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Prime minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that a person who has already become the President entering politics is a serious issue.During a politburo meeting held at the party office in Chyasal on Friday, he said that a person who has reached a prestigious position in the country and has become the Supreme Commander of the Nepal Army, entering politics is a serious issue.

According to Publicity Department Chief Rajendra Gautam, Chairman Oli had said that the party would take a decision on former President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the appropriate time.

A few days ago, ruling Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba held a meeting with Prime Minister Oli and expressed his objection to former President Bhandari entering into politics.

Former President Bhandari announced her return to active UML politics on June 28.

North Korea has temporarily banned foreign tourists from its newly opened Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, despite earlier plans to welcome international visitors.

The seaside resort, launched on 1 July as part of Kim Jong Un’s tourism push, recently hosted Russian tourists and received praise from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his visit. Direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang are expected soon, BBC reported.

Spanning 4km of beachfront, the resort features hotels, restaurants, and a water park. However, rights groups have criticised alleged forced labour during its construction.

North Korea briefly reopened to foreign tourists earlier this year but halted visits without explanation, according to BBC.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians across Gaza on Friday, according to Al Jazeera.

Among the dead were civilians in Gaza City’s Tuffah area, Jabalia in the north, and al-Mawasi in the south—previously marked a “safe zone”—where tents sheltering displaced families were hit, killing at least five, including infants.

Seven others were killed while seeking aid. Many wounded, including children, were taken to Nasser Hospital with injuries linked to drone attacks.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported a rise in strikes using shrapnel-packed drone missiles targeting crowded areas, raising concerns over Israel’s claims of precision.

Israel will raise its defense budget by 42bn shekels (about $12.5bn) for 2025–2026, the finance and defense ministries announced Thursday.

The funding will support urgent military needs and strengthen security amid ongoing conflicts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the budget covers operations in Gaza and preparations for wider threats, Xinhua reported.

Defense spending currently stands at 110bn shekels—around 9 percent of Israel’s GDP.

Since resuming its Gaza offensive on March 18, over 7,800 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total death toll to nearly 59,000, according to Gaza health officials. The conflict began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, according to Xinhua.

Karnataka state authorities have blamed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and its partners for a fatal stampede during last month’s IPL victory celebrations, Al Jazeera reported.

According to a report released Thursday, the team held a parade in Bengaluru on June 4 without formal police permission, despite a rejected request. The event drew massive crowds near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, resulting in a stampede that killed 11 people, aged 14 to 29, and injured over 50 others.

The report cited poor planning and lack of coordination by RCB, event organisers DNA, and the state cricket association. Four individuals, including a senior RCB executive, have been detained in connection with the incident, according to Al Jazeera.

RCB has not commented on the findings.

A South Korean court on Friday denied former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s request for release, keeping him in custody amid an ongoing investigation into his failed martial law attempt, Reuters reported.

The Seoul Central District Court upheld the legality of Yoon’s detention, which stems from charges including insurrection, abuse of power, and falsifying documents. The investigation, led by Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk, began in June.

Yoon was impeached in April after the Constitutional Court found his martial law push unconstitutional.

The EU has approved a new round of sanctions against Russia, described as one of its toughest yet, according to foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The package includes a lower price cap on Russian oil exports—cut from $60 to $47.60 per barrel—and measures to permanently block the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. It also targets a Russian-owned refinery in India and blacklists over 100 vessels linked to sanction evasion, according to Xinhua.

Slovakia, which had delayed the deal over energy concerns, backed the move after receiving assurances from the European Commission.

Construction of the road connecting Ramaroshan, a major tourist destination in the Sudurpaschim Province, remains incomplete seven years after work began. The delay has affected both locals and tourists, causing hardship and hampering tourism potential. 

The Infrastructure Development Office in Achham is overseeing the construction of a 68.976-kilometer road, divided into three sections: Bannigadhi Jayagadh Rural Municipality to Jayagadh-Majhthana-Gauta Khola (12.438 km), Darna-Mujabagar (38.850 km), and Mujabagar-Ramaroshan (17.688 km). Three different companies were contracted to complete the project.

Bajraguru Construction Company Pvt Ltd signed a contract in fiscal year 2018/19 to complete its section by 1 July 2022, for Rs 30m. Anak Jayadevi JV was assigned the Darna-Mujabagar section with a contract worth Rs 137m, while PS Baniya JV was contracted for the Mujabagar-Ramaroshan section for Rs 574m in 2019/20.

According to Nayan Bahadur Budha, Accounts Officer at the Infrastructure Development Office, Bajraguru has so far received Rs 236m, Anak/Jayadevi JV Rs 67.4m, and PS Baniya JV Rs 265m. However, no payments were made to PS Baniya JV in FY 2020/21 and 2024/25, Anak/Jayadevi JV in FYs 2021/22, 2023/24, and 2024/25, and Bajraguru in FY 2023/24, due to lack of progress.

Office Engineer Dipendra Thapa said that the contract deadlines for all three companies have been extended twice. Anak/Jayadevi JV’s work has been stalled since 2021/22, after a flood damaged its section. “Baniya is working now, and Bajraguru is expected to begin blacktopping in August. We’ve made repeated requests. Anak/Jayadevi JV’s variation order has been submitted to the Council of Ministers multiple times, but there has been no response. Anak had completed about 35 percent of the work, which was washed away by the 2020 flood in the Kailash River,” he said.

Under the Public Procurement (Fourteenth Amendment) Regulations 2025, contractors can apply for a deadline extension if the work could not be completed on time due to various reasons. They must submit an application detailing the incomplete work and required timeline, along with a commitment not to claim additional funds. The concerned authority is required to decide on the extension within 30 days, failing which departmental action may be taken against responsible officials.

The 18 Aug 2020 flood in the Kailash River caused extensive damage in the Ramaroshan area. Seventeen people lost their lives in Sain Bazaar, and infrastructure including roads, bridges, police stations, and hydropower plants was destroyed.

“If road access here were better, more foreign tourists could visit,” said Purna Bahadur BK, Executive Director of the Ramaroshan Area Tourism Development and Management Committee. “Physical infrastructure is key to unlocking Ramaroshan’s potential and contributing to the national economy. Even now, tourists come despite poor roads—if improved, the numbers would increase significantly.” He blamed contractor negligence for the delays.

The delay has severely impacted tourism development in the area. Jhapat Bohara, then a Provincial Assembly member from Achham-1 (B) and now a central committee member of the CPN-UML, had allocated budget for blacktopping the Jaigad-Ramaroshan road when he served as Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning in the Sudurpaschim Provincial Government.