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Nepal reported 16 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 121 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 10 returned positive. Likewise, 928 people underwent antigen tests, of which six were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that eight infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 109 active cases in the country.

Locals have vandalized the garbage carrying vehicles at Banchare Danda in Kakani Rural Municipality-2, Nuwakot on Wednesday.

It has been learnt that the locals vandalized the vehicles from the Kathmandu Valley while trying to unload the trash with the help of police. Police said that 15 vehicles were vandalized this morning.

Police also fired tear gas shells to take the situation under control. Three police personnel were injured when locals pelted stones at them.

Though the government, metropolis and local representatives had reached an agreement on dumping the garbage two days ago, enraged locals who were unaware about the agreement, however, said that they would not allow the garbage of Kathmandu to dump in Banchare Danda until their demands are met.

Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa urged Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to take initiatives to manage the waste of Kathmandu.

Speaking at the zero house of Parliament on Wednesday, he urged the Prime Minister to take the initiatives saying that it was the duty of all to help in the works being carried out by the Kathmandu metropolis and Ministry of Urban Development to manage the waste.

He urged all the people to actively support the campaign to make Kathmandu free of waste.

Leader Thapa also urged the Kathmandu denizens to segregate the garbage from their homes.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has directed the government to take ahead the process of taking action against the perpetrators of the Binod Shahi death incident.

During a meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Speaker Sapkota drew the attention of the government to take action against the culprits of the incident.

Speaking at the special hour of today’s meeting, lawmaker Yagya Bahadur Bogati drew the attention of the government through Speaker Sapkota saying that the police have refused to take a complaint from Shahi’s family members.

Later, saying that his serious attention had been drawn towards the issue, Speaker Sapkota directed the government to take ahead the process of taking action against the culprits by finding the truth behind the incident.

“My serious attention has been drawn towards the issue raised by the respected lawmaker. I want to draw the attention of the government on the issue. I want to direct the government to take ahead the process of taking action against the perpetrators by finding the truth behind the incident,” he said.

Shahi (15) of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-4, Achham, who had been missing since June 31, was found dead near his house on Saturday morning.

Locals have been staging demonstrations demanding fair investigation into the incident.

Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Ambassador Masud bin Momen urged SAARC Secretary General Esala Weerakoon to revitalize SAARC by holding consultations with the member states.

During a meeting held at the State Guest House Padma on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary appreciated the Secretary General's active role in coordinating, facilitating, managing SAARC matters especially during the difficult time of COVID 19 pandemic, read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh.

The Secretary General apprised the Foreign Secretary about various aspects of current status of SAARC Cooperation and challenges the organization has been facing and sought Bangladesh's support in activating various stalled activities and programmes of SAARC to resolve the stalemate.

On the occasion, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary General exchanged views on how best SAARC process could be revitalized and put to its regular path to exploit the full potentials and benefits of the institutional mechanism and the synergy the organization created over the last 37 years of its existence, the statement read.

The duo discussed different aspects of current activities of SAARC. 

The Foreign Secretary assured the Secretary General of Bangladesh's commitment to SAARC and to extend every possible support to materialize the goals of SAARC to achieve a sustainable and integrated development in the region through cooperation under the SAARC system. The Foreign Secretary urged the Secretary General to play an objective role in transforming SAARC into a meaningful regional organization. The Foreign Secretary advised the Secretary General to explore all possible ways and means to find solutions to the existing difficulties in an innovative way through continuous consultation of member states.

US Army’s Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn is arriving on a four-day visit to Nepal on Thursday, a Nepal Army source said. 

Flynn is arriving in Nepal prior to Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Prabhu Ram Sharma and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to the USA.

The arrival of US high ranking officials in Nepal has started rising gradually after the endorsement of the Millennium Challenge Corporation from the Parliament. 

Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights and US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya also visited Nepal in the third week of May.

Earlier on Tuesday, he held talks with Indian Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande and discussed aspects of bilateral defence cooperation.

Growing food shortages may represent the same health threat to the world as the Covid-19 pandemic, a leading global health figure has warned, Reuters reported.

Rising food and energy prices, in part sparked by the war in Ukraine, could kill millions both directly and indirectly, Mr Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday (June 7).

"Food shortages work in two ways. One is you have the tragedy of people actually starving to death. But second is you have the fact that often much larger numbers of people are poorly nourished, and that makes them more vulnerable to existing diseases," he said.

He said efforts to improve pandemic preparedness should not make the "classic" mistake of concerning themselves only with crises that resemble the most recent threat the world has faced.

"It's not as well-defined as some brand new pathogen appearing with distinctive new symptoms. But it could well be just as deadly," he said, according to Reuters.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 15 million people may have died as a result of Covid-19.

Mr Sands said investment was needed to strengthen health systems to help prepare for the repercussions of food shortages, which is part of the Global Fund's remit.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based fund is aiming to raise US$18 billion (S$24.7 billion) to boost health systems, fight the three core diseases in its title, and reverse setbacks caused by the pandemic. It has raised just over a third of its target for 2024-26, Reuters reported.

A passenger train partially derailed in eastern Iran early Wednesday, killing at least 10 passengers and injuring 50 more, some critically, state TV said, Associated Press reported.

Four of the seven cars in the train derailed in the early morning darkness near the desert city of Tabas, the report said.

Rescue teams on ambulances and three helicopters were arriving in the remote area where communication is poor.

The derailment happened some 50 kilometers (30 miles) to Tabas, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, on the rail that links the town to the central city of Yazd.

The report said the crash is under investigation but reports say train crashed into an excavator, according to Associated Press.

Another train crash in 2016 killed dozens and injuries of scores of people. Iran also has some 17,000 annual deaths on its highways, one of the world's worst traffic safety records. The high toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services.