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)

Chennai experienced heavy rain on Monday as Diwali celebrations began. Areas including Velachery, Medavakkam, Pallikaranai, and ECR Neelankarai reported waterlogging, causing inconvenience to residents. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast light to moderate rain with thunderstorms in isolated places across the state. Coastal Tamil Nadu is likely to see continued rainfall until October 22. Rainfall between 64.5 mm and 111.5 mm is expected in several districts. IMD also warned of a low-pressure area forming over the Bay of Bengal, which may turn into a depression in the coming days. CM MK Stalin reviewed the monsoon preparedness with district officials.

Apple CEO Tim Cook extended Diwali wishes on X, sharing a photo captured on iPhone 17 Pro Max by Apeksha Maker. The image showcases a woman in traditional attire lighting diyas surrounded by marigold flowers, highlighting warm lamp reflections. Cook wrote, "Wishing a joyful and healthy Diwali to all celebrating around the world!" This continues his tradition of featuring community-sourced images during cultural celebrations. The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display, A19 Pro chip with 40% better sustained performance, triple 48MP camera system with 8x optical zoom, and longest-ever iPhone battery life. India prices range from ₹1,49,900 to ₹2,29,900.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai celebrated Diwali with a creative Instagram post featuring colorful barfis arranged as the Google logo. The sweets in red, yellow, green, and blue color mimicked Google's iconic colors, surrounded by ladoos, flowers, and rangoli. "Obviously this is the only way we serve barfi in my house," Pichai captioned, wishing everyone "a Happy Diwali filled with light, joy, and your favorite festive treats (Google themed or otherwise!)." The post quickly went viral, drawing festive greetings and reactions. Users commented "Matlab barfi khilani hi hai Google wali" and "Happy Deepavali Sundar!" This continues Pichai's tradition in 2024 where he shared a Google-themed Diya photograph.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Ayodhya's Nishad community during Deepavali, urging citizens to support those unable to afford Diwali celebrations. He praised the community for embodying values of friendship and devotion while emphasizing Deepotsav as continuation of Tretaa Yug traditions. Deepotsav 2025 shattered two Guinness World Records, lighting 26,17,215 lamps and featuring 2,128 Vedic scholars performing Saryu aarti simultaneously. Adityanath highlighted Ayodhya's cleanliness, crediting PM Modi for inspiring nationwide sanitation efforts. The spectacular event attracted devotees from various regions, celebrating Ayodhya's spiritual and cultural vibrancy while showcasing the city's festive spirit and rich cultural heritage through record-breaking achievements.

A heartwarming video of an Irish man speaking Hindi to thank his Indian girlfriend's mother for Diwali gifts has gone viral on social media. Shared by Sanskruti Darren on Instagram with caption "Some moments don't need translation," the clip shows him greeting her mother with "Hello, kaise hai aap?" and thanking her for sending traditional treats like anarsa and laddoo, calling them "very sundar." He concluded with "Shukriya" and "Good night." The video garnered millions of views, with users praising his effort and warmth. One commenter shared how her husband similarly connects with her mother over traditional sweets, highlighting how inter-racial relationships create constant adventures for families.

World leaders extended warm Diwali greetings as India celebrated the Festival of Lights on October 20, 2025. Australian PM Anthony Albanese shared a video message wishing "hope for a bright future" during celebrations. New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon emphasized Diwali represents "triumph of light over darkness, hope over despair, and good over evil" as families gather nationwide. Singapore PM Lawrence Wong posted on X celebrating "light over darkness, hope over fear," featuring Indian diaspora members. The Australian High Commission hosted special celebrations with Minister Anne Aly participating. These heartfelt messages reflect Diwali's growing global recognition as a celebration transcending borders, uniting communities worldwide beyond India's traditional boundaries.

Salman Khan's remarks at Joy Forum 2025 in Riyadh sparked debate after he separately mentioned "people from Balochistan" and "people from Pakistan" while discussing South Asian communities in the Middle East. Speaking alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, his statement went viral, with journalist Smita Prakash noting the separation as "amazing." Social media debated whether it was a slip, lack of knowledge, or intentional recognition of Balochistan's distinct identity. Supporters highlighted Balochistan's unique regional culture, while the comment reignited discussions about the province's history of unrest and autonomy aspirations. Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, spans three countries and has longstanding cultural distinctions from Pakistan's dominant ethnic groups.