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The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing the government not to withdraw the case filed against the alleged assaulters of assistant professor Prem Chalaune. A single bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma ordered the government not to implement the decision. Chalaune had filed the case making the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Home Ministry, Office of Attorney General, District Public Prosecutor's Office and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs defendants. The assistant professor was critically injured when he was attacked by a group of Hari Acharya, TU chapter President of Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), student wing of Nepali Congress, on October 6, 2020. The final hearing of the case was scheduled for Tuesday. But the Cabinet meeting held on June 13 decided to withdraw the case. Following the decision, Chalaune moved the Kathmandu District Court demanding justice. In the meantime, police apprehended him from the premises of the apex court. The case against five persons including Acharya was pending in the Kathmandu District Court. Chalaune has been staging a fast-unto-death at the premises of the Tribhuvan University after the government decided to withdraw the case.    

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah on Thursday said that he would not abide by the Patan High Court’s order not to ban the screening of Indian movies in the halls of Kathmandu. Earlier this afternoon, the court had issued a short-term interim order directing the Kathmandu metropolis not to stall the screening of any movies approved by the Censor Board including the Indian films. Shortly after the court’s order, Mayor Shah through Facebook said that he would not allow Indian movies to be screened in the halls of Kathmandu, but would be ready to face any kind of punishment. He also accused the court and Nepal government of being the slaves of India. “I am not ready to comply with the law or court when it comes to the sovereignty and independence of the country,” he said. Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah had banned the screening of Indian movies from Monday after his call to remove a portion of the movie ‘Adipurush’ which shows that Janaki is the Indian daughter, went unheeded. Later, the Nepal Film Association moved the court against the decision of Mayor Shah.

The Patan High Court has issued a short-term interim order not to bar the screening of Indian movies in the film halls of Kathmandu. Hearing the writ petition filed by Nepal Film Association on Thursday, a single bench of Justice Dhir Bahadur Chand issued a short-term interim order not to stall the screening of any movies approved by the Censor Board including the Indian films. The court has summoned both sides on June 27 to discuss the interim order on the issue. Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah had banned the screening of Indian movies from Monday after his call to remove a portion of the movie ‘Adipurush’ which shows that Janaki is the Indian daughter, went unheeded. Later, the Nepal Film Association moved the court against the decision of Mayor Shah.

At least 31 people are dead and seven injured in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, in northwest Ningxia region, after a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant Wednesday night, according to state media, CNN reported.

The explosion was caused by a leak of a liquified gas tank inside the restaurant, and took place around 8:40 p.m., according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Among the seven injured, one person is still in critical condition. The other six are being treated in the hospital for minor injuries, burns and glass cuts.

Local fire authorities sent 20 vehicles and more than 100 personnel to the scene, with search and rescue operations lasting until 4 a.m. Thursday morning, according to state media.

Photos posted by state media show the damaged building, with blackened exteriors, debris on the ground and smoke in the air. Firefighters are seen entering the second floor on a ladder and lifting people out on stretchers, according to CNN.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called the explosion “heartbreaking,” and said it was a “profound lesson.” He has issued instructions to authorities on the scene, requiring “all efforts” to treat the injured, strengthen safety supervision and protect residents’ safety, according to CCTV.

Interviews by police and firefighters on the scene established that two restaurant staffers had smelled gas about an hour before the explosion, said the Yinchuan government in a statement posted online on Thursday.

The two staffers found the valve of the gas tank had broken, and sent another staff member to buy a new one. The explosion took place as the valve was being replaced.

Police have detained nine people and frozen their assets, including the restaurant’s manager, employees and shareholders, according to state media China Youth Daily, CNN reported.

The restaurant is located on a busy street, state media reported. The incident came just before China began its three-day national public holiday, from Thursday to Saturday, marking the Dragon Boat Festival.

The country has been rocked by a number of safety incidents this year. A coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia in February left 53 dead; then in April, the deadliest fire to hit Beijing in two decades killed 29 people in a hospital.