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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 general election in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has promised to tackle poverty, improve healthcare and education, and end communal crises if elected.

Odii made the promises yesterday at his country home while addressing PDP leaders and supporters who gathered to welcome him to the state. He said his decision to contest was driven by a desire for meaningful transformation, insisting he had spent years using personal resources to support people before entering politics, and would campaign on that record.

‘My campaign slogan is: ‘Show me what you’ve done. I will show you what I’ve done,” he said, adding that anyone unable to show they had helped the needy, paid hospital bills, supported children’s education or aided housing and business efforts as a private citizen lacked what it takes to govern.

Describing himself as a humanist and activist, Odii said his administration would prioritise good governance and programmes that directly improve living conditions rather than ‘white-elephant projects,’ focusing on education, primary healthcare, agriculture, security and civil servants’ welfare, and promising access roads to help farmers transport produce. ‘I will not embark on a white-elephant project. I won’t build a flyover. I’m not going to build airports,’ he said.

Odii pledged to make poverty reduction a top priority, giving Ebonyians a one-year benchmark to judge his performance. ‘Give me one year,’ he said, challenging voters to hold him accountable if people from the state continued hawking or working as nannies, if communal land crises persisted, or if civil servants still struggled to pay their children’s school fees. He also promised to tackle insecurity and land-related communal conflicts.

He urged Ebonyians not to succumb to intimidation during the 2027 election and to protect their votes after casting them. ‘Do not allow any intimidation. If you vote, protect your vote,’ he said, urging voters to reject bad governance in favour of leaders who would leave a positive legacy. ‘Bad governance does not bring good governance. Good governance brings prosperity,’ he said.

Odii thanked PDP leaders and supporters for the reception, saying he had returned to Ebonyi for a brother’s burial but was overwhelmed by the turnout, and pledged to keep returning to the state in pursuit of freedom and better governance for the people.

Following improved earnings, investments and profitability recorded in the 2024 and 2025 financial years, Al-Barakah Microfinance Bank, has announced plans to expand from a unit Microfinance Bank to a State Microfinance Bank.

Its Managing Director, Rasak Agboola, stated this, at the Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting held at Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited’s Hall, Idiroko, Lagos. He said the Islamic financial institution had remained resilient despite prevailing economic challenges and was focused on expanding financial inclusion, strengthening digital services and widening its operational reach.

According to the financial report presented at the meeting, the bank’s gross earnings increased from N198.742 million in 2024 to N232.412 million in 2025, while its investment portfolio rose from N352 million to N499.9 million. Profit after tax also grew from N34.12 million to N43.853 million, giving a combined profit of N77.973 million for the two years.

As part of the benefits of the improved performance, shareholders approved a dividend of five kobo per share and a bonus arrangement of one additional share for every 10 shares held. Agboola said the bank had also provided more than N5.5 billion in financing to small businesses, SMEs and low-income entrepreneurs, stressing that beneficiaries were supported with business monitoring and financial advice.

The managing director said the bank’s financing model was designed to support sustainable businesses rather than merely provide funds. He noted that low-income earners were among the worst affected by rising living costs and economic pressures, adding that Al-Barakah would continue to provide financing and business guidance to entrepreneurs at the grassroots.

Agboola said the removal of fuel subsidy, foreign exchange reforms, high inflation, insecurity, unemployment and the depreciation of the naira had created a difficult operating environment for businesses during the period under review. He, however, said signs of economic stabilisation emerged towards the end of 2025, while identifying financial technology as a key tool for expanding access to banking services among unbanked and underserved Nigerians.

He noted that digital transformation would remain a major priority over the next three to five years, with the bank seeking to enable customers to conduct transfers, bill payments and other transactions without visiting physical branches. He said the expansion strategy would be supported by stronger systems, improved technology and adherence to ethical and transparent Islamic banking principles, with the long-term objective of attaining national coverage.

An Independent Director of the bank, Prof Khadijah Idowu, described its performance as encouraging, saying the institution had recorded steady improvement in both financial and non-financial indicators. She urged shareholders to remain committed and be prepared to support the bank as the microfinance banking sector faces possible recapitalisation and changing regulatory requirements.

The First Amir of The Muslim Congress (TMC), Alhaji Abdulrazaq Abdussalam, who commended the bank’s transformation since its establishment in 2010, said Al-Barakah could play a greater role in helping Nigerians cope with economic hardship through interest-free financing and business support.

A director of the bank, Prince Sulaiman Olagunju, also praised its performance but urged management to accelerate investment in information technology, saying stronger digital services would enable customers to transact conveniently without visiting the bank.

The House of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ijebu Central Federal Constituency, Wale Ogunbanjo, has told the people of the constituency that only effective representation at the National Assembly could guarantee them the needed dividends of democracy.

Ogunbanjo, who earlier represented the constituency between 2003 and 2007, said at the flag-off of his campaign at Ijebu-Ode that the legacies he left behind during his first tenure in the National Assembly are still visible in the constituency right now.

He said that the water projects and other infrastructure facilities he facilitated as a lawmaker are still being used in the constituency to date, adding that the people needed to return him to the Green Chamber so that he could do more for the constituency.

He assured the people of Ijebu-Ode, Odogbolu and Ijebu North-East of his determination to represent them effectively in the Green Chamber, adding that his performance during his first tenure and his consistent contributions to the welfare of the people should stand him out.

‘I promise to deliver more dividends of democracy if given another opportunity in the 2027 general election,’ he said.

Ogunbanjo, whose declaration was witnessed by the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, and his deputy, Alhaja Lateefat Showunmi-Kolapo, the senatorial candidate for Ogun East, Engr. Omotayo Omo-Owo, erstwhile Commissioner for Women Affairs, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, among other PDP leaders, noted that it was instructive that no indigene of Ijebu Ode has had the opportunity to represent the constituency since he left the Green Chamber almost 20 years ago.

He reassured the people that if he is voted into office for a second term, he would deliver more projects that would positively impact them, adding that the people needed to come out en masse to vote for all the PDP candidates in the forthcoming general election.

The PDP candidate thanked the party for giving him another opportunity to serve the people of Ijebu-Ode, Odogbolu and Ijebu North-East, and reminded the constituents of some of the key projects he facilitated during his first term in the National Assembly.

According to him, some of the projects included at least nine motorised boreholes which cut across Ijebu-Ode, Odogbolu and Ijebu North-East; reconstruction of Okun-Owa Town Hall, in Odogbolu Local Government Area; rural telephony project at Itamapako, Ijebu-Ode Local Government; bursaries and scholarships to students across the constituency, as well as renovation of the female ward of the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, among other projects.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has claimed that former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for the Benue Northeast Senatorial District.

The commission’s lawyer, Anthony Malik (SAN), stated this at the hearing of a suit filed by Suswam on Wednesday.

In the suit, the former governor challenged the APC’s decision to hand over the ticket to Senator Emmanuel Udenbe.

Suswam, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1470/2026, claimed to have won the primary and urged the court to, among others, compel the APC to accord him the necessary recognition.

Listed as defendants in the suit are the APC, Udenbe and INEC.

Making his final submission , Malik urged the court to do justice in the case and affirm the result of the primary election, which shows that the plaintiff won .

The senior lawyer added that copies of INEC’s report of the primary election and its result have been exhibited before the court.

Earlier, Suswam’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) prayed the court to grant all the reliefs as sought by the plaintiff in the suit.

Okutepa urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objections by APC and Udenbe, arguing that they are without merit.

Lawyer to the APC, A. G. Yirvoms, urged the court to uphold the objection his client filed and dismiss the suit.

Udenbe’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), spoke similarly and prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

After listening to the lawyers, Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned till October 12 for judgment.

