Kathmandu – Nepali Congress lawmaker Chandrakanta Bhandari has said it is futile to expect much from the current political leadership. Speaking during a meeting of the Education, Science, and Technology Committee on Thursday, where the subcommittee's report on the School Education Bill was being discussed, Bhandari criticized the present leadership for shirking responsibilities despite being eloquent in speeches.

Bhandari remarked that today's political leaders are quick to speak and write, but reluctant to fulfill their duties. "In my view, it’s pointless to expect much from the current leadership. They talk, write, and deliver speeches, but no one fulfills their responsibilities. This is the reality of our leadership—and I include myself in that," he said. "That’s why we need to become more practical and grounded."

He also raised concern that marginalized communities are still deprived of access to free education, stressing the need to guarantee their rights. Education, he added, should not be treated as a commodity measured in terms of money.

—People’s News Monitoring Service

Contempt of court case filed against Himal Media

KATHMANDU, June 27: A contempt of court case has been filed at the Supreme Court against Himal Media, alleging that two news reports published by Himal Khabar undermined the dignity of the judiciary.

Advocate Deepak Khanal filed the writ petition on May 30. Following the initial hearing, a joint bench of Justices Kumar Chudal and Nripadhwaj Niraula ordered the defendants to submit a written response by June 2.

The case has been filed against Himal Media Pvt. Ltd., its publisher Kanak Mani Dixit, editor Santa Gaha Magar, and senior special correspondent Man Bahadur Basnet. In response, Himal Media submitted its written clarification to the court on June 24.

One of the reports in question, published on May 9, highlighted a growing trend where higher courts have been acquitting individuals convicted of rape by lower courts. Another report, published on May 15, covered the acquittal of controversial spiritual leader Siddha Baba (Krishna Bahadur Giri) by the Biratnagar High Court in a rape case

Khamenei says Iran deliver heavy blow to US, Israel

London, June 27: Iran's supreme leader has insisted the US "gained no achievements" from strikes on its nuclear facilities, in his first public address since a ceasefire with Israel was agreed on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes did not "accomplish anything significant" to disrupt Iran's nuclear programme, and described the retaliation against an American air base in Qatar as dealing a "heavy blow".

It came as Washington doubled down on its assessment that the strikes had severely undermined Iran's nuclear ambitions.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said intelligence gathered by the US and Israel indicated the operation "significantly damaged the nuclear programme, setting it back by years".

Previously, US President Donald Trump said the strikes against three key nuclear sites inside Iran "totally obliterated" them, and has responded furiously to reports citing unnamed American officials suggesting the damage may have been less extensive than anticipated.

Khamenei, who had been largely out of public view since direct conflict with Israel broke out on 13 June, released a televised address on Thursday morning, ending a week-long public silence.

The supreme leader has reportedly been sheltering in a bunker and limiting communications, which has sparked speculation about his whereabouts. Iranian authorities did not disclose where he was speaking from on Thursday, though a senior official acknowledged he was in a safe place earlier this week.

Khamenei used Thursday's video address to threaten to carry out more strikes on US bases in the Middle East if Iran was attacked again, and declared victory over both Israel and the US.

Khamenei said Trump had "exaggerated" the impact of the nuclear site strikes, adding: "They couldn't accomplish anything and did not achieve their objective."

People’s News Monitoring Service

काठमाडौँ । मनसुन सुरु भएसँगै डेंगु सङ्क्रमणको जोखिम पुनः बढ्न थालेको छ ।  स्वास्थ्य सेवा विभागअन्तर्गत इपिडिमियोलोजी तथा रोग नियन्त्रण महाशाखा (ईडीसीडी) को तंथ्याकअनुसार गएको पुसयता देशभर १ हजार ५ सय ६१ जनामा डेंगु सङ्क्रमण पुष्टि भएको छ । यस्तै पछिल्लो एक सातामा ९१ जना डेंगुका नयाँ सङ्क्रमित फेला परेका छन् । 

