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Dozens of people have died after a fire broke out at a church in Egypt, many of them crushed during a desperate scramble to escape, BBC reported.

Officials say the number of dead is at least 41, with dozens injured. Children are believed to be among the dead.

An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshippers gathered for Mass at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in Giza, security sources told Reuters.

The fire blocked an entrance, causing a stampede, they said.

Citing hospital records, CNN reported that some 18 children, aged between 3 to 16 years old, were killed.

Fire services said the exact cause of the fire remains unclear. However, Father Farid Fahmy, from another nearby church in the Imbaba neighbourhood, told the AFP news agency that it was sparked by a short circuit.

"The power was out and they were using a generator," he said. "When the power came back, it caused an overload."

Worshippers have been explaining their moments since the blaze ignited, according to BBC.

"People were gathering on the third and fourth floor, and we saw smoke coming from the second floor. People rushed to go down the stairs and started falling on top of each other," Yasir Munir told Reuters.

"Then we heard a bang and sparks and fire coming out of the window," he said, adding that he and his daughter were on the ground floor and able to escape.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered his "sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims that have passed on to be with their Lord in one of his houses of worship".

He has ordered the armed forces to rebuild the church.

The prosecutor's office said it had sent a team to the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Giza lies just across the Nile from Cairo and is part of the Greater Cairo metropolis.

Coptic Christians make up at least 10 million of Egypt's 103 million people, BBC reported.

Copts claims they face discrimination and play a lesser part in Egyptian public life than their numbers justify.

Wake Up Ali…Wake Up Now’, a novel by Sumit Sharma Sameer, was launched in Kathmandu amid function on Friday.

“I wanted to communicate the stories of our time, the stories that I feel are important and need to be told. The stories of so many Alis have to be spelt out,” author Sameer said while speaking at the program, adding, “Migration has been a permanent feature since the advent of human civilization. It got more accelerated during our age. That acceleration brought varied opportunities to mankind but yet dismantled the very fabrics of our lives.”

“I had always wanted to write something on this very constructive and destructive process connecting South Asia into one thread that could help produce many other stories,” he further said.

Celebrated Nepali author, Buddhisagar said “Ali’s (protagonist) internal journey, self-exploration and realization are three highlights of books which is evenly mixed in a whole story.”

He also said “the book is not merely about migration, but rather has a deep philosophical meaning. The book can be finished in one seating and overall I really liked the book.”

Saguna Shah, author and founder of bOOkahOlics, said the “novel explores the human psychic by exploring the constraints of relationships and desirs’. The content is far and beyond the concerns of migrant workers their status quo and their struggle in a foreign land, but also an internal journey of a protagonist. The book is about an awakening of the protagonist.”

Speaking on the occasion author and columnist Atul K Thakur said that “Nepal’s publishing industry is blossoming and Sumit’s novel reassures it. It is a pure piece of literary fiction with beautiful prose and narrative, should further make Nepal’s spot brighter in the publishing ecosystem.” “The writers and publishers in India and Nepal should enhance cooperation and work in unison, this will be another important pillar of bilateral relations. Sumit will be in great demand among the publishers,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Australian ambassador to Nepal Felicity Volk, who is also a celebrated author, said, “This is a migrant story from South Asia. Number of Nepali people migrating to south Asia has doubled in last five years and I’m struck how well the writer has depicted the migrant story. But, this is also a universal story, story of each one of us. Each one of us is traveler in our own struggle.”

Nepali Congress General Secretary and member of Parliament and former Health Minister Gagan Thapa, remembering his long time association with the writer said, “I have known Sumit for last 25 years and knew that he can write non-fiction, but he took me by surprise by writing fiction.”

He further added ‘this is a sociological fiction. This is about social structure, human relationships and individual relationship to the society. This is a story of migrants. Story of diasporas, struggle in the modern day society. The conflict between migrants and natives, the opportunity cost. How one has to disconnect with your loved ones to get connected to the larger world to grab the opportunities. I could see through the characters how the whole process of globalization on one hand bring people together and at the other, same time, makes them dysfunctional. The protagonist compares his life with the life of an ant, he struggles to find his place, his identity in the larger cosmic design. There is an ongoing conflict between the material world and spiritual thought process. It is a powerful book.”

The book was earlier published in Nepali under the title ‘Prawas’ two years ago and has been translated by Sushrut Acharya in English. The English version, ‘Wake Up Ali…Wake Up Now’ has been published in 2022 by Delhi based, Vitasta Publishing.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari sent the bill to amend the Citizenship Act back to the Parliament for reconsideration on Sunday.

Sagar Aryal, spokesperson at the President's office, said that the President sent the bill on Citizenship Act back to the Parliament citing that it needs reconsideration.

He said that the bill on Nepal Citizenship Act, 2063 was submitted before the President for the certification as per the Article 113 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

Earlier, the bill was endorsed from the Parliament as per the Article 113 (3) of the Constitution.

Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal spokesperson Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma left for China on Sunday.

He left for Chengdu at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party at 12:45 pm on Air China flight CA 438 today.

The Lalitpur District Court, a few days ago, had issued an arrest warrant against Chand and Bishwokarma among other leaders on the charge of possessing arms, crimes against the state and detonating Improvised Explosive Devices.

Though the arrest warrant was issued against him on August 1, he left for China via the Tribhuvan International Airport.

TIA Chief DIG Shyam Gyawali said that he was unaware about Bishwokarma's departure to China,

Nepal recorded 455 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 308 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 305 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 521 people underwent antigen tests, of which 150 tested positive.

As of today, there are 5, 435 active cases in the country.

Locals vandalized and set fire to under construction Sanjen Hydropower Project in Rasuwa on Sunday.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the IPO to be issued for the locals, the people of Gatlang vandalized and set fire to the project.

According to the information provided by the project, the locals vandalized the side office and vehicles among others and set them on fire.

A group of 70-80 people of Gatlang vandalized the office demanding that they be included in the list of the most affected while distributing the share.

They also attacked the staffers of the project.

It has been learnt that property worth millions were destroyed in the attack.

Madhes Province Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut along with other ministers staged a sit-in on the premises of the office of Province Chief in Janakpur from Sunday demanding adjustment of police force.

Home and Communications Minister Bharat Prasad Sah said that the sit-in will be continued for a week against the federal government.

Chief Minister Raut said that they were compelled to stage the sit-in after the federal government turned a blind eye to their demand of adjusting the police force despite repeated requests.

He claimed that the Madhes government took this step for the successful implementation of federalism.

“It is not possible to develop the province without its own police administration,” Chief Minister Raut said, adding, “As per the constitution, the province government has been given the authority to maintain peace and security. The protest will be continued until the federal government gives the rights provided by the constitution of the province.”

Chief Minister Raut, Home and Communications Minister Bharat Prasad Sah, Energy and Drinking Water Development Minister Om Prakash Sharma, Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Ram Saroj Yadav, Home and Communications State Minister Rubi Kumiar Karna, Province Assembly members Sailesh Yadav, Chameli Devi Das, Saraswati Chaudhary and Pramila Devi Das had participated in the sit-in.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 27. 92 points to close at 2,010.01 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 4. 76 points to close at 386. 90 points.

A total of 4,559,022 units of the shares of 227 companies were traded for Rs 1. 87 billion.

Meanwhile, Upper Hewakhola Hydropower Company Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 8. 10 percent. Likewise, Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 7. 18 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 87 trillion.