Nepal celebrated Kukur Tihar on Monday, a festival dedicated to honoring dogs for their loyalty and companionship. As part of the five-day Tihar festival, people across homes and police stations adorned dogs with marigold garlands and red tika. Nepal Police held a special ceremony at its Canine Division, where service dogs were worshipped and rewarded for their service. Families prepared warm milk, eggs, meat, and sweets for their pets and stray dogs. Kukur Tihar is rooted in the belief that dogs are sacred messengers of Yama, the god of death, guiding souls to the afterlife. (PC: The Telegraph)

A massive fire at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday may cause over $1 billion in damages, experts say. The blaze in the airport’s cargo section lasted 27 hours and destroyed clothes, raw materials, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Around 35 people were injured. Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest clothing exporter after China, could see affected businesses lose future buyers. Flights and airport operations were temporarily suspended. The cause is still under investigation, with authorities warning of action if sabotage is found. This fire is the third major blaze in Bangladesh in a week, raising concerns about safety and infrastructure. (PC: BBC)

Multiple popular websites and apps faced disruptions on Monday due to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage. Services affected include Amazon.com, Prime Video, Alexa, Snapchat, Robinhood, Perplexity AI, Canva, Roblox, Duolingo, Coinbase, Fortnite, Venmo, and more. Downdetector reported over 2,000 outage incidents in the US. Platforms relying on AWS servers saw intermittent failures, including Rainbow Six Siege, Apple TV, McDonald’s App, CollegeBoard, and PUBG Battlegrounds. Perplexity CEO confirmed the issue was AWS-related. Some services are slowly recovering, but users continue reporting access problems. Amazon has not released an official statement on the cause or duration. (PC: HT)

A devastating fire at Bangladesh's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport could cost over $1 billion in damages, business leaders warn. The blaze, which took 27 hours to extinguish, destroyed clothes, raw materials, and essential buyer samples in the logistics hub, potentially threatening future business opportunities. Around 35 people were injured containing the fire that temporarily suspended airport operations. Bangladesh, the world's second-largest clothing exporter after China, generates $40 billion annually from garments (over 10% of GDP) supplying H&M and Walmart. This marks Bangladesh's third major fire within one week, following deadly warehouse and factory blazes. The interim government pledged immediate action if sabotage evidence emerges amid online conspiracy theories.

US President Donald Trump said the Gaza ceasefire remains in place, despite renewed violence between Israel and Hamas. Israel launched airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday after militants fired an anti-tank missile and gunfire at troops in Rafah, killing two soldiers. Hamas denied involvement and said it was unaware of any fighting in the area. Gaza health officials said 44 people were killed in the strikes. Both sides accused each other of breaking the truce. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are travelling to Israel to help keep the fragile ceasefire from collapsing. (PC: BBC)

Two airport ground staff died after an Emirates cargo plane skidded off the runway and crashed into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday. The Boeing 747, arriving from Dubai, veered off the runway at 3:50 a.m. and hit a patrol vehicle before breaking apart. The four crew members onboard survived and were rescued. Officials said the patrol car was outside the runway fencing and did not cause the crash. Investigators are searching for the plane’s black boxes to determine the cause. One runway remains closed, and several cargo flights have been cancelled. (PC: BBC)

An Emirates SkyCargo cargo plane from Dubai crashed at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, killing two ground staff. Flight EK9788, operated by Turkish carrier Air ACT, skidded off runway 07R at 3:53 am local time. The Boeing 747-481 veered left mid-landing, struck a ground-service vehicle, and stopped with its nose over the seawall, partially plunging into the sea. Four crew members escaped unharmed. Two men in the ground vehicle, aged 30 and 41, were confirmed dead. Rescue operations involved fire services, marine police, and helicopters. Flight-tracking data showed sudden leftward trajectory shift after touchdown. The north runway remains closed pending debris clearance and safety inspections.

The Supreme Court has allowed the sale and bursting of CSIR-NEERI-certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR from October 18 to 20. Residents can burst them only between 6–7 am and 8–10 pm. The decision comes as Delhi’s air quality worsens, with the AQI at 296, close to the ‘very poor’ mark. Experts fear pollution may reach ‘severe’ levels during Diwali. Ghaziabad, Noida, and Gurugram are also seeing rising pollution. A survey shows 34% of families plan to burst crackers this year. Doctors have urged citizens to avoid all crackers to protect health and air quality. (PC: BBC)

After a new truce, Gazans hurried to banks hoping to withdraw money. But many found there was no cash left. Two branches of the Bank of Palestine reopened on Sunday for the first time since March. People waited in long lines only to be told the coffers were empty. Most ATMs and bank buildings were destroyed during the war. Israel has blocked new currency from entering Gaza, leaving residents to use old, torn notes or costly money transfers. Many say they cannot buy food or pay for daily needs. “We are exhausted,” said one resident. “We just need cash to live.” (PC: Reuters)

Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after more than a week of deadly clashes along their shared border. The agreement was reached in talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey. Both sides said they will stop attacks and avoid targeting civilians or infrastructure. The Taliban promised not to support groups carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. At least three dozen Afghan civilians were killed in recent cross-border strikes. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif called the truce “a step in the right direction.” Further peace talks will take place next week in Istanbul. (PC: BBC)