PM Oli to address Parliament today

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to address the Parliament at 1 pm on Monday.  

An agenda was set for the Prime Minister to address the House meeting after his return from the official visit to Spain where he had attended the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development of the United Nations. 

CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula informed that the agenda was set for Prime Minister Oli to inform the House about the developments that occurred during his recently-completed visit to Spain. 

Prime Minister Oli returned home on July 4 after wrapping up his international visit. 

There has been a parliamentary practice for the Prime Minister to inform the House before and after the foreign visits. 

 

Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say

Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday, Associated Press reported.

The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened.

The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno’s capital city.

The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants, according to Associated Press.

“Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,” he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks.

NIICE to organize seminar on “Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security”

The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) is organizing a high-level seminar titled “Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security”. This timely and important discussion will bring together policymakers, security experts, diplomats, scholars, and journalists to deliberate on the evolving threat of terrorism in the region and its implications for regional peace, cooperation, and security.

The seminar will feature keynote addresses and panel discussions focusing on terrorism as a transnational threat, state-sponsored terrorism, regional security architecture, and Nepal’s strategic role in counter-terrorism cooperation. 

Russia and Ukraine trade drone strikes as Kyiv signs deals to boost drone production

Russia and Ukraine struck each other with hundreds of drones on Sunday, throwing Russian air travel in disarray, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced deals with Western partners that would allow Kyiv to scale up drone production, Associated Press reported.

Photos circulating on social media showed crowds huddling at Russian airports including key international hubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Saturday and overnight, according to Russia’s Transport Ministry.

The flight disruptions hit Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg’s main Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions.

Russian air defenses shot down 120 Ukrainian drones during the nighttime attacks, and 39 more before 2 p.m. Moscow time (1100 GMT) on Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. It did not clarify how many had hit targets, or how many had been launched in total, according to Associated Press.

Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru

Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru's northern Barranca province, BBC reported.

The 3,500-year-old city, named Penico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.

Located some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC - around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia.

Researchers say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas' oldest civilisation, the Caral, according to BBC.

Minister Adhikari urges central bank to ease agriculture loan

Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ramnath Adhikari urged the Nepal Rastra Bank to place necessary arrangements in a way to simplify agriculture loans. 

In a discussion with the central bank governor, Dr Biswonath Paudel on Sunday, Minister Adhikari underscored the need for easy procedure for farmers to access agriculture loan as the role of banks and financial institutions is crucial for poverty alleviation through agro enterprises. 

"I urge the central bank for effective monitoring whether or not the agriculture loan is being properly utilized", Minister Adhikari shared, stressing the need to end misuse of loan for other purposes than agriculture. 

The government-owned banks should also increase agriculture loans and comply with the central bank's arrangements regarding agriculture loans, the minister noted. 

Governor Dr Paudel expressed concern over the improper use of current investments in agriculture, stating that it is essential to work to yield results. 

He emphasized the need for investments to be effective, as farmers are unable to gain returns from the investments made in agriculture without innovation. 

Dr Paudel further shared he has also listened to grievances during his field visits that those playing with soil are denied grants but those putting things in papers are receiving them. 

 

China retaliates to EU ban with import restrictions on medical devices

China's finance ministry said on Sunday it was restricting government purchases of medical devices from the European Union that exceed 45 million yuan ($6.3 million) in value, in retaliation to Brussels' own curbs last month, Reuters reported.

Tensions between Beijing and Brussels have been rising, with the European Union imposing tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and Beijing slapping duties on imported brandy from the bloc.

The European Union said last month it was barring Chinese companies from participating in EU public tenders for medical devices worth 60 billion euros ($70 billion) or more per year after concluding that EU firms were not given fair access in China.

The measure announced by the European Commission was the first under the EU's International Procurement Instrument, which entered into force in 2022 and is designed to ensure reciprocal market access, according to BBC.

Brazil hosts BRICS summit, eager to avoid provoking Trump’s ire

Brazil will play host to a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies Sunday and Monday during which pressing topics like Israel’s attack on Iran, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be handled with caution, Associated Press reported.

Analysts and diplomats said the lack of cohesion in an enlarged BRICS, which doubled in size last year, may affect its ability to become another pole in world affairs. They also see the summit’s moderate agenda as an attempt by member countries to stay off Trump’s radar.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have some of his priorities, such as debates on artificial intelligence and climate change, front and center for the talks with key leaders not in attendance. 

China’s President Xi Jinping won’t attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country’s leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make an appearance via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to Associated Press.