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A man was found dead in a field at Maheshwor in Katahari Rural Municipality-1 of Morang district.

According to the DSP Deepak Shrestha of the District Police Office, Morang, the deceased has been identified as Tulasi Shrestha (50) of Katahari-2.

He said that the body may have been dumped in the field near the roadside after the murder.

DSP Shrestha said that the body was found with a deep cut on the forehead.

Police said that he had been staying with his brother Chitra Kumar after he got divorced with his wife.

Chitra Kumar has a chicken farm Katahari-1. Tulasi was found leaving the house on Saturday night.

Police suspected that he had left the house to go to his brother’s farm. But, when locals started searching for him, he was found dead in the field.

Later, locals informed the police after they found the body.

A team led by DSP Rajan Karki has started the investigation.

A trained dog has also been mobilised for the investigation.

DSP Shrestha said that preparations are underway to send the body to the Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar for postmortem.

Sri Lanka has taken delivery of a consignment of Russian oil to restart operations at the country’s only refinery, the energy minister said, Aljazeera reported.

The delivery of Russian crude oil – which could soon be subject to a European embargo – had been waiting offshore for over a month as Sri Lanka was unable to raise the millions to pay for it, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera told reporters on Saturday.

Sri Lanka will pay $72.6m to buy the 90,000-tonne shipment of Russian oil, the minister said.

“I have reached out to multiple countries, including Russia, for support to import crude and other petroleum products,” Wijesekera said.

The 90,000-tonne consignment was ordered through Dubai-based Coral Energy, the minister said, adding that the shipment would facilitate restarting the country’s sole refinery, which has been closed since March 25, according to Aljazeera.

“The next shipment will also be ordered from the same company. Another consignment will be needed within the next two weeks to keep the refinery running continuously,” he added.

Colombo is in talks with Moscow to arrange direct supplies of crude, coal, diesel and petrol despite US-led sanctions on Russian banks and a global diplomatic outcry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I have made an official request to the Russian ambassador for direct supplies of Russian oil,” Wijesekera told reporters.

“Crude alone will not fulfil our requirement, we need other refined [petroleum] products as well.”

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, with shortages of fuel and other essentials making life extremely difficult for the island nation’s 22 million people, Aljazeera reported.

The country’s efforts to secure fuel supplies came as European Union leaders were in talks to negotiate a fresh round of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, including an oil embargo. Russian oil is already subject to a US embargo.

Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) refinery was shuttered in March following a foreign exchange crunch, which left the government in Colombo unable to finance imports, including crude.

The Sapugaskanda refinery on the outskirts of the capital Colombo will resume work in about two days to produce about 1,000 tonnes of diesel daily to meet the country’s acute fuel shortage, according to Aljazeera.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris has made an impassioned plea for a ban on assault weapons in the wake of two deadly mass shootings in the US, BBC reported.

Ms Harris was attending the funeral of Ruth Whitfield, 86, killed in a supermarket in Buffalo on 14 May.

That shooting came just 10 days before an attack on a Texas primary school left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Ms Harris, listing these and other attacks, said it was time to say "enough is enough" to gun violence.

"Everybody's got to stand up and agree that this should not be happening in our country and that we should have the courage to do something about it," she told the congregants at the funeral.

She added that the solution was clear - and included things like background checks and an assault weapons ban, according to BBC.

"Do you know what an assault weapon is?" she asked, continuing: "It was designed for a specific purpose: to kill a lot of human beings quickly. An assault weapon is a weapon of war, with no place, no place in a civil society."

The 18-year-old gunman in Tuesday's shooting in Uvalde had two AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles, at least one of which he is reported to have bought soon after his birthday.

After he was shot dead, police found as many as 1,657 rounds of ammunition and 60 magazines in his possession.

The Buffalo, New York, shooter, also 18, had previously come into contact with authorities, but no red flags came up when he legally bought his own AR-15-style weapon.

"Why should anyone be able to buy a weapon that can kill other human beings without at least knowing, 'Hey, has that person committed a violent crime before? Are they a threat against themselves or others? That's just reasonable," Ms Harris said on Saturday.

However, attempts to bring in universal background checks and bans on assault weapons have hit roadblocks. The issue is divisive in the US, with almost all Democrats backing stronger controls, compared to just 24% of Republicans, BBC reported.

The powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby uses its substantial budget to influence members of Congress on gun policy.

On Friday, former Republican President Donald Trump called not for tighter gun controls, but for better protected schools.

Speaking at an NRA's meeting, he said that decent Americans should be allowed firearms to defend themselves against "evil".

