Fire breaks out near tower of Bharatpur Airport
A fire broke out near the tower of the Bharatpur Airport on Sunday.
The flame that broke out this morning was taken under control within 10 minutes.
There will be no obstruction in the take off and landing as there was no damage to the tower due to the fire, Information Officer at the District Police Office, Chitwan Narhari Adhikari said.
He said that the fire broke out near the tower at around 4 am due to a short circuit.
Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage': WHO panel
The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency, Associated Press reported.
In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were "unusual" and acknowledged that monkeypox - which is endemic in some African countries - has been neglected for years.
"While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute" a global health emergency, WHO said in a statement.
WHO nevertheless pointed to the "emergency nature" of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an "intense" response.
The committee said the outbreak should be "closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks." But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge - such as cases among sex workers; spread to other countries or within countries that have already had cases; increased severity of cases; or an increasing rate of spread.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus convened the emergency committee on Thursday after expressing concern about the epidemic of monkeypox in countries that haven't previously reported the disease, according to Associated Press
"What makes the current outbreak especially concerning is the rapid, continuing spread into new countries and regions and the risk of further, sustained transmission into vulnerable populations including people that are immunocompromised, pregnant women and children," the WHO chief said.
Monkeypox has sickened people for decades in central and west Africa, but until last month, the disease had not been known to cause significant outbreaks in multiple countries at the same time and involving people with no travel links to the continent.
Declaring a global health emergency means that a health crisis is an "extraordinary" event requiring a globally-managed response and that a disease is at high risk of spilling across borders. WHO previously made similar declarations for diseases including COVID-19, Ebola in Congo and West Africa, Zika in Brazil and the ongoing effort to wipe out polio.
The emergency declaration mostly serves as a plea to draw more global resources and attention to an outbreak. Past announcements have had mixed impact, given that WHO is largely powerless when trying to convince countries to act.
WHO said this week it has confirmed more than 3,200 monkeypox infections in about 40 countries that haven't previously reported the disease. The vast majority of cases are in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men and more than 80% of the cases are in Europe.
A leading WHO adviser said last month the spike in cases in Europe was likely tied to sexual activity by men at two raves in Spain and Belgium, speculating that its appearance in the gay and bisexual community was a "random event." British officials have said most cases in the U.K. involve men who reported having sex with other men in venues such as saunas and sex clubs.
Scientists warn that anyone in close, physical contact with someone infected with monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of catching the disease, regardless of their sexual orientation, according to Associated Press.
People with monkeypox often experience symptoms like fever, body aches and a rash; most recover within weeks without needing medical care.
Monkeypox in Africa mostly affects people who come into contact with infected wild animals, like rodents or primates. There has been about 1,500 reported cases of monkeypox, including 70 deaths, in Congo, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.
To date, scientists haven't found any mutations in the monkeypox virus that suggest it's more transmissible or lethal, although the number of changes detected show the virus has likely been spreading undetected for years.
The version of the disease transmitting beyond Africa typically has a fatality rate of less than 1%, while the version seen in Africa can kill up to 10% of people affected.
WHO is also creating a vaccine-sharing mechanism for monkeypox, which could see vaccines go to rich countries like Britain, which currently has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa.
Some experts warned that could entrench the deep inequities seen between rich and poor countries during the coronavirus pandemic.
"France, Germany, the US and UK already have a lot of resources and plenty of vaccines to deal with this and they don't need vaccines from WHO," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, an expert in disaster preparedness and response at Columbia University, according to Associated Press.
"What we should be doing is trying to help the countries in Africa where monkeypox has been endemic and largely neglected," he said. "Monkeypox is not COVID, but our attention should not be so distorted that it only becomes a problem when it is seen in rich countries."
Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United expect forward to stay despite Chelsea links
Manchester United expect Cristiano Ronaldo to be part of their squad next season despite reports linking him with Chelsea, BBC reported.
