META REACHES $17 BILLION DEAL WITH US ON TEEN SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION THURSDAY 27 Meta will pay $17 billion to US to end a landmark trial on Wednesday over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states AUGUST, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in X.com/TheMornStandard PA K I S TA N EXPRESS ILLUSTRATION $201 BN WAS META’S 2025 REVENUE, AND THE LAWSUIT IS A SMALL PART OF IT facebook.com/TheMorningStandard MATERNITY WARD FIRE KILLS 14 At least 14 infants were killed on Wednesday after a massive fire broke out in a gynaecology ward of a major hospital in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad PAYOUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00 95 dead, at least 133 Indian tourists, 37 NRIs among 750 missing after flash floods hit Nepal’s Rasuwa, Dhading; India steps up relief op, Isha Foundation says 77 members untraceable Gyirong County Landslide site PAGES 12 New border hotlines, meeting points ahead of Xi’s India visit r J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi ive Tr i s hu li r NEPAL  California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023, but the deal cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury in federal court in California. The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and one of the biggest in consumer protection history Rasuwa District KATHMANDU Map not to scale How the flood originated 1 An ice-rock avalanche originating in a high-altitude area likely triggered the devastating flash floods that hurtled down from Tibet across central Nepal districts on Wednesday, experts at ICIMOD said 2 Researchers said the large volume of ice and rock debris may have entered the Lende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi river 3 The event could have generated a sudden surge that carried water, sediment and large boulders downstream Bihar, UP on alert after floods in Nepal Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were on high alert on Wednesday after several districts in neighbouring Nepal were devastated by flash floods in the Gandak river system. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on the flood situation | P8 A screengrab of a massive mudslide caused by flash floods at Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-Tibet border | X Killer Nepal water wall WASHES AWAY HUNDREDS IN A FLASH EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi AT least 170 Indians are among 750 tourists and travellers whose whereabouts remain unconfirmed after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal near the Tibet border, killing at least 95 people and leaving a trail of destruction across several of its districts on Wednesday . The Nepal Tourism Board said its preliminary list includes 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals, with Indians constituting the largest identified group of foreign nationals. Another 37 non-resident Indians have also been listed separately as authorities , continue efforts to verify their whereabouts and safety. The flash floods struck the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Wednesday sending , torrents of water, mud and de- bris through settlements near the China border. The floodwaters also affected parts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts. Visuals from the affected areas showed powerful walls of muddy water sweeping through villages, engulfing buildings and carrying away vehicles and debris. Rescue and search operations are continuing, with authorities warning that the casualty figures could rise as teams reach more affected areas. The large number of Indians caught up in the disaster has prompted an immediate response from New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepal counterpart Balendra Shah and offered condolences over the loss of life, while assuring India’s support. “People of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time,” Modi said, adding that India was ready to provide “all possible humanitarian assistance.” The Indian Air Force has dispatched a C-130J aircraft carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines, the MEA said. The floods have also affected pilgrims travelling through the region towards Tibet. Isha Foundation chief Sadhguru said 77 members of the organisation were caught in the flash floods and their whereabouts remained unknown. “A terrible and tragic flash flood has taken place at Gyirong in Tibet, one of our Kailash groups was caught in it,” Sadhguru said. The other missing tourists were from US, Malaysia, the UK, South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands. P3 & P9 37 TN pilgrims missing as bus falls into gorge, 20 safe EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Thanjavur/ Mayiladuthurai/ Chennai/ Dharmapuri A total of 37 tourists from Tamil Nadu remained unreachable after the massive flash flood in Nepal. One of the three buses carrying the 57-member group, including 36 women, from TN undertaking a pilgrimage to Manasarovar fell into a gorge EXPRESS READ Sukesh held guilty for posing as SC judge Alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has