New Delhi  - At least 15 passengers were killed and 38 injured Saturday when a bus plunged into a gorge in India's western Maharashtra state, a news report said.

The accident occurred when a government-run bus was negotiating a steep curve in the Raigad district district, some 150 kilometres south-west of state capital Mumbai, police told the IANS news agency.

Many of the passengers succumbed to their injuries on the scene while 20 wounded were moved to a hospital in Mumbai.

The death toll could rise as some of the injured were in a serious condition, the report said.

New Delhi, Nov 1 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh met the chiefs of the three wings of the defence service - the Army, the Navy and the Air Force – in New Delhi on Saturday.

Dr. Singh and Defence Minister A. K. Antony met Navy Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Fali H. Major, Chief of India''s Air Force and Deepak Kapoor, Chief of the Army Staff.

The chiefs met to review and to address matters of national security on the day of the combined Commanders'' Conference.

Jaipur, Nov 1 : The local guardians of Japanese surrogate baby ''Manjhi'' today bid adieu to the child and her 74-year old grandmother Emiko Yamada, who would be leaving for Japan tonight.

Manjhi and Yamada left from Jaipur in the afternoon for New Delhi from where they''ll board an Air India flight to Japan with a one-year visa, which would be renewed later.

Vatican City  - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated All Saints Day Saturday by urging the faithful to follow the example of the Christian martyrs and other men and women who dedicated their lives to God.

Benedict made the appeal when he delivered the noon Angelus blessing before thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square.

Among those present were participants in the "Race of the Saints" a 10 kilometre run through Rome in which the Italian capital's Mayor Gianni Alemanno also took part.

London - A British commander of reservist Special Air Service (SAS) troops in Afghanistan has resigned in protest over what he has called the "chronic underinvestment" in protective military equipment for use in Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

Major Sebastian Morley in his resignation letter singled out the continued use of the so-called Snatch Land Rover vehicles commonly used in Afghanistan to transport troops, which have been criticized for their lack of sufficient armour.

Madrid - Real Madrid midfielder will be out of action indefinitely, sports daily Marca reported on Saturday.

Marca states that the Spanish international will not play again until the causes of his Wednesday fainting fit are known.

De la Red, 23, fainted after just 18 minutes of Real's cup game away to third division side Union Irun. Scenes of panic and concern ensued, as the Spanish international was stretchered off unconscious and rushed to hospital.