India news: PM Modi leaves for Central Asian tour

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is traveling to Uzbekistan for a two-day state visit, after which he will go to Kyrgyzstan for the SCO Summit. Meanwhile, hundreds of Indians are still missing in Nepal. DW has more.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Jbgq

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Uzbekistan from New Delhi on the first leg of his two-nation visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on August 29
Narendra Modi will attend a dinner hosted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on SaturdayImage: pmindia.gov.in/Prime Minister’s Modi Office

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is traveling to Uzbekistan for bilateral talks
  • Hundreds of Indians remain missing in Nepal floods
  • Indian opposition claims Sonia Gandhi’s memoir dropped by Penguin India over Modi, RSS and China
  • Controversial Hindu nationalist group chief Mohan Bhagwat set to deliver speech in NYC

Here are the biggest headlines from India on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30. 

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Skip next section Over 300 Indians still missing in Nepal-Tibet floods08/29/2026August 29, 2026

Over 300 Indians still missing in Nepal-Tibet floods

At least 320 Indian nationals were still unaccounted for in the Nepal-Tibet floods as of Friday evening, according to the latest update from India’s foreign ministry.

A glacier collapse on Wednesday ‌unleashed a huge torrentof rock, ice, mud and ‌debris ​through Himalayan mountain river systems, killing more than 600 people in Nepal and China’s Tibet. Over 2,000 people are missing.

Here’s the latest update on Indian nationals: 

  • 84 Indian nationals have been rescued so far, including 21 from Tamil Nadu who have returned to India and 63 who were working at the Trishuli-I power project in Nepal
  • 149 crossed over into Nepal from China
  • Around 400 are safe in China, the Indian Embassy in Beijing is working on their evacuation
  • 320 are missing or unreachable

Meanwhile, India dispatched a third flight carrying relief supplies to Nepal on Friday evening. The flight also carried an 11-member medical and tunnel rescue team, who are now working on the ground, according to India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

https://p.dw.com/p/5JblKSkip next section Modi is en route to Uzbekistan for bilateral talks08/29/2026August 29, 2026

Modi is en route to Uzbekistan for bilateral talks

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a state visit to Uzbekistan, where he is set to discuss ways of deepening cooperation with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. 

Ahead of departure, Modi said he looked forward to his discussions with the Uzbek president to “further deepening our cooperation in trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence, energy, and on advancing our shared visions of Viksit Bharat and Yangi Uzbekistan.”

“Viksit Bharat” roughly translates to “Developed India” and is a commonly used term by Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. “Yangi Uzbekistan” translates to “New Uzbekistan” and is a political slogan used by Mirziyoyev.

On Saturday, Modi will attend a dinner hosted by Mirziyoyev, followed by bilateral engagements with him on Sunday at the Presidential Palace. 

After his two-day state visit to Uzbekistan, Modi will travel to the Kyrgyz Republic to attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where he is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Jbh0Skip next section Welcome to our coverage08/29/2026August 29, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Mahima Kapoor | Dmytro Hubenko Editor

Hello and welcome to DW’s India blog! 

This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from the Delhi studio and I will be your guide through the chaotic news cycle of the world’s most populous nation. 

Hundreds of Indians remain missing in the devastating Nepal-Tibet flash floods, as of the Indian foreign ministry’s last update. Most of those unaccounted for or stranded were either working in Nepal or were pilgrims visiting the Kailash Mansarovar site in China’s Tibet.

Indian embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing are working closely with local authorities, and Delhi has sent at least three tranches of aid. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a four-day official trip to Central Asia. He will first visit Uzbekistan to hold bilateral discussions and further cooperation between the two nations. Modi will then attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan for the last two days of his tour. 

Stay tuned for all of this and more!

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