been convicted by a Delhi court for impersonating a sitting Supreme Court judge and trying to influence a special judge to grant him bail in a corruption case in 2017. Chandrasekhar first impersonated the private secretary of the judge and later the judge himself. | P4 Himachal to delete caste column in school forms Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday announced that the caste column would be removed from school admission forms from the next session, saying the move would help eliminate caste-based discrimination and promote a sense of equality among children. following the landslide triggered by the flood, said a staff member of the travel agency who accompanied the pilgrims. As many as 20 people have taken refuge at the Armed Police Outpost in Timure. The tourists include 12 from Cuddalore, 11 from Thanjavur, 10 from Tiruchy, seven from Mayiladuthurai, four each from Krishnagiri and Chennai, three from Puducherry, two each from Dharmapuri and Tiruvarur, and one each from Namakkal and Tiruvannamalai. Sivagnanam Veerasami (63), a retired judge of the Madras HC, was among those missing. Syed Sadiq, the owner of the Super Yathra Agency in Kumbakonam, which organised the tour, said that all 57 pilgrims flew from Chennai airport to Delhi on August 23. The tourists flew on a single flight the next day to Kathmandu from Delhi. Syed accompanied the group till Kathmandu, and from there he returned back to Kumbakonam. His son Sayed Umar Farook is with the tourists. On Wednesday morning, the 57 tourists, including Farook, took three buses from Syabrubesi to Gyirong. Raj HC acting CJ needs to go, SC judge tells CJI S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi CHIEF Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday said that the Collegium is examining Justice Sandeep Mehta’s allegations against Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. The CJI’s statement came hours after reports said Justice Mehta has shot off three letters to the CJI this month, levelling serious alle gations against Justice Sharma, who is due to retire on September 26. In a press statement issued in the evening, the CJI said the contents of the letters cannot be adjudicated in the public domain and that Justice Sharma must be given a fair opportunity to place his response before any conclusion is reached. The fact that allegations have been made cannot by itself be treated as a finding against the judge, he added. The CJI emphasised that the SC cannot allow individual complaints concerning judges to be determined through competing claims in the media. Earlier in the day, reports said Justice Mehta wrote to the CJI on August 2, 10 and 17, seeking the immediate replacement of Justice Sharma with a chief justice from another HC. The letters alleged Justice Sharma, who has been serving as the acting chief justice for the past 10 months, manipulated case listings and misused his administrative powers. “There are innumerable instances of Justice Sharma, exercising powers as the Acting Chief Justice in a manner unbecoming of the leader of the institution,” Justice Mehta wrote in one of his letters. He said that during his visits to Rajasthan, numerous judges met him and expressed anguish over Justice Shar ma’s behaviour. AHEAD of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India next month, New Delhi and Beijing have agreed on a fresh set of measures to strengthen communication along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), while keeping negotiations on the boundary question moving. The decisions were reached at the 25th round of talks between India and China’s Special Representatives, held on Tuesday in Beijing, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval representing India and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi representing China. The talks produced an eightpoint outcome that combines political engagement on the Chinese President Xi Jinping boundary dispute with practical measures aimed at preventing incidents along the LAC from escalating. Among the most significant decisions was an agreement to establish two additional meeting points for General Level Mechanism/Senior Highest Military Commander meetings, an official release said. The two sides agreed to add two new channels for border HAL, France’s Safran seal deal on multi-role combat helicopters The signing marks the start of the engine’s developSTATE-RUN Hindustan Aer- ment and production phase, onautics Ltd (HAL) and with work to be shared France’s Safran Helicopter equally between the two parEngines on Wednesday ent companies. HAL is both inked a contract to a shareholder in jointly develop a SAFHAL and the 3,500 to 4,000 shaft customer for the enhorse power-class gine as the helicop‘Aravalli’ copter enter manufacturer. gine, which will However, the two power H A L’s helicopter proplanned 13-tonne Ingrammes are yet to Beyond dian Multi-Role Helreceive acceptance Mi-17s icopter (IMRH) and of necessity and apThe IMRH is its naval variant, the proval from the Cabintended to 12.5-tonne Deckinet Committee on eventually Based Multi-Role Security, with