Minor dies after falling into septic tank

A five-year-old girl died after falling into a septic tank of the Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan.

According to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at District Police Office Rabindra Khanal, Bikas Magar's daughter, Anjana, died after she fell into the tank. 

Magar is an employee of the same hospital, it has been learnt. 

The minor had fallen into the septic tank on Tuesday afternoon while playing. 

She was immediately rescued and admitted to the hospital where she breathed her last during the course of treatment.

 

 

US military to remove 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the removal of half of the 4,000 National Guard troops who had been sent to Los Angeles to protect federal property and personnel during a spate of protests last month, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the decision was due to the success of the mission.

"Thanks to our troops who stepped up to answer the call, the lawlessness in Los Angeles is subsiding," Parnell said in a statement.

"As such, the Secretary has ordered the release of 2,000 California National Guardsmen from the federal protection mission," he added, according to Reuters.

 

Kathmandu sets land price at Rs 5m per anna in key areas

The price of land in Hanumandhoka area has been set at Rs 5m per anna, according to the Financial Act issued by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City for the fiscal year 2025/26. This is the highest land valuation in Kathmandu.

Similarly, land prices have been set at Rs 5m per anna in several areas, including New Road (from Pipalbot to the south of RB Complex), the west of the old Kathmandu Metropolitan City building, and the stretch from New Road to Khichapokhari and Dharahara. The same rate applies to land from the Keshar Mahal entrance through Thamel to Chetrapati, as well as areas covering Hanumandhoka, Indra Chowk, and the route from Asan to Bhotahiti. Additionally, land from Asan to Rastriya Nachghar, further east to Bishwojyoti Hall and Tindhara Pathshala, and from Mahendra Statue to Kathmandu Plaza has also been valued at Rs 5m per anna.

Land connected to the main road from Maitighar, Singha Durbar West Gate, Putalisadak, Hattisar, Kantipath, Jamal, Durbar Marg, and Ghantaghar to Kamaladi has also been valued at Rs 5m per anna. This same valuation applies to land along the main roads connecting Jamal, Ranipokhari, Bir Hospital, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Goshwara Post Office, and Tripureshwor, as well as land from Ratna Park, Old Bus Park, Shahid Gate to Sundhara, and Singha Durbar West Gate to Bhadrakali.

Land connected to the main roads from Putalisadak, Bagbazar, and Ratna Park has been valued at Rs 4m per anna. This valuation also applies to land from Kumari Bank, Putalisadak to Old Bus Park and Padmodaya Mode to Sahibal Chowk.

Land connected to the main roads from Khichapokhari to the south, Bhungla Marg, Ganbahal, and Bhotebahal has been valued at Rs 3.6m per anna. Similarly, land from New Road Gate to Mahabouddha Ganeshsthan, and from Chikana to Indra Chowk, has also been fixed at Rs 3.6m. The same rate applies to land from Dugam Bahil to the gate of Ranjana Hall in the west and from New Road Pipalbot to the Ranjana Hall in the north.

Land along the main road from Lainchaur Chowk, Hotel Radisson, Panipokhari, Teaching Hospital, Narayan Gopal Chowk has been fixed at Rs 3.2m per anna. This rate also applies to land from Balkumari Bridge–Koteshwor–Tinkune–Min Bhawan–New Baneshwor–Bijuli Bazaar–Thapathali–Tripureshwor–Teku to the Bishnumati Bridge.

According to the Financial Act, land along the roads from New Baneshwor Chowk to Kantipur Dental, Old Baneshwor Chowk to Gaushala Chowk, and from Maitighar Mandala to Hanumansthan via the Singha Durbar South Gate and the Archaeology Department, as well as land in front of the Kathmandu District Court is also valued at Rs 3.2m.

Land from Gaushala to Dhobikhola, connected to the Ring Road, has been assessed at Rs 3m per anna. According to the Metropolitan City’s Economic Act, land valuation across Kathmandu ranges between Rs 3m and Rs 5m per anna.

Heavy rainfall likely in some places of five provinces today

Currently there is an influence of monsoon winds across the country and the monsoon's low pressure line is situated near the average location in the west and slightly north from the average location in the east, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said. 

The weather will be generally cloudy across the country this afternoon with chances of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces, as well as some places in other provinces. 

According to the Department, there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in some places of Koshi Province. 

As predicted, heavy rainfall will also occur in one or two places in Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini Provinces. 

Light to moderate rain and snowfall are expected in some areas of the high hills and mountainous regions of the country. 

There is also a possibility of winds in the Tarai region of Koshi Province and some places in Madhes Province. 

Likewise, there will be partial to generally cloudy weather across the country tonight. 

There are chances of light to moderate rain along with thunder and lightning in some areas of the hilly regions, including Koshi, Madhes, and Sudurpashchim Provinces , as well as in some other provinces. 

