Consultancy operators nabbed for migration fraud
Police have arrested three persons of the Presidential Immigration Pvt. Ltd for defrauding millions of rupees of people with fake assurances of sending them to the United States with green cards from Nepal. After the Annapurna Post, sister publication of the Annapurna Express, published the news regarding the issue on Thursday, a team of police carried out a raid at the office of the company in Gairidhara and apprehended them. The suspects have been identified as consultancy operator Prabin Rai (35) and deputy director duo Omkar Gupta (46) and Sanjay Tamang (34). Rai, a permanent resident of Silichong Rural Municipality-2, Sankhuwasabha, has been living at Saraswatinagar, Kathmandu while Gupta of Parasi Bazaar, Ramgram Municipality-3, Nawalparasi has been residing at Gothatar and Tamang of Karphok, Suryadoya Municipality-11, Ilam has been living at Basundhara. Krishna Koirala, spokesperson at the Crime Investigation Bureau, said that they will be charged under the Education Act, 2028 and fraud case. He said that police have taken some documents of the consultancy. Though the company has been registered, it has been found that the consultancy has not taken permission from the Educational Counseling Branch of the Ministry of Education. Gupta had said that the consultancy had so far collected around Rs 130 million from around 50 people at the rate of 2.5 million each. Further investigation into the incident is underway, police said.
Novak Djokovic unable to travel to New York for US Open
Novak Djokovic says he will be unable to travel to New York for the US Open, which begins on Monday, BBC reported.
Djokovic did not defend his Australian Open title in January because his Covid-19 vaccination status led to him being deported from the country.
Since October 2021, the United States has banned non-vaccinated visitors.
Serb Djokovic had hoped to compete, but wrote on Twitter on Thursday: "Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open."
The 35-year-old won his 21st major title with victory at Wimbledon in July, leaving him one behind Rafael Nadal's all-time men's record, but will miss out on another chance to add to his tally.
"I'll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again," Djokovic added.
"See you soon tennis world!"
Djokovic was on the US Open entry list as recently as Monday and, in a social media post on 30 July, wrote "I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete".
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - the nation's health protection agency - had reviewed some of its rules for unvaccinated citizens in recent weeks, but Djokovic's apparent withdrawal suggests travel restrictions will continue to apply, according to BBC.
His absence at Flushing Meadows may benefit Spain's Nadal, who seeks a 23rd Grand Slam title, with world number one Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, looking to defend the title he won for the first time in 2021.
The US Open draw will take place later on Thursday.
Climate change: Russia burning huge amounts of gas, puzzling experts
As Europe's energy costs skyrocket, Russia is burning off large amounts of natural gas, according to analysis shared with BBC News.
Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany.
They say the plant near the border with Finland, is burning an estimated $10m (£8.4m) worth of gas every day.
Scientists are concerned about the large volumes of carbon dioxide and soot it is creating, which could exacerbate the melting of Arctic ice.
The analysis by Rystad Energy indicates that around 4.34 million cubic metres of gas are being burned by the flare every day.
It is coming from a new liquified natural gas (LNG) plant at Portovaya, north-west of St Petersburg. The first signs that something was awry came from Finnish citizens over the nearby border who spotted a large flame on the horizon earlier this summer.
Supplies through the pipeline has been curtailed since mid-July, with the Russians blaming technical issues for the restriction. Germany says it was purely a political move following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
While burning off gas is common at processing plants - normally done for technical or safety reasons - the scale of this burn has confounded experts.
"I've never seen an LNG plant flare so much," said Dr Jessica McCarty, an expert on satellite data from Miami University in Ohio.
"Starting around June, we saw this huge peak, and it just didn't go away. It's stayed very anomalously high."
Mark Davis is the CEO of Capterio, a company that's involved in finding solutions to gas flaring.
He says the flaring is not accidental and is more likely a deliberate decision made for operational reasons, according to BBC.
"Operators often are very hesitant to actually shut down facilities for fear that they may be technically difficult or costly to start up again, and it's probably the case here," he told BBC News.
Others believe that there could be technical challenges in dealing with the large volumes of gas that were being supplied to the Nordstream pipeline.
Russian energy company Gazprom may have intended to use that gas to make LNG at the new plant, but may have had problems handling it and the safest option is to flare it off.
