IN BRIEF (Page 11)

NEPAL

Flood, landslides claim 54 lives

Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains in Nepal have killed 54 people over the past two days, an official said on Wednesday. At least 20 people are missing, said Home Ministry spokesman Yadav Prasad Koirala. The government has launched rescue and relief operations in 14 of Nepal's 75 districts that have been affected by the floods, he said. Hundreds of people have been displaced after swollen rivers breached their banks and flooded homes.