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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 420 cases of measles in England since January 2025, with a notable increase in April and May. The majority of cases—roughly two-thirds—involve youngsters aged ten and younger. London has seen the largest number of infections this year, according to Xinhua.

Health experts are afraid that foreign travel during the summer holidays will lead to additional spread, particularly since measles is still prevalent in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

UKHSA is urging parents to check that their children have received both doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Vaccination is the best way to protect families and communities during the holiday season, Xinhua reported.

For more than 20 years, the only Living Planet found thus far in a vast universe has been celebrating the World Environment Day on June 5 to draw the attention of humanity toward pressing environmental concerns. This time, the world is celebrating the big day under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program with a very relevant theme: #BeatPlasticPollution. The Republic of Korea (RoK) is hosting the global celebrations geared toward ending plastic pollution, not an easy undertaking (to say the least), given a pervasive use of plastics in our lives.

The World Environment Day 2025 states in its homepage: For decades, plastic pollution has seeped into every corner of the world, leaching into the water we drink, into the food we eat, and our bodies. While plastic pollution is a major concern, it is also one of the most fixable of today’s environmental challenges, with some obvious solutions at hand.

Together with the UNEP, this year’s celebrations will spotlight the growing scientific evidence on the impacts of plastic pollution and drive momentum to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink (4Rs) plastics use, apart from reinforcing the global commitment made in 2022 to end plastic pollution through a global plastic pollution treaty.

Plastic pollution is a key factor behind three major crises facing life on Earth: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. An estimated 11m tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems each year, while microplastics accumulate in the soil from sewage and landfills, due to the use of plastics in agricultural products. The annual social and environmental cost of plastic pollution ranges from $300-$600bn.

While Nepal has a very nominal pollution footprint compared to global economic powerhouses, plastic pollution is becoming increasingly visible in our daily lives. As our water bodies, sewage systems, forests and even our streets show, plastic pollution is emerging as an all-pervasive problem, contaminating the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we partake, with severe consequences not only for us but for the entire living planet.   

As a famous quote goes: If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. While celebrating the big day with the rest of humanity, let us not forget that the onus is also on us to end plastic pollution. Together, we can beat plastic pollution—and all other forms of pollution—and we must, for there’s no other living planet in this vast universe. 

Ukraine reported early Friday that Russian drones and missiles targeted its territory, causing multiple explosions and fires. Officials said debris from intercepted projectiles injured four people, two of whom were hospitalized, BBC reported.

Air raid alerts have been lifted in some parts of Ukraine, but they are still in effect in places like Kharkiv, Sumy, and Luhansk.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed a strong response to Ukraine’s recent drone attacks on Russian airbases.

US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have publicly fallen out after Musk criticized Trump’s signature spending bill and lobbied against it, according to BBC.

Trump expressed disappointment during a meeting with the German leader, prompting Musk to post unverified accusations on X linking Trump to Epstein-related files.

Trump reacted on Truth Social by saying Musk "went CRAZY," losing his government position, and threatening to sever federal contracts with his businesses.

The feud coincided with a 14 percent drop in Tesla’s stock, pushing its value below $1trn, BBC reported.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone for the first time since the start of the trade war. The call, focused on trade, was described by Trump as “very positive.”

Both leaders exchanged invitations for official visits, though only China’s invitation to Trump was confirmed by Beijing, BBC reported.

Discussions come after a trade agreement stalled, with China blaming new US tech restrictions and the US accusing China of not resuming important mineral exports.

Trump defended the new Chinese student visa requirements. In order to prevent conflict, Xi cautioned the United States to handle Taiwan carefully, as stated by BBC.

Despite tensions, both sides signaled a willingness to keep talks open.

Tokyo-based ispace has confirmed the failure of its lunar landing mission after losing contact with its lander during descent early Friday.

The lander, launched in January, was scheduled to land in Mare Frigoris at 4:17 a.m., but communication was lost shortly before that. The company later considered the mission unsuccessful, according to Xinhua.

This is ispace's second unsuccessful attempt, following an accident in 2023.

Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring international students from entering the US to attend Harvard.

The university alleges that the action is a retaliatory attempt to bypass a prior court decision that prohibited the Department of Homeland Security from restricting international enrollment, according to Reuters.

“The President’s actions are not to protect the interests of the United States, but to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard,” the filing states.

Harvard President Alan M. Garber defined the order as "another illegal step" targeting the university's global ties. He also stated that Harvard is developing contingency preparations to ensure that international students may continue their academic work, Reuters reported.

A corruption case has been filed against former Prime Minister and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairperson Madhav Kumar Nepal in connection with the controversial land deal involving Patanjali Yogpeeth. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Thursday filed the case at the Special Court against Nepal and several other individuals implicated in the alleged misappropriation of land.

With this, his parliamentary position has been automatically suspended. For the first time in Nepal’s history, a corruption case has been filed against a former prime minister. Notably, this is the first time a corruption case has been pursued over a Cabinet decision.

Nepal has been implicated along with 93 others. The case against Nepal demands a fine and punishment, with a claim for damages amounting to Rs 185.85m. For the other defendants, the claimed damage amounts vary.

The charges stem from a Cabinet decision made during Madhav Kumar Nepal’s tenure as Prime Minister, which granted Patanjali Yogpeeth a special permission to purchase 815 ropani of land in Bancha village of Kavrepalanchok district. Patanjali, a prominent Indian organization known for promoting Ayurvedic medicine, had registered a subsidiary in Nepal in 2007 with plans to build a hospital, herbal farm and educational facilities.

Under Nepal’s land ceiling laws, private companies are generally barred from owning such large tracts of land. However, the Cabinet, led by Nepal at the time, granted Patanjali an exemption on the condition that the land would be used exclusively for medicinal and educational purposes. Investigations revealed that Patanjali began selling parts of the acquired land soon after the purchase—some reportedly within months—violating the Land Act of 1964, which explicitly prohibits the sale of land obtained under such special exemptions.

The Cabinet decision had also specified that any funds from the sale of such land must be reinvested into acquiring other land for the same purpose, a condition Patanjali allegedly ignored. CIAA’s case accuses the defendants of abusing authority, violating existing land laws and causing financial loss to the state by facilitating and failing to prevent the illegal transfer and sale of land. 

Meanwhile, Nepal has said that he did nothing wrong in the Patanjali land case. He said that if there were any irregularities, they might have been committed by government employees. “I never even imagined that something like that could happen in an institution like Patanjali,” he said. “If there were any irregularities or mismanagement in the land acquisition process, it must have been done by staff. I had no involvement.” He said he made the decision to provide land to Patanjali with the intention of promoting public health in Nepal.

“I can’t speak much without fully understanding how and where loopholes were created, or whether anyone deliberately left gaps. But I did nothing wrong on my part—it wasn’t even in my mind,” he added. Nepal said he is not afraid just because a case has been filed, as he has never engaged in wrongdoing. “To be afraid, one must have done something wrong. I haven’t done anything inappropriate, nor do I support any inappropriate activities,” he said.

Nepal also accused Prime Minister KP Oli of being against him from the very beginning. “To speak plainly, KP Oli has been targeting me from the start. His intention is to end my political career,” he said. “He has tried multiple times in the past. He is someone who acts out of a sense of revenge.”

While the case was filed, he was in his home district Rautahat and he arrived in Kathmandu later in the evening. He has said that he will consult with legal experts and then publicly share a more detailed response.