The Portuguese forward's agent Jorge Mendes met new Blues chairman Todd Boehly last week and Ronaldo was said to have been part of the discussions.
United sources feel there was nothing untoward in the meeting as Mendes advises a huge number of top players.
They are adamant that the 37-year-old is not for sale.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner still has a year left on his Old Trafford contract and is expected to be a central figure in new manager Erik ten Hag's squad for the coming season.
Ronaldo was one of few players to escape severe criticism at United last term, according to BBC.
However, although he finished third in the Premier League's Golden Boot standings with 18 goals, there were claims that his presence prevented United from adopting a high-pressing game, which contributed to their dismal form.
G7 face battle for unity as cost of Ukraine war mounts
The Russian war against Ukraine will inevitably dominate the summit of G7 nations in Bavaria, BBC reported.
And the leaders of the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan face a difficult challenge.
They are aiming to put on a show of unity and resolve over the war. In recent months, the Western alliance has shown signs of strain and fatigue.
Some voices - particularly in France, Germany and Italy - have asked if it might not be better for the war to end, even if it came at the cost of Ukraine having to cede territory. A recent cross-Europe opinion poll suggested some voters put solving the cost-of-living crisis ahead of punishing Russia.
Others argue about the need to salvage some kind of relationship with Russia in the future.
Countries like the UK, Poland and the three Baltic States have been resisting these arguments, saying that any peace deal with Moscow that is not on Ukraine's terms would lead to further Russian aggression in the future. President Zelensky is likely to reinforce this argument when he addresses the summit virtually on Monday, according to BBC.
So the G7 leaders are expected to try to use the summit to clear these muddy waters, promising more weapons to Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia. The idea will be to send a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West has the strategic patience to maintain its support for Ukraine, even if it faces domestic political pressure at home from voters concerned about rising prices.
The problem for G7 leaders is they also face growing pressure to show they are tackling the global economic crisis. The soaring price of fuel and food is causing hunger and unrest across the world. And some countries are pointing the finger at the West.
Many countries in the global south do not share Western concerns about Russian aggression. They see the conflict as a European war and seem unmoved by Western arguments that Vladimir Putin is acting as a colonial aggressor. And they blame Western sanctions - as much as Russia's invasion - for the rising costs of gas and oil, and the massive shortage of wheat and fertiliser.
To try to resist this narrative, G7 countries are expected to use the summit to show they are acting to help countries round the world - with development aid, debt restructuring, climate finance, help finding alternative sources of energy and, of course, fresh efforts to get grain out of Ukraine's ports. That is why German has invited the leaders of India, Indonesia, Senegal, Argentina and South Africa to the summit, to hear their perspective and show the rest of the world the G7 is listening.
So on the one hand, these Western leaders must show resolve to keep backing Ukraine, and on the other, they must show a readiness to fix the global economic shocks that some blame, in part, on the war, BBC reported.
One senior US official described the dilemma thus: "How do we maximise pain on Putin's regime? How do we minimise spillbacks back to the rest of the world?"
That is quite a circle to square.
Protesters at US Supreme Court decry abortion ruling overturning Roe v. Wade
Hundreds of protesters descended on the US Supreme Court on Saturday to denounce the justices' decision to overturn the half-century-old Roe v. Wade precedent that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion, Reuters reported.
The sweeping ruling by the court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, is set to vastly change American life, with nearly half the states considered certain or likely to ban abortion. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court's reasoning could also lead it to reconsider past rulings protecting the right to contraception, legalising gay marriage nationwide, and invalidating state laws banning gay sex.
The crowd featured both abortion opponents wearing T-shirts reading “I am the Pro-Life Generation” and abortion rights supporters chanting “my body, my choice.”
“The Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions,” Democratic President Joe Biden said on Saturday.
He added that the White House would look to police how states enforce bans, with administration officials having already signaled they plan to fight attempts by states to ban a pill used for medication abortion.
“The decision is implemented by states,” Mr. Biden said. “My administration is going to focus on how they administer and whether or not they violate other laws.”
