Submit your Article

The largest digital camera ever built released its first shots of the universeMonday — including colorful nebulas, stars and galaxies, Associated Press reported.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years.

The observatory’s first look features the vibrant Trifid and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles. A gaggle of galaxies known as the Virgo Cluster were also captured, including two bright blue spirals.

The observatory hopes to image 20 billion galaxies and discover new asteroids and other celestial objects, according to Associated Press.

Thailand began imposing land border restrictions Monday including blocking tourists heading into Cambodia as the two countries engage in retaliation in their border dispute, Associated Press reported.

Relations between the countries have deteriorated following an armed confrontation May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested territory. While the two sides have agreed to de-escalate their dispute, they continue to implement or threaten measures that have kept tensions high.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Monday that Thailand will boost screening at land borders and block departing tourists, saying that only students, medical patients and others who need to purchase essential goods would be allowed to enter or leave Thailand.

She said the measures were aimed at blocking people heading toward Cambodia’s lucrative casinos, but it appeared that all tourists would be blocked, according to Associated Press.

Three Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a war powers resolution on Monday to check President Donald Trump's use of military force against Iran after U.S. strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites, opens new tab over the weekend, Reuters reported.

Trump's Republican Party holds a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and it is unlikely any resolution restricting Trump's actions could pass both chambers.

Iran targeted, opens new tab a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation. The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 when Israel attacked its regional rival, further raised tensions in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

The joint statement issued late on Monday by Democratic U.S. Representatives Jim Himes, Gregory Meeks and Adam Smith came hours after Trump claimed on social media Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, according to Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, potentially ending the 12-day war that saw millions flee Tehran and prompted fears of further escalation in the war-torn region, Reuters reported.

But there was no confirmation from Israel and the Israeli military said two volleys of missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel in the early hours of Tuesday.

Witnesses later heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in central Israel, where Israeli media reported a building had been struck.

Israel, joined by the United States on the weekend, has carried out attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, after alleging Tehran was getting close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters.

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland, BBC reported.

By 6-3, the justices reversed a lower court order requiring the government to give migrants a "meaningful opportunity" to tell officials what risks they might face being deported to a third country. 

The court's three liberal justices dissented from the majority ruling, saying it was "rewarding lawlessness".

The case involves eight migrants from Myanmar, South Sudan, Cuba, Mexico, Laos and Vietnam, who were deported in May on a plane said to be heading for South Sudan. The Trump administration said they were "the worst of the worst," according to BBC.

Iran's military said it carried out a missile attack on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar on Monday after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran's threat to retaliate for U.S. airstrikes on its nuclear sites, Reuters reported.

The Iranian military said the attack was "devastating and powerful" but U.S. officials said no U.S. personnel were killed or injured in the attack on the airbase, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.

Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive U.S. military action, had informed the U.S. via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters.

Qatar's defence minister told Al Jazeera its air defences had intercepted missiles directed at the Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, according to Reuters.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has confirmed that 16 Nepalis are currently in Iran, which is involved in a conflict with Israel. Addressing the House of Representatives on Monday, she stated that 11 Nepalis are staying in a location called Mashhad, while the other five are in prison for entering Iran illegally.

She said 11 of them are expected to arrive in India on Tuesday via an Indian flight, and Nepal had agreed to their evacuation after India offered to rescue Nepalis along with its own citizens. One of the evacuees lacks travel documents, and the process to issue them is underway, she added. Efforts are in progress to secure the release of the five jailed Nepalis. 

She also said that the government is working with priority for the safety of Nepalis in areas affected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, while taking the potential impacts seriously. “The ministry issued travel-related information with detailed contact details on June 15, requesting Nepalis currently in Israel and Iran to exercise maximum caution from a safety perspective.” Minister Rana said that the Nepali ambassadors in the respective countries have been instructed to coordinate for the safety of Nepali citizens. Mentioning that an ‘online portal’ was launched on June 17 to collect details of Nepali citizens, she informed that 885 individuals have registered their information on the portal so far and the registration process is increasing.

The Foreign Affairs Minister stated, “On June 18, all Nepali missions in the Gulf have been instructed to facilitate the process of providing online visas and other assistance for Nepalis who wish to travel to safe locations or neighboring countries, in light of the current suspension of air routes in those countries.”

In this context, she mentioned that the Jordanian government documented, on June 19, the need to provide necessary assistance to foreign nationals coming from Israel to their borders. The minister also stated that the Nepali embassy has communicated with ILO and IOM regarding facilitation on this matter. She also mentioned that efforts are underway for a prompt rescue and repatriation from Israel and Iran through coordination with the relevant bodies and the formation of a rapid response group. Foreign Minister Deuba stated that the Nepal government has been continuously pursuing diplomatic efforts at both bilateral and multilateral levels for the release of Bipin Joshi, held hostage since the 7 Oct 2023 attack near Gaza.

She added that Nepal has been pursuing economic diplomacy as one of the major tools of its foreign policy and its missions abroad are being encouraged to get engaged in areas like trade, foreign investment, tourism and technology. Minister Deuba said efforts are underway through diplomatic missions to promote cultural and tourism diplomacy, adding that her ministry is also taking steps for the sustainability of Nepal’s graduation from the grouping of least developed countries to the club of middle-income developing countries. Nepal is scheduled to become a developing nation in 2026.

She made it clear before the session that the appointment of ambassadors is taking place as per the existing rules and in the deputation of labor attachés, the ministry follows the recommendations of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. As the Minister said, the number of missions and human resources for foreign services has been increased following the ministry’s Organization and Management Survey. In addition to these, digital archiving and data management are among the priorities of the ministry.
On a different note, Minister Deuba said the ministry remains highly vigilant in preventing any issues that could affect national security and interests. In line with our foreign policy, the ministry is firmly committed to ensuring that Nepali territory is not used against any neighboring country, Deuba said.

Ambassador of the United States to Nepal Dean R. Thompson paid a courtesy call on Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav at the Office of the Vice President at Lainchaur today. 

During the meeting, along with exchanging greetings, discussions were held on various aspects of Nepal-America relations, bilateral cooperation, diplomatic partnership, and future possibilities, the Vice President's secretariat said.

Vice President Yadav stated that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1947, Nepal and the United States have enjoyed a cordial and mutually respectful relationship.

He said, "Democracy, human rights, and freedom are our shared values, which have strengthened our relationship." 

Vice President Yadav on the occasion expressed gratitude for the development assistance provided by the American government to Nepal since 1951 and stated that America's contribution to socio-economic development and democratic consolidation is commendable.

He added that he is optimistic about the resumption of infrastructure projects being operated under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and programmes being conducted through USAID.

On that occasion, Ambassador Thompson stated that the MCC, USAID, and other development projects are positively progressing on the path of continuity. He mentioned that the Nepali community in America plays a very active and vibrant role, stating that Nepal and the United States can work together to accomplish significant tasks.