Justice Ekwo said parties would be notified if the judgment becomes ready before the October date.

Patron of the City Boy Movement, Seyi Tinubu, has led members of the group on a courtesy visit to the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari Abubakar, to discuss stronger collaboration ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Yari, a former Governor of Zamfara State and former Senator representing Zamfara West, recently assumed the role of Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.

The visit gave members of the City Boy Movement an opportunity to congratulate Yari on his appointment and discuss areas of cooperation between the group and the campaign council.

Speaking during the visit, Seyi Tinubu expressed confidence in Yari’s ability to lead the campaign council and pledged the Movement’s support for the mobilisation of voters for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.

‘On behalf of the City Boy Movement, I sincerely congratulate you on your appointment. We are proud of the confidence reposed in you, and we assure you of our support.

‘We believe that by working together and building the right synergies, we can achieve even greater results for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027,’ he said.

Yari commended the City Boy Movement for its grassroots engagement and focus on young Nigerians, describing youth mobilisation as critical to the campaign’s success.

‘I commend the City Boy Movement for the work you are doing, especially your grassroots engagement. I also like your work with young people because they make up the largest proportion of our population.

‘If we are serious about taking the message of the administration to Nigerians, then young people must be at the centre of that conversation,’ Yari said.

The campaign council director-general assured the Movement of the council’s readiness to collaborate with its structures across the country.

Both sides expressed optimism that closer coordination would strengthen grassroots mobilisation and youth engagement in support of President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Qatar is stepping up its mediation efforts as regional tensions remain high and direct US-Iran talks remain stalled, with Doha focused on de-escalation, dialogue and restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Tehran yesterday as Doha stepped up efforts to revive diplomacy and ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, held talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the first high-level Qatari visit to Tehran since the war began on 28 February.

The talks focused on efforts to reduce tensions and create conditions for renewed dialogue between Iran and the US, according to Qatar’s state news agency QNA.

The two officials also discussed ongoing talks on a proposed phased plan for the Strait of Hormuz, including a temporary shipping corridor and a joint project to clear mines from the waterway.

Sheikh Mohammed stressed the need to respect the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and freedom of navigation, and called for diplomatic efforts to continue resolving differences through dialogue.

Araghchi thanked Qatar for its mediation efforts and continued support for dialogue.

The visit comes nearly six months into the war, with direct fighting largely paused but no diplomatic breakthrough in sight.

Qatar, a US ally that hosts the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base and shares the world’s largest gas field with Iran, has played a key role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran and helped broker the June ceasefire that briefly halted the fighting.

The war and disruption to shipping have come at a high cost. Industry data show Qatar exported just 18 LNG cargoes over the past six months, compared with 509 in the same period a year earlier. Before the war, Qatar supplied about one-fifth of global LNG.

Hormuz at the centre of diplomatic push

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the main issues holding up a broader agreement between Iran and the US.

Before the war, about one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman each day.

Oil flows through the strait have since fallen sharply, dropping to around five million barrels per day on Monday from roughly 20 million barrels per day before the war.

Shipping risks also remain, with another tanker hit by an unidentified projectile in the strait this week. Its crew was reported safe.

Qatar has repeatedly called for navigation to return to the situation that existed before 28 February.

The issue is particularly important for Doha, which relies on the strait to export LNG to global markets.

Separately, Qatari officials say attacks on Ras Laffan cut production by 17%, with full recovery expected to take up to five years.

Iran and Oman have also been holding talks over a temporary shipping arrangement through the waterway.

Iran’s IRGC said this week that Tehran and Muscat had reached an understanding over control of the waterway and its revenues, but an Iranian official later said no final agreement had yet been reached.

The Federal Government is rallying Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) behind a new national plan to tackle the country’s persistent water and sanitation crisis.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, disclosed this in Abuja at a nationwide stakeholders’ consultation workshop to develop the Nigeria National Water Compact (NWC).