Christian conservatives had long fought to overturn Roe, with Friday’s ruling a cherished win that was the result of a long campaign to appoint anti-abortion justices to the top court. The ruling had the support of all three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.
It is at odds with broad public opinion. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month found that about 71% of Americans - including majorities of Democrats and Republicans - said decisions about terminating a pregnancy should be left to a woman and her doctor, rather than regulated by the government. That support is not absolute: 26% of respondents polled said abortion should be legal in all cases while 10% said it should be illegal in all cases, with the majority supporting some limits.
The ruling will likely influence voter behavior in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Mr. Biden's Democrats face a high risk of losing their razor-thin majorities in the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. Some party leaders hope the decision will win over suburban swing voters, though activists expressed disappointment and demoralization at suffering such a defeat while their party held total power in Washington.
“They can ask for vote for more power but don’t they already have the Congress and the White House?” said Patricia Smith, a 24-year-old supporter of abortion rights, who was headed to the Supreme Court to protest. “They have not been able to pass much in terms of legislation despite the power, so what is the point?”
The decision came just a day after the court issued another landmark ruling finding that Americans have a constitutional right to carry a concealed gun for protection — leading them to invalidate a New York state law that set strict limits on concealed carry permits.
The two rulings showed an aggressively conservative court ready to flex its muscle and remake American life at a time when Congress is often deadlocked and struggles to pass major policy changes, Reuters reported.
It also signaled that Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative who preferred to act incrementally, no longer holds the power to slow the court's action. Roberts had voted to support the Mississippi abortion ban that was the subject of Friday's decision, but did not vote to overturn Roe itself.
During a call with journalists on Saturday, a group of Democratic state attorneys general said they would not use their offices to enforce abortion bans.
“We are not going to use the resources of the Wisconsin Department of Justice to investigate or prosecute anybody for alleged violations of the 19th century abortion ban,” said Josh Kaul, that state’s attorney general. “I’ve also encouraged district attorneys, sheriff prosecutors and police chiefs in our state not to use their resources to investigate or prosecute abortions.”
The White House on Saturday said it would challenge any efforts by states to restrict women’s ability to travel out of their home state to seek an abortion, according to Reuters.
Oslo shooting: Norway attack being treated as Islamist terrorism, police say
A 42-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts after a shooting in the centre of Norway's capital, Oslo, BBC reported.
Two people died and 21 were wounded early on Saturday in what police calls an "act of Islamist terrorism".
The shootings were in and near the London Pub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and another pub.
Norway's prime minister told the BBC the suspect was questioned in May, but was not deemed a threat at the time.
"We now need to see the result of an investigation," PM Jonas Gahr Stoere told the BBC's Newshour programme late on Saturday.
The shooting started at about 01:15 local time on Saturday (23:15 GMT Friday), officials said.
Eyewitnesses said the suspect took out a gun from his bag and started firing, forcing terrified people to either throw themselves to the ground or flee.
The attacker was arrested by police officers - who were helped by bystanders - minutes later. Two weapons were retrieved at the crime scene by police, one of them a fully automatic gun.
The authorities later said the suspect was a Norwegian national.
Of the 21 injured, 10 were in a serious condition, according to BBC.
The terror alert level in Norway has now been raised to its highest level, though the country's PST intelligence service said it currently had "no indication" further attacks were likely.
Oslo's annual gay Pride parade was due to be held on Saturday, and was formally cancelled on police advice.
But despite that, hundreds of people marched near the scene later in the day, shouting: "We're here, we're queer, we won't disappear!"
"I think it's fantastic that this march is taking place, otherwise he would have won," one woman in her 50s told AFP news agency.
Rainbow flags and flowers were laid near the scene of the attack, which was sealed off by police tape, and bystanders comforted each other with hugs.
The gunman was known to security services since 2015 as a "suspected radicalised Islamist", and had a history of mental illness, Norway's PST intelligence service said.
