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The monsoon has become active in some parts of the country with the rise in the influence of water vapor-rich air from the Bay of Bengal. 

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has stated that currently the monsoon is located around the average position of the low-pressure trough. 

It is expected to be partly cloudy throughout the country today with a possibility of light to moderate rainfall in the hilly areas of all provinces. 

There is also a chance of heavy rain in some parts of Koshi, Gandaki, and Sudurpashchim Provinces. 

Similarly, the weather will be partially to generally cloudy throughout the country tonight. 

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two places in Koshi and Sudurpashchim Provinces. 

The division has cautioned the possible risks of landslides and debris flows as well as rising water level in the rivers and streams due to rain, and urged the concerned area people to stay alert with preparedness accordingly. 

Today is the International Day against Nuclear Tests. 

On December 2,  2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared August 29 the International Day against Nuclear Tests by unanimously adopting resolution 64/35. 

The resolution calls for increasing awareness and education “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.” 

At the call of the United Nations, the day has been observed since 2010 to unite the global community against total elimination of nuclear weapons. 

In each subsequent year, the day has been observed by coordinating various activities throughout the world, such as symposia, conferences, exhibits, competitions, publications, lectures, media broadcasts and other initiatives.

In a brief message on the occasion today, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres said the legacy of over 2000 nuclear weapons tests carried out in the past should not be forgotten while marking the 80th anniversary of the first nuclear test and stressed on embracing a world free of nuclear weapons. 

He also emphasized on making promises not to allow repetition of such activities from now onward.

The United States will not participate in a U.N. review of its human rights record, officials said, a move that rights advocates called a worrying retreat from Washington's global engagement on rights and justice issues, Reuters reported.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) expects all 193 U.N. member states to submit reports on their human rights records every 4.5 to 5 years. The reports are reviewed by other member states, which provide non-binding recommendations.

A U.S. State Department official told Reuters the U.S. will not participate in the UPR mechanism or submit its report in November, when it and 13 other countries are due to be reviewed.

This followed an executive order by President Donald Trump on 4 February to disengage from the U.N. Human Rights Council, the official said, according to Reuters.

The head of the European Union's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has spoken of her outrage at Russia's deadliest onslaught on Kyiv since July - which also damaged the EU's delegation office in the Ukrainian capital, BBC reported.

At least 19 people including four children were killed and dozens more wounded in the bombardment, Ukrainian officials said. 

A five-storey residential building was destroyed, and the EU mission and nearby British Council were damaged  according to BBC.

In a strongly worded statement, von der Leyen said that Russian missiles struck in close proximity to the diplomatic mission: "Two missiles hit in a distance of 50m (165ft) of the delegation within 20 seconds."

The entire preparations for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s China visit have been completed.

PM Oli is embarking on a five-day visit to China on August 30 at the cordial invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the SCO Summit.

Apart from attending the SCO Summit, the Prime Minister will attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated by  issuing a press release on Wednesday. 

The high-level participation of Nepal at the SCO is expected to be a great opportunity for Nepal to further deepen Nepal-China relations and increase Nepal's proactive role in multilateral cooperation. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made briefings to the members of the delegation on Thursday about the PM's visit at the Prime Minister's residence in the presence of PM Oli. 

Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and Chief of Protocol Kumar Raj Kharel shared the details of the program and managerial aspects of the PM's visit. 

Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to inform the House of Representatives (HoR) about the visit on Friday, the Prime Minister's Secretariat said. 

During his visit to China, Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the heads of state and governments from different countries attending the Summit.

PM Oli will leave for Tianjin City of China on Saturday morning and is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the same evening, according to the Ministry. 

Prime Minister Oli will address the SCO Summit in Tianjin on September 1. 

The Prime Minister will meet with Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, in Beijing on September 2. 

The PM will return home on September 3. 

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his spouse, Radhika Shakya.

The entourage of the PM will comprise Raghuji Pant, Minister for Education, Science and Technology; Badri Prasad Pandey, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; Purna Bahadur Khadka, Member of the Parliament; Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Economic and Development Advisor to the Prime Minister; Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Member of Parliament; and the high-ranking government officials.

Four youths drowned in the Khutiyakhola (river) at Godawari Municipality in Kailali district on Thursday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rana Bahadur Chand of the District Police Office, Kailali identified the deceased as Jabej Bhandari (17) and Jeb Bhandari (15) of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City-4 and Saksham Joshi (15) and Pratik Chaudhary (17) of ward-5 of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City. 

DSP Chand said that the bodies of all them were recovered near the incident site. 

However, three other swimmers from the team returned home safely. 

The youths had gone for swimming some 18 kilometres away from Dhangadhi city in the downhill of the Chure region in the Khutiyakhola.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to address the Parliament  on Friday, ahead of his China visit. 

Speaker Devraj Ghimire informed chief whips of major political parties about PM Oli’s address to the House during a meeting held in Singhadurbar this afternoon.

Prime Minister Oli, who is leaving for a five-day visit to China on Saturday, is going to brief the Parliament about the agendas of his visit.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula informed that the calendar of the next 15 days of the Parliament has also been decided during the meeting.

Accordingly, the Parliament meeting to be held on August 29 will endorse the Land related Bill and forward it to the National Assembly.

Similarly, the meeting to be held on September 3 will endorse the Citizenship Bill and the Constitutional Council Bill, which was returned by the President’s Office will also be discussed, Bartaula informed.

Likewise, he mentioned that the Civil Service Bill will be endorsed  on September 4 if passed by the National Assembly.

According to him, there is a possibility to endorse the School Education Bill on September 11. 

CPN (Maoist Center) Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula said that the Prime Minister will address the House on Friday and the agenda for the subsequent programs has also been prepared.

The Parliament will meet on 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12. 

Nigeria’s government has banned the export of raw shea nuts, an essential raw material in many cosmetic products, in a bid to grow the country into a global supplier of refined shea butter and other skincare ingredients, Associated Press reported.

The immediate ban on the crop will be in place for six months and then reviewed, Vice President Kashim Shettima said.

Nigeria follows a growing list of other West African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana, that have banned or restricted export of the crop in the past two years.

“The ban will transform Nigeria from an exporter of raw shea nut to a global supplier of refined shea butter, oil, and other derivatives,” Shettima said Tuesday, according to Associated Press.