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A Sri Lankan bus carrying local tourists visiting lush tea plantation hill towns plunged nearly 1,000 feet (300 metres), with the crash killing 15 people, AFP reported.

The accident took place on Thursday night in the mountainous Ella area, about 130 kilometres (81 miles) east of the capital. Sixteen others on board were injured.

According to AFP, the group was returning home after a holiday in the cooler hills when the bus hit another vehicle, crashed through guardrails and then shot over the side.

The accident is the worst since May, when 23 passengers died in a bus crash in Kotmale.

The island's winding roads are considered among the most dangerous in the world. Sri Lanka, a nation of 22 million people, records an average of 3,000 road fatalities each year.

India has cut Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates to spur consumption and soften the blow of steep US tariffs, BBC reported.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the tax structure has been simplified to two slabs—5 percent and 18 percent—with a 40 percent levy on cigarettes. Essentials like food, school supplies and insurance will become cheaper, while imported liquor and premium cars will cost more. The new rates take effect on 22 September, ahead of the festive season.

Markets cheered the move, with analysts saying lower taxes could lift demand, ease inflation and support corporate earnings, though states fear revenue losses of up to $6bn.

The cuts follow earlier income tax relief and coincide with lower borrowing costs. Economists believe stronger consumption could offset losses and cushion the impact of President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, according to BBC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the reforms a promise delivered, saying they will benefit farmers, the middle class, small traders and youth while making business easier.

Hamas has released new footage of two Israeli hostages taken from the Nova music festival during its October 2023 attack. The video shows 22-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal, filmed in Gaza City in August, pleading for his release, and Alon Ohel, appearing for the first time since his abduction nearly 700 days ago, BBC reported.

The two are among 48 people still held in Gaza, with only about 20 believed to be alive. Their families, shaken by the footage, urged the government to return to negotiations. “Those who truly want the hostages home must act immediately,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which held a rally in Tel Aviv marking 700 days since the attack.

Isareli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with both families after the video’s release, insisting Israel’s war would end only if all hostages were freed. He dismissed the footage as “propaganda,” while far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the full occupation of Gaza. Opposition leader Yair Lapid countered that talks must resume to secure a deal.

According to BBC, mediators from Qatar and Egypt have proposed a plan for a phased release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but Israel has rejected anything short of all captives being freed at once.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry reported dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City, where the UN warns famine and mass displacement are worsening.

Nearly 500 workers have been detained in a major immigration raid at Hyundai’s electric vehicle plant in Georgia, a southeastern US state. Officials said it was the largest workplace operation under President Donald Trump’s second term, according to BBC.

Homeland Security said the raid followed months of investigation into unlawful employment practices. About 300 of those arrested are South Korean nationals. Hyundai said none of the detainees were directly employed by the company and production remains unaffected, though its battery partner LG Energy Solutions paused construction.

President Trump defended the action, saying it targeted illegal workers, while South Korea voiced “concern and regret,” sending diplomats to ensure the rights of its citizens are respected.

The raid underscores tensions between Trump’s push to expand US manufacturing and his strict immigration crackdown, even as South Korean firms invest heavily in American industry, BBC reported.

Indra Jatra, the biggest festival of Kathmandu Valley, is being observed by worshiping Indra, the God of rains, on Saturday.

In addition to Kathmandu, the festival is also observed in Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhulikhel and Dolakha districts.The annual traditional festival begins on the Bhadra Shukla Chaturdasi of Nepali month, Bhadra. It is an eight-day long festival.

The festival begins with the erection of a sacred wooden pole called Lingo with flags on its top at Hanuman Dhoka, the historic place of Nepal.The erected pole with the flag is called 'Indradhwojotthan'. On the bottom of the pole, Lord Bhairav is worshiped. The festival is taken as the celebration after conquering the enemies.

The wooden pole is brought by performing tantric acts from a jungle of Nala in Kavre district whereas the pole is made holy with various rituals at Bhotahiti, Kathmandu.When the pole is erected, different cultural dances including Bhakkunach, Mahakalinach, Lakhenach, Dasavatarnach and Pulukisinach are performed in the city.

During the festival, chariot processions and typical cultural songs and dances are performed.

Today, the Head of the State, the President, observes the chariot processions of Shree Kumari, Shree Ganesh and Shree Bhairav at historic Hanumandhoka. Kumari is worshiped as the Living Goddess by the President on the occasion, and prasad received.

It is believed that the Indrajatra festival began during the reign of King Pratap Malla.     

Indra, the God of rains and good harvest is worshipped today.

An Indiana lawyer named Mark S. Zuckerberg is suing Meta, claiming Facebook repeatedly suspended his account by wrongly accusing him of impersonating the platform’s founder, BBC reported.

The bankruptcy attorney, who has practiced law for nearly four decades, says his account has been disabled five times over the past eight years, costing him business and nearly $11,000 in lost advertising. He argues Meta breached its contract by removing ads he had already paid for.

Zuckerberg says he provided extensive proof of his identity, but Facebook continued to challenge his name’s authenticity. His account was restored only after he filed the lawsuit.

Meta admitted the account had been disabled in error, reinstated it, and said it was working to prevent similar mistakes. The lawyer has since launched a website documenting mix-ups caused by sharing a name with the tech billionaire, according to BBC.

Former US President Joe Biden has undergone surgery to remove skin cancer, his spokeswoman confirmed. The 82-year-old had Mohs surgery, a procedure that removes cancerous tissue layer by layer until no trace remains, BBC reported.

Biden, who was recently seen with a wound on the right side of his head, has a history of skin cancers. Last year, doctors removed a cancerous lesion from his chest, and in May he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He has also had several non-melanoma skin cancers treated in the past.

Since leaving office in January, Biden has kept a low public profile. He and his wife Jill have long championed cancer research, a cause deeply personal to them following the death of their son Beau from brain cancer in 2015, according to BBC.

Thailand’s parliament has elected business tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, the country’s third leader in two years. His Bhumjaithai Party broke away from the Pheu Thai-led coalition and secured enough support to form a government, BBC reported.

Anutin’s rise marks a significant setback for the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics for over two decades but now faces declining influence after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last week.

Known for his pragmatic style and deal-making, Anutin takes office at a time of deep political division, with Thailand still unsettled by years of court interventions, party dissolutions, and military coups. His leadership will be closely watched as the country seeks stability after another abrupt change in power, according to BBC.