided to elevate their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. They agreed on a uranium deal and set a $5 billion annual trade target by 2030. Their existing joint commission was upgraded from the level of secretaries to ministerial level.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on 25 August for the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary question. The two sides said they had discussed advancing delimitation talks on parts of the disputed border and stressed peace and tranquillity in border areas. They also agreed to open two more Border Personnel Meeting points along the Line of Actual Control, whose locations are yet to be announced.

King Harald V of Norway died on 28 August at the age of 89, the palace said. His 53-year-old son Haakon succeeded him immediately and announced that he would reign under the name King Haakon VIII.

Icelandic voters rejected a proposal to resume European Union accession negotiations in a referendum held on 30 August, more than a decade after the previous talks ended. Opponents won by 52.8% to 47.2%, and turnout was above 82% of the 270,000 eligible voters. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir had campaigned in support of the measure.

The World Health Organization declared Uganda officially Ebola-free on 27 August, after 42 days without a new case. The country was praised for its efforts in preventing the spread of an outbreak that had overwhelmed health facilities in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bangladesh will give positive consideration to joining the Mecca Pact — the trilateral defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan — if its members propose bringing Dhaka into the framework. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made the statement in Parliament.