विगतका वर्षहरूभन्दा यस वर्ष डेंगु सङ्क्रमण बढेको देखिएको छ । मनसुनको सुरुमै बिरामीहरू बढ्न थालेसँगै भदौ असोजसम्म ह्वातै बढ्न सक्ने सरुवा रोग विशेषज्ञहरू बताउँछन् । 

साथै वेलैमा सजकता नअपनाए यसले महामारीको रूप पनि लिन सक्ने उनीहरूले चेतावनी दिएका छन् ।

यसअघि नेपालमा सन् २०१० मा रूपन्देही, नवलपरासीलगायत तराईका जिल्लामा डेंगुले महामारीको रूप लिएको थियो । यस्तै, २०१९ मा धरानमा डेंगु व्यापक फैलिएको थियो । 

पछिल्लामा वर्षहरूमा काठमाडौँ उपत्यकालगायत जिल्लामा पनि डेंगुका बिरामीहरू ह्वात्तै बढ्न थालेका छन् । 

देशभरका ७३ जिल्ला डेंगु पुगिसक्यो । यसले गम्भीर असर पार्न सक्ने भएकाले पूर्वतयारी नै सबैभन्दा उचित विकल्प भएको स्वास्थ्यकर्मीहरू बताउँछन् । यस वर्ष बागमती, गण्डकी र कोशी प्रदेशमा डेंगु सङ्क्रमण बढी पुष्टि भएको छ ।

ईडीसीडीका गएको पुसयता बागमतीमा ३८६ वटा डेंगुको केस पुष्टि भइसकेको छ । त्यस्तै गण्डकीमा ३२२, कोशीमा ३१४, लुम्बिनीमा २६३, सुदूरपश्चिम २२६, कर्णालीमा ३४ र मधेसमा २५ वटा केस पुष्टि भएको छ । बर्खा लागेसँगै क्रमशः डेंगुका केस बढ्दै जान थालेका हुन् । 

‘वार्निङ साइन’ देखिए सजक हौँ

पछिल्लो समय डेंगुको केस बढे पनि सामान्य रूपमा लिने गरिएकाले पछुताउनुपर्ने स्थिति आउन सक्ने सरुवा रोग विशेषज्ञ डा.शेरबहादुर पुन बताउँछन् । अहिल्यैबाट सावधानी अपनाउनुको विकल्प नभएको उनको भनाइ छ । 

डेंगु सङ्क्रमण पुष्टि भई सामान्य रूपमा लिँदा स्वास्थ्यमा जटिलता आउन सक्ने भएकाले आराम गरी चिकित्सकको सल्लाहमा औषधि सेवन गर्न उनको सुझाव छ । उनका अनुसार डेंगुको ‘वार्निङ साइन’ देखिँदा वेलैमा सचेत हुनुपर्छ । डेंगु हुँदा केहीलाई तारन्तार बान्ता हुने, नाक अथवा गिजाबाट रगत आउने, पेट दुख्ने र बढी आलस्य हुने देखिने भएकाले यस्तो वेला आराम गर्न उनको सुझाव छ । डेंगुका यी चार ‘वार्निङ साइन’ बारे अब बहस गर्न आवश्यक भइसकेको उनले सुनाए । 

उनी सुझाउँछन्, ‘डेंगु पुष्टि भएपछि बिरामीको पेट वा छातीमा पानी जम्ने, कलेजोको आकार बढ्ने र रगतमा प्लेटलेट्को सङ्ख्या तीव्र गतिमा घट्ने देखिन्छ, यसलाई जटिल मान्नुपर्छ ।’

‘सेरोटाइप’ 

ईडीसीडीका निर्देशक डा. चन्द्रभाल झाका अनुसार नेपालमा हालसम्म डेंगुका ४ वटा ‘सेरोटाइप’ पुष्टि भएका छन् । उनका अनुसार संक्रमितहरूमा ‘सेरोटाइप’ का  १, २, ३ प्रकार बढी देखिएका छन् । त्यस्तै सबैभन्दा बढी प्रकार ‘३’ देखिएको छ । 

बर्खा लागेसँगै कीटजन्य रोग बढ्न नदिनका लागि सबै जना सचेत हुन आवश्यक रहेको निर्देशक झा सुझाउँछन् । डेंगुको केस बढ्न नदिन स्थानीय तहहरूसँग समन्वय गरिएको डा.झाले जानकारी दिए । 

