Israel Gaza: Food charity says aid workers killed in strike
Aid workers including an Australian and two people said to be British and Polish have been killed in Gaza, in what their charity founder said was an Israeli attack, BBC reported.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder and chef José Andrés said his staff had been killed "in an IDF air strike".
Gaza's Hamas-run media office also blamed Israel. The alleged strike could not be verified independently.
Israel's military said it was conducting a "thorough review".
A journalist working for the BBC in Gaza has seen the bodies of three international aid workers and a Palestinian driver, recovered from the site of the alleged air strike. Foreign passports were also shown.
The group are said to have been involved in co-ordinating the arrival of another boat carrying food aid to central Gaza.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said on X: "We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike that killed [WCK] aid workers in Gaza.
"Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened."
A medical source at al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip told the BBC that the bodies of the four workers and their Palestinian driver had been brought to the hospital after a car they were travelling in on the coastal road was hit by an air strike at Deir al-Balah, according to BBC.
Further details of the alleged attack are still emerging.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom was among those killed and has offered his condolences to family and friends.
In a statement, he said: "This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza. And this is just completely unacceptable."
He said Australia expected "full accountability", adding that it was a "tragedy that should never have occurred".
A Palestinian medical source told the BBC the workers had been wearing bullet-proof vests bearing the WCK logo. The charity is currently providing meals for thousands of people in Gaza.
In a statement, the WCK said it was "aware of reports" that members of its team had been "killed in an IDF [Israel Defense Forces] attack while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza".
"This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should never be a target, ever. We will share more information when we have gathered all the facts," it added, BBC reported.
In a post on X, Mr Andrés, a celebrity chef, called on the Israeli government "to stop this indiscriminate killing".
The charity recently made headlines for providing hundreds of tonnes of food for Gazans that arrived on the first aid ship.
Commenting on the reports, the IDF said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of this "tragic incident".
"The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," it added.
Prior to confirmation that an Australian national had been killed in the incident, the Australian foreign ministry said: "We have been very clear that we expect humanitarian workers in Gaza to have safe and unimpeded access to do their lifesaving work".
The UK Foreign Office and Polish foreign ministry have been contacted for comment.
NC holding meetings to finalize candidates for by-elections
The Nepali Congress is holding meetings of its parliamentary board and Central Work Execution Committee today to finalize candidates for the by-elections in Ilam constituency 1 and Bajhang Province Assembly (1) scheduled for April 27.
Information and Publicity Department Chief of the party Min Bahadur Bishwokarma informed that the meetings will be held later this afternoon to finalize candidates for the by-elections from the party.
The meetings will be held under the chairmanship of party President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at 2 pm. Initially, the parliamentary board meeting will decide on the candidates and the Central Work Execution Committee will endorse it, he added.
The NC officer bearers, former office bearers and top leaders had held discussions on Monday evening about possible candidates.
The Election Commission has already made public a schedule for the April 27 by-elections as per which parties need to file candidacy by April 6.
NAC directed to provide documents regarding maintenance of narrow-body aircraft within 15 days
The International Relations and Tourism Committee under the House of Representatives has directed the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to provide it with documents concerning the maintenance of a narrow-body aircraft within 15 days.
A meeting of the Committee held in Singha Durbar on Monday wants the national flag-carrier to submit a convincing reply regarding the aircraft repair.
Committee President Raj Kishore Yadav said the Committee is informed about the alleged corruption during the repair of the aircraft's engine and in this context, the NAC should convince the Committee with a substantive reply that there is no corruption during the maintenance.
The NAC sent its narrow body to Israel on January 11 for repair. The plane was grounded on December 1, 2023. According to the NAC, Israel-based MRO Company assured that the plane will arrive in Kathmandu by April 28.
During the meeting, lawmakers expressed their concern stating that it has been over four months since the aircraft was sent for engine repair and a delay in its arrival has affected the NAC flight schedule.
They demanded the formation of a separate committee to probe the matter.
Lawmakers Bhim Prasad Acharya, Sunita Baral, Shishir Khanal, Damodar Paudel Bairagi, Uday Shamsher JB Rana, Prem Suwal, Eknath Dhakal, Yogesh Gauchan Thakali and Dr Dhawal Shamsher JB Rana advised the NAC to prepare an action plan for its restructuring, to control irregularities reported inside the NAC and make its service swift and effective.
Stating that disputes between the NAC and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) have negatively affected the aviation and the entire tourism industry, he urged effective cooperation and collaboration between the two institutes to make a ground from removing Nepal's airlines from the European Union (EU)'s blacklist and for enhancing the reliability of NAC services.
Minister for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hit Bahadur Tamang, assured of action if any wrongdoing is proved on the part of NAC. Tamang said that he is studying the issue.
NAC Executive Chair Yubaraj Adhikari said that the repair of the narrow- body aircraft follows the rules.
Nepal ‘A’ earn thrilling win against Ireland ‘A’
Nepal ‘A’ defeated Ireland ‘A’ by three runs in the last match held at the Tribhuvan University cricket ground in Kirtipur on Monday.
Chasing the target of 214 runs set by Nepal ‘A’, Ireland ‘A’ managed to score only 120 runs losing seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Gareth Delany top scored for Ireland with 68 runs followed by Morgan Topping with 60 runs while other batters failed to score in double digits.
Similarly, opener Ross Adair scored 31 runs and Fionn Hand 22.
Bipin Khatri took three wickets for Nepal while Kamal Singh Airee, Narayan Joshi and Rasid Khan claimed one wicket each.
