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A team of 40 women is on a 13-day trek to Kalapathar in the Everest region to raise awareness about climate change.

Sathsathai, an NGO, is organizing the trek under the slogan ‘Women United for Climate Justice.’ 

The team representing women from different fields, including Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla, began their journey from Lukla on Feb 28. They plan on reaching Kalapathar on March 8, which coincides with the International Women’s Day. 

Nepal is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries. The effects of climate change are most pronounced in the mountains. A recent study shows that snow storage in the mountains has decreased by 29 percent and the number of glaciers has increased by 11 percent. The campaign’s objective is to draw the world’s attention to the issue.  

The campaign participants will also discuss the effects of climate change in the Everest region with local women.  

“We are uniting to raise our voice and fight the effects of climate change on our Himalayas,” says Prajita Karki, chairperson of Sathsathai. “If women are committed, they can bring change in their homes, society and the country.” 

Sathsathai also plans on extending the climate campaign in all seven provinces.  

Elite mountaineer Mingma David Sherpa is accompanying the team, which is supported by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, the National Nature Conservation Fund, UNDP, ICIMOD, WWF, Nepal Airline, Asian Pharmaceuticals and National Reference Laboratory.   

Previously, Sathsathai had conducted a similar campaign in the Annapurna region.   

“Our campaign gives women from different walks of life the opportunity to know each other as well as the places affected by climate change, and to unite to mitigate the challenges,” says Karki. 

Russia announced yet another limited cease-fire and the establishment of safe corridors to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities Monday, Associated Press reported.

But the evacuation routes led mostly to Russia and its ally Belarus, drawing withering criticism from Ukraine and others.

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of resorting to “medieval siege” tactics in some places, and in one encircled city, Mariupol, there was no sign yet of an evacuation.

Russian forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets even after the new announcement of corridors and fierce fighting continued in some areas, indicating there would be no wider cessation of hostilities, according to the Associated Press.

Efforts to set up safe passages for civilians to leave besieged areas over the weekend fell apart. But the Russian Defense Ministry announced a new push Monday, saying civilians would be allowed to leave the capital of Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy. 

The two sides also planned to meet for talks again Monday, even though hopes were dim that they would yield any breakthrough. Their foreign ministers are also scheduled to meet in Turkey on Thursday, according to that country’s top diplomat.

In Mariupol, where an estimated 200,000 people hoping to flee were becoming increasingly desperate, Red Cross officials waited to hear when a safe humanitarian corridor would be established. The city is short on water, food and power, and mobile phone networks are down. Shops have been looted as residents search for essential goods, Associated Press reported.

Police moved through the city advising people to remain in shelters until they heard official messages broadcast over loudspeakers to evacuate. Russia and Ukraine traded blame after a planned evacuation mostly failed over the weekend there.

Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka said that Russia's attack on Ukraine will affect the ties between small and big countries.

Speaking at a press conference organised in the ministry on Monday, he said that the sovereignty of both small and big countries will be equal.

He was of the opinion that it cannot be said that Nepal is supporting Ukraine just by issuing a statement taking its side.

"Ukraine is a sovereign country. Russia's attack on Ukraine will disrupt the world peace. This will affect the ties between the small and big countries. That is why, we issued a statement honouring the UN charter," Minister Khadka said.

Russia is trying to manipulate French President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders by demanding that any humanitarian corridors in Ukraine exit through Russia or Belarus, a senior Ukrainian official said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine was calling on Russia to agree to a ceasefire from Monday morning to allow Ukrainians to evacuate towards the western Ukrainian city of Lviv instead.

Ukraine received Russia's proposal early on Monday morning after Macron held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vereshchuk told a televised briefing.

"I hope that French President Emmanuel Macron understands that his name and sincere desire to help ... in reality is being used and manipulated by the Russian Federation," she said.

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of shelling areas designated as humanitarian corridors to prevent people escaping cities that are under attack, according to Reuters.

Russia's defence ministry said the new "corridors" would be opened from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as the port city of Mariupol. Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the failure so far of humanitarian corridors and denies targeting civilians.

The two sides were preparing for a third round of talks at an undisclosed location on Monday. Ukraine has played down the prospects of any breakthroughs.

About 200,000 people remained trapped in Mariupol, most sleeping underground to escape more than six days of shelling by Russian forces that has cut off food, water, power and heating, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

Russia's invasion has been condemned around the world, sent more than 1.5 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad, and triggered sweeping sanctions that have isolated Russia in a way never before experienced by such a large economy, Reuters reported.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

The European Union has asked the UN nuclear watchdog to safeguard Ukraine's nuclear plants, two of which are now under Russian control, and mobilise international help in case of an emergency, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Russian forces have seized Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe' biggest, and the spent-fuel and radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl, next to the now defunct power plant where the world's worst nuclear accident happened in 1986, Reuters reported.

"I... request that IAEA does its utmost to ensure the nuclear safety of Ukraine's nuclear facilities under the current conditions of war," EU energy policy chief Kadri Simson wrote in a letter to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi.

Russia "should immediately cease its violent actions against Ukraine and first and foremost return all of Ukraine's nuclear facilities to the full operational and regulatory control of Ukraine," said the letter, dated March 4 and seen by Reuters.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had seized control of Zaporizhzhia on Friday after setting an adjacent training facility on fire. Russia's defence ministry blamed the attack on Ukrainian saboteurs.

Russian forces have since placed staff running the facility under their command and restricted communications with the outside world - developments the IAEA said on Sunday it was "extremely concerned" about. Read full story

While the fire at Zaporizhzhia was quickly extinguished and there was no damage to its reactors, it highlighted concerns about the potentially disastrous consequences should the conflict damage one of Ukraine's four operating nuclear power plants, Reuters reported.

Simson called on the IAEA to mobilise the international community "to be ready to provide Ukraine with assistance in case of an emergency".

Ukrainian power producer DTEK called on Sunday for Western countries, NATO and the U.N. to introduce no-fly zones over Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

The EU is preparing to urgently link Europe's electricity system to Ukraine's grid, which would allow Ukraine to receive emergency power from Europe if military attacks caused power outages.

The government has announced vacancies for the posts of chairperson and members of the Electricity Regulatory Commission.

It has sought applications for the positions within 15 days through a notice issued today by the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. The vacancy announcement was as per the Electricity Regulatory Commission Rules, 2018. The posts were turned vacant after the government sacked its chairperson Dilli Bahadur Singh and other members, citing their poor performance.

The Commission is legally a four-member body comprising the Chairperson and three members including a woman.

According to the Ministry, only shortlisted applicants (maximum five) will be called for the proposal presentation. The Commission was established in 2072 BS as a government entity to regulate power trade and electricity tariff affairs and issues relating to energy sector.

A massive fire has occurred since last night in Nakchung community forest near Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla, Solukhumbu. The local residents said controlling the fire was a difficult task for them as the area is steep cliff.

Acting Chair of the Khumbu Pasang Lhyamu Rural Municipality Tasi Lhyamu Sherpa said a helicopter is called to douse the inferno adding that mobilising people there was not likely due to tough geography.

It is said that a helicopter has already flown to Lukla to extinguish the fire.

The Lukla Airport had to halt its service for an hour this morning because of smoke coming out from the massive fire taking place in the forest, Station Manager of Civil Aviation Authority Nepal Office in Lukla Dwarika Achhami said. Now, the regular flights have resumed.

Nepal logged 88 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 6,145 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 66 returned positive. Likewise, 2,493 people underwent antigen tests, of which 22 tested positive.

The Ministry said that 376 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours.

As of today, there are 6, 150 active cases in the country.