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Sixteen people were injured after a school bus veered off the road and hit an embankment in Southern Province on Wednesday, police said. Some have been treated and discharged.

The incident comes amid rising road safety concerns, with over 2,500 deaths reported from road accidents in Sri Lanka this year, Xinhua reported.

India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals from July 24, marking the first such move since the 2020 Galwan clashes. The announcement, made by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, signals a cautious thaw in bilateral ties, Firstpost reported.

The decision follows Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s recent visit to Beijing, where he and Chinese vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong discussed ways to improve relations. Both sides agreed on people-centric initiatives, including cooperation on trans-border rivers and resuming hydrological data sharing.

The government collected a record Rs 16.54bn in capital gains tax (CGT) from share transactions in the last fiscal year 2024/25. According to CDS and Clearing Ltd, the highest CGT (Rs 4.23bn) was collected in July, the first month of the fiscal year, while the lowest was in December when Rs 580.7m was collected.

The secondary market, which had been subdued for months, started recovering from June last which explains the highest CGT collection in the first month of 2024/25. This was largely due to a more flexible monetary policy introduced by Nepal Rastra Bank, which boosted investor sentiment. After falling to around 1,800 points in 2023/24, the Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index climbed to 3,000 in the first month of 2024/25. 

However, the benchmark index fell and hovered around 2,600-point level in the remaining months. The index has been rising again since the start of the current fiscal year, breaching the 2,900-point support level.

Investors holding shares for a year or less are subject to a 7.5 percent capital gains tax, while those who hold shares for more than a year are required to pay five percent on profits. Higher trading volume means higher CGT collection for the government, whereas low activity during slumps brings in less.

Month wise breakdown shows, Rs 4.24bn was collected in July, Rs 2.58bn in August, Rs 586.5m in September,  Rs 758.7m in October and Rs 1.04bn in November. Likewise, Rs 580.7m was collected in December, Rs 1.05bn in January, Rs 1.33bn in February, Rs 693.5m in March), Rs 1.22bn in April, Rs 1.17bn in May and Rs 1.27bn in June.

The government has decided to declare Madhes Province as a disaster-hit area.

A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided to declare Madhes Province as a disaster-hit area.

The government decided to declare Madhes Province as a disaster-hit area after the villagers of eight districts reel under shortage of drinking water and water for irrigation even during the monsoon season, a minister said.

The Cabinet made such a decision on the recommendation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday called for a complete victory in Gaza, saying the country is close to achieving its war goals. Speaking with top military officials, he stressed the need to defeat Hamas and secure the return of Israeli hostages, according to Al Jazeera.

Katz also warned of renewed threats from Iran and highlighted the importance of maintaining military presence in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and the West Bank to protect Israeli communities. His remarks came as ceasefire talks continue in Doha, with reports of progress.

Columbia University has expelled and suspended nearly 80 students for participating in pro-Palestinian protests opposing Israel’s war on Gaza. The university said the disciplinary action was due to disruptions at Butler Library and an earlier encampment during Alumni Weekend, Al Jazeera reported.

Student group CUAD, which has called for divestment from Israel, condemned the punishments as excessive but vowed to continue their activism.

The crackdown follows federal pressure, with the Trump administration freezing $400m in funding over concerns about anti-Semitism on campus. Protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, recently released from immigration custody, met with lawmakers in Washington this week, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran condemned Israel on Tuesday for worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through ongoing military attacks and blockade. The Iranian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to act quickly to stop the suffering of Palestinians, describing the situation as “genocide”, Al Jazeera reported.

Gaza health officials reported over 8,200 deaths and 30,000 injuries since March 18, with a total toll of more than 59,000 killed and 142,000 injured since last October. Starvation has claimed at least 101 lives, including 80 children, since March.

China’s Ministry of Commerce welcomed a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found it had not violated intellectual property rules in a dispute with the European Union. However, it criticized the panel’s view that WTO members must avoid affecting patent rights in other countries, calling it an overreach, Xinhua reported.

The ministry reaffirmed support for the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), a temporary appeals system under the WTO, and pledged to uphold a fair, rules-based multilateral trading system.