The same day, it emerged police did not enter the classroom in Uvalde, Texas, because of the active shooter inside.

Instead - as children called the emergency services begging for help - they waited 40 minutes, a decision police have now admitted was "wrong".

US President Joe Biden is expected to make his own call for tighter gun controls during a visit to Uvalde on Sunday. On Saturday he urged Americans to "make their voices heard" against gun violence, according to BBC.

Liverpool's bid to claim the Champions League trophy for the seventh time ended in bitter disappointment as Vinicius Jr's second-half winner gave Real Madrid victory in Paris, BBC reported.

Jurgen Klopp's side ran into a one-man wall of defiance as Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced one of the great individual performances to thwart Liverpool time and again. 

Mohamed Salah, seeking revenge for his early departure through injury in the 2018 final against Real, was denied six times by Courtois who was simply unbeatable.

The victory also sees Carlo Ancelotti make history by becoming the first coach to win a fourth Champions League title.

Real were always a threat and the decisive moment came after 59 minutes when Vinicius stole in unmarked at the far post to score. 

This was also a final marred by chaotic scenes outside Stade de France with thousands of Liverpool fans, some targeted with pepper spray by French police, unable to get into the stadium, forcing the kick-off to be delayed by more than 30 minutes, according to BBC.

Liverpool's magnificent season brought them the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup - both won on penalties against Chelsea - but ended in a double disappointment in the final week of a stellar campaign.

The Champions League might have eased the agony of just missing out on the Premier League to Manchester City by one point, only for Liverpool to find themselves on the wrong end of a goalkeeping masterclass from Courtois. 

The Belgian was simply perfect as he was a constant thorn in Salah's side, turned Sadio Mane's shot on to the post brilliantly and commanded his penalty area with faultless handling. 

Salah held his head in disbelief on many occasions as Courtois manned the barricade for Real, leaving the Egyptian to nurse the pain of another Champions League final defeat by the Spanish giants.

Liverpool were not quite at their best and eventually paid the price for not taking chances as Real pounced in trademark fashion to win this tournament for a record-extending 14th time, BBC reported.

Klopp's side could not have given any more as they pushed to the final whistle but looked jaded towards the end - no surprise given the demands made of them this season. 

Liverpool will still take huge credit by maintaining a push for an historic quadruple until the final week of the season but the conclusion will sting. 

The occasion left even more of a sour taste given the events outside Stade de France. Liverpool are demanding a full investigation into how thousands of their fans could not get into the stadium, with dangerous numbers packed into small areas as kick-off approached, according to BBC.

Russia's ambassador in Britain has told the BBC he does not believe his country will use tactical nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine, BBC reported.

Andrei Kelin said that according to Russian military rules, such weapons are not used in conflicts like this one. 

Russia has very strict provision for their use, he said, mainly when the state's existence is threatened.

"It has nothing to do with the current operation," he told Sunday Morning.

When Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert in late February, soon after the invasion, it was widely perceived as a warning.

Mr Putin blamed the development on aggression by the West and Nato. But the UK's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace branded it an attempt to distract people from "what's going wrong in Ukraine", saying Russia was behind schedule on its invasion after just a few days, and trying to "remind the world" it had a deterrent, according to BBC.

Tactical nuclear weapons are those which can be used at relatively short distances, as opposed to "strategic" nuclear weapons which can be launched over much longer distances and raise the spectre of all-out nuclear war.

But the term still includes many types of weapon, including smaller bombs and missiles used on a battlefield. Russia is thought to have about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons

In a sometimes terse exchange with the BBC's Clive Myrie, the ambassador also denied Russian forces were shelling civilians and said allegations of war crimes in the town of Bucha were a "fabrication". 

Asked the question, "Why is Russia conducting this war in this way, committing war crimes?" Mr Kelin replied: "The mayor of Bucha in his initial statement has confirmed that Russian troops has left, everything is clean and calm, the town in a normal state. 

"Nothing is happening, no bodies are on the street. But next, after it has been done - but anyway..." 

Myrie then pressed him: "So this is all made up, Sir? This is all a fabrication? All this evidence is a fabrication?"

"In our view it is a fabrication. It is used just to interrupt negotiations," the ambassador replied, BBC reported.

Russia has made such allegations before, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier claiming that footage of bodies in Bucha was "staged" after the Russians withdrew.

This was contradicted by numerous eyewitness accounts from residents, who told the BBC that Russian troops had summarily executed their loved ones. 

