One dead, five injured due to electric shocks in Achham
A 16-year-old boy died and five others were injured after accidentally receiving an electric shock while hoisting the national flag as part of preparations for the Krishna Janmashtami festival in Bannigadhi Jayagadh Rural municipality-1, Achham.
Rohit Saud, a resident of Nandegada in Mellekh rural municipality-7, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Bayalpata Provincial Hospital.
The incident occurred today near the Bardadevi Temple in Jayagadh Bazaar, where locals were organising celebrations for Shree Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of the Hindu deity Krishna. According to reports, an iron pole being used to hoist the flag accidentally came into contact with a live electric wire.
The injured have been identified as Samir Shah, 18; Binod Raut, 17; and Bam Shah, 20, all from Bannigadhi Jayagadh-6; Lawashan Sunar, 16, from Mugasain of Sanfebagar municipality-4; and Shamsher Saud, 16, from Ramaroshan tural municipality-6. They are reported to be out of a life-threatening condition. (RSS)
Flash floods kill more than 300 in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir
At least 307 people have died in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir after monsoon floods and landslides swept through the region, BBC reported.
Most deaths occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where homes were destroyed and a rescue helicopter crashed, killing five crew. Nine were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and five in Gilgit-Baltistan. Authorities declared disaster zones as heavy rain is forecast to continue until 21 August.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, flash floods wiped out a Himalayan village, leaving at least 60 dead. According to BBC, scientists link the worsening monsoon disasters to climate change.
Zelenskiy to travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Washington on Monday for talks with US President Donald Trump, following Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that failed to produce a ceasefire, Reuters reported.
Zelenskiy said the meeting will focus on steps to end the war and secure lasting peace. He spoke with Trump for more than an hour on Saturday, later joined by European and NATO officials.
The Ukrainian leader has pushed for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, stressing that security guarantees for Kyiv must be part of any deal to prevent future Russian aggression. He noted “positive signals” from Washington on supporting such guarantees, according to Reuters.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to visit India from Monday, China's foreign ministry says
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India from Monday to Wednesday for talks on the disputed Himalayan border, Beijing confirmed on Saturday.
It will be only the second high-level meeting since the deadly 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops. Relations have recently improved after an agreement last October eased the long-running standoff that strained trade and travel, according to Reuters.
The visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to China later this month, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit — his first visit to China in seven years.
UK to prosecute 60 more people for backing banned Palestine Action group
London’s Metropolitan Police will prosecute at least 60 people for supporting Palestine Action, banned last month as a terrorist group over protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Three have already been charged under the Terrorism Act, with penalties of up to six months in prison, Al Jazeera reported.
More than 700 protesters have been detained since the July 7 ban, including over 500 at one demonstration — the largest mass arrest in London’s history.
The UN, Amnesty International and others warn the crackdown risks stifling free speech, while the UK’s rights commission urged proportionate policing.
The government says the ban followed violent attacks by the group. Opposition parties raised concern, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to recognize Palestine by September, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump pulls back on DC police takeover after court challenge
President Donald Trump’s administration has abandoned its attempt to seize control of Washington, DC’s police force after a federal judge pressed for compromise, Al Jazeera reported.
Trump had placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal command and deployed National Guard troops, a move DC officials called illegal. A court deal on Friday confirmed Chief Pamela Smith would remain in charge.
However, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered DC police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, clashing with the city’s sanctuary laws.
Mayor Muriel Bowser called the intervention “unsettling” and warned that DC’s limited self-rule faces its toughest test in decades, according to Al Jazeera.
Kathmandu metropolis forms task force for improvement of institutional schools
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has begun revoking the licenses of institutional schools that are registered but not in operation.
According to the local government, it has prepared to repeal licenses for such schools following monitoring and evaluation.
Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol said that some of the alternative schools including Mahila Jyoti and James Namuna have been granted permission to relocate to new locations.
Similarly, as per the decision of the local government, 25 schools are undergoing a name change.
In addition, a task force led by Dr Suraj Raj Kafley has been formed to implement measures for improving community schools within the metropolis.
The taskforce will submit a report to the local government with recommendations on school operation standards, social and resource mapping, physical infrastructure, educational quality, and long-term education planning. (RSS)
Communicating public health in plain and simple language a challenging task: Speaker Ghimire
Speaker Devraj Ghimire has said that the health sector is more important in terms of genre-based journalism.
Addressing a program organized today on the occasion of the 10th Foundation Day of the Health Journalists Forum Nepal, he said that health journalism informs the public about health issues including diseases. “However, writing about fact-based public health issues in a language that the general public can understand is a challenging task,” he said, “The added challenge now is to stop the misuse of technology, including AI, and fake news that goes viral."
Hence, individuals and institutions engaged in genre-based journalism, especially health should be more responsible in this regard. Speaker Ghimire emphasized that news should be written with more priority on preventing disease rather than on and about diseases.
Also speaking at the event, Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel said that health journalists can put pressure on those leading the state and health sector. As despite the advancements in the medical and health sector treatment is still not accessible to the general public.
World Health Organization Nepal Chief Dr Rajesh Sambhaji Rao Pandav said that the role of journalists is important in public health awareness and said that the WHO has been collaborating with Health Journalists Forum Nepal on various issues of public health.
Federation of Nepali Journalists President Nirmala Sharma said that health journalism has emerged along with the development of genre-based journalism. She stressed that not all that appear in the digital media is news.
Forum President Bisha Kafle discussed the 10-year history of the forum and the initiatives so far. (RSS)