Utsev said he had written to the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to secure the governors’ political commitment, ownership and buy-in for the initiative.

He said the involvement of state governments was crucial to the success of the Compact because of their constitutional and operational responsibilities for water supply, sanitation and hygiene services.

The minister also said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been briefed on progress in developing the draft Compact.

According to him, the initiative is being developed as a coordinated national response to major challenges facing Nigeria’s water sector, including rapid population growth, urbanisation, climate change, environmental degradation, inadequate infrastructure, financing constraints and fragmented institutional arrangements.

‘Water is at the centre of sustainable development. It underpins public health, food security, economic growth, environmental sustainability, energy production and national security,’ Utsev said.

He said a National Technical Working Committee comprising representatives of federal and state governments, development partners, academia, professional bodies, civil society organisations and the private sector developed the first draft of the Compact.

Utsev explained that the Compact would domesticate the African Union’s Africa Water Vision and Policy 2025-2063 while addressing Nigeria’s specific water security needs and development priorities.

The framework, he said, would be anchored on three pillars: Water for People, Water for Food Security and Water for Planet.

He said it would seek to expand access to safe and climate-resilient water and sanitation services, accelerate irrigation development and productive water use, and strengthen the sustainable management and protection of Nigeria’s water resources.

The minister stressed that the Compact must not become another policy document without broad ownership and effective implementation.

‘The Ministry recognises that a National Water Compact cannot succeed unless it reflects the aspirations, priorities and realities of the Nigerian people,’ he said.

He urged state governments and other stakeholders to critically review the draft, identify gaps and make practical recommendations to strengthen its implementation.

In his welcome address, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Engr. Ali Ibrahim Dalla, said the consultation was necessary to ensure that the Compact became a truly national document.

Dalla said achieving sustainable water security would require stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, states, local governments, development partners, the private sector, civil society and communities.

He identified improved financing, institutional capacity, reliable data, innovation, appropriate technology, and effective implementation mechanisms as critical to the initiative’s success.

The minister commended the World Bank Group and other development partners for supporting the development of the Compact and acknowledged the contributions of members of the National Technical Working Committee.

All Progressives Congress in Kwara Central has condemned the unprovoked violent attack on a chieftain of the party, Alhaja Tawakalitu Agaka, following her successful empowerment programme in her homestead over the weekend.

In a statement on Sunday, the party called on PDP elements to rather convince the people of the state on why Kwara should go back to era of collapsed school infrastructure, dehumanization of women and elderly, unpaid salaries, zero promotion, pervasive fear, and stunted physical and economic growth.

‘The PDP should be civil in its approach to issues. Citizens are at liberty to pursue their political aspirations in an atmosphere that is devoid of violence, harassment, or intimidation. The violent, harassment, and intimidation of Alhaja Tawa Agaka is condemnable. That she and many other APC chieftains come from Agaka where the PDP governorship Alhaji Kawu Agaka comes from should not expose them to danger of any kind,’ the party said.

‘We call on the police and local traditional authorities to caution everyone who is involved in such uncivilized behaviour. Beyond being a grassroot politician, Alhaja Agaka is a mother, grandmother, wife, and a proud community leader. We will not watch whilst she or anyone is molested by the PDP. The party must immediately call its members to order. This is neither 2003, 2007 nor 2011 when dissents were muzzled without appropriate consequences. Anyone who goes over board will be reined in appropriately by the security agencies. If the ruling party is allowing free speech and political freedom, no opposition party will be allowed to sabotage Kwara’s quest for increased freedom, peace, and development.

‘We call on the security forces, especially the police, to identify those who attacked the house of and harassed Alhaja Tawakalitu Agaka. That is the only way to check political excesses and sustain peace and democracy. Leaving this uncouth behaviour unattended to could lead to reprisals in Agaka or elsewhere against PDP members. Our party and government do not subscribe to violence of any kind.’

