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The monkeypox outbreak has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, BBC reported.

The classification is the highest alert that the WHO can issue and follows a worldwide upsurge in cases.

It came at the end of the second meeting of the WHO's emergency committee on the virus.

More than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries, said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

There had been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak, he added.

There are only two other such health emergencies at present - the coronavirus pandemic and the continuing effort to eradicate polio.

Dr Tedros said the emergency committee had been unable to reach a consensus on whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a global health emergency.

However, he said the outbreak had spread around the world rapidly and he had decided that it was indeed of international concern.

Too little was understood about the new modes of transmission which had allowed it to spread, said Dr Tedros, according to BBC.

"The WHO's assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where we assess the risk as high," he added.

There was also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remained low for the moment, he said.

Dr Tedros said the declaration would help speed up the development of vaccines and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus. 

The WHO is also issuing recommendations which it hopes will spur countries to take action to stop transmission of the virus and protect those most at risk.

"This is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups," Dr Tedros said, BBC reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "barbarism" after a missile attack on the port of Odesa, BBC reported.

A landmark deal to resume Ukraine's grain exports - signed hours before the strike - now hangs in the balance.

Moscow has not commented on the attack and Kyiv has said preparations are still underway to resume the grain exports despite the apparent breach.

But on Saturday President Zelensky said it illustrates how Moscow cannot be trusted to stick to the deal.

He vowed to do everything possible to acquire air defence systems able to shoot down such missiles in the future.

Ukraine is a major grain exporter, but because of the war, about 20m tonnes of grain is trapped in its ports, unable to leave because of Russian forces. This has lead to food shortages and price rises across Africa, which usually relies on Ukraine and Russia for wheat.

Under Friday's deal, Russia agreed not to target ports while grain shipments were in transit. 

But just hours after the agreement was signed, two Kalibr missiles hit Odesa port, according to the Ukrainian military's southern command centre. Another two missiles were shot down by air defence systems, it added.

The strike caused no significant damage to the port, the command centre said.

The attack has been widely condemned. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of worsening a global food crisis, and said the attack cast "serious doubt" on the credibility of Russia's commitment to the pact, according to BBC.

"Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed," he said on Saturday.

The Kremlin has so far made no public comment on the attack, however the Turkish government, which brokered the deal, said Russian officials had denied responsibility. 

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," said Defence Minister Hulusai Akar.

In another development, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Ukraine could not win against Russia. 

Speaking at an international conference of conservatives, he said the war could only be ended by peace talks between Washington and Moscow.

"A new strategy is needed, which should focus on peace negotiations instead of trying to win the war," said Mr Orban, whose views on the conflict are often at odds with those of other EU leaders.

On Friday, officials from Kyiv and Moscow signed a deal to allow millions of tonnes of grain trapped in Ukraine to be exported. 

The agreement was hailed as a "beacon of hope" by the UN after months of fighting. 

The deal - which took two months to reach - is set to last for 120 days, with a co-ordination and monitoring centre to be established in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials. It can be renewed if both parties agree, BBC reported.

Strategic Affairs Nepal, a Kathmandu-based think-tank, organized a talk program titled Climate Change and Monsoon-induced Disasters in South Asia, on July 24.

The renowned environmental scientist Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha delivered his presentation on it. He highlighted the challenges ushered by climate change. He emphasized that one of the three global crises that mankind is now experiencing is climate change. He presented an overview of climate change in the global and South Asian settings serving as the main starting point. 

Both natural and artificial systems have been influenced by climate change. Climate-related catastrophes including floods, droughts, landslides, and coastal erosion have harmed billions of people over the past 30 years and cost hundreds of billions in property and infrastructure losses. No location on earth is more susceptible to more than 800 million people in South Asia being at risk of dying due to climate change as the environment changes, and income (rise in temperature, erratic rainfall, and drying up water sources). 

He further enhanced these challenges with case studies in terms of Nepal’s context. The talk detailed on the changes in temperature and precipitation indicators' intensity, duration, frequency, and extremes during the past century on both national and global scales. In the context of South Asia and Nepal and their connections with climate change, it will present the spatiotemporal changes in climate-induced catastrophes. Future climatic changes and the threats they bring will be covered towards the conclusion of the discussion.

Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Kathmandu-based diplomatic and environment journalist spoke about the need of regional frameworks to tackle the climate-induced disaster in South Asia. He said regional organizations like SAARC and BIMSTEC can play a pivotal role to mitigate the effects of climate change. He said without political stability in this region, climate change issues will not get a priority.

Nepal reported 456 new Covid-19 cases on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2,168 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 384 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 670 people underwent antigen tests, of which 72 were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. 

As of today, there are 2, 841 active cases in the country.

A research think tank based in Kathmandu held a seminar on ‘Geopolitics and Military Diplomacy in Nepal-US Relations,’ at ALICE Conference in Bakhundole, Lalitpur on Friday to hold a discussion on Nepal-US relations and the role of military cooperation. 

The discussion was aimed to positively impact Nepal’s diplomatic practice, read a statement issued by the Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism.

The seminar consisted of two sessions.

The first session held on ‘Military Diplomacy of Nepal’ consisted of the panel involving Gen. Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, Former Chief of Nepal Army; Hon’ble Upendra Yadav, Chairperson of Janata Samajbadi Party and Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Hon’ble Dr. Deepak Prakash Bhatt, Member of the House of Representative and Member of Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lower House; Maj. Gen. Purna Bahadur Silwal (Retd.), Nepal Army.

General Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur said that while Military is known as a hard power tool, it can also be used as a soft power tool to achieve broader foreign policy objectives.

Chairperson of Janata Samajbadi Party and former Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav said that Nepal must abide by its non-alignment policy and reject proposals for military partnership with foreign countries, the statement read.

Dr. Deepak Prakash Bhatt mentioned that Military Diplomacy is a very relevant topic in the discourse in present context when the world continues to change geopolitically. Maj. Gen Purna Bahadur Silwal also said that strong military ties between two countries can be leveraged to achieve broader foreign policy objectives.

The second session on ‘Geopolitics and Nepal-US Relations’ consisted of the panel involving Dinesh Bhattarai, former Foreign Affairs advisor to the Prime Minister Suresh Chalise, former ambassador to the USA and the UK Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, senior Journalist and research director at CESIF and Mamta Siwakoti, lawyer and researcher.

Speaking in the seminar, Dinesh Bhattarai mentioned that Nepal is caught in a geopolitical maneuvering between global powerhouses like the US and China and their conflict for hegemony.

Similarly, Dr. Suresh Chalise said that the US involvement in Nepal has been influenced by its regional interests.

To protect its sovereignty, Nepal should confine its relationship with the US to strictly bilateral, he said, the statement further read.

Meanwhile, Ajay Bhadra Khanal said that the US has used investments as a tool for diplomatic relations and political influence.

With growing geopolitical interests of powerhouses, Nepal will face increasing pressure in the future, he said.

Siwakoti speaking at the event signaled that Nepal’s domestic political narrative perceives ourselves as small and insignificant and we are quick to consider any external interest a threat. Negotiating with countries like the US for investment and aid is a strategy of economic pragmatism, she said.

Distinguished dignitaries, diplomats, military officials as well as academicians took part in the event.

Are Nepal-China relations thawing? Recent events suggest so. Along with back-to-back visits by senior Chinese leaders, bilateral engagements between the two countries have also increased. Only last week, the two sides agreed to revive the mechanisms related to boundary management, and there was an understanding to remove obstacles to trade in vital Nepal-China border points. In this context, Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talks to Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Nepal’s new ambassador to Beijing. 

What will be your priorities as the Nepali envoy to China? 

Nepal and China have shared a cordial and cooperative relationship since time immemorial. I want to elevate this relationship to a new level and for that building an environment of trust is a must, which is my top priority. Nepal has some expectations from China and vice-versa. So, we have to chalk out a concrete program. The immediate priority is to ensure the return of Nepali students to China, and the process has already begun. There are also some pending issues related to trade and transit. For its socio-economic transformation, Nepal has high expectations from China. But Nepal first has to inform China about its needs and situation, and that is my job as an ambassador. My priority is also to increase the feeling of brotherhood between the citizens of the two countries. 

What is your view on pushing forward with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?

Nepal obviously wants progress on the BRI, which it has supported since its inception in 2013. The BRI’s key thrust is to forge collaboration between countries. Nepal has to request China for more assistance under the initiative. There have been long and intensive discussions between the two sides on how to move ahead with the BRI, but there is still a lack of coherent understanding among the people and the political parties. Even though no Nepali political party is negative about the initiative, its implementation has been very slow. There is also a flawed understanding of the BRI. Some see it as purely a grant assistance, while others view it as a debt burden. Both these understandings are wrong. If China gives us grants, it is a good thing. However, the BRI is not completely about grant assistance. It is as much about mutual cooperation and contribution. 

China has been insisting on quick implementation of past agreements with Nepal. What will you do about it? 

It is my duty as an ambassador to see to it that those agreements are implemented. We signed the Transit and Transport agreement in 2016. Some of its provisions are already in the implementation phase. I will focus on honoring the remaining clauses of the agreement, as well as other agreements between Nepal and China. 

You reportedly told our parliamentary committee that you wanted to invite China as a full member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Is that true? 

Currently, China is an observer member of the SAARC. What I meant was China’s role in the regional body should be enhanced. SAARC member countries should try to take advantage of China’s massive economic development. But the media distorted the remark I made before the parliamentary committee. I did not talk about making China a SAARC member country. I rather talked about maximizing the benefits for South Asia by engaging more with China.  

Any particular plans to kick off your tenure in China?

The government has entrusted me with a huge responsibility. I will definitely add a brick or two to the edifice of bilateral relations. I will put Nepal’s interest at the center of any engagements with China. There are several issues between the two countries that need to be addressed. China is an economic powerhouse and we need to take advantage of that. After I present my credentials, I will work on preparing a list of my priorities and tackling them systematically.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 27. 26 points to close at 2,017.46 points on Friday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 5. 40 points to close at 386. 24 points.

A total of 3,320,512 units of the shares of 212 companies were traded for Rs 1. 44 billion.

Meanwhile, Kisan Lagubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 8. 41 percent. Likewise, Saptakoshi Development Bank Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 79 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 88 trillion.

Senior politician Dinesh Gunawardena on Friday took over as Sri Lanka's prime minister as President Ranil Wickremesinghe swore in his new Cabinet, Business standard reported.

A stalwart of Sri Lankan politics, Gunawardena, 73, earlier served as the foreign minister and education minister. He was appointed as Home Minister in April by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The prime minister's post fell vacant after Wickremesinghe, 73, was on Thursday sworn in as the country's eighth president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and then resigned as president, according to Business Standard.

He has called for bipartisanship to address the unprecedented economic crisis the country is facing.