20th Loktantra Day being observed
The 20th Loktantra Day is being marked across the country today by organizing several programs, including offering tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in democratic struggles.
The Loktantra Day has been observed in commemoration of the historic event when the direct rule and autocratic regime of then King Gyanendra Shah came to an end after the reinstatement of dissolved Parliament in 2063 BS following the 19-day-long People's Movement.
It may be noted that the autocratic regime was abolished on April 24, 2006 AD (Baishakh 11, 2063 BS) while the Parliament that was dissolved on May 22 2002 AD (Jestha 8, 2059 BS) was reinstated.
On the day, former King Shah's proclamation noted, "The House of Representatives (HoR) has been reinstated in accordance with the public sentiment expressed through the present people's movement, keeping in mind the fact that the source of state power rests on the Nepali people and the sovereignty and state power of Nepal lies with the Nepali people".
A meeting of the HoR was convened on April 28, 2006 AD on the strength of the People's Movement with the participation of seven political parties agitating against autocracy and the then rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was proclaimed in 2015 by the Constituent Assembly through epochal Constituent Assembly elections.
Accordingly, the country is now in the practice of federalism after holding three elections at the federal, and two in provincial and local levels.
7th National Conference on climate concluded with emphasis on implementation of policies
The experts and scholars have called for effective coordination among federal, provincial and local governments to implement climate adaptation programs at the community level, and to reduce climate change risks.
In the 7th National Conference concluded in Lamahi of Dang district on Thursday, the speakers said the roles of local government and community should be made vibrant.
The conference was held under the theme 'Bridging Policy and Practice: Harmonizing Climate Governance' that brought the government officials, policymakers, scholars and development partners together.
They said that the gap between climate policies and practices should be narrowed down.
Inaugurating the conference, Minister for Forest and Environment of Lumbini Province Dev Karan Prasad Kalawar viewed for the expansion of the adaptation programs at the community level to reduce climate change impacts.
Vice Chairman of Provincial Planning Commission of Lumbini Province Dr Dilliraj Aryal said climate change is a crosscutting issue and Nepal is experiencing its impacts despite our negligible contributions to carbon emissions.
US says Iran players welcome at World Cup amid Italy uproar
Iran’s footballers will be welcome at this year’s World Cup, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday, distancing the US government from a proposal that Italy could take their place in the tournament, Reuters reported.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Rubio denied that Washington had asked the Iranian team not to come to the World Cup – but warned that the United States may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation it judged to have ties to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is regarded as a terrorist organization by Washington and several other governments.
No-one “from the US has told them they can’t come”, Rubio said of Iran’s World Cup participation.
Huge chunk of glacier blocks Everest route in peak climbing season
A huge, unstable chunk of glacier is blocking the route up Mount Everest from Base Camp in Nepal just as peak climbing season gets under way in the Himalayas, BBC reported.
"Icefall doctors" – who fix ropes and ladders on the lower part of the route up the world's highest peak - can find no way round the 100-foot-high (30m) block of ice just under Camp 1.
They say the only option is to wait for the ice block, called a serac, to melt – which they hope will happen within days.
The delay means preparations are weeks behind schedule for the spring season when weather for Everest ascents is usually best, and fears are growing that climbers will be queuing to reach the summit again this year, according to BBC.