"There is reason to think that this may be a hate crime," police said earlier. "We are investigating whether... Pride was a target in itself or whether there are other motives."
King Harald, Norway's monarch, said he and his family were "horrified" by the violence. He said "we must stand together" to defend "freedom, diversity and respect for each other".
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she was "shocked by the heinous attack on innocent people", while French President Emmanuel Macron said: "We stand stronger against hate if we stand together."
In the US, John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said: "We're all horrified by the mass shooting in Oslo today targeting the LGBTQI+ community there and our hearts obviously go out to the all the families of the victims, the people of Norway, which is a tremendous ally, and of course the LGBTQI+ community there and around the world,"
Witnesses who were at the London Pub have told how they fled to the basement, where 80 to 100 terrified partygoers were trying to hide.
Bili Blum-Jansen told TV2: "Many called their partners and family, it felt almost as if they were saying goodbye. Others helped calm down those who were extremely terrified."
Another survivor told how he was hit by flying glass, BBC reported.
"I just noticed that a shot was fired, and I was hit by a shard of glass. There were more and more and more shots, so I escaped into the inner bar and tried to get as many as possible with me," he told Norway's public broadcaster NRK.
"I saw a man arrive with a bag, he picked up a gun and started to shoot," said journalist Olav Roenneberg of public broadcaster NRK, who was in the area at the time.
A woman told the Verdens Gang newspaper that the gunman had taken careful aim at his targets. "When I understood that it was serious, I ran. There was a man covered in blood motionless on the floor," she said.
Another man told the newspaper he had seen a lot of people on the ground with head wounds.
Biden signs landmark gun measure, says ‘lives will be saved’
President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school, Associated Press reported.
“Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, “Their message to us was, ‘Do something.’ How many times did we hear that? ‘Just do something. For God’s sake, just do something.’ Today we did.”
The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe.
“Today we say, ‘More than enough,’” Biden said. “It’s time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.”
The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous.
The president called it “a historic achievement.”
Most of its $13 billion cost will help bolster mental health programs and aid schools, which have been targeted in Newtown, Connecticut, and Parkland, Florida, and elsewhere in mass shootings.
Biden said the compromise hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators from both parties “doesn’t do everything I want” but “it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives.”
“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up, but this is a monumental day,” said the president, who was joined by his wife, Jill, a teacher, for the signing, according to Associated Press.
After sitting to sign the bill, Biden sat reflectively for a moment, then murmured, “God willing, this is gonna save a lot of lives.”
He also said they will host an event on July 11 for lawmakers and families affected by gun violence. The president spoke of families “who lost their souls to an epidemic of gun violence. They lost their child, their husband, their wife. Nothing is going to fill that void in their hearts. But they led the way so other families will not have the experience and the pain and trauma that they had to live through.”
Biden signed the measure two days after the Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday striking down a New York law that restricted peoples’ ability to carry concealed weapons. And Saturday’s ceremony came less than 24 hours after the high court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which had legalized abortion nationwide for nearly five decades.
“Yesterday, I spoke about the Supreme Court’s shocking decision striking down Roe v. Wade,” Biden said. “Jill and I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans. I mean so many Americans.”
He noted that the abortion ruling leaves enforcement up to the states, some of which have already moved to ban abortion or will soon do so. Biden said his administration will “focus on how they administer it and whether or not they violate other laws, like deciding to not allow people to cross state lines to get health services.”
Asked by reporters about whether the Supreme Court was broken, Biden said, “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.” He walked away without answering more questions, noting, ” “I have a helicopter waiting for me to take off.”
Government slashes prices of petroleum products
The government has slashed the prices of petroleum products.
Speaking at a press conference organized on Saturday, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu said that the price of petrol has been slashed by Rs 20 per litre.
Likewise, the price of diesel has been reduced by Rs 29 per litre.
As per the new decision, petrol will now cost Rs 179 per litre and diesel will cost Rs163 per litre.
The new decision will come into effect from today midnight.