HAL replace the Helicopter. funding preparatory Indian The contract covwork from its own ers the engine’s de- military’s fleet resources. of over 240 sign, development, HAL chair man manufacture, supply Russian-origin and managing direcMi-17 and lifecycle suptor Ravi K said the helicopters. port. The ‘Aravalli’ contract marked a The first will be developed by “significant step forSAFHAL Helicopter prototype will ward” in India’s purEngines Pvt Ltd, a be out in 2028 suit of self-reliance 50:50 joint venture in aero-engine techbetween HAL and Safran nology. Safran Helicopter Helicopter Engines, the ro- Engines CEO Olivier Antorcraft engine arm of Sa- dries said the programme fran, with the production represented a new chapter planned at HAL’s facility in in the strategic relationship Tumakuru, Karnataka. between India and France. J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi TRINAMOOL REBELS GET NOTICE FROM LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT The Lok Sabha secretariat has given 20 rebel TMC MPs, who merged with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India in June, seven days to reply to a petition seeking their disqualification on grounds of defection | P7 military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors, expanding direct military communication. The agreement comes as India and China continue efforts to consolidate peace and stability along the border following years of heightened tensions. Both sides agreed that situations on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms. The two sides also discussed ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas, with the aim of reducing the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation. IIT-D probe panel chief recuses, cites personal reason EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi FORMER Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar has reportedly recused himself as chairperson of the external inquiry committee set up by IIT-Delhi to probe the death of 31-year-old MSc (Physics) student Rishikesh Kumar, citing prior commitments, sources said on Wednesday The . institute is expected to announce a replacement shortly . Rishikesh died on August 22 after falling from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex on the IIT-Delhi campus. Police said no suicide note was recovered and are examining counselling records, his mobile phone and other material. An FIR has been registered. Rishikesh’s death led to protests on the campus, with hundreds of students staging sitins for several days. Their demands included an independent inquiry, the resignation of officials handling student welfare, compensation of at least `1 crore for the family and stronger mental health and grievance redress mechanisms. Classes have been suspended during the protests. IIT-Delhi director Rangan Banerjee announced a fivemember committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the death, review institutional processes, engage with students and faculty and recommend measures to strengthen support systems. The committee was asked to submit its report within two weeks. In a 1st, NDMC chief apologises over waterlogging ‘Give disaster-like redress’ I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi NDMC chairperson Manoj Dwivedi issued a public apology on social media on Wednesday over rain-triggered waterlogging in parts of the capital, triggering an unusual discussion on civic accountability . The IAS officer and IIT-Delhi alumnus opened a post on X saying, “I sincerely apologise to everyone in NDMC area who faced difficulties due to water logging instances on 25th August 2026.” Dwivedi said the civic body would strengthen its systems to prevent a repeat. He acknowledged that while the drainage system usually clears waterlogging within 15-20 minutes, it Massive waterlogging on Baba Kharak Singh Road on Monday | PARVEEN NEGI L-G Taranjit Singh Sandhu has directed officials to treat waterlogging as a “disaster” and mount a war-footing response. Calling for a holistic approach, he asked all departments to work in close coordination on the ground and ensure real-time redress. P3 lasted much longer this time. “In at least three to four areas, it took over an hour,” he said. He attributed the delay to the intensity of the rainfall. “There was more than 72 mm rainfall in less than two hours and this was quite unexpected. But this cannot be an excuse and we will have to strengthen our systems to deal with such situa- The public apology, and the fact that it came from a serving IAS officer heading a civic body , drew considerable attention on social media. One user remarked that they were “the first in their bloodline to witness an IAS officer apologising publicly”. Dwivedi also engaged extensively with users in the comment section. tions in future,” the post read. Dwivedi assured to address the problem, saying “Various short term and long term measures will be made to make the entire NDMC area fully waterlogging free. We will work to ensure that our citizens should not face any inconvenience in future. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome.”