Kathmandu: Rescuers in Nepal continued searching for those missing, as authorities faced continuing difficulties in identifying the dead, 11 days after devastating floods struck large parts of the country.

The death toll stood at 1,344, while nearly 5,000 people, including 589 foreign nationals, remained missing, according to Nepal Police. Around 13,400 people have been rescued so far.

The disaster was triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, sending a massive surge of water and debris downstream through the Bhotekoshi River and devastating settlements in northern and central Nepal. Homes, vehicles, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure were swept away or damaged.

At least 43 people were killed on the Chinese side, while more than 500 people remained missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.

Of the bodies recovered in Nepal, at least 85 were children, while around 500 were recovered with body parts missing, according to officials. The condition of many bodies has complicated efforts to establish their identities.

Chitwan district accounted for the largest number of recovered bodies, with 362, followed by other affected districts including Nawalparasi East, Nawalparasi West, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Tanahun, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Only 98 bodies had been identified and handed over to their families, according to NDRRMA.Identifying the dead has emerged as a major challenge, with many bodies recovered after being swept downstream severely damaged, decomposed or recovered only in parts. The police have said that bodies carried far from the disaster sites and those that remained in water and mud have made identification particularly difficult.

Nepal Police has begun collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing people to help identify unclaimed bodies and human remains recovered after the floods. Relatives in Nepal can provide samples through the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or their nearest district police office.

More than 1,000 unidentified bodies have been buried after DNA samples were collected to facilitate their identification in the future, officials said.

Hospitals struggled to cope with the growing number of unidentified bodies. Large crowds continued to gather at medical facilities, carrying photographs of missing relatives and scrutinising images of the dead displayed on the walls.

Nepal’s Information and Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina has said the government would ensure that there was no shortage of relief materials or mismanagement in their distribution to flood victims. The government was actively involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts despite the scale of the disaster, Timilsina told the online edition of the government-owned Gorkhapatra.

“Nepal demands climate justice at this moment and the international community should be serious about this,” Timilsina said, adding that the disaster underscored the need for greater preparedness for future climate-related disasters.

Nearly 88,000 cooking gas cylinders have been brought into Kathmandu Valley through alternative routes over the past three days as authorities work to maintain supplies after the disruption of the Prithvi Highway – the primary vital link connecting the Kathmandu Valley to the rest of Nepal and to India.

According to Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), 87,877 LPG cylinders were brought into the Valley between September 3 and September 6 by 18 companies.

The cylinders were filled at plants in Bara, Parsa, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Dhanusha and Mahottari districts before being transported to Kathmandu.

NOC spokesperson Manoj Thakur said supplies of petroleum products and LPG to Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas were continuing through alternative routes despite the disruption of the main highway.

The Prithvi Highway was disrupted at Krishnabhir in Dhading on August 30 after erosion by the Trishuli River damaged the road, leaving fuel tankers and LPG carriers unable to proceed towards Kathmandu.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun on Sunday discussed ongoing search, rescue and relief operations. In their meeting in Kathmandu, the two leaders held in-depth discussions on efforts to locate missing South Korean nationals, Khanal’s office said.

Khanal thanked the South Korean government for sending an inter-agency rapid response team and the Korea Disaster Relief Team to flood-hit areas, as well as for providing humanitarian assistance and relief materials. He also outlined Nepal’s priority of rebuilding resilient and durable infrastructure and expressed hope for continued South Korean support.

Cho expressed the “willingness of the Korean Government to support Nepal in the post-disaster reconstruction efforts” and called for Nepal and South Korea to work together to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change, including at global forums such as COP.

Kathmandu has urged friendly countries to confine travel advisories to specific flood-affected areas, while highlighting that the rest of the country remains open and safe for travel and tourism.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that it and Nepal’s missions abroad were working closely with friendly countries on the issue.

The request comes after the United States issued a travel advisory on September 4, placing entire Nepal under Level 2, or “Exercise increased caution”, due to natural disasters.

Tourism is a major contributor to Nepal’s economy, accounting for about 6.4 per cent of GDP and 15.2 per cent of total employment in 2024, according to World Bank data, making travel restrictions a significant concern for the country.

