Israel orders evacuations in northern Gaza as Trump pushes for ceasefire

Israel has ordered Palestinians to evacuate from parts of northern Gaza ahead of increased military action, as US President Donald Trump pushes for a ceasefire deal, BBC reported.

People in neighbourhoods across Gaza City and Jabalia have been told to move south towards the coastal area of al-Mawasi as Israeli military operations "intensify and expand westward".

At least 86 people were killed as the result of Israeli attacks in the 24 hours before midday on Sunday, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

Three children were among those killed in a strike on the so-called "safe zone" of al-Mawasi, their parents said, according to BBC.

Parliament endorses Civil Service Bill

The lower House of the Federal Parliament, House of Representatives (HoR), passed the Federal Civil Service Bill, 2082 with a dozen new provisions on Sunday. 

The Bill was registered in the Parliament one-and-half- year back. 

The Bill has been passed with the provision of two years of cooling off. It is one of the significant features the Bill incorporated. As per the provision, civil servants are barred for two years from retirement from job to get public appointments- constitutional and diplomatic.  

This provision had earlier created an intense debate even among the lawmakers and top bureaucrats, prompting bureaucrats to run from pillars to posts to secure their interest to avoid cooling off. 

Since the registration of the Bill, it has witnessed debates in several other key points such as retirement age, lateral entry, entry age for men/women in civil service, cooling off, arrangement of additional secretary, term of chief secretary.

The current retirement age has been extended by two years, reaching 60. However, it will be enforced phase-wise. In the first year of the enactment, the civil servants will retire at the existing age limit- 58, while those to retire in the next fiscal year at 59 and those in the third fiscal year at 60.

 

The next meeting of the Parliament will be held on July 7. 

 

 

Trump calls for a deal on the war in Gaza as signs of progress emerge

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pleaded for progress in ceasefire talks in the war in Gaza, calling for a deal that would halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict as Israel and Hamas appeared to be inching closer to an agreement, Associated Press reported.

An Israeli official said plans were being made for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.

“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social early Sunday between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill, according to Associated Press.

Trump raised expectations Friday for a deal, saying there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters, he said, “We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.”

Russia launches the biggest aerial attack since the start of the war, Ukraine says

Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war, Associated Press reported.

Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.

The onslaught was “the most massive airstrike” on the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told The Associated Press. The attack targeted several regions, including western Ukraine, far from the front line.

Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the country’s air force said, according to Associated Press.

Thousands protest in Bangkok calling for Thai PM to resign

Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a phone call she had with the former Cambodian leader Hun Sen was leaked, BBC reported.

In the call, which was about a recent incident on their border, she addressed Hun Sen as "uncle" and said a Thai military commander handling the dispute "just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful".

The call has sparked public anger and a key partner in her ruling coalition has quit. Paetongtarn apologised, but defended the call as a "negotiation technique".

FM participates in FAO conference

Minister of Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba has participated in the high level ministerial special eventorganized during the ongoing 44th Session of the General Conference of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at its headquarters in Rome, Italy. 

Addressing conference Rana called on the global community to act together towards building food systems that nourish our people and protect our future, leaving no one behind.

 There is a need to build a future where no child suffers from stunting, no mother is left without nourishment, and no community is denied the right to a healthy life, the foreign minister said. While underscoring the need for international partnerships, predictable financing, and accessible technology in securing safe and nutritional food for all people in the world, particularly for those living in the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs, the Foreign Minister called for scaled-up investment in transforming our food systems, means to adapt to climate change, and the resources to help build the resilience of these group of countries.

Iran could start enriching uranium for bomb within months, UN nuclear chief says

Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in "a matter of months", the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has said, BBC reported.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but "not total" damage, contradicting Donald Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated".

"Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there," Grossi said on Saturday.

Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran on 13 June, claiming Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon, according to BBC.

 

PHC conducts hearing on two proposed justices

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) on Sunday  conducted hearing on two proposed justices of the Supreme Court.

The Committee conducted the hearing on senior advocate  Megh Raj Pokharel and Chief Judge of High Court Janakpur, Shreekanta Poudel. 

Stating that there is a big gap between the theory and practical exercise, committee member Janardan Sharma shared the reality that development construction activities were affected while delivering decisions by the judiciary on the cases against the principle of separation of powers.  

Similarly, another member Shyam Kumar Ghimire commented that a tendency of keeping the political cases aside has increased. 

Likewise, committee members—Mahesh Kumar Bartaula, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal, Jag Prasad Sharma, Leela Shrestha and Sunita Baral raised various questions to the proposed justices.  

They stressed that justices should present themselves strongly to maintain good governance in the judiciary. 

A meeting of the Judicial Council held on June 13 had recommended senior advocate Pokharel, Judge Poudel and another Judge Shanti Singh Thapa for parliamentary hearing.