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At least eleven people were hospitalized following a mass shooting in Little River, South Carolina, on Sunday night.

The Horry County Police Department reported that the incident took place approximately 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Horry County Fire Rescue transported 11 victims to area hospitals, with others arriving by private automobile, Xinhua reported.

Police categorized the incident as an "apparent shooting incident" and stated that it appeared to be isolated, with no ongoing threat to the community.

Every summer, residents of Madhes Province are forced to endure a severe shortage of drinking water, and this year is no exception. Despite the Nepal Water Supply Corporation operating from nine branches across all eight districts of the province, only 3.41 percent of the total population—just 38,000 out of 1,113,870 households—currently receive drinking water through the Corporation’s supply system. 

With a total population of over 6.1m, this figure underscores a significant gap in access. The Corporation’s infrastructure in the region includes 82 underground water sources (wells), 27 overhead tanks or reservoirs, 32 chemical dosing units, and 38,000 taps, but the reach remains limited. For instance, in Birgunj Metropolitan City, only 18 out of 32 wards have access to tap water. Kalaiya Sub-metropolitan City has coverage in 11 of its 27 wards; Gaur Municipality in seven out of nine; Malangwa in nine out of 12; Gaushala in seven out of 12; Lahan in 14 out of 24; Rajbiraj in 10 out of 16; and Janakpurdham Sub-metropolitan City in just 11 out of its 25 wards. 

According to Rakesh Goit, an engineer at the Corporation, many people continue to depend on traditional wells and communal taps, which results in low demand for individual tap installations. However, he points out that during the dry season, many of these taps run dry, and certain geographically challenged areas have no taps at all—leading to an acute crisis and a high seasonal demand for new connections. 

Although the Corporation is working under the government’s One House, One Tap policy, it has not been able to expand services across the region due to resource constraints. A major hurdle is the lack of adequate manpower. Shirish Raj Bhandari, head of the Corporation’s Lahan Office, warns that plans to hand over profitable branches to the private sector under a proposed Water Supply Management Board could threaten the Corporation’s existence. “Instead of expanding services, we are retreating, which requires immediate attention,” he says. 

The Corporation has an approved staffing of 200 across its nine branches in Madhes, but only 61 permanent and 52 contract staff are currently in place. To function effectively, an additional 274 staff are needed. Ajay Babu Dhakal, General Manager of the Corporation, notes that groundwater is the primary source of water in the province, and the current infrastructure reaches only about three percent of the households. To address this crisis and expand access to safe and quality drinking water, Dhakal stresses the need for a significant increase in budget and manpower to develop water sources, expand pipelines, and build necessary infrastructure—which, he says, will only be possible through cooperation among all three levels of government.

Saeed Almemari, an accomplished adventurer from the United Arab Emirates, has successfully summited Mt. Kanchanjunga—the world’s third-highest mountain at 8,586 meters.

The ascent, completed on Saturday, May 10, 2025, marked the first successful climb of the season, setting a powerful tone for the spring expedition window in Nepal. The summit was reached at 2:15 PM, after an arduous 20-hour push from Camp IV, under extreme conditions at high altitude.

Almemari, a well-known voice for sustainability and youth empowerment through adventure, called the summit experience “spiritually powerful and physically humbling.” For him, this climb wasn’t just a personal victory—it was a message to the world.

“Standing atop Kanchanjunga is not about conquering nature, but about learning from it,” he shared. “The mountain teaches your patience, purpose, and respect.”

More than just a mountaineer, Almemari has built a reputation as a climate advocate who uses his expeditions to champion environmental awareness and responsible exploration. His feet on Kanchanjunga serves as a symbolic call to action for youth across the Arab world to embrace sustainability, resilience, and global challenges.

Almemari was part of a diverse climbing team that included mountaineers from Kosovo, the UK, and Iran, supported by elite Nepali Sherpas—among them Lhakpa Temba Sherpa, Phur Sona Sherpa, and Ngima Dorchi Sherpa. The expedition was organized by Nepal’s renowned Seven Summit Treks.

“Saeed’s spirit, discipline, and respect for the mountains inspired everyone,” said Thaneshwor Guragain, expedition manager at Seven Summit Treks. “He reflects the new generation of global adventurers—resilient, collaborative, and grounded in purpose.”

A 'Trauma & Emergency Centre' is to be constructed in Dhulikhel Municipality-6, Dhulikhel. 

In this connection, Dhulikhel Hospital and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a memorandum of understanding on the initiative of the Nepal government. 

The Japanese government would provide an additional grant of 573 million Yen for the Trauma & Emergency Centre Improvement Project in the hospital. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Japan's Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ikuina Akiko, signed the grant aid agreement at the Ministry of Finance on May 16. 

Although a grant assistance of up to 3.29 billion yen from the Government of Japan was signed in 2023 for project implementation, due to inflation and other reasons leading to financial shortages, additional grants have now been made available, as informed by the Japanese embassy in Nepal. 

The embassy stated that due to the increase in the number of patients with diseases, including those suffering from strokes and heart diseases, as well as rising use of transportation and expansion of road networks, hospitals in Nepal are facing a shortage of beds and medical equipment, leading to the provision of this assistance. 

It has been indicated that such assistance will strengthen Nepal's medical services by constructing trauma and emergency centres and related equipment in Dhulikhel, improve the quality of health and medical services, and contribute to economic growth. 

The final agreement for the construction of a 100-bed trauma center in Dhulikhel has been completed between the government and the Japanese government in the fifth phase.