Ukraine war: Power back on at huge nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia
The UN's nuclear watchdog (IAEA) says Ukraine's huge Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has begun receiving power from the national grid once again, BBC reported.
Shelling in the area damaged power lines connected to the plant.
All six of its reactors are in a state of cold shutdown, but the plant needs external power to cool its reactors and defend against the risk of a meltdown.
The IAEA says the situation of the plant, which is held by Russian forces, has improved but remains precarious.
A team of nuclear experts from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) travelled to Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant, at the beginning of the month.
The trip followed increasing calls from Ukraine and the international community for a safety inspection following reports of shelling.
After the IAEA's first inspection, the agency announced it would maintain a permanent presence in order to monitor the situation.
Members of the team at the site on Saturday learnt that one of the four main external power lines damaged by shelling had been repaired, allowing electricity to be received directly from the national grid, the IAEA tweeted on Saturday.
Further east in Ukraine, the discovery of mass graves in Izyum has led the European Union presidency to call for an international tribunal for war crimes to be carried out.
Hundreds of bodies have been discovered buried in a forest at the edge of the city, which recently came under the control of Ukraine after Russian forces retreated, according to BBC.
Many are said to be civilians, women and children among them.
"In the 21st Century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the EU's rotating presidency.
"We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," he wrote in a tweet. "I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression."
Fighting raged on Saturday in the divided eastern region of Donetsk, which is mostly under the control of Russian-backed separatists.
The separatist mayor of Donetsk city said four people had been killed by Ukrainian government shelling of a central district while the Donetsk region's Ukrainian governor accused Russian forces of shelling a thermal power plant in Mykolaivka, disrupting drinking water supplies in the area.
Ukrainian troops are continuing their counter-offensive in the country's north-east, after successfully recapturing territory from Russia in recent days, the UK's defence ministry says. It adds that Russia has established a defensive line protecting one of its main supply routes from Belgorod, near its border with Ukraine, BBC reported.
Government recommends President Bhandari to end House session from tomorrow
The government has recommended President Bidya Devi Bhandari to end the Parliament session from Saturday. A Cabinet meeting held at the official residence of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Baluwatar on Friday decided to recommend the President to end the House session from tomorrow. Earlier, a Parliament meeting held this afternoon endorsed three ordinances.
Nepal reports 110 new Covid-19 cases, one death on Friday
Nepal reported 110 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Friday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 752 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 60 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 075 people underwent antigen tests, of which 50 were tested positive. The Ministry said that 126 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 2, 062 active cases in the country.
Nepse plunges by 14. 10 points on Friday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 14. 10 points to close at 1,910.38 points on Friday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 23 points to close at 371. 90 points. A total of 2,916,271 unit shares of 220 companies were traded for Rs 90 billion. Meanwhile, Nabil Balanced Fund-2 was the top gainer today with its price surging by 7. 87 percent. Likewise, Mirmire Microfinance Development Bank Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 59 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 74 trillion.
KMC demolishes illegal structures in New Baneshwor
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City demolished illegal structures in the New Baneshwor area, Kathmandu on Friday. The KMC said that they were compelled to use a dozer to remove the illegal structures after the people ignored the notice issued earlier. Some house owners stage the protest when the dozer was clearing the structures built illegally. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been dismantling illegal structures in various places of Kathmandu for the past few days.
Gold price drops by Rs 1, 000 per tola on Friday
The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Friday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 91, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 92, 500 per tola on Thursday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 91, 000 per tola today. Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1, 170 per tola.
Ashraf Shikhaliyev: Azerbaijan is ready to collaborate with Nepal in e-governance
Ashraf Shikhaliyev is the ambassador of Azerbaijan to India. He also holds concurrent accreditation to Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Shikhaliyev was in Kathmandu last week to attend Nepal Infrastructure Summit 2022. Kamal Dev Bhattarai caught up with him to talk about the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Nepal and possible areas of cooperation between the two countries. How do you evaluate Nepal-Azerbaijan relations? Relations between the two countries are developing mainly in international and multilateral forums. In the United Nations, we have excellent relations. Nepal is a founding member of the non-alignment movement and Azerbaijan is the current chair of this movement. So, we have excellent cooperation in our delegations and other areas. On the bilateral front, we have good relations that we need to build on further. We need to expand economic cooperation, for example. Both countries are land-locked and depend on transit countries. That is why for landlocked countries like ours cooperation in the areas of information communication technology is important. In these areas, borders do not matter and we can do cooperation. We can cooperate particularly in the areas of electronic governance. This is an era of digitalization and every country is paying attention to building infrastructure for it. We have made some achievements in Azerbaijan, and we are willing to share them with Nepal if they are interested. What is the current state of trade relationship between the two countries? The economic collaboration between the two countries is very minimal. This is because of geography. The two countries are land-locked and there is a huge distance separating them. But we have to start with something. The realistic sector where we can collaborate is information and communication technologies, and e-governance. Nepal needs investment to develop its infrastructure, are there any prospects of cooperation from Azerbaijan? As I said, we can begin with cooperation in the area of information technology first. We can then move on to infrastructure development. Azerbaijan has many good companies with vast experience in big infrastructure projects, such as building large international airports. Those companies can come to Nepal for the development of infrastructure. Development of infrastructure is important for every country and Azerbaijan is keen to contribute to the development of infrastructure in Nepal. Could you share with us about the ASAN service of your country that won the United Nations award? State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations known as ASAN is a brand name in Azerbaijan, which we are extremely proud of. This is implemented under the president of our country. The basic concept of this project is to make the life of people easier in service delivery. ASAN service was created in 2012 and three years later, it won the United the best service award from the United Nations. The project was picked from among 800 nominees from all over the world. It has been lauded for its transparency, making service convenient to all, and for its role in combating corruption. People are fully satisfied with the service. The project united our 10 ministries as well as some private companies to provide services under the umbrella of ASAN. Every service it offers is transparent and quick. There are volunteers who check the quality of service and they assist the people. For example, if you need to renew your license, the process does not take more than 10 minutes. Acquiring a passport, getting a visa or any other services are also equally swift and easy. Can Azerbaijan assist Nepal to launch such a project? We are ready to share our experiences with Nepal to create a similar project in Nepal. In 2019, the ASAN delegation visited Nepal and made their presentations. In 2020, we shared a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding proposing to work together in this area with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But we did not hear anything from the Nepali side. We are always willing to share our experiences and assist Nepal.
Roger Federer retirement a 'sad day' for sport, says rival Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer's decision to retire from tennis is a "sad day" for sport, his great rival Rafael Nadal has said, BBC reported.
Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, announced on Thursday that he would retire after the Laver Cup this month.
Only Spain's Nadal, with 22 majors, and Serbia's Novak Djokovic, with 21, have more men's Grand Slam singles titles than the 41-year-old.
"Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come," Nadal posted on social media.
"It's a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world."
Nadal defeated Federer 24 times in 40 matches during one of the most celebrated rivalries in tennis history, according to BBC.
"It's been a pleasure but also an honour and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court," Nadal said.
"We will have many more moments to share together in the future, there are still lots of things to do together, we know that.
"For now, I truly wish you all the happiness with your wife, Mirka, your kids, your family and enjoy what's ahead of you. I'll see you in London."
