Machines arrive, raising hopes for gas exploration
Machines required for the first phase of exploration of petroleum products in Dailekh have arrived in Dailekh. Five small containers carrying the machines arrived here from China via Kolkata and Rupaidiya point, raising hope that they will enable the project to conduct exploration works round the clock.
Big containers headed to the district from China remain stuck due to narrow turning points along Karnali and Mid-Hill Highways even as efforts to find a passage for those containers continue. Around 150 containers have reportedly left Rupaidiha in India for Dailekh carrying the exploration tools.
Chief District Officer Khimraj Bhusal said petroleum exploration works have been expedited. Processes are also underway to address the demands for jobs and financial support coming from project-affected households.
The project, launched after a G2G agreement between Nepal and China, is expected to open avenues for Nepal’s prosperity if it becomes successful, Dailekh Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kul Bahadur Gurung said.
However, chief administration officer of Bhairavi rural municipality, Bhupendra Thapa, said locals are against petroleum exploration.
The drilling for the exploration will go up to four kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface. This process is expected to determine the quantity of petroleum products and gas deposits, making way for the next round of works, project Chief Dinesh Kumar Napit said.
Israel Gaza: Food charity says aid workers killed in strike
Aid workers including an Australian and two people said to be British and Polish have been killed in Gaza, in what their charity founder said was an Israeli attack, BBC reported.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder and chef José Andrés said his staff had been killed "in an IDF air strike".
Gaza's Hamas-run media office also blamed Israel. The alleged strike could not be verified independently.
Israel's military said it was conducting a "thorough review".
A journalist working for the BBC in Gaza has seen the bodies of three international aid workers and a Palestinian driver, recovered from the site of the alleged air strike. Foreign passports were also shown.
The group are said to have been involved in co-ordinating the arrival of another boat carrying food aid to central Gaza.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said on X: "We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike that killed [WCK] aid workers in Gaza.
"Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened."
A medical source at al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip told the BBC that the bodies of the four workers and their Palestinian driver had been brought to the hospital after a car they were travelling in on the coastal road was hit by an air strike at Deir al-Balah, according to BBC.
Further details of the alleged attack are still emerging.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom was among those killed and has offered his condolences to family and friends.
In a statement, he said: "This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza. And this is just completely unacceptable."
He said Australia expected "full accountability", adding that it was a "tragedy that should never have occurred".
A Palestinian medical source told the BBC the workers had been wearing bullet-proof vests bearing the WCK logo. The charity is currently providing meals for thousands of people in Gaza.
In a statement, the WCK said it was "aware of reports" that members of its team had been "killed in an IDF [Israel Defense Forces] attack while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza".
"This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should never be a target, ever. We will share more information when we have gathered all the facts," it added, BBC reported.
In a post on X, Mr Andrés, a celebrity chef, called on the Israeli government "to stop this indiscriminate killing".
The charity recently made headlines for providing hundreds of tonnes of food for Gazans that arrived on the first aid ship.
Commenting on the reports, the IDF said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of this "tragic incident".
"The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," it added.
Prior to confirmation that an Australian national had been killed in the incident, the Australian foreign ministry said: "We have been very clear that we expect humanitarian workers in Gaza to have safe and unimpeded access to do their lifesaving work".
The UK Foreign Office and Polish foreign ministry have been contacted for comment.
NAC directed to provide documents regarding maintenance of narrow-body aircraft within 15 days
The International Relations and Tourism Committee under the House of Representatives has directed the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to provide it with documents concerning the maintenance of a narrow-body aircraft within 15 days.
A meeting of the Committee held in Singha Durbar on Monday wants the national flag-carrier to submit a convincing reply regarding the aircraft repair.
Committee President Raj Kishore Yadav said the Committee is informed about the alleged corruption during the repair of the aircraft's engine and in this context, the NAC should convince the Committee with a substantive reply that there is no corruption during the maintenance.
The NAC sent its narrow body to Israel on January 11 for repair. The plane was grounded on December 1, 2023. According to the NAC, Israel-based MRO Company assured that the plane will arrive in Kathmandu by April 28.
During the meeting, lawmakers expressed their concern stating that it has been over four months since the aircraft was sent for engine repair and a delay in its arrival has affected the NAC flight schedule.
They demanded the formation of a separate committee to probe the matter.
Lawmakers Bhim Prasad Acharya, Sunita Baral, Shishir Khanal, Damodar Paudel Bairagi, Uday Shamsher JB Rana, Prem Suwal, Eknath Dhakal, Yogesh Gauchan Thakali and Dr Dhawal Shamsher JB Rana advised the NAC to prepare an action plan for its restructuring, to control irregularities reported inside the NAC and make its service swift and effective.
Stating that disputes between the NAC and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) have negatively affected the aviation and the entire tourism industry, he urged effective cooperation and collaboration between the two institutes to make a ground from removing Nepal's airlines from the European Union (EU)'s blacklist and for enhancing the reliability of NAC services.
Minister for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hit Bahadur Tamang, assured of action if any wrongdoing is proved on the part of NAC. Tamang said that he is studying the issue.
NAC Executive Chair Yubaraj Adhikari said that the repair of the narrow- body aircraft follows the rules.
Nepali Embassy in Saudi Arabia denounces media report
The Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has denounced a recent media report alleging that the Embassy charged fees from employers' companies for document verification.
In a press statement, the Embassy expressed its serious concern regarding the matter and made it clear that no complaints about such purported irregularities have been lodged with the Mission, as claimed in the media.
The Embassy refuted the credibility of the news article claiming the involvement of Ambassador Nawaraj Subedi, Deputy Chief of Mission Dr Damaru Bhallav Paudel, and Second Secretary Tikaram Upadhayay in such affairs.
The Embassy clarified that during the current online demand paper attestation process, documents are authenticated by the ambassador/deputy chief of mission, following oversight by the operator, document verification officer and labor counselor.
The Embassy affirmed that no additional fees are charged for this service, apart from the government-determined revenue. Despite facing challenges such as adverse climate conditions, vast territory, and a unique environment, the Embassy said it is committed to serving the service-seekers to the best of its abilities within limited resources.
According to the Embassy, it holds online interactions with relevant authorities, including the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies and the Department of Foreign Employment, to address issues promptly, including document attestations, rescue operations, and repatriation efforts.
