PM Oli inaugurates Gwarko flyover
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the newly built Gwarko flyover would resolve the nagging problem of traffic jams at Gwarko and vicinity.
Inaugurating the flyover at Gwarko amidst a programme organized by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transport, PM Oli made a commitment to forward the holistic and multidimensional development of the country.
The overpass was built by the Ministry. It is the first of its kind in Nepal.
The infrastructure was constructed by Ashish Samanantar Religar JV in the framework of engineering procurement construction (EPC). It cost Rs 170.6 million.
The overpass has a 500-meter approach road. The initiative aimed at wiping out traffic congestion at Gwarko Chowk was launched four years back.
"We've been working tirelessly for development. Just yesterday, it was found that Dailekh had a deposit of methane gas sufficing for Nepal for 50 years. Among three such places identified for exploration and excavation, such potential was found from the one alone," he explained, adding that once iron production begins from Dhaubadi, it will boost the country's economy.
With the exploration of mines, modernization of agriculture will also be forwarded. Establishment of new industries and social and administrative reform were equally prioritized, according to the PM.
Moreover, the PM argued the Sunkoshi-Marin diversion and postal highway would not only bring a sweeping change in Tarai but also across the country.
Other infrastructures like Madan Bhandari Highway and Pushpalal Highway were also gaining pace, he said.
Government ready to rescue Nepalis from Israel, Iran: Foreign Minister Rana
Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said the government would adopt all possible measures for the security and rescue of the Nepalis living in Israel and Iran in view of the present developing scenario there.
The government is all prepared to rescue those Nepalis willing to return home from these countries, she added.
Minister Rana shared this in a joint meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Home Affairs at Foreign Ministry today.
During the meeting, she shared about the situation developed due to tension between Israel and Iran.
The Foreign Affairs Minister argued that the Nepali Embassy in Israel is actively working at coordination of the Foreign Ministry, and registration has been opened for those Nepalis willing to return home.
"It is also the responsibility of Israel to facilitate the Nepalis, who are in Israel under G2G process, to return them home safely and to send them to a safer place if they want to. The Israeli government has already been requested to help the Nepalis there to go to other countries from border areas for the same," mentioned Foreign Minister Rana.
The government is in a ready position to rescue the Nepalis if they want to return home, she opined.
On the occasion, Labour Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari shared that his ministry is also in constant contact with Nepalis there and the government should be involved in preparation to rescue the Nepalis willing to return home.
He added that work permits have not been issued for those who are about to leave for Israel.
On June 13, the day the war between Israel and Iran broke out, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement appealing to both parties to exercise maximum restraint and resolve the issue through dialogue, while requesting Nepalis in those countries to stay in contact with the Nepali embassy concerned.
Subsequently, on June 15, a travel advisory with contact details was issued, urging Nepalis to adopt maximum vigilance from a security perspective.
With the current closure of air routes in those countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed all Nepali embassies in the Gulf to facilitate processes such as providing 'online visas' for Nepalis wishing to go to safe locations or neighbouring countries.
The Ministry has also started to collect information from Nepalis by opening an online portal, and so far more than 600 people have registered their details on that portal. This process is still going on.
Likewise, the Ministry issued a travel advisory for the second time last Wednesday, requesting Nepali citizens currently in Israel and Iran to exercise maximum caution for security, and advising not to travel to Israel or other Middle Eastern countries from Nepal.
This week, Foreign Minister Rana met with the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Shmulik Arie Bass, requesting the Israeli government to make proper arrangements for the safety of Nepali citizens.
Similarly, the Nepali Embassy in Israel and the Nepali Embassy in Qatar overseeing Iran have been directed to establish close contact with relevant government officials, organizations working in the region, and the Nepali community, and to provide 'real-time reporting' to the ministry regarding the matter.
Currently, there are between 5,500 to 7,000 Nepalis in Israel, and most of them are in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa. Similarly, there are 18 Nepalis in Iran.
As death toll rises, Gazans make life-risking journeys to seek food
Like thousands of other Palestinians in Gaza, Hind Al-Nawajha takes a dangerous, miles-long journey every day to try to get some food for her family, hoping she makes it back alive, Reuters reported.
Accompanied by her sister, Mazouza, the mother-of-four had to duck down and hide behind a pile of rubble on the side of the road as gunshots echoed nearby.
"You either come back carrying (food) for your children and they will be happy, or you come back in a shroud, or you go back upset (without food) and your children will cry," said Nawajha, 38, a resident of Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza.
"This is life, we are being slaughtered, we can't do it anymore."
In the past two days, dozens of Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli fire as they tried to get food from aid trucks brought into the enclave by the United Nations and international relief agencies, Gaza medics said, according to Reuters.
US court lets Trump keep control of California National Guard for now
A U.S. appeals court let Donald Trump retain control on Thursday of California's National Guard while the state's Democratic governor proceeds with a lawsuit challenging the Republican president's use of the troops to quell protests in Los Angeles, Reuters reported.
Trump's decision to send troops into Los Angeles prompted a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and inflamed political tension in the country's second most-populous city.
On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals extended its pause on U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer's June 12 ruling that Trump had unlawfully called the National Guard into federal service.
Trump probably acted within his authority, the panel said, adding that his administration probably complied with the requirement to coordinate with Governor Gavin Newsom, and even if it did not, he had no authority to veto Trump's directive, according to Reuters.