It could also be the result of Europe's trade embargo with Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
"So, because of the trade embargo with Russia, they are not able to make the high-quality valves needed in oil and gas processing. So maybe there are some valves broken and they can't get them replaced."
Gazprom has not responded to requests for comment on the flaring.
The financial and environmental costs mount each day the flare continues to burn, say scientists.
"While the exact reasons for the flaring are unknown, the volumes, emissions and location of the flare are a visible reminder of Russia's dominance in Europe's energy markets," said Sindre Knutsson from Rystad Energy.
"There could not be a clearer signal - Russia can bring energy prices down tomorrow. This is gas that would otherwise have been exported via Nordstream 1 or alternatives."
Energy prices around the world rose sharply as Covid lockdowns were lifted and economies returned to normal. Many places of work, industry and leisure were all suddenly in need of more energy at the same time, putting unprecedented pressures on suppliers.
Prices increased again in February this year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. European governments looked for ways to import less energy from Russia, which had previously supplied 40% of the gas used in the EU.
Prices for alternative sources of gas went up as a result, and some EU nations - like Germany and Spain - are now bringing in energy-saving measures.
The environmental impacts of the burning are worrying scientists, BBC reported.
According to researchers, flaring is far better than simply venting the methane which is the key ingredient in the gas, and is a very powerful climate warming agent.
Russia has a track record of burning off gas - according to the World Bank, it's the number one country when it comes to the volume of flaring.
But as well a releasing around 9,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent every day from this flare, the burning causes other significant issues.
Black carbon is the name given to the sooty particles that are produced through the incomplete burning of fuels like natural gas.
"Of particular concern with flaring at Arctic latitudes is the transport of emitted black carbon northward where it deposits on snow and ice and significantly accelerates melting," said Prof Matthew Johnson, from Carleton University in Canada.
"Some highly cited estimates already put flaring as the dominant source of black carbon deposition in the Arctic and any increases in flaring in this region are especially unwelcome."
China heatwave: Sichuan residents flee heatwaves and power cuts underground
Residents in China's southwestern provinces are taking creative measures to deal with a record heat wave that has seen temperatures exceed 40C(104F), BBC reported.
Those in Chongqing and neighbouring Sichuan are heading into underground bunkers and cave restaurants in an attempt to seek shelter from the heat.
Some experts say the intensity of the heatwave could make it one of the worst recorded in global history.
The prolonged heatwave has exacerbated a severe drought in China.
Some train stations in the provinces dimmed their usually bright lights to save electricity, with photos and videos on social media show eerie scenes of people sitting in darkened train carriages in Chongqing and walking down darkened streets.
To conserve power, government offices in Sichuan were reportedly asked to keep air conditioning levels at no lower than 26C, while Chongqing authorities ordered industrial firms to restrict output until at least Thursday.In lieu of this, some companies reportedly used large ice blocks to help cool their offices down.
Outside the office, diners also went underground in a bid to further escape the heat, according to BBC.
"Cave hotpot" restaurants are often frequented during the summer months, as the temperature is cooler underground - but have now become a mainstay.
The temperature at one cave hotpot restaurant was 16C, compared to a scorching 42C outside, state news outlet China Daily reported on Saturday.
Trump: Judge orders release of redacted search court papers
A US judge has ordered investigators to release a redacted version of court papers that convinced him to authorise a search of Donald Trump's estate, BBC reported.
The public version of the affidavit, a document that includes the evidence gathered by prosecutors, could reveal new details about the inquiry.
The Department of Justice opposed releasing an uncensored version amid its ongoing investigation.
The FBI search was part of a probe into the potential mishandling of documents.
The former US president has denied wrongdoing and insists the classified files that investigators say were found at Mar-a-Lago in Florida this month had already been declassified by himself.
On Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the affidavit to be released with redactions by noon (16:00 GMT) on Friday.
His ruling came shortly after the justice department confirmed that it had submitted to the judge a copy of the affidavit with proposed redactions.
Even in redacted form, the affidavit could provide clues as to why Mr Trump allegedly took classified documents with him in the chaotic final days of his presidency and what he did with them while they were stored in Palm Beach.
The rest may have to wait for when - or if - any criminal charges are filed, according to BBC.
