TikTok profits from livestreams of refugees begging

Refugee families in Syrian camps are begging for donations on TikTok while the company takes up to 70% of the proceeds, a BBC investigation found.

Children are livestreaming on the social media app for hours, pleading for digital gifts with a cash value.

The BBC saw streams earning up to $1,000 (£900) an hour, but found refugees received only a tiny fraction of that.

TikTok said it would take prompt action against "exploitative begging".

The company said this type of content was not allowed on its platform, and it said its commission from digital gifts was significantly less than 70%. But it declined to confirm the exact amount.

Health officer among 2 dies of dengue

Two persons including an officer at the District Health Office, Jhapa have died due to dengue. The deceased have been identified as Shashi Kumar Bhattarai (57) of Bhadrapur Municipality-7 and Nisha Chhetri (52) of Birtamod Municipality-3. Bhattarai is the family planning officer at the District Health Office, Jhapa. He had gone to Kathmandu in the third week of August to get his wife Mitra Bhattarai's leg treated. Bhattarai was infected with dengue in Kathmandu. Health Office officer Bal Krishna Bhandari said that Bhattarai, who was receiving treatment at the HAMS Hospital, breathed his last during the course of treatment on Monday morning. He was suffering from diabetes and heart related problems for the past few years.

2 die at Dhaulagiri base camp

A trekker and a porter have died at the Dhaulagiri base camp. It has been learnt that 45 mules carrying goods have also gone missing due to bad weather. A local of Gharpojhong, Mustang said that two trekkers and a porter, who had gone to the base camp through the Four Season Company before Dashain, were found buried in the snow. Similarly, 45 horses and mules have gone missing at the Dhaulagiri base camp owing to bad weather. Out of nine shepherds who had reached the base camp, four were rescued by a helicopter on Tuesday morning, Chief District Officer of Mustang Netra Prasad Sharma said. He said that nine Nepalis are yet to be rescued from the Italian base camp. Hundreds of foreign and Nepali tourists had reached Dhaulagiri area through different trekking agencies before Dashain. Meanwhile, 30 foreign tourists, who were stranded in Thorang La Pass in Manang, came in contact on Monday. Tourism entrepreneur of Mustang Suraj Gurung said that all of them are safe. Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) General Secretary Binod Sapkota said that hundreds of tourists have gone to the western Himalayan region of Nepal and some of them are stranded and some have gone out of contact.  

Sarlahi couple dies of altitude sickness in Lamjung

A couple of Pattharkot, Lalbandi Municipality-12, Sarlahi district died of altitude sickness while returning from Meme Pokhari of Lamjung district. Buddhiman Yonjan (27) of Syangbo Danda of Lalbandi Municipality-12 and his wife Sharmila Tamang (26) had collapsed on October 5 while returning home after visiting Meme Pokhari. The bodies of the couple were brought to Sarlahi on Monday. Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Lamjung, Prakash Shreemal, said the couple died due to altitude sickness at the height of around 3,900 meters in Syangbo. Similarly, Karan Tamang (18) of Besisahar Municipality-10, who had also gone to Meme Pokhari with the couple, is receiving treatment at the Medical College in Bharatpur. Yonjan was found dead on Thursday while the body of Tamang was found on Saturday. It takes a three-days walk to reach Meme Pokhari from Besisahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung.