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President Donald Trump said Friday he will make a “very important decision” within two weeks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the Oval Office, he indicated his options include imposing heavy sanctions or tariffs on Russia, or telling Ukraine that “it’s not Washington’s war” if no progress is made toward peace, Firstpost reported.

Trump said the decision depends on developments in the coming days as he pushes for a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “It takes two to tango,” he remarked, stressing that if talks don’t happen, he will move ahead with alternative measures.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Saturday, his first full summit since taking office. The visit, ahead of Lee’s upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump, highlighted efforts to strengthen ties between Seoul and Tokyo, according to Firstpost.

The two leaders discussed closer exchanges, including easier visas and working holiday programs, while addressing shared concerns over North Korea and China. Marking 60 years of normalized relations, both signaled a more conciliatory approach: Lee urged future-focused ties while acknowledging unresolved historical issues, and Ishiba expressed remorse over Japan’s wartime past.

The meeting was largely symbolic but seen as an important step in rebuilding trust and reinforcing trilateral cooperation with the US, Firstpost reported.

Hundreds of people including high-ranking police officers participated in the cleaning of the Pashupatipath Temple area in Kathmandu today.     

The cleaning drive is initiated by Maina Devi Foundation since July 22 and running every Saturday in and around the Temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva.     

Hundreds of Nepal Police personnel including Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nawaraj Adhikari engaged in the today's clean-up, said Foundation's Chairperson KP Khanal.     

During the event, SSP Adhikari emphasized the need to always keep the Pashupatinath Area, the center of faith for millions of Hindus across the world and a major tourist attraction, clean. He also expressed his thankfulness to the Foundation and all those contributing to this cause.     

"Human's life begins and ends with religious rituals. Pashupatinath Temple is the center of faith for all Hindus across the world. It is also one of the religious tourism destinations for national and international tourists," he noted, underscoring the urgency to keep up the sanctity of this sacred shrine.     

He argued that the cleanliness of this area reflects our identity. "It is everyone's duty to keep this place vibrant. Today, we have joined this effort and urge everyone to contribute to this clean-up campaign," appealed Adhikari.     

Volunteers from Creation Nepal and Foundation also participated in the cleaning of the Temple area that is dedicated to Lord Shiva.     

More than 890 kg of wastages were collected during the clean-up, it was shared. (RSS)

Vehicular movement along the Hunggung road section along the Koshi Highway in Bhotkhola rural municipality in Sankhuwasabha district has come to a grinding halt for three days due to a landslide.    

The significant landslide occurred on last Thursday at the road section that connects district headquarters Khandbari to Kimathanka point along the Nepal-China border, according to Ram Bahadur Gurung, Chief of North-South Koshi Road Project.    

Gurung shared that the massive mudslide, consisting of rocks, soil and bushes had fallen onto the road in around 300 meters of area.    

"Since the road is still under construction, it is not possible to use machines to remove the debris to resume traffic on the road," he explained.    

Moreover, the steep terrain and incessant rainfall have made the resumption of road more challenging, he added.    

Due to the road blockage, transportation of daily consumable goods, fuel, construction materials among other has been affected, he reported.    

Furthermore, travelers using this route are also facing problems since the highway has been shut down for three days.    

Although landslide occurs in this area every monsoon season, this time an exceptionally huge landslide was witnessed, Gurung added that, ruling out the possibility of resumption of the highway anytime soon.    

Efforts are underway to clear off the debris to reopen the disrupted highly but to little hope, he noted. (RSS)

Russia has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting on August 26 to discuss the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, following the arrest of Ukrainian national Serhii K. in Italy, Xinhua reported.

Germany accuses him of coordinating the sabotage, but he denies involvement and refuses extradition. The blasts severely damaged three Nord Stream lines, including the unused Nord Stream 2.

Russia has called the attack an act of international terrorism and alleged US involvement, while criticizing Germany’s investigation as “protracted and non-transparent.”

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report warns that rising heat waves are threatening millions of workers worldwide, affecting health and productivity. “It is not just discomfort. It is a real health risk,” WHO’s director of environment, climate and health Rudiger Krech told the BBC, citing dangers such as heatstroke, kidney failure, and dehydration.

The report shows productivity drops 2 percent for every degree above 20°C, while workplace accidents rise during extreme heat. Construction and agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable, prompting some European countries to pause work during peak temperatures.

Schools also need adaptation. Krech told the BBC that even uniforms should be reconsidered to help children cope with heat. He stressed that investing in adaptation now could prevent greater losses in health and productivity later.

The Garbage collection and disposal in Shuklaphanta municipality-11 in Kanchanpur district has been disrupted for three days now after the Shree Krishna Community Forest User Group padlocked the Waste Management Centre's office. 

The Group, demanding an implementation of the 11-point agreement, locked up the office of the Centre halting the garbage collection process. 

This has led to heaps of wastage mounting in Jhalari, forest users committee and market areas at Kaluwapur among others. 

The Municipality has been temporarily dumping trashes in the land of the community forest since the Centre is not fully operational yet. 

The garbage disposal centre was built at over Rs 300m under the concessional loan provided by the Asian Development Bank. The centre can process up to 6 tons of wastage daily for the next 20 years. 

An 11-point agreement was inked between the Municipality and the Users' Group during the construction of the centre which, User Group's Chairperson Ambar Bahadur Ayre, said is far from implementation. 

The two sides had agreed that no dumping of garbage from another areas will take place in the current site, to carrying out fencing the site, providing LPG gas cylinder to every member of the Group, constructing embankment at Banhara and Sanbora River and providing jobs to local residents among others.

The Municipality had also agreed to blacktop the roads and install electricity facility in the human settlements affected by the disposal site, organize Aryaghat areas, arrange dustbins and roll out insurance scheme, provide free medical treatment to the affected ones and return the land after use.

"Three years have elapsed since the agreement but it is not implemented yet," lamented Ayre, expressing his displeasure over the inaction of the Municipality to bring the agreement into effect.

Former secretary of the Group, Dil Bahadur Saud, further accused the Municipality authorities for turning blind eye to the issue and not taking any lead for talks to resolve it.

He warned of further protests if their demands are not addressed. (RSS)

A woman has died of scrub typhus in Chitwan. The 36-year-old woman succumbed to scrub typhus in the course of treatment in the Bharatpur Hospital.     

A resident of Bardghat municipality-13, she was hospitalised on August 20, said Hospital Spokesperson Dr Ram Prasad Sapkota. She was also a patient of epilepsy.     

Meanwhile, Public Health Office Chief, Dinesh Rupakheti, said lately 73 patients have been diagnosed with scrub typhus at various hospitals in the district and of them, 58 are from Chitwan alone.     

Out of 1530 tests, 73 tested positive for scrub typhus. (RSS)