13 june, kathmandu- The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has directed all 753 local levels to establish anti-drug abuse unit in every school.

The Federal Affairs Ministry directed the local level for the same at the request of the Home Ministry, said officer at the Local-Level Coordination Section, Janakraj Sharma.

The Federal Affairs Ministry asked the local levels to form such a cell in every school on June 26, International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is celebrated across the world including Nepal.

Sharma said that the Federal Affairs Ministry asked to establish the anti-drug abuse cell in every school as creating public awareness against drug was necessary. The government has decided to observe the Day from June 21-26. (RSS)

12 june, Chitwan- Chitwan which contributes largely to the poultry production at home, has now become fully sufficient on milk production as well, a study shows.

The three-month-long joint study conducted by the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Experts Centre, Chitwan and Chitwan Milk Producers’ Cooperatives Association came up with this encouraging finding.
According to Centre Chief, Dr Bijay Shrestha, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has recommended that an individual should consume 250 milliliters milk a day to stay healthy. It means that an individual should drink 91 liters of milk in a year.

The district in central Nepal is home to 625 thousands population who need 156 thousands liters of milk each day to meet the FAO recommendation.

The district produces 290 thousands liters of milk daily. The extra quantity is supplied to other districts, mainly to Kathmandu, then Kaski and neighbouring districts.
The study shows the number of milking cows is 49 thousands and among them, 10 thousands are of local verities. Similarly, the number of hybrid buffaloes is nine thousands. These data were collected by the Livestock Service Section at the local level.

According to Association chair Ratnamani Neupane, 104 milk cooperatives, out of 138 in the district, are active. He added that there was a potentiality that the production could go up by 50 per cent if the government support was received. He claimed that Chitwan could meet the demand for milk throughout the country if certain measures were taken such as the development of cow and female calves breeding center, guarantee of accessible subsidized loan to farmers, sufficient grants, availability of vaccine for animals in need and so on.

A programme has been scheduled here today to announce the district fully sufficient on milk production. Prior to this, Kavrepalanchowk was declared as the first district becoming self-sufficient on milk. (RSS)

12 june, kathmandu- Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) Purnachandra Thapa is going to China on June 16 at the formal invitation of the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Nepal Army spokesperson Bigyan Dev Pandey confirmed that the army chief would embark on a visit from June 16 to June 22.

During the visit to northern neighbour, CoAS Thapa is scheduled to hold meeting with his Chinese counterpart and discuss matters of mutual interests.(RSS)

12 june, kathmandu- Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his delegation, presently in the Europe visit, is leaving for France today. He is scheduled to travel to Paris, the capital city of France, by train from London. The PM is visiting France at the friendly invitation of his French counterpart Edouard Philippe.

Meanwhile, before leaving for Paris, he will busy in several meetings including with the UK Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Region, Mark Field; the general secretary of UK’s International Maritime Organisation, senior officials of World Energy Council and chiefs of Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh and Department of Botany. He will attend a reception to be hosted by Nepal’s Ambassador for the UK, Durga Bahadur Subedi, today.

The Prime Minister’ and his entourage had left here for Geneva on June 8. The Geneva visit where he addressed the ILO Centenary Session and had other high-level meetings was followed by the UK visit. He is scheduled to return home on June 15.

The PM’s entourage includes his spouse Radhika Shakya, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali; Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Gokarna Bista; chief political advisor to the Prime Minister, Bishnu Rimal; foreign affairs advisor, Dr Rajan Bhattarai; press advisor Kundan Aryal and lawmakers Bimal Prasad Shreewastav and Binda Pandey. (RSS)

12 june, kathmandu- The Supreme Court has sought written answer from the government regarding why the illegal extraction of sand, pebbles and stones from the Sunkoshi river was not stopped.

A single bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher JB Rana issued an order to this effect in the name of the defendants, in response to a writ filed on June 6 by advocates Padam Bahadur Shrestha and Chiranjivi Bhattarai seeking a mandamus order from the apex court to stop the illegal mining of sand, pebbles and stones from the river bank and bed.

The court has ordered the defendants – the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Forests and Environment and other bodies – to submit written reply within June 23 why the illegal extraction of the river-based materials was not stopped.

Petitioners have sought intervention for immediately implementing and have implemented the laws related to the extraction, management and sale and distribution of river-based materials, citing that the legal provisions which should have been effectively enforced and implemented have been neglected.
The illegal mining of river-based materials like sand, pebbles, stones on the bank of Sunkoshi river on both sides and the river bed from Bahrabise municipality bazaar to Dolalghat has obstructed the river’s natural flow and changed its shape, the writ argues.

The writ states that the formation of big pools due to the illegal mining on the bank of the river on its two sides has spoiled the beauty of the river and also threatened its very existence, and also argues for river conservation by law since there would be long-term environmental effect on humans, wildlife, aquatic animals, waterway, highway, forests and the tourism entrepreneurs due to such rampant excavation activities. (RSS)

12 june, kathmandu- Acting Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel said that the government has accorded a high priority for the reform of public education sector in the country so that no one has to be left out to get an education due to poverty.

