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Road expansion on the Sanga-Dhulikhel road section along the Araniko Highway has been halted due to the monsoon.

The road widening drive would resume once the monsoon exits from the country, the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project informed

However, road expansion has been obstructed at Poolbazaar area on the road section for the past four months due to protest from locals.

The road expansion drive has not progressed in the area around 200 meters with some reservation of locals.

Project engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal said though discussions were frequently held with stakeholders, including people's representatives of the municipality and local residents, concrete results have not been yielded yet.  

With the obstruction of the locals, various activities such as removing houses and huts along with high-tension electric poles, and erecting other electricity poles have come to a standstill.

Meanwhile, expansion of a six-lane road from Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk along the Araniko Highway is not going to be completed on time. Roughly around six months is left for the termination of the deadline.

A target was set to complete the 16-kilometer road within 36 months. The road expansion task started on January 8, 2023.

The bidding was solicited by dividing the 16-kilometer road – from Suryabinayak to Sanga and Sanga to Dhulikhel as part of the expansion drive.

According to the project sources, only around 50 percent construction works have been completed so far.

Project's senior divisional engineer and Information Officer, Sajana Adhikari informed that around 65 percent physical progress would be attained till the stipulated deadline.

The widening drive has been delayed due to several reasons, including local aggression.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement, Associated Press reported.

Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon.

Trump’s tariff hikes and other “America First” policies are major challenges for Lee’s month-old government, as are North Korea’s advancing nuclear program and domestic economic woes. Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December, according to Associated Press.

At least 73 Palestinians, including 33 aid seekers, were killed in Gaza on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting unprovoked gunfire at Israeli and US-backed aid sites. Over 300 people have been killed in the last 48 hours, with Gaza’s media office accusing Israel of 26 mass killings during that time, according to Al Jazeera.

Hamas says it is reviewing a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, after US President Donald Trump announced Israel’s agreement. The ongoing war has killed over 57,000 in Gaza and 1,139 in Israel since the October 7 attacks.

A fast-moving wildfire whipped by gale-force winds burned through the night and into Thursday on Greece’s southern island of Crete, prompting the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from hotels and homes, Associated Press reported.

The fire department said 230 firefighters backed up by 10 water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, which have burned through forest and farmland in Crete’s Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast. Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.

Homes were reported damaged as flames swept through hillside forests, fanned by strong winds, according to Associated Press.

South Korean lawmakers have voted to revise the rules around martial law, now barring any attempt to obstruct lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, BBC reported.

This comes after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law order last December, which plunged the country into a political crisis.

As military forces gathered in front of the the National Assembly that night, lawmakers had to scale the walls to vote down Yoon's order.

The amendment on Thursday also bans the military and police from entering the National Assembly without the approval of its speaker, according to BBC.

Nepal have entered the final of ACC Men's U-16 East Zone Cup defeating Malaysia by nine wickets on Thursday.

In the semi-final match held at Selangor Turf Club, Malaysia, today, Nepal achieved the 91-run victory target at the loss of one wicket in 11.4 overs. 

For Nepal's victory, Parimarjan Yadav contributed the highest 59, including five boundaries and five sixes.  Similarly, Shiwansh Bajgain scored 23 runs (not out).

For Malaysia, Nagin Sathnakumaran took one wicket.

Earlier, elected to bat first after losing the toss, Malaysia were limited to 90 runs in 43.1 overs. 

Malaysia's Muhammad Fathul Fatri gathered the highest 38 runs while Captain Deeaz Patro scored 10 runs. Other players except the two could not made double digit runs.

Nepal's Abhay Yadav took four wickets while Shubham Khanal sent three batsmen to the pavilion.

Similarly, Captain Bipin Prasad Khanal and Sachin Bhatta took one wicket each.

With today's victory, Nepal would face the second team reaching the semi-final for the title. Hong Kong and Singapore are playing for the second semi-final match.

Nepal, the Group 'A' winner and Malaysia, the runner-up of Group 'B', had reached the semi-final.

Earlier, Nepal had won all four matches they played under the group stage. They defeated Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and Bhutan.

Nepal had clinched the title of last year's series by defeating Malaysia.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and European Council President Antonio Costa met Wednesday, pledging to uphold multilateralism and enhance China-EU cooperation.

Costa emphasized the EU’s commitment to mutual respect and joint efforts with China to address global challenges. He reaffirmed the EU’s adherence to the one-China policy and support for a successful upcoming China-EU leaders’ summit, according to Xinhua.

Wang, a senior Chinese Communist Party official, stated that China sees Europe as a crucial force in a multipolar world and supports its integration and strategic autonomy. He emphasized the importance of stronger cooperation between the two sides in the face of global volatility, advocating mutual respect and trust.

The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine crisis, Xinhua reported.

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.

Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.

They said their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. One contractor said bullets were fired in all directions — in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit, Associated Press reported.