"He was just a peaceful man, a family man, a welder, who struggled with a spine fracture and was disabled all his life," one man said of his murdered son-in-law.

More than 30 people were killed and others injured when a stampede broke out at a church event in the southeastern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt on Saturday, according to police and security officials, CNN reported.

Most of the casualties were children.

The incident took place at a local polo club, where the nearby Kings Assembly Church had organized a gift donation drive, according to Olufemi Ayodele, a regional spokesman for Nigeria's Civil Defense Corps. 

"During the process of distributing the gift items, there was a stampede due to overcrowding," he said. "Casualties were children mostly."

The drive had not yet started when the stampede took place, said Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for the state police. Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said the crowd forced their way into the venue, despite the fact that the gate was closed, resulting in the deadly charge, according to CNN.

Thirty-one people have been confirmed dead, Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said. Seven injured people were hospitalized after the incident, she added.

Stating that Nepal is India’s largest trade partner, India’s Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishnkar has said that a pipeline from Siliguri to Jhapa in Nepal is being explored.  We are Nepal’s largest trade partner and a significant supplier of petroleum products from facilities in Assam and West Bengal, he said.

Addressing the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) Asian Confluence River Conclave 2022 on May 28, Jaishankar said Narendra Modi’s visit to Lumbini this month was the most recent occasion to take our cooperation with Nepal forward.

He said, “A road connecting Sikkim to eastern Nepal via the Chiwa Bhanjyang border is also under construction as part of India’s Border Area Development Programme. With its completion, Sikkim will have access to Nepal’s East-West Highway, with a boost to trade and tourism in both countries. The game-changing potential is evident.”

The alleged rape-and-extortion of a then-minor beauty pageant participant seven years ago has ignited a furore. Demonstrations have been held in Kathmandu and in cities across Nepal, demanding justice for the woman. There has also been a renewed call for removal of the statute of limitation in rape and sexual assault cases. 

According to Section 229 (2) of the National Penal Code of Nepal, no cases shall be instigated for cases of rape, attempts to rape, marital rape, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment after one year of commission of such offense and expiry of three months from the knowledge of the commission of such offense.

This time limit, many argue, has prevented many survivors of rape and sexual assault from getting justice, while allowing the perpetrators to get away. 

Police have arrested the alleged beauty pageant organizer following pressure from the streets and parliament. Yet Nepali girls and women continue to be unsafe and many of them could already be victims of sexual assault and rape. 

In the past fiscal year alone, a total of 2,532 complaints of rape, 735 of attempts to rape, 36 of unnatural intercourse, and 281 complaints of child sexual abuse were filed across the country. But the police have no data on how many of the perpetrators have been arrested. In the past 25 years, there were 17,170 cases of rape and 6,045 cases of attempt to rape complaints.

Section 219 (2) of the National Penal Code defines rape as a man having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent or with a girl child below the age of 18 even with her consent. This provision recognizes only women or girls as rape victims and men as offenders. 

The same section further specifics penile penetration of anus, mouth, or vagina and object penetration of vagina as constituting rape. The definition of rape in Nepal is not gender-inclusive and does not include men, minor males, or non-binary gender as victims. 

Section 219 (4) of the Criminal Code provides for a maximum of a year’s punishment for martial rape. The punishment for a rape of an adult woman is seven to ten years. 

This code differentiates between marital rape and rape, and tries to establish that marital rape is less of a crime because it involves the husband as a perpetrator. The code doesn’t define unnatural sex.

The chapter under Sexual Offences in National Penal Code provides various punishments based on the victim’s age but disregards the degree of sexual assault. 

This basis of punishment underestimates the impact of the crime on victims, making perpetrators believe that their crime is not a big deal.

Proactive justice is a must

Indu Tuladhar
Advocate and chairperson of Himal Innovative Development and Research

The main reason behind gender-based violence is disproportional power relations between perpetrators and victims. The same is also seen when it comes to access to justice. There is no timely justice, sometimes due to the victim’s reluctance to report early enough and sometimes due to the justice-delivery authorities’ lack of concern.

A number of laws also need to be amended. The current provision regarding the statute of limitation disregards the mental trauma of rape survivors, who might take some time to file a case. That needs an immediate amendment. Our definition of rape is still conservative. It must be amended to incorporate men, children, and non-binary gender and remove all gender exclusive terms. 

The punishment for marital rape is less severe than that for rape. It should be uniform irrespective of marital status. Also, there should be uniform punishment rather than punishment based on the victim’s age—any punishment should rather be based on the crime’s gravity. What we need is a radical overhaul of our laws.