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The Ministry of Health and Population has endorsed the Standard for the Operations of Infertility Management Services (IVF), 2082 BS. It was decided and endorsed by the recently held ministerial-level meeting.

The newly-endorsed standard aims to regulate infertility treatment services across Nepal, covering critical aspects such as laboratory operations, human resource management, and the procedures for sperm and egg donation which are considered particularly sensitive in reproductive health care.

According to Dr Saroj Sharma, Chief of the Ministry's Quality Standard and Regulation Division, the Standard will promote uniformity in infertility treatment and establish a legal foundation for effective monitoring of service providers.

“It guarantees minimum requirements in terms of physical infrastructure, qualified human resources and labs, transparency in service fees, and the protection of rights for both service seekers and donors,” he added. 

“Infertility is not only a 'sensitive' reproductive health issue, it is also a social and psychological one. This Standard is expected to become a milestone in streamlining infertility services and improving service quality with transparency,” Sharma stated. 

Ministry Spokesperson Dr Prakash Budathoki also underscored the significance of the new standard in enhancing the reproductive health sector.

“Infertility cases have been rising in recent years. However, concerns have grown over the quality of services and the procedures. With the implementation of this Standard, those issues will now be properly addressed,” he said.

The new norms warrants that health facilities must obtain prior permission from the Ministry before initiating Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) or In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services. Similarly, such facilities are required to employ infertility specialists, trained embryologists, anesthesiologists, and other trained personnel.

It also mandates technical requirements for room temperature control in laboratories and surgical wards with the provisions of service fees to be regulated and determined by the Ministry.

Likewise, at least 10 percent of services must be provided free of cost to individuals from impoverished communities.

In terms of donor criteria, egg or sperm donors must be between the ages of 20 to 35 and medically certified to be free from infectious diseases. In the case of married donors, written mutual consent is required. 

It adheres to a one-time donation policy as donors are allowed to donate only once, and their identity must remain confidential. 

In addition to this, forced or incentivized donation is strictly prohibited.

Foreign Secretary of India Vikram Misri paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Singha Durbar on Sunday.. 

The Indian Foreign Secretary arrived in Kathmandu this morning for a two-day official visit at the cordial invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai.

PM Oli's Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Officials of the Foreign Ministry and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava were present on the occasion.

Thousands of residents have fled Gaza City's southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, where days of continuous Israeli bombardment have created a "catastrophic" situation, the city's Hamas-run municipality has told the BBC.

At least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the territory on Saturday, Gaza's civil defence agency said.

The Israeli military said it would begin allowing tents to be brought into Gaza by aid agencies again. Israel plans to forcibly displace a million people from Gaza City to camps in the south, according to BBC.

In Israel, a one-day general strike is due to be held in Sunday in protest of the government's plan to seize Gaza City. 

The Narayangadh-Muglin road section, which was opened for traffic after clearing the landslide debris earlier today, has been blocked again following a landslide. 

The road section near Tuinkhola in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-5 of Chitwan was obstructed due to the landslide at around 9:30 am, police mentioned.

Earlier, the road was cleared for traffic from 8 am by clearing the road obstructions caused due to the landslide. 

According to Rabindra Khanal, the Information Officer of the District Police Office, Chitwan, the road section was blocked again after the landslide occurred in the same place.

DSP Khanal shared that works are underway to remove the landslide debris. 

Vehicles including their passengers have remained stranded there at present.

A long-planned visit by a US team to New Delhi for trade negotiations has likely been cancelled, according to an official. The delegation, led by Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch, was due to arrive on 25 August for the sixth round of discussions on a proposed bilateral trade agreement. “No new date is decided yet,” said the official, The Economic Times reported.

Five rounds of talks have been completed so far. The sixth was expected to be crucial, coming just as additional US tariffs were set to come into force.

The negotiations were scheduled from August 25-29. "This visit is likely to be rescheduled," the official, who did not wish to be named, said, according to Economic Times.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the construction of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel has neared completion. 

The PM took to social media today to share information about this with the public. 

He said that the project reports 93 percent physical progress, hoping that it would come into operation soon, causing a great convenience to the public movement. 

Earlier, the Council of Ministers on August 11 determined the charges for vehicles to pass through the 2.688 kilometers long infrastructure once it comes into operation. 

The charge is Rs 65 for a car and van while coming to Kathmandu and Rs 60 as an exit fees, it is Rs 115 and Rs 80, respectively, for minibus and truck, Rs 260 and Rs 200 for bus and truck, respectively, and Rs 600 and Rs 200 respectively for heavy vehicles.  

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 195, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 196, 200 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 315 per tola.

Bolivians headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in presidential and congressional elections that could spell the end of the Andean nation’s long-dominant leftist party and see a right-wing government elected for the first time in over two decades, Associated Press reported.

The election on Sunday is one of the most consequential for Bolivia in recent times — and one of the most unpredictable.

Even at this late stage, a remarkable 30% or so of voters remain undecided. Polls show the two leading right-wing candidates, multimillionaire business owner Samuel Doria Medina and former President Jorge Fernando “Tuto” Quiroga, locked in a virtual dead heat, according to Associated Press.