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has inaugurated the remodelled Bonny National Grammar School, describing the project as the first completed government project commissioned in Bonny Local Government Area in more than two decades.

Fubara, who spoke on Friday during the inauguration, said successive administrations had visited Bonny during election campaigns to solicit votes and make promises without returning to commission completed projects.

He said his administration had decided to change the narrative by moving from promises to project delivery.

‘I stand to be corrected. This is the first time in over 20 years that any government is coming to Bonny to commission a project. We have been coming here to campaign and make promises, but we have gone a step further to ensure that we break that jinx,’ he said.

The governor said the project went beyond renovating an old school, describing it as an effort to restore the dignity of an institution that had produced generations of Bonny indigenes and contributed to the educational development of Rivers State.

He recalled that the school was established in 1965 as Government Secondary School, Ogugumaga, Bonny, before it was renamed Bonny National Grammar School.

Fubara said the presence of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and other companies in Bonny had further underscored the need to strengthen education in the kingdom, noting that many indigenes working in the companies got there through education.

‘Today we have NLNG and other subsidiaries that are operating in Bonny. Half of our people are working with them; they are doing so because of education,’ he said.

According to him, the government’s intervention in the school is part of efforts to ‘better the lot of Bonny’ and recognise the kingdom’s strategic position in Nigeria’s hydrocarbon industry.

Fubara said the inauguration should also change the relationship between government and the people of Bonny ahead of future elections.

He said, ‘When I am coming with my party to campaign, you will be confident that your brother did something, assuring you that his party will continue to do something.’

The governor praised the Amanyanabo of Bonny for his role in attracting development to the kingdom, saying his efforts had placed Bonny prominently on the global map.

He also expressed delight over the development of federal road infrastructure linking Bonny, saying the improved access had transformed the journey into the kingdom.

Fubara also approved scholarships for Rivers students from Bonny, who emerged winners in the just-concluded Presidential debate, directing the state government to take full responsibility for their education.

The governor described the students’ performance as evidence that talent could thrive despite difficult educational conditions.

He directed the Commissioner and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education to immediately work out modalities for the scholarship.

‘The schools and the individuals, we must make sure that we take full responsibility for their education with immediate effect,’ Fubara said.

The governor described the students’ achievement as the ‘software’ component of the development being celebrated in Bonny, contrasting it with the physical infrastructure represented by the remodelled school.

He commended the students for emerging first in the competition and said the state government would ensure that their education was not hindered by financial constraints.

Inaugurating the project, the Amanyanabo of Bonny, His Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI, commended Fubara for reconstructing, furnishing and equipping the Bonny National Grammar School.

Speaking as Special Guest of Honour, the Bonny monarch described the project as more than the renovation of classrooms, saying it represented the restoration of an important legacy and an investment in the future of the kingdom.

He said the school had played a significant role in Bonny’s educational history, producing generations of young men and women who had distinguished themselves in various professions and areas of public service.

‘For Bonny Kingdom, this is much more than the commissioning of a school. It is the restoration of a legacy and an investment in the future,’ the monarch said.

According to him, Bonny National Grammar School had remained a centre of learning, discipline and character formation for generations, making its renewal a significant milestone for the kingdom.

‘We are not simply opening renovated classrooms, but we are giving new life to a legacy,’ he said.

King Pepple expressed profound appreciation to Governor Fubara and the Rivers State Government for the intervention, describing the reconstruction, furnishing and equipping of the school as a practical demonstration of the administration’s commitment to education.

He said, ‘Your Excellency, the reconstruction, furnishing and equipping of this school is a practical demonstration that your administration recognises the fundamental importance of education to the development of our people’.

The monarch, however, noted that infrastructure alone could not educate a child, stressing that a conducive learning environment was essential to inspiring excellence, nurturing talent and providing the foundation for quality education.

He commended the ministries and agencies of government, professionals, contractors, consultants, school authorities and other stakeholders who contributed to the completion of the project.