यसरी अपनाऔँ सजकता

ईडीसीडीका निर्देशक झाले कीटजन्य रोग रोकथामका लागि यस आर्थिक वर्षमा केन्द्रबाट ८ करोड रुपैयाँ स्थानीय तहका लागि विनियोजन गरिएको बताए । डेंगु सङ्क्रमण बढ्न नदिका लागि केन्द्र, प्रदेश र स्थानीय तहसँग ‘खोज र नष्ट गर’ अभियानलाई तीव्रता दिइएको बताए । 

उता स्वास्थ्य तथा जनसंख्या मन्त्रालयका प्रवक्ता डाक्टर प्रकाश बुढाथोकीका अनुसार मनसुनसँगै भित्रिने यस्ता रोग फैलिन नदिन हरेक जिल्ला, पालिका र त्यसभन्दा तल्लो तहमा सङ्क्रमण रोगसम्बन्धी ‘र्‍यापिड रेस्पोन्स’ टिमहरू तयारी अवस्थामा राखिएका छन् ।

डेंगुका केस बढ्न नदिन सरकारको एक्लो प्रयासले मात्रै नभएर जनप्रतिनिधि र जनताको महत्त्वपूर्ण भूमिका रहने उनको भनाइ छ । 

डा. झाका अनुसार पानी पर्ने एकदुई दिन रोकिने भइरहेको छ । जसले खाडल अनि छत तथा घरबाहिर राखिएका भाँडाहरूमा पानी जम्ने हुँदा त्यहाँ लामखुट्टेका लार्भा बढ्न सक्छन् । त्यसरी पानी जम्नेको स्थानमा एडिज, एडिस एजिप्टी, एडिस एल्बोपिक्टस प्रजातिका लामखुट्टेले फुल पार्छन् । सो फुल लार्भा बन्छ र सोही लार्भा वयस्क भई भएपछि टोक्ने गर्छ । 

यसैले डेंगु बनाउने लामखुट्टेको दर बढ्न सक्ने भएकाले घर वा वरिपरि सफा राख्न उनले आग्रह गरे । 

General Secretary Pokharel lists monarchists, Maoists among UML’s four main enemies

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, June 26: In a fiery political address that left party leaders and cadres concerned, CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel painted a picture of a party under siege—not from one corner, but from four powerful fronts.

Speaking at the sixth meeting of the UML Kathmandu District Committee in Tokha on Thursday, Pokharel accused four forces of launching coordinated attacks on his party. “The UML is being cyber-attacked and politically cornered by four camps: royalists, Maoists under the communist banner, populist socialists, and foreign powers,” Pokharel declared, drawing a clear line between “us” and “them.”

According to Pokharel, monarchists have targeted UML for standing in the way of a royal resurgence. He claimed that had UML not opposed them, efforts to reinstate the monarchy—including symbolic actions like crowning a king at Narayanhiti—might have gone unchallenged.

“UML’s presence has deflated their indefinite movement. That’s why they are bitter,” he said. “But we won’t be shaken by their slogans—we know we’re on the right side of history.”

Pokharel took aim at rival leftist parties, accusing Maoists and socialist-leaning groups of attempting to undermine UML under the guise of being “fellow communists.” He alleged that they are engaged in cyber warfare against the party, driven by jealousy and their own political stagnation.

“They believe weakening UML is their only route to growth. But in reality, they are doing the bidding of foreign interests,” he warned.

The third “force” Pokharel identified was the populist wave, embodied by the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah. He accused them of misleading the public in the name of reform and using populism as a tool to discredit established parties like UML.

“These forces know that UML is the only party capable of exposing their flawed policies. That’s why we are in their crosshairs,” Pokharel said.

Saving the most ominous for last, Pokharel alleged that external powers—unnamed but clearly resented—are involved in weakening UML to turn Nepal into a puppet state.

“From resisting the blockade to reclaiming lost territory, UML has always stood tall for Nepal’s sovereignty,” he said. “Had UML not resisted, this country would have become a playground for foreign agendas.”

