Sudan drone attack on key hospital killed 64 people during Eid, WHO says

Sudan's army has denied it carried out a deadly attack on a major hospital on Friday night in a city in the west of the country held by its rivals, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), BBC reported. 

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said 64 people - including 13 children, two nurses and a doctor - had died in the strike on el-Daein Teaching Hospital and 89 others had been wounded.

"Enough blood has been spilled," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X, urging the warring parties to end the conflict, which started nearly three years ago, according to BBC. 

Germany has a shortage of workers - so it's turning to India for help

Germany is continuing to struggle with a shortage of skilled workers, as elderly staff retire, and there are not enough young candidates to fill their roles. To try to alleviate the problem the country is increasingly turning to workers from India, BBC reported. 
 

For Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg, it started with an email that dropped into his inbox in February 2021. It had come from India.

The gist of the message was: "We have lots of young, motivated people looking for vocational training and we're wondering if you're interested."

 

 

Israeli settlers target Palestinian villages in occupied West Bank, attacking people and properties

Extremist Jewish settlers have carried out a spate of attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes, vehicles and agricultural fields, BBC reported. 

The violence began after a teenage settler - 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman - was killed on Saturday, after reportedly being hit by a vehicle driven by a Palestinian while on his quad bike. Police said they were investigating whether the hit was deliberate or accidental.

In response, WhatsApp groups used by settlers called for a "revenge campaign" over his death. More than 20 settler attacks were reported overnight, according to a defence official cited by Israeli media, according to BBC. 

RSP President Lamichhane calls on PM Karki

Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane called on Prime Minister Sushila Karki at the latter's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday. 

On the occasion, President Lamichhane thanked PM Karki for successfully holding the historic House of Representatives (HoR) elections under her leadership. "HoR elections are  held in a free and fair atmosphere, giving a political exit to the country. It is a landmark achievement. For this success, I congratulate and thank the PM, her Cabinet members and secretariat," Lamichhane said. 

He also praised PM Karki's resolute stand for the sake of fair and peaceful elections in a short time. "I have reverence to you for giving a democratic exit to the country," President Lamichhane reiterated before the PM. The government under the PM's leadership will be remembered forever, according to him. He further shared that he had expected her continuous guardianship.

In response, PM Karki congratulated RSP for its electoral achievement. "People have huge expectations of you. Challenges abound. Cautious navigation is imperative to change the country," she reminded, suggesting Lamichhane that he responded to the critics with works. If the resolution is forwarded with honesty, it meets expectations, according to her.

The PM's secretariat said that RSP President Lamichhane said his party had no objection to the decision the government had taken recently. Discussion was held on political matters between them. 

"The government has the power to take any decision till it exists. So, we have no objection to its decisions," President Lamichhane said, expressing support for the government initiatives. 

He said his party had much respect for the government for its historic delivery.

Even the issues like problems facing Nepali students in Portugal, conflict in West Asia and problems Nepali labourers facing there and supply of petroleum products surfaced in the discussion. 

He urged the government to take proper initiatives on these pressing issues.

 

 

Air pollution fizzles out with rainfall

The air pollution afflicting the country, including the federal capital, Kathmandu, for quite a while has declined remarkably after the rainfall last Friday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 178, making Kathmandu City as the second most polluted city in the world a week back. 

The AQI has now declined sharply placing Kathmandu City at AQI 60. It means Kathmandu is the 67th polluted place in the world now.

The AQI measurement from 0 to 50 is considered 'good' while 51 to 100 'requires alertness', 100 to 150 is 'unhealthy', impacting badly the people with respiratory and heart diseases. It is 'unhealthy for all' if the AQI ranges from 151 to 200, while the 'very unhealthy' stage is 201 to 300 and 'very dangerous' in case of the AQI above 300. 

Director General at the Department of Environment, Gyanraj Subedi, informed that the rainfall coupled with storms swept away the dust and polluted particles. It resulted in clean air.

 

 

 

Home Minister discusses security arrangement for oath taking event

Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has held a discussion on security arrangements in Singha Durbar in view of the upcoming oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected members of the House of Representatives (HoR).

The meeting held on Sunday was attended by Secretary at Home Ministry, Raj Kumar Shrestha, Inspector General of Nepal Police, Dan Bahadur Karki, and high level officials at the Ministry. 

They dwelt on preparation of security for the swearing-in ceremony and the security inside Singh Durbar for the HoR sessions.

Home Minister Aryal directed the subordinates to ensure smooth security arrangement, traffic management and other logistics for conducting swearing-in ceremony and parliament meetings.

The security officials briefed the Minister on necessary arrangements in this regard.

 

 

Woman killed in Lalitpur brick kiln wall collapse

A woman died after a wall collapsed at the Hasana Brick Kiln in Harisiddhi, Lalitpur Metropolitan City–28, on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Tilsari Khadka (55) of Rukum. 

Critically injured in the incident, Khadka was rushed to Medicity Hospital in Thaiba, where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment, according to DSP Purnima Kumari Chand.

Four other labourers were injured in the incident. They have been identified as Janaki Chanda (27) of Rukum, Shanti Kunwar (27) of Salyan, Nand Kumari Magar (46) of Rolpa; and Suma Kumal (29) of Dang.

Police said Chanda, who sustained serious injuries, has been referred to Model Hospital for further treatment. 

The condition of the other injured is said to be stable.

Police said that they are looking into the case. 

KU to chair Interim Executive Committee of HUC

Kathmandu University (KU) has been appointed as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), a multilateral group of universities from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. 

The Interim Committee has been mandated to oversee HUC’s tasks, including the adoption of the new charter and byelaws and renewal of memberships. 

KU is represented by its Vice-Chancellor Prof. Achyut Wagle, who will serve as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee until a General Assembly, to be held within a year, elects a new committee, reads a statement issued by the KU. 

The decision was taken during the two-day retreat of the HUC in Kathmandu last week. 

Hosted by KU, the retreat convened 70 international guests, including 29 Vice-Chancellors of the HKH region, to establish a roadmap for the future and ensure the financial sustainability of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) in a global, multilateral context. 

Participants from Thailand, India, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan took part in  the event. 

Prof. Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute School of Advanced Studies, India, delivered the keynote address during the program. 

Prof. Dhawan emphasized bridging the gap between scientific research and traditional wisdom to build climate-resilient communities, ensuring that indigenous knowledge systems are integrated into a transboundary roadmap for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, according to the statement. 

"By enhancing academic collaboration, universities can reverse environmental degradation and protect our global biodiversity hotspots from the escalating threats of the Anthropocene," Prof. Dhawan said.

Former justice of the Supreme Court Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai served as the event's special guest. 

He called for moving beyond parochial laws to align with global legal frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement. 

“We must protect the vital ecosystems like the Shivalik and Karnali regions and ensure that ecosystem service budgets reach local communities, and transform environmental conservation from a legal promise into a sustainable reality for the entire Hindu Kush Himalaya,” Bhattarai said.

Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University, Prof. Achyut Wagle, highlighted that not only our ecology but the culture of our indigenous communities and the existing flora and fauna are under immense threat, the statement further reads. 

"It is the urgent responsibility of university scholars to utilize data-driven inferences to bridge the gap between academic research and effective policy-making to safeguard the Hindu Kush Himalaya," said Professor Wagle.

The participants deliberated on the pressing issues of the HKH region across seven technical sessions, including HUC’s financial sustainability, multilateral academic and research collaboration, HUC's global positioning, and the initiation of a vice-chancellors’ forum for regional cooperation.