Inaugurating a new building for Prithivi Narayan Secondary School at Tarakeshwor Municipality in Kathmandu today, Acting PM Pokharel shared that a decade-long programme aimed at enhancing quality in community schools sector would be implemented in coordination among the federal, provincial and local government.

He argued, “It is only education that would produce a capable work force. Education should interconnect production, labour, employment and self-reliance.”

Also Minister for Defence, Pokharel further said vocational education was prioritized and it would be incorporated in the curriculum by 70 per cent.

He expressed his confidence that a total of 70 districts would be declared fully literate districts by next fiscal year.
Pokharel also laid a foundation stone for the construction of library and multi-purpose covered hall that will be built at a cost of Rs 20 million.

The construction works would be carried out in financial assistance of the South Korean social organization Um Hong Gil Human Foundation.

The Foundation was founded by South Korean national Um Hong Gil. Um Hong had climbed the highest mountain in the world, Everest, locally known as Sagarmatha, in 2002.

He established the Foundation in 2008 and has been running a slew of humanitarian activities in Nepal.
Acting PM Pokharel said that government of Nepal would make decision at the earliest regarding conferring on honorary citizenship to Um Hong.
An avid mountaineer who has already climbed 16 mountains above 8,000 metres in height, this Nepal-lover South Korean has already supported construction of buildings in 15 schools in various places across Nepal.
In today’s programme, Um Hong said Nepal’s future would be bright if the dreams and goals of the Nepali students were fulfilled.

On the occasion, Nepali Congress parliamentarian Bhimsen Das Pradhan commented that the budget allocated by the incumbent government in education sector was insufficient.

Present at the programme were the South Korean ambassador to Nepal, Tarakeshwor Municipality mayor Rameshwor Bohora, Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Radhika Aryal and the School’s authorities. Established in 2032 BS, there are altogether 1020 students in the School, according to principal Narayan Prasad Sharma. (RSS)

12 june, Parasi- A 65-year-old was killed after being struck by lightning at Betahani of Pratappur rural municipality-5 in Parasi (Nawalparasi west).

The deceased has been identified as a local Jhinku Loniya. The lightning hit him at around 1:45 pm today as he was walking on the street. Through he was rushed to the Community Hospital Chaupatta, he was pronounced dead on arrival, District Police Office’s Information Officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Birendra Thapa said. (RSS)

12 june, Mexico- A journalist was murdered Tuesday in southeast Mexico, her former employer and other news outlets reported.

Norma Sarabia was a correspondent for the newspaper Tabasco HOY for 15 years and most recently worked for other media outlets in Tabasco state, the newspaper said in its report of her death. Sarabia is the sixth journalist slain this year in Mexico.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters: more than 100 have been murdered here since 2000, amid a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking and political corruption.
The vast majority of those killings remain unpunished. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country as the third most dangerous in the world for the press, after war-torn Afghanistan and Syria.

In May, crime reporter Francisco Romero was murdered in a resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast after receiving threats. Romero, who was enrolled in the Mexican government’s protection program for journalists and human rights activists, was found dead in a pool of blood in his hometown of Playa del Carmen. (RSS)

12 june, kampala- Uganda’s minister of health late on Tuesday night announced that the east African country has registered an outbreak of the deadly Ebola Hemorrhagic fever.

Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters in a press conference telecast live that the index case is that of a five-year old boy in the western district of Kasese neighboring eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo where the outbreak is raging.
The country has been on high alert since the deadly disease broke out in eastern DRC. Ebola and Marburg virus last broke out in Uganda in 2012. Ebola left over 20 people dead while Marburg killed at least nine people.

Ebola is a highly infectious disease spread through body contact with an infected person. It presents symptoms including high fever, bleeding, diarrhea and red eyes, among others, according to the World Health Organization.
Mortality rates of Ebola fever, according to the global health body are extremely high, with the human case fatality rate ranging from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on viral subtype. (RSS)

12 june, Afghanistan- Five Afghan security personnel were killed and seven others sustained injuries as airstrikes mistakenly targeted a military base in Imam Sahib district of the country’s northern Kunduz province on Wednesday, district governor Mahboubullah Sayedi said.

According to Sayedi, the air raids conducted around 02:00 a.m. were obviously against armed militants but they struck an army base in Ismael Qushlaq area of the restive Imam Sahib district, killing five soldiers and wounding seven others.

The official didn’t say if the attacking planes belonged to the Afghan air force or the U.S.-led coalition troops.This is not the first time that the so-called friendly fire claims the lives of Afghan security personnel.

A U.S.-led forces friendly fire which targeted Taliban fighters in Nahr-e-Saraj district of the southern Helmand province on May 16, reportedly slammed into a police bastion, killing 17 police personnel and wounding 11 others.
Similar mistake has left five soldiers dead near Uruzgan provincial capital Tirin Kot in mid March. (RSS)