Three killed as bus hits auto rickshaw in Rautahat
Three persons died when a bus hit an auto rickshaw in Chandrapur Municipality of Rautahat district on Thursday. The bus (Bagmati Province 03-001 Kha 201) heading towards Sarlahi from Kathmandu hit the auto rickshaw (Province 2 -02-001 Ha 2109) coming from the opposite direction this morning. Police said that of the four persons traveling in the auto rickshaw sustained injuries in the accident and three died on the way to a hospital. The deceased have been identified as Prem Thadamagar, Dhaka Bahadur Lungeli Magar and auto rickshaw driver Rabi Magar of Soltee, Sarlahi-2, according to the Area Police Office Chandrapur. Sabina Lungeli, wife of Lungeli, who sustained serious injuries in the accident, has been sent to the Neuro Hospital, Birgunj for further treatment. Police said that they have arrested bus driver Chandan Kumar Sah for investigation.
One killed in Morang fire
A person died when a fire broke out at a house in Belepur of Sundarharaicha Municipalty-11, Morang in Wednesday. DSP Deepak Shrestha, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang said that the fire broke out at the two-storey house of Bal Krishna Giri at around 11 pm yesterday. He said that Kumar Shrestha (38) of Sundarharaicha-11, who was sleeping in the house, died in the incident. He, a painter by profession, had been living the house of Shrestha for the past three days. The house of Shrestha was completely destroyed in the flame. The fire was taken under control with the help of locals, police personnel and fire engines at around 2 am today. Details of the property destroyed in the fire, however, is yet to be ascertained, DSP Shrestha said. He said that police are looking into the incident.
US, Taiwan to start formal trade talks under new initiative
The United States and Taiwan on Wednesday agreed to start trade talks under a new initiative, saying they wanted to reach agreements with "economically meaningful outcomes," in another sign of stepped up US support for the island, Reuters reported.
Washington and Taipei unveiled the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in June, just days after the Biden administration excluded the Chinese-claimed island from its Asia-focused economic plan designed to counter China's growing influence.
The office of the US Trade Representative said the two sides had "reached consensus on the negotiating mandate" and it was expected that the first round of talks will take place early this autumn.
"We plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful outcomes covering the eleven trade areas in the negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more prosperous and resilient 21st-century economy," Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi said in a statement.
The negotiating mandate released along with the announcement said the United States and Taiwan have set a robust agenda for talks on issues like trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, and removing discriminatory barriers to trade.
It said the start of the formal talks would be for the purpose of reaching agreements with "high standard commitments and economically meaningful outcomes."
It did not mention the possibility of a broad free trade deal, which is something Taiwan has been pressing for, according to Reuters.
Washington, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, has been keen to bolster support for Taiwan, especially as it faces stepped up political pressure from China to accept its sovereignty claims.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Billionaire wants to buy Manchester United
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy Manchester United, BBC reported.
News of the 69-year-old's interest follows a Bloomberg report that the Glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club.
"If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer," Ratcliffe's spokesperson told The Times.
"If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership."
United, 20-time English champions, are bottom of the Premier League after losing both their opening games of the season under new manager Erik ten Hag.
The woeful start has intensified criticism of the Glazers and their perceived lack of investment in the team.
This summer has seen new signings fail to materialise, including a fruitless pursuit of Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Old Trafford.
The club has struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and has not won a trophy since 2017.
There have been multiple protests against the Glazers' ownership in recent years, including one in May 2021 which caused the Red Devils' home league match against Liverpool to be postponed, according to BBC.
United fans are planning another protest against the American family during their latest meeting with their Anfield rivals on Monday at Old Trafford.
Lancashire-born Ratcliffe, the majority shareholder of chemical group Ineos, is a boyhood fan of the club. He also owns French side Nice, Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, while Ineos has a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team.
"This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent," the spokesperson added. "Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset."
Earlier on Wednesday, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, said he was joking after tweeting he was going to buy United.
Musk, 51, is reported to have a net worth of $270bn (£223bn) according to Forbes, while Ratcliffe is worth an estimated $16.3bn (£13.5bn).