Meanwhile, a fresh flood in Gorkha district early Sunday swept away four houses and a suspension bridge, although there were no casualties.

The flood occurred in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-4 after the Namrung Khola River overflowed, according to police. The four houses were swept away after residents became aware of the approaching flood and fled to safety.

Authorities said the river may have been temporarily blocked near its source before releasing a surge carrying mud and debris downstream. The Namrung Khola flows into the Budhigandaki River, and residents along the Budhigandaki have been urged to remain alert.

The flooding damaged two small hydropower projects in the wider Namrung area, according to local reports. It also affected movement in the area after the suspension bridge was swept away. PTI

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is renewing his push for a shorter workweek. Critics warn the 32-hour workweek proposal could come at a steep cost for American workers.

Club for Growth President David McIntosh argues the plan could cost workers jobs and benefits while making life “more unaffordable for Americans.”

McIntosh joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to discuss Sanders’ renewed push for a 32-hour workweek and the potential impact on American workers.

Sanders’ proposal would lower the federal standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours over four years without reducing workers’ pay or benefits, with overtime applying after 32 hours. He has tied the renewed effort to advances in artificial intelligence and argued that workers should share in productivity gains.

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McIntosh pushed back, arguing that while AI could boost productivity and wages, mandating a shorter workweek could have unintended consequences for employees.

“AI will make people more productive, and they’ll get paid more, but Bernie’s idea will hurt the very workers he’s trying to help. A lot of people will lose their job, lose their benefits when they implement something like that,” McIntosh said.

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He also framed the proposal as part of a broader economic agenda he believes could raise costs, criticizing what he called “far-left radical socialist policies” and warning they risk “making life more unaffordable for Americans.”

In an appearance on “The Sunday Briefing,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also discussed the idea of a shorter workweek.

“We believe in the dignity of work. It is a biblical foundation. I can’t imagine a scenario where we’d say, ‘Oh, everyone just stay home a couple more days. We’re only gonna work a couple of days.’ The American dream does not include a four-day work week from my perspective, at least,” Rollins said.

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Meesho shares have gained nearly 19% so far in 2026, but CLSA believes the stock’s valuation already reflects overly optimistic expectations for advertising revenue, order growth and logistics savings.

The company’s shares have gained 18.76% year to date, outperforming the Nifty 500, which has declined 3.90% over the same period. Despite the rally, CLSA maintained its Underperform rating and target price of Rs 150. The target implies a 29% downside from its previous close of Rs 210.30.

CLSA said, “Investor discussions around Meesho were largely focused on three potential growth drivers: advertising monetisation, higher order frequency and savings from latent logistics capacity. However, the brokerage believes the market is assigning a higher probability of success to these drivers than warranted.”

Investors are factoring in advertising revenue equivalent to about 5% of net merchandise value by FY30, compared with CLSA’s estimate of 3.9%. The brokerage said this expectation could be difficult to achieve because Meesho already operates at a take rate of 17.8%, compared with 5.1% for Chinese ecommerce company PDD.

Meesho’s sellers also generate only about one-tenth of the merchandise value generated by an average PDD seller, while its seller base is about 5% of PDD’s. According to CLSA, weaker seller-level economics could restrict advertising budgets and make it harder for Meesho to scale ad revenue.

Order frequency is another area where investors expect stronger growth. Meesho’s annual order frequency stood at 10.1 in FY26, and CLSA expects it to rise to 13.4 by FY29 and about 17 by FY32.
A significant increase beyond these estimates would require Meesho to expand into categories such as fast-moving consumer goods and daily essentials, CLSA said. This could require a more localised supply chain and faster deliveries, increasing operational complexity and potentially weakening the company’s asset-light model.The brokerage also questioned whether logistics capacity would remain readily available as Meesho grows. The company accounts for about 39% of India’s ecommerce shipments, up from around 3% five years ago. As more volumes shift to Meesho’s Valmo logistics network, third-party partners may have less incentive to invest in additional infrastructure, potentially creating capacity constraints.

