RUSSIA: A court has convicted a French citizen of collecting military information and sentenced him to three years in prison. Laurent Vinatier, who was arrested in Moscow in June, was found guilty of collecting the information during meetings with three Russian citizens in Moscow between 2021-2022. 

RIVER NILE: A regional partnership of 10 countries says an agreement on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin has come into force despite the notable opposition of Egypt. The legal status of the “co-operative framework” was formally confirmed by the African Union after South Sudan joined the treaty, the Nile Basin Initiative said in a statement Sunday. Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania have ratified the accord. Egypt and Sudan declined to sign, while Congo abstained. 

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka closed schools in the capital, Colombo, and its suburbs today as heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the island nation. Heavy downpours over the weekend have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country. Three people drowned, while some 134,000 people have been affected by flooding, according to the country’s Disaster Management Centre.

LITHUANIA: The opposition Social Democratic Party has emerged as the leader after Sunday’s first round of national elections in Lithuania and says it will start negotiations to form a new government with left-leaning parties. The Social Democrats won 18 of the first 70 seats to be decided in the 141-seat Seimas, one seat ahead of the ruling Homeland Union party of current Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. There will be a second round of voting on October 27.