In May, Ratcliffe made an unsuccessful £4.25bn offer to buy Chelsea after owner Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale.
At the time, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport he was still a Manchester United fan and the reason he was not bidding for the Red Devils is because they were not for sale, BBC reported.
China inducing rainfall to combat severe drought
Chinese authorities are attempting to induce rainfall in parts of central and southwest China amid a severe drought and record-breaking heatwave, BBC reported.
The Yangtze River - Asia's longest waterway - is now at record low levels. In some stretches, there has been less than half the usual rainfall.
Hydropower reservoirs are currently down by as much as half, officials say.
At the same time, a surge in demand for air conditioning has put power companies under extreme pressure.
The two-month-long heatwave is the longest on record in China, the National Climate Centre said.
Provinces around the drought-stricken Yangtze river have turned to cloud seeding operations to combat the lack of rain, with Hubei and a number of other provinces launching rockets carrying chemicals into the sky, according to local media.
But a lack of cloud cover has stalled efforts in some areas seeking to do the same.Meanwhile, temperatures across Sichuan and neighbouring provinces have exceeded 40C (104 F).
As a result, government offices in Sichuan were asked to keep air conditioning levels at no lower than 26C (79 F), according to the Sichuan Daily quoted by Reuters news agency. Workers have also been asked to use staircases rather than lifts where possible.
Millions of residents have also been hit with black outs in the province.
In the city of Dazhou, home to some 5.4 million people, blackouts are lasting up to three hours, local media report, according to BBC.
They say factories in the province have been forced to cut production or halt work as part of emergency measures to redirect power supplies to households.
Algeria forest fires: At least 26 dead, minister says
At least 26 people have been killed and dozens more injured in forest fires that have devastated northern Algeria, BBC reported.
Kamel Beldjoud, the country's interior minister, said 24 died in El Tarf, near the border with Tunisia, as well as a mother and daughter in Setif.
Firefighters, supported by helicopters, were still trying to contain several blazes on Wednesday evening.
Reports say some 350 residents have been evacuated in various provinces.
The civil protection agency said that El Tarf was the worst hit area with 16 fires in progress.
Kabul mosque attack: 'Many casualties feared'
A huge explosion has ripped through a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, police say, BBC reported.
The blast is thought to have occurred during evening prayers, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more, according to the NGO Emergency.
Khalid Zadran, the Taliban's Kabul police spokesman, was quoted by local media as saying there had been an explosion in the city's north-west.
Reports say the Siddiqi mosque's imam was among the dead.
It is unclear who was behind the attack, which comes the week after a prominent pro-Taliban cleric was killed in a suicide bomb blast, also in Kabul. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the earlier attack.
Security forces have arrived at the scene, in a northern Kabul neighbourhood, the spokesman added.Italian NGO Emergency - which operates in Kabul - said three deaths have been recorded so far.
The NGO also tweeted to say it had received 27 people wounded in the blast, including children. "Five children [were] among them, including a seven-year-old," it said, according to BBC.
A Taliban intelligence official told news agency Reuters that as many as 35 people may have been wounded or killed, and the toll could rise further.
Witnesses described hearing a powerful explosion which shattered windows in nearby buildings.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the explosion took place at a mosque among worshippers in the Khair Khana area of Kabul.
Intelligence teams were at the blast site and investigations are ongoing, they added.
Bhattarai and Pokharel to headline Dashain musical festival in Australia
Nabin K Bhattarai and Sugam Pokharel are set to headline the Dashain Dhamaka Musical Fest that will be held in Australia from Sept 23 to the last week of October. The duo will be accompanied by Adesh Paudel, contestant of Nepal Idol 4. The event is presented by Versatile Education and Migration in partnership with NEP Sydney Events and will be held in cities like Darwin, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Launceston, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns and Newcastle. Bhattarai said he was excited about the event, since he would be performing in Australia after a long time. Pokharel said he was planning to sing both his old hits as well as new numbers. “I am expecting a huge crowd,” said the event coordinator Yustal Dahal.
