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The China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) celebrated its 10th anniversary in Nepal by organizing a special event in Kathmandu on Monday.

The event was attended by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nepal Chen Song, Executive Director of China Foundation for Rural Development Chen Hongtao, former ministers, leaders of major political parties, diplomats and several others. 

On the occasion, Chinese Ambassador Chen appreciated the CFRD’s contributions to Nepal’s rural development, education, and disaster relief.

He emphasized that the milestone celebration also reflects the enduring friendship between China and Nepal during the historic 70th year of diplomatic relations. 

He said “China is committed to continuing collaboration in sustainable development initiatives, humanitarian assistance, and community-focused programmes in Nepal, emphasizing the importance of mutual cooperation for long-term prosperity and shared development goals.”

Likewise, Executive Director of the CFRD Chen Hongtao said this celebration is about reaffirming our shared commitment to building a more inclusive and resilient future for rural communities in Nepal. Its commitment to integrating China’s poverty reduction experience with Nepal’s local development needs, continuing to foster sustainable growth and strengthen people-to-people ties between the two nations, he added. 

Similarly, Nanda Lal Majhi, the Vice-Chairperson of the Social Welfare Council of Nepal noted that CFRD’s initiatives in education, agriculture, and community development have not only provided immediate support but have also built long-term capacities within communities.

On the occasion, Kimtang's Tea Project from Nuwakot district; Khokana and Gotikhel villages of Lalitpur district signed separate agreements with three cooperatives from China's Sichuan Province on knowledge sharing and exchanges on agriculture. 

The signing agreement was witnessed by the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, and former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sujata Koirala, among others. 

It is said that the agreement is aimed at deepening agricultural cooperation and rural revitalization by linking Nepalese villages with successful Chinese cooperatives. The CFRD has been supporting Nepal's villages in sustainable rural development, advancing education, promoting livelihoods, and improving community well-being. 

During the event, a research publication documenting the CFRD’s decade-long journey in Nepal, recognition and appreciation of NGO partners, and exhibition stalls showcasing products made by women beneficiaries of the Women’s Occupational Support program and accomplishments of several comprehensive projects of CFRD in Nepal, according to the CFRD.  

The Country Director of CFRD Nepal Office Zou Zhiqiang, mayors and deputies of different local levels, representatives of the UN agencies in Nepal, and others also attended the event.

A group of between 30 and 50 critically ill and injured Palestinian children will be evacuated from Gaza to the UK for medical treatment in the coming weeks, the BBC understands.

They would be the first children brought to the UK for treatment as part of a government operation being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office and Department of Health.

The children will be selected according to need by doctors working for the Hamas-run health ministry, before the World Health Organization coordinates travel, according to BBC.

It comes after some MPs wrote a letter to the government urging them to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay".

The optics could not have been more different this time. 

Unlike the shockingly ill-tempered previous meeting in February, US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky seemed determined not to look confrontational - despite their remaining differences.

Zelensky wore a collared suit (although not of the classical variety), and Trump complimented his attire. The Ukrainian president also repeatedly said "thank you", which must have pleased his host, too, BBC reported.

At his opening appearance in the Oval Office, Zelensky spoke little - or maybe he was not keen to, fearing that what he had to say was different from what Trump wanted to hear.

Differences showed later, when the US and Ukrainian presidents appeared before journalists together with European leaders. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron both said a ceasefire in Ukraine should be the next step, even though Trump had argued that it was not necessary before a more permanent solution is found, according to BBC.

Zelensky remained conspicuously quiet on the issue.

A record 383 aid workers were killed in global hotspots in 2024, nearly half of them in Gaza during the warbetween Israel and Hamas, the U.N. humanitarian office said Tuesday on the annual day honoring the thousands of people who step into crises to help others, Associated Press reported.

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the record number of killings must be a wake-up call to protect civilians caught in conflict and all those trying to help them.

“Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy,” Fletcher said in a statement on World Humanitarian Day. “As the humanitarian community, we demand — again — that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account.”

The Aid Worker Security Database, which has compiled reports since 1997, said the number of killings rose from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024, including over 180 in Gaza, according to Associated Press.

Two more hospitals in Kavre have received approval for the health insurance program. With the new ones, a total of seven health care facilities joined the health insurance program in Kavre district.  

The Banepa Hospital, run by the Banepa Municipality and Mandan Deupur Hospital have joined as the first stop service for the health insurance program. 

Mandan Deupur Basic Hospital is a health care facility run by the Mandan Deupur Municipality. 

The representatives of the two municipalities signed separate agreements with the Health Insurance Board recently.

After the agreement, the Mayor of Mandan Deupur Municipality, Tok Bahadur Waiba vowed to effectively run the health insurance program.

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces today. 

With the weather remaining generally cloudy across the country, there is also a possibility of moderate rainfall at some places in the Tarai and hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces, according to the Weather Forecasting Division.

The Division has forecasted the possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two hilly areas of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces today. 

However, the Division shared that the monsoon has remained comparatively weak as the low-pressure trough is slightly towards the south to its average position. 

Tonight, the weather will be generally cloudy in Koshi and Gandaki Provinces, and the hilly areas of the remaining provinces, and partly cloudy at other places of the country. There is a possibility of moderate rainfall at a few places in the hilly and Tarai areas of Koshi, and the hilly areas of the remaining provinces. 

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in the Tarai and hilly areas of the Koshi Province tonight.

The Supreme Court has issued a mandamus order  to proceed with an investigation against Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav in the Gaur massacre case.

A joint bench of Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Nityanand Pandey on Monday ordered the District Police Office, Rautahat to carry out an investigation against Yadav in the Gaur mass killing.

On June 4, 2023, Tribhuvan Sah on behalf of the victims' family filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court, alleging that the state has failed to take action against the culprits even after years of the incident.

Hearing the same case, the apex court issued an order to proceed with the investigation against Yadav after 19 years.

The District Police Office, Rautahat and the District Government Attorney's Office, Rautahat were made defendants in the case.

On March 21, 2007, as many as 27 cadres of the then CPN (Maoist) were killed in the clash with the cadres of the then Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal. Upendra Yadav was the Chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum then.

More than 50 Maoist cadres were injured in the incident.

After investigating the incident, the National Human Rights Commission concluded that the attack targeting Maoist cadres was premeditated. 

Two workers hired by the Myagdi-based under-construction Rahughat Hydropower Project were killed in a landslide near the approach route to the Project's major tunnel today. 

Five others injured in the incident have been taken to the hospital, according to the District Police Office's Deputy Superintendent of Police, Surya Bahadur Thapa.  

The Project is being developed at the Raghuganga Rural Municipality.. 

As of the time of this news report, the identities of the deceased have not been ascertained. However, workers at the site have reported that one of the two victims is a Nepali national.