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Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has strongly defended his ambassador to the US after Donald Trump said he did not like the diplomat during a meeting at the White House, BBC reported.

On Monday, Trump was asked about Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister turned ambassador to the US, who wrote several now-deleted tweets critical of the US president years before his Washington posting.

Rudd owned up to the tweets, prompting the US leader to say "I don't like you either" and causing the room to erupt in laughter.

The high-stakes meeting with Trump was Albanese's first, and the prime minister later dismissed the comments as "banter" amid calls to sack Rudd, according to BBC.

Jewellery stolen from the Louvre in Paris in a daring daylight robbery has been valued at 88 million euros (£76m; $102m), a French public prosecutor has said, citing the museum's curator, BBC reported.

Laure Beccuau told RTL radio the sum was "extraordinary" but said the greater loss was to France's historical heritage. Crown jewels and pieces gifted by two Napoleons to their wives were among the items taken.

Thieves wielding power tools took less than eight minutes to make off with the loot shortly after the world's most-visited museum opened on Sunday morning, according to BBC.

Donald Trump has said he did not want a "wasted meeting" after a plan to have face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine were put on hold, BBC reported.

The US president indicated that a key sticking point remained Moscow's refusal to cease fighting along the current front line, in remarks at the White House on Tuesday.

Earlier, a White House official had said there were "no plans" for a Trump-Putin meeting "in the immediate future", after Trump said on Thursday that the two would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks, according to BBC.

Poland warned Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday against travelling through its airspace for a summit in Hungary with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it could be forced to execute an international arrest warrant if he did, Reuters reported.

Bulgaria, however, would be willing to let Putin use its airspace if the summit is held in Hungary, Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev was quoted as saying.

Trump said last week he planned to meet Putin in Budapest as he tries to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Nicolas Sarkozy has become the first French ex-president to go to jail, as he starts a five-year sentence for conspiring to fund his election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, BBC reported.

Not since World War Two Nazi collaborationist leader Philippe Pétain was jailed for treason in 1945 has any French ex-leader gone behind bars.

Sarkozy, who was president from 2007-2012, has appealed against his jail term at La Santé prison, where he will occupy a small cell in the jail's isolation wing, according to BBC.

The number of scrub typhus cases has increased in Nawalparasi following the end of the monsoon.

According to the Province Public Health Office, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat-Susta East), a total of 44 cases of scrub typhus have been reported in Nawalpur this year as of today.

Public Health Officer and Information Officer Chhabilal Subedi stated that there were 17 cases in the district as of September 21, and 27 new cases have been recorded in the past 20 days. 

Of the infected individuals, 38 have recovered while six are currently undergoing treatment.

Although the risk of dengue has decreased in the district, the risk of scrub typhus which presents symptoms similar to dengue has increased. “Alarmingly, scrub typhus is 30 times more fatal than dengue,” he added.

Scrub typhus is caused by a bacterium called Orientia tsutsugamushi which is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mites.

Office Chief Shailendra Kumar Singh stated that public awareness efforts have been intensified in response to the growing threat of scrub typhus. 

As no vaccine is currently available for the disease, the most effective preventive measure is to avoid bites from infected mites. These mites commonly inhabit low-lying bushes and are also found on the ears of mice in the area.

Acting President of Nepali Congress, Purna Bahadur Khadka, has said that his party will participate in the elections if the government creates a suitable environment for the same.

Khadka said so while addressing the memorial meeting held today in Surkhet on the 13th day of the demise of the party's Surkhet district former president Govinda Bahadur Malla. He stated that the party is ready to participate in the elections as soon as all conditions necessary for the election are in place.

So far, the government has not carried out the reliable tasks required to hold the elections, said the NC Acting President Khadka.

He suggested that if the government is sincere to hold elections, emphasis should be given to returning the weapons looted by infiltrators during the Gen-Z demonstration, to boosting the morale of the police and security agencies, to engage the parties participating in the elections, and to assure the electorate of security.

Khadka accused the government of abandoning the task of creating an atmosphere conducive for elections and engaging in prejudiced attacks on party leaders, instead creating confusion and increasing uncertainty.

The NC Acting President stated that the ongoing central executive committee meeting of the party would make appropriate decisions regarding the elections, the party's convention, and the current situation.

The government has allocated Rs 4.85 million as contingency expenses for those injured during the September 8-9 Gen Z demonstrations. 

Each injured person has been provided with Rs 20,000, based on the preliminary report from the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

In the first phase, the amount was released to Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Kaski, Surkhet, Kailali, and Dadeldhura.

The Cabinet, on September 28, decided to ensure immediate financial assistance for contingency expenses based on the classification of injuries identified by the technical committee.

So far, the Ministry of Health has submitted details of 2,419 injured to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Similarly, the injured have been provided with identity cards. 

The Home Ministry has sent 2,876 ID cards to the respective District Administration Offices, while 38 cards have been issued directly from hospitals.

Gen Z clinics have been set up at designated hospitals for follow-up treatment of the injured, with arrangements for free transportation facilities, it is said. 

 Seventy-six people lost their lives during the Gen Z movement. 

Among them, the identities of 53 individuals are known, including three Nepal Police officers. 

The identities of 12 people are yet to be established. While trying to escape from prison, 10 inmates were killed by bullets fired by security personnel. One foreigner also lost life during the Gen Z movement.