Pokharel didn’t stop at identifying threats—he rallied his party’s rank and file to stand strong, especially on social media, where he said most of the attacks are concentrated. He criticised leaders and cadres for retreating from political discourse online, instead resorting to posting family events and celebrations.

“Political silence isn’t an option. Speaking out and fighting back—collectively and confidently—is our duty,” he urged.

General Secretary Pokharel also warned that the ongoing attacks on party chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli could set a precedent for targeting other national leaders. “If we don’t counter this now, no one will be safe tomorrow,” he said.

3.6 million litre aviation fuel depot constructed at PRIA

DILIP PAUDEL

KATHMANDU, June 26: A 3.6 million-liter capacity aviation fuel depot has been constructed at Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), about two and a half years after the airport came into operation. Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has built the depot near the airport with an investment of around Rs 680 million.

According to project head Pradeep Yadav, the state-of-the-art depot includes three aviation fuel tanks with a capacity of 1.2 million liters each. “A new aviation fuel depot has been completed at PRIA,” said Yadav, “We are preparing to bring it into operation from the second week of Shrawan.”

The depot construction began in the first week of Shrawan 2080 BS (Mid-July 2023). Nepali contractors built this depot in collaboration with an Indian construction company. “This is the first time such a depot has been built with the corporation’s own investment and by domestic contractors and technicians,” said Yadav, “It’s a matter of pride for the oil corporation as well.”

During peak seasons, flights from Pokhara consume between 18,000 and 22,000 liters of fuel daily. The old airport in Pokhara only had a storage capacity of 64,000 liters. Previously, Nepal Oil Corporation had been managing aviation fuel at the new international airport by transporting it from the old airport via fuel bowsers.

NOC’s Executive Director Dr Chandika Prasad Bhatt stated that the aviation fuel depot has been built in line with international standards. “This will make it easier to serve aircraft for both international and domestic flights,” said Bhatt, “It will now be more convenient to provide quality fuel services.”

To ensure preparedness against possible fire accidents, two 1,200-kiloliter water tanks have also been built at the new depot. Additional infrastructure such as a pump house, office building, and laboratory have been constructed. As aviation fuel is highly sensitive, project chief Yadav said special attention has been given to ensuring quality and safety in the construction of necessary infrastructure. The aviation fuel depot will be operated using a fully automated system.

With PRIA now fully operational, the demand for aviation fuel is expected to increase due to rising domestic and international airline traffic. After the construction of the new depot, NOC will now be capable of supplying fuel to meet the growing demand of airline companies. The corporation stated that this will make aviation fuel sales more organized in the coming days.

The depot at the old airport has four underground tanks each with a storage capacity of 16 kiloliters. The international airport is located about 6.5 kilometers from the domestic terminal, and previously, aviation fuel was transported via dispensers and bowsers from the domestic depot to refuel aircraft at the international airport.

NOC currently has aviation fuel storage capacities of 7,710 kiloliters in Kathmandu, 280 in Biratnagar, 56 in Bhairahawa, 64 in Pokhara, 280 in Nepalgunj, 60 in Surkhet, and 45 in Dhangadhi. The corporation currently has aviation fuel depots at Tribhuvan International Airport, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Bhadrapur (Jhapa), Bhairahawa, Surkhet, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Simara, Janakpur, and others. Temporary fueling arrangements have been made in Simara and Manthali. At some busy airports, aviation fuel is transported by tanker trucks.

Airports in Dang, Dolpa, Jumla, Bhojpur, Bajura, Khanidanda (Khotang), Manang, Phaplu (Solukhumbu), Ramechhap, Rukum Chaurjahari, Rukum Salle, Rumjatar (Okhaldhunga), Rara (Mugu), Simikot (Humla), Taplejung, Tenzing-Hillary (Solukhumbu), Tumlingtar (Sankhuwasabha), and others do not have aviation fuel depots. Aircraft flying to these airports carry enough fuel for the return journey from the origin airport. NOC noted that building aviation fuel depots at these airports also requires proactive support from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.