Foreign Ministry discusses safety and security of Nepalis in West Asia, Africa
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday organized a virtual interaction program with Nepali diplomatic missions based in West Asia and Africa.
During the program, Ambassadors, Consuls General and Chargés d’Affaires briefed on the prevailing situation in their respective countries, the safety and security of Nepali nationals, the status of service delivery, innovative practices adopted and the priorities of the missions, according to the Ministry.
During the meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal highlighted the government’s core priorities, including good governance and economic prosperity through strengthened economic diplomacy.
He instructed the missions to align their efforts accordingly and to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery through innovation and digitalisation.
Likewise, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai underscored the importance of effective service delivery, advancing economic diplomacy in the changed context and leveraging technology to enhance efficiency.
Partly cloudy weather likely across the country
There is a partial influence of westerly and local winds in the country and has led to partly cloudy weather conditions in most parts of the country today.
The weather is generally cloudy in the Himalayan region, partly cloudy in the hilly region and generally fair in the Tarai region.
The Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology shared that light rain and snowfall is taking place in one or two places of the hilly and Himalayan regions of the Koshi Province.
This afternoon, generally cloudy conditions are expected in the hills and Himalayan regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces.
There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall at one or two places in the hills and Himalayan regions of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.
Later tonight, generally cloudy conditions are expected in the hills and Himalayan regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, and partly cloudy in the Tarai area of the Koshi Province and the hilly regions of the other remaining provinces.
Fire breaks out at Janakpur Refineries Company in Dhanusha
A fire broke out at the Janakpur Refineries Company at the Dhalekbar-based Mithila Municipality-7 in Dhanusha district.
In the fire that occurred last night, the company lost nearly Rs 150 million as key machines were gutted to cinders, Manager Sanjaya Gupta said.
The Janakpur Refineries Company is involved in the refined oil processing business.
The fire was brought under control in two hours by the firefighters and security personnel by mobilizing five fire engines from Janakpur, Mahendranagar and Dhalkebar in the district.
Police Inspector of the Area Police Office Laxman KC said that it could take some days to estimate the total loss caused from the fire.
The reason behind the fire has not been ascertained yet, police said.
Trump announces 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon after ‘excellent conversations’
Donald Trump has announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week, in a deal that it is hoped will bring progress toward a parallel peace agreement between the US and Iran, The Guardian reported.
The ceasefire is due to take effect at midnight on Thursday in Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting devastating airstrikes aimed at wiping out the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Trump said on social media that the truce was agreed after he held separate “excellent conversations” with Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday.