The warrant itself was released on 12 August alongside an inventory of recovered items that showed 11 sets of classified files were removed from the estate.
Several news organisations have applied for the affidavit to be unsealed, citing public interest given the historic nature of the search of a former president's home.
Mr Trump and his lawyers - who have characterised the Mar-a-Lago search as politically motivated and unlawful - have called for the unredacted affidavit to be released.
A spokesman for Mr Trump, Taylor Budowich, said that efforts to "hide" its contents were "cynical" and could be used to "hide government corruption".
Earlier this week, Mr Trump's legal team asked that the investigation be frozen and that an independent third-party attorney, known as a special master, be brought in to oversee the documents that the FBI took during the search.
The search warrant indicates FBI agents wanted to see if Mr Trump committed a crime by improperly handling government records when he took them from the White House to Mar-a-Lago as his administration ended.
US presidents are required to transfer documents and emails to the National Archives when they leave office, BBC reported.
Zaporizhzhia: World narrowly avoided radiation accident - Zelensky
Europe faced the prospect of a radiation disaster on Thursday when a Russian-occupied nuclear plant was disconnected from Ukraine's power grid, President Volodomyr Zelensky has said, BBC reported.
It was only due to back-up electricity kicking in that the Zaporizhzhia plant was able to operate safely, he added.
Fires had earlier damaged overhead power lines, cutting the plant off.
There is growing concern over fighting near the complex, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe.
"If the diesel generators hadn't turned on, if the automation and our staff of the plant had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already be forced to overcome the consequences of the radiation accident," President Zelensky warned on Thursday night.
The damage was caused by fires which Ukraine's state nuclear agency said had interfered with power lines connecting the plant on Thursday, temporarily cutting Zaporizhzhia off from the national grid for the first time in its history."As a result, the station's two working power units were disconnected from the network," Kyiv officials said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that having "a secure off-site power supply from the grid is essential for ensuring nuclear safety".
Satellite images taken on Wednesday showed an extensive fire burning in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear complex.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed the damage on Russian shelling, and in his nightly address accused Moscow of putting Ukraine and Europe "one step away" from disaster, according to BBC.
But local Russian-appointed governor Yevgeny Balitsky blamed the Ukrainian military for the strikes, accusing them of causing power outages to the region as a result.
The BBC was not able to independently verify who was responsible.
The plant "remained connected to a 330kV line from the nearby thermal power facility that can provide back-up electricity if needed," the IAEA said in a statement, citing Ukraine's state nuclear agency.
It added that all six nuclear reactor units remained disconnected from the power grid despite the line having been restored later on Thursday.
Normally the nuclear plant supplies one-fifth of Ukraine's total electricity - so its continued disconnection from the national grid would pose serious challenges for Ukraine.
The nuclear site has been occupied by Russian military forces since early March but continues to be operated by Ukrainian nuclear technicians.
The Kremlin has signalled it will allow international inspectors to visit the complex - but until that happens it is difficult to verify what is happening on the ground.
It comes amid claims from Kyiv that Moscow could be trying to intentionally divert power from the occupied nuclear plant to reconnect it to Russia's own power grid.
There were media reports on Thursday of power outages across towns and villages in neighbouring parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
The mayor of Enerhodar, which is located next to the nuclear plant, claimed on Thursday that the city had no power or water at all and there were also reports of power cuts in the Russian-occupied cities of Melitopol and Kherson.
Washington officials condemned any bid by Moscow to redirect the power generated by the Zaporizhzhia plant away from Kyiv's national grid.
"The electricity that it produces rightly belongs to Ukraine," US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday evening, adding that "no country should turn a nuclear power plant into an active war zone."
Nepal logs 444 new Covid-19 cases, three deaths on Thursday
Nepal recorded 444 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 996 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 211 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 958 people underwent antigen tests, of which 233 tested positive. The Ministry said that 307 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. As of today, there are 4, 199 active cases in the country.
Nepse plunges by 18. 29 points on Thursday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 18. 29 points to close at 2,039.55 points on Thursday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 78 points to close at 394. 51 points. A total of 4,234,137 units of the shares of 219 companies were traded for Rs 1. 71 billion. Meanwhile, Upper Hewakhola Hydropower Company Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, Mailung Khola Jal Vidhyut Company Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 82 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 92 trillion.