King Pepple also acknowledged the contributions of old students of the school, saying they had remained connected to their alma mater and continued to identify with its progress.

He stressed the need for deliberate investment in young people, saying human capital remained the greatest resource available to Bonny Kingdom.

‘A kingdom that desires a great future must deliberately invest in the lives of its young people. Our greatest resource is not simply the land upon which we live or the natural resources beneath and around us. Our greatest resource is our people,’ he said.

The monarch further highlighted Bonny’s strategic position in Rivers State and Nigeria, noting its rich history and culture, maritime location, energy and industrial activities, and its potential in tourism, commerce and maritime development.

He said the kingdom could convert those advantages into sustainable prosperity only by equipping its young people with the knowledge, skills, and character required to participate meaningfully in emerging economic opportunities.

Rescuers searched for survivors in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides of Nepal yesterday while more than 1,000 people remained missing there and in neighbouring China.

This came after a wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a ?mountain river, triggering a catastrophic flash flood.

Authorities in Nepal yesterday used helicopters to search for survivors and drop emergency supplies to thousands cut off in towns and valleys in the wake of Wednesday’s disaster, which swept down a route thronged by trekkers pilgrims that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet.

Police said 359 had died, with dozens of bodies swept down into the plains from where they were being recovered.

Nepal’s disaster management authority warned of a potential new flood risk along the Bhotekoshi river after satellite images and preliminary analysis indicated that the river had been blocked and a lake had formed at the site of Wednesday’s flood.

The lake is rising and could burst, the authority said, urging residents and rescuers along the lower banks of the river to move to safe areas away from the river.

Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung said the focus remained on finding survivors as rescue teams located 100 missing Indian visitors, mostly ?pilgrims, and 25 Chinese workers in the worst-hit region around Trishuli.

Nearly 550 foreigners were still unaccounted for while Nepali authorities were yet to determine the number of locals missing.

The Red Cross said that entire villages had ?been destroyed and impassable roads and bridges had left communities cut off. The full scale of the disaster remains unclear, it added.

‘It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us,’ said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor being treated in a Nepali hospital.

‘As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud.’

A helicopter ferried him ?to safety four hours later. ‘My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud,’ he added. ‘She’s gone.’

The tally of missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County was 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said yesterday, including 260 foreign nationals. China said the death toll stayed at three.

The missing foreigners in Nepal belonged to more ?than two dozen countries, including 288 from India, 63 from the United States, 51 from Malaysia, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.

China is in close communication with Nepal on search and rescue efforts, with nearly 100 Chinese nationals in the affected area across the border in Nepal, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

China’s Premier Li Qiang, the country’s No. 2 official, arrived at the disaster-stricken site in Gyirong yesterday afternoon, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The visit suggested Beijing was treating the disaster as a matter of the highest national priority.

The Gyirong border port has a key role in China’s Belt and Road network linking the country ?to South Asia, with logistics parks, yards, and parking lots built there in the past decade.

Verified videos showed crushing masses of water and debris sweeping away dozens of people at a border crossing in Gyirong, with homes, roads and power projects washed away in Nepal as the flows travelled ?downstream.

Chinese government geologist Guo Zhaocheng said the ice-avalanche debris flow that caused the mudslide travelled at about 50 metres (165 feet) per second, leaving people little time to react, and extended for more than 20 km (12 miles).

Early reports from Nepali officials suggested an earthquake in the area could ?have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the ?floods.

The U.S. Geological Survey said an earthquake with magnitude initially reported ?as 4.4 was in fact seismic energy generated by the collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by debris flow.

Beijing officially identified the cause of the disaster, with the Xinhua news agency reporting: ‘Cause of the Gyirong mudslide in Tibet identified: A high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.’

Chinese authorities have also identified risks from a still-dammed lake in Gyirong, upstream from the mudslide and flood-stricken Tibet-Nepal border crossing that could complicate rescue efforts, particularly as rains are ?forecast, CCTV said.