After winning the toss, Nepal opted to bat first and posted 213 runs with a half-century from Arif Sheikh losing seven wickets.
Sheikh remained unbeaten on a 48-ball 97 that featured six sixes and seven fours.
Similarly, Kamal Airee remained unbeaten on 19 made of seven balls.
Lokesh Bam, who had scored a century in the first match against Ireland, returned to pavilion by scoring eight runs.
Likewise, captain Binod Bhandari scored 11 runs while Asir Mohammad, Pawan Saraff and Rasid Khan contributed 19, 13 and 24 runs respectively.
Earlier, Nepal had already lost the series against Ireland ‘A’.
Ireland ‘A’ had defeated Nepal by 21 runs in the first match and 40 runs in the second.
Nepal ‘A’ are playing a one-day series against Ireland ‘A’ on Wednesday.
Nepse plunges by 6. 26 points on Monday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 6. 26 points to close at 2,012.07 points on Monday.
Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 0. 91 points to close at 355. 66 points.
A total of 7,290,200-unit shares of 315 companies were traded for Rs 2. 87 billion.
Meanwhile, Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (GLBSL) and Mai Khola Hydropower Limited (MKHL) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, River Falls Power Limited (RFPL) was the top loser as its price fell by 9. 98 percent.
At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 19 trillion.
Nepali Embassy in Saudi Arabia denounces media report
The Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has denounced a recent media report alleging that the Embassy charged fees from employers' companies for document verification.
In a press statement, the Embassy expressed its serious concern regarding the matter and made it clear that no complaints about such purported irregularities have been lodged with the Mission, as claimed in the media.
The Embassy refuted the credibility of the news article claiming the involvement of Ambassador Nawaraj Subedi, Deputy Chief of Mission Dr Damaru Bhallav Paudel, and Second Secretary Tikaram Upadhayay in such affairs.
The Embassy clarified that during the current online demand paper attestation process, documents are authenticated by the ambassador/deputy chief of mission, following oversight by the operator, document verification officer and labor counselor.
The Embassy affirmed that no additional fees are charged for this service, apart from the government-determined revenue. Despite facing challenges such as adverse climate conditions, vast territory, and a unique environment, the Embassy said it is committed to serving the service-seekers to the best of its abilities within limited resources.
According to the Embassy, it holds online interactions with relevant authorities, including the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies and the Department of Foreign Employment, to address issues promptly, including document attestations, rescue operations, and repatriation efforts.
Three tigers die in cage of Parsa National Park
Three tigers kept inside a cage in the Parsa National Park (PNP) have died.
Two male and one female tiger rescued from Chitwan National Park and Thori of Parsa and brought here have died.
An eight-year-old adult male elephant that was brought here after rescuing from Chitwan National Park has also died lately, the Parsa National Park Administration said. PNP Information Officer Santosh Bhagat said the wild cat, which was sick for some days, was found dead when the keepers went to the cage to feed it.
Two tigers kept in a cage at PNP had also died two months back. The PNP Administration said the tigers might have died due to illness as they were kept in a single cage that could accommodate only two tigers.
PNP Chief Conservation Officer, Ram Chandra Khatiwada, informed that the tigers died as they had to be kept in the cage for a long time after rescuing them.
A tiger count conducted in 2022 put the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in PNP at 41.
China positive to operate more flights to different cities of China from Kathmandu, Pokhara: Foreign Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha termed his visit to China significant and fruitful.
Speaking at a press conference organized at the Tribhuvan International Airport, he expressed his belief that his visit to the northern neighbor would further strengthen the relationships between the two countries.
He said that both sides have agreed to operate more flights to different cities of China from Kathmandu and Pokhara.
Minister Shrestha further said that this would help expand the trade and people-to-people relations between the two countries and bring more Chinese tourists to Nepal.
He said that a discussion was also held on implementing the BRI projects.
The minister was of the opinion that the Chinese side was positive in providing capital and technology to increase the productivity of Nepal's agriculture sector.
Moreover, Minister Shrestha said that he has urged for more participation of Chinese investors in the Third Nepal Investment Summit to be held in Kathmandu on April 28-29.
At the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister Shrestha left for China on March 25.
During the visit, he held meetings with high-level political leadership, including Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairperson, Wang Huning, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
Matters related to different dimensions of bilateral relations between Nepal and China were discussed on the occasion.
Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha also called on Vice Minister of the Communist Party of China's Foreign Department Sun Haiyan. On the occasion, they discussed ways to deepen relations between the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Communist Party of China.
DPM Shrestha addressed a pre-investment conference organized at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, calling upon Chinese investors to invest in Nepal.
He also visited the southwestern city of China, Chongqing Municipality. On the occasion, Shrestha and Secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Committee Yuan Jiajun held a delegation-level meeting. On the occasion, DPM Shrestha said Nepal and China should move forward together in the journey of economic prosperity.
Similarly, DPM Shrestha also held a meeting with Wang Junzheng, party secretary of China's Xizang Autonomous Region. During the meeting, Shrestha said Nepal and China should move forward together in the journey of economic prosperity. Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha met Wang Zhungheng, party secretary of China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and urged him to resolve the problems being faced by the people of the Nepal-China border area.
He visited the Consulate General of Nepal in Lhasa and directed them to pay attention to economic diplomacy. A delegation headed by DPM Shrestha also visited the Kailash Mansarovar area in Tibet. He also met Sichuan People's Government Governor Huang Xiaoxiang and urged him for Chinese investment in Nepal.