The regular weather bulletin issued by the Department at 6:00 am today stated that there is a possibility of heavy rain in one or two places in the Koshi, Madhes, and Sudurpashchim Provinces. 

Additionally, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain and snowfall in some areas of the high hills and Himalayan regions of the country. 

The strong wind is predicted in some areas of Madhes Province. 

The Department has warned of the risk of floods, landslides, and river overflow due to potential rainfall and has urged residents of urban and Terai areas to adopt necessary precautionary safety measures. 

 

Nepali steel export to India halted

Nepal’s steel exports to India have come to a standstill in recent months after the Indian government imposed a ban, dealing a major blow to Nepal’s steel industry. Industries operating in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have been particularly affected, with industrialists facing growing uncertainty as India—Nepal’s primary export market—has blocked customs clearance under a mandatory export regime.

Rupak Garg, manager at Vistaar Global Pvt Ltd, located in the Bhairahawa SEZ, said Nepal has been removed from India’s ‘Steel Import Management System’ (SIMS)—the platform required for steel exports to India. “When we try to fill out the form in SIMS, Nepal is no longer listed as an option,” Garg said. Vistaar Global, which employed 300 to 400 workers, has seen its products pile up in warehouses for the past month, with 90 percent of its stainless steel utensils previously exported to India.

Accounts Officer Arvind Tripathi said the company has exported utensils worth over Rs 720m in the current fiscal year. He urged the government to intervene urgently to resolve the issue.

The Panchakanya Group, which manufactures drinking water tanks within the SEZ, has also been hit. Its exports to India have been halted. “We established our factory in the SEZ expecting streamlined services, but with exports blocked, we are now facing serious difficulties,” said Devendra Sahu, General Manager of Panchakanya. “If this situation continues, we may be forced to shut down operations in the SEZ.”

Previously, India required Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification only for finished products. Vistaar Global had acquired the BIS certification, but Panchakanya had not. However, India did not previously require BIS certification for stainless steel drinking water tanks due to the lack of a specific BIS standard.

Nepali industrialists suspect India removed Nepal from SIMS over the absence of BIS certification for raw materials.

Netra Prasad Acharya, President of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called the decision a serious blow to Nepal’s steel sector. Sagar Silwal, Senior Assistant for Information Technology at the SEZ Authority, confirmed the matter has been reported to the Ministry of Industry. He emphasized the need for coordinated action involving the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indian Embassy.

 

US consumer prices rise in June as tariff pass-through begins

U.S. consumer prices increased by the most in five months in June amid higher costs for some goods, suggesting tariffs were starting to have an impact on inflation and potentially keeping the Federal Reserve on the sidelines until September, Reuters reported.

Softening demand as consumers hunker down, however, is limiting price increases for services like airline fares and hotel and motel rooms, keeping underlying inflation muted for now. That trend, if sustained, could ease concerns of a broad-based rise in price pressures from tariffs.

Nonetheless, economists generally expect the tariff-induced rise in inflation to become more evident in the July and August CPI reports, arguing that businesses were still selling merchandise accumulated before President Donald Trump announced sweeping import duties in April. They also noted that when Trump slapped tariffs on washing machines in 2018, it took several months for the duties to show up in the inflation data.

Trump last week announced higher duties would come into effect on August 1 for imports from a range of countries, including Mexico, Japan, Canada and Brazil, and the European Union, according to Reuters.

Europeans open to buying US arms for Ukraine under Trump plan but need details

Several European countries said on Tuesday they were willing to buy U.S. arms for Ukraine under a scheme announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, although arrangements still needed to be worked out, Reuters reported.

Trump said on Monday that Washington will supply Patriot air defence systems, missiles and other weaponry to Ukraine for its war against Russia’s invasion and that the arms would be paid for by other NATO countries.

But much remains undisclosed, including the amounts and precise types of weapons to be provided, how quickly they would be supplied and how they would be paid for.

U.S. officials have suggested that European countries will be willing to give up some of their own stocks of weapons for Ukraine and then buy replacements from the United States. But some of the countries involved say they still don't even know what is being asked of them, according to Reuters.

Putin, unfazed by Trump, will fight on and could take more of Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by Donald Trump's threats of tougher sanctions, and his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance, three sources close to the Kremlin said, Reuters reported.

Putin, who ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in country's east between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops, believes Russia's economy and its military are strong enough to weather any additional Western measures, the sources said.

Trump on Monday expressed frustration with Putin's refusal to agree a ceasefire and announced a wave of weapons supplies to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. He also threatened further sanctions on Russia unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days.

The three Russian sources, familiar with top-level Kremlin thinking, said Putin will not stop the war under pressure from the West and believes Russia - which has survived the toughest sanctions imposed by the West- can endure further economic hardship, including threatened U.S. tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil, according to Reuters.