1. Indian delegation meets Taliban team in Moscow

A high-level Taliban delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan’s interim government Abdul Salam Hanafi on Wednesday met with an Indian delegation in Moscow during which the Indian side expressed its readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country, which is now ruled by the insurgent group.

The Indian delegation led by JP Singh, the joint secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of the Ministry of External Affairs, which was here to attend the Moscow Format meeting at the invitation of Russia, held talks with the Taliban leaders on the sidelines of the conference, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a brief statement. There was no official word from Indian government on the meeting.

2. Bomb hits security vehicle in northwest Pakistan, killing 4

A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying security forces in a former stronghold of local militants in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing four, police said. The attack happened in Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. The area served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the region of insurgents. But the violence has continued there.

3. Nepal floods and landslides kill at least 77

The death toll after three days of heavy rain in Nepal triggered landslides and flash floods rose to 77 on Wednesday after rescuers recovered 34 more bodies, authorities said. Twenty-four deaths have been reported in the Panchthar district of east Nepal bordering India, 13 in neighbouring Ilam and 12 in Doti in west Nepal, interior ministry official Dil Kumar Tamang said. Others died elsewhere in west Nepal. The ministry said 22 people were injured and 26 were missing.

4. Gabby Petito case: Items linked to her boyfriend, potential human remains found

Police officers block the entrance to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. (inset) Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie. (AP, Reuters)

Potential human remains were found Wednesday in a Florida wilderness area along with items believed to belong to Brian Laundrie, whose girlfriend, Gabby Petito, was found slain after he returned home alone from their cross-country road trip, according to the FBI. Chief of the Tampa FBI office said at a news conference that it will take time to identify the remains, which forensic teams were examining. Police said they were found near a backpack and a notebook linked to Laundrie.

5. Footballer Benzema stands trial over sex tape affair

Karim Benzema plays as a centre-forward for Real Madrid. (File)

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema wasn’t present Wednesday for the opening of his three-day trial for involvement in an alleged attempt to blackmail former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. The 33-year-old Benzema’s legal team told the court in Versailles that professional obligations made it “impossible” for him to attend. Valbuena’s lawyer said he deplored the absence. The charges are punishable by up to five years in prison and a 75,000 euro ($87,400) fine. Benzema has denied wrongdoing.