CLSA expects Meesho to remain loss-making through FY27, with a projected net loss of Rs 357 crore. It forecasts a profit of Rs 651 crore in FY28 and Rs 1,483 crore in FY29. The stock trades at about 149 times CLSA’s estimated FY28 earnings and 66 times FY29 earnings.

The Rs 150 target is an equal-weighted blend of CLSA’s relative-valuation estimate of Rs 172 and discounted cash-flow valuation of Rs 128. Faster advertising growth, stronger order frequency and greater logistics efficiencies remain key upside risks to the brokerage’s cautious view.

Disclaimer: This article has been written by Somanjali Das, who is not a SEBI-registered Research Analyst or an Investment Adviser. Somanjali Das and his/her ‘relative(s)’ (as defined under Section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013) do not hold any financial interest in the companies mentioned in this article as of the date of publication. The views/recommendations mentioned in this article, wherever applicable, are those of the respective SEBI-registered Research Analyst/brokerage and have been reproduced/reported with due attribution. They should not be construed as the views or recommendations of The EconomicTimes Digital or the journalist. Readers are advised to consider the original research report and make their investment decisions based on their own assessment.
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For investors, the biggest challenge in wealth creation may not always be finding an investment that delivers poor returns. It can be the tendency to constantly look for something that has performed better. Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and CEO, Edelweiss Mutual Fund, believes that repeatedly moving money in search of higher returns can make investors lose sight of the financial goals they originally started investing for.

Gupta on social media platform X said that, “Most investors start with an absolute goal. “I need 10% returns.” “I need to retire comfortably.” “I need my money to beat inflation and grow.”…………… The biggest wealth destroyer is often not poor performance. It’s the constant search for better performance. “

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Gupta said that most investors begin with an absolute goal: they need 10% return, want to retire comfortably and they may want their investments to generate a certain level of returns, beat inflation, build a retirement corpus or accumulate enough money for a specific financial milestone. However, once they start comparing their returns with those of other funds, their expectations can change.

According to Gupta, an investment that was earlier considered good enough can suddenly appear inadequate when a newer or hotter fund delivers higher returns. This can turn an investor’s focus from achieving a financial goal to beating other investments.
Gupta pointed out that the problem begins when absolute performance becomes relative performance. An investor may have a fund that is delivering the returns required to keep the financial goal on track. But if another fund generates significantly higher returns, the investor may feel the need to switch.
This can result in money moving from one fund to another simply because of recent performance. Investors may end up chasing the latest winner without considering whether the fund’s investment strategy, risk level or portfolio is suitable for their own financial goals.
The original goal, however, may not have changed. The amount required for retirement or another financial objective remains the same. What changes is the investor’s perception of what constitutes a satisfactory return.

Gupta believes investors should remember that performance matters, and consistently poor performance should not be ignored. At the same time, unusually high returns should also prompt investors to ask how those returns were generated.

Markets rarely offer a free lunch. Extraordinary returns can come with extraordinary risks, which may be visible through higher volatility or remain hidden until market conditions change.

A fund that has delivered exceptional returns over a particular period may have benefited from a favourable market cycle, a specific sector exposure or an investment style that may not continue to work in the future. Simply moving into such a fund after it has already generated strong returns can expose investors to the risk of entering at the wrong time.

The tendency to chase performance is not limited to investors. Gupta noted that fund managers can also face pressure to keep pace with better-performing peers.

When investors continuously compare funds based on short-term returns, fund managers may feel compelled to take more aggressive positions to remain competitive. This can increase portfolio risks and encourage a broader market tendency to chase recent winners. As a result, the pursuit of higher returns can become self-reinforcing, with investors and fund managers both responding to what has performed well recently.

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According to Gupta, the best investment strategy is not necessarily one that produces the highest return every year. Instead, investors should focus on whether their chosen investment approach can help them reach their financial objectives.

This means evaluating a mutual fund based on factors such as investment strategy, risk, consistency, time horizon and suitability for the portfolio rather than simply looking at which fund delivered the highest return in the recent past. Once an appropriate strategy has been identified, investors also need the discipline to stay invested through different market cycles.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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