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More than 10,000 cattle have been infected with lumpy skin disease in a year in the district. 

In recent months, 142 infected cattle have died. According to Shital Bhattarai, chief of Veterinary Hospital and Animal Service Technical Center, Jhapa, vaccination campaigns are going on in all 15 local levels in the district to control the disease. 

So far, 58,000 animals have been vaccinated in the district.  She also shared that the highest cases were recorded in Mechinagar Municipality and Bahradashi Rural Municipality.  

Chief Bhattarai mentioned that the infection of Lumpy Skin Disease was spreading with the rise in temperature. "The disease spreads due to the bites of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and other insects," she added, "We are conducting a free vaccination campaign reaching every farmer's shed for disease control."

Moreover, 77,500 doses of vaccine have arrived in the district from the Department of Livestock and Fishery Development. The affected cattle show the symptoms as fever, lumps in various parts of the body and internal layers, fluid emanating from the lumps, and abscess formation. 

The Center Chief Bhattarai further shared that this problem was not observed in the cattle that were vaccinated in the past. So, the risk is only significant in the newly born calves and imported cattle. In the current fiscal year 2081/82, they conducted observations at 72 farms in the district to address infertility issues in cattle by organizing integrated camps. 

During the period, 13 households claimed damages to livestock due to natural disasters. Based on those claims, the office has been providing relief amounts ranging from Rs 6,000 to 78,000.

Private sector credit by banks and financial institutions expanded by eight percent, or Rs 407.62bn, in the first 11 months of the fiscal year, marking a significant recovery from 5.1 percent growth in the same period of fiscal year 2023-24. Credit growth fell to 3.4 percent in the first 11 months of 2022-23 from 13.5 percent in the same period of 2021-22 and 24.9 percent in 2020-21.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), credit expansion, which had been on a downward trend since 2020-21, has shown signs of recovery in recent years. Although credit growth has reached the highest in the past three years, it is still below the growth target set by the monetary policy.

The Monetary Policy for 2024-25 has targeted 12.5 percent credit growth.

The central bank has attributed the uptick in credit flow in the current fiscal year to a gradual improvement in economic activities after a prolonged slowdown.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, NRB had introduced a range of relief measures, which led to a surge in credit growth in fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22. Credit flow increased by 26.8 percent in 2020-21 compared to 13.6 percent in 2019-20. However, credit flow started slowing after the central bank tightened monetary policy in subsequent years. It fell to 13.5 percent in 2021-22 and 3.5 percent in 2022-23. It slightly improved to 5.75 percent in 2023-24. 

According to the central bank, industrial production loans grew by 8.2 percent, construction sector loans by 12.9 percent, wholesale and retail trade loans by 5.2 percent, transport, communications, public services loans by 13.5 percent, service industries by 8.8 percent, and consumption loans by 10.9 percent in 11 months of 2024-25.

Among loan types, term loans grew by 5.1 percent, while margin loans jumped by a whopping 42.8 percent. At the same time, trust receipt loans rose by a massive 62.2 percent, hire purchase loans by 5.5 percent, cash credit by 0.6 percent, real estate loans (including personal housing) by 5 percent while overdraft loans went down by 13.2 percent.

Economists say the government's low spending capacity and the tendency to ramp up spending only in the final month of the fiscal year (mid-June to mid-July) have constrained demand. However, they said that rising imports in recent months have led to an increase in credit uptake.

According to the NRB, merchandise imports grew by 13.1 percent to Rs 1,644.8bn in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year 2024-25, compared to a decline of 1.8 percent in the same period of the previous fiscal year. 

Guru Purnima, also known as Asad Shukla Poornima, is being celebrated today by honouring and expressing gratitude towards mentors and teachers alike.

The festival also carries religious and cultural significance, as a day to honour the gurus— traditionally those who impart wisdom and guide followers towards the path of knowledge and awakening.

Academic institutions observe the day as Teachers' Day with students honouring their teachers and professors, while recalling their contribution to academic growth and excellence.

‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means light. The person who destroys the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge is called Guru, says Prof Dr Devmani Bhattarai, a theologian and member of the Nepal Panchang Nirnayak Bikas Samiti.

Today is also observed as Vyas Jayanti in memory of Ved Vyas, who composed 18 Puranas and 18 Upapuranas in simple Sanskrit language to explain the meaning of Vedas, dividing into four parts - Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. 

Since Ved Vyas is believed to have been born on the full moon day of the month of Ashadha, Vyas Jayanti is celebrated on this day, as per legends.

There are chances of heavy rainfall at one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim  Provinces today. 

As the weather remains partly to generally cloudy throughout the country, light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of Koshi, Bagmati, Lumbini and Sudur Pashchim Provinces and at a few places of rest of the country, says the Meteorological Forecasting Division.

There is also a possibility of light to moderate snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous region of the country.

The entire country is currently under the influence of monsoon winds.

Tonight, the weather will continue to remain partly to generally cloudy throughout the country. 

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of Koshi Province and hilly regions of the country and at a few places in the rest of the country. 

There is also a possibility of light to moderate snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.

Nepali Congress has taken action against leaders and cadres, who acted against the party’s candidates or candidates supported by the party, resulting in their defeat in the 2079 local, provincial and federal elections.

A meeting of the party's Central Disciplinary Committee held from June 23 to July 1 decided to expel and suspend individuals based on evidence of their malicious intent to undermine the party’s candidates or those supported by the party, using various tactics including social media, audio and visual, etc.

According to Committe coordinator Anand Prasad Dhungana, the Committee sought clarification from Mahasamiti member from Tehrathum, Tulsi Subba, Mahasamiti member from Kaski and former minister of Gandaki Province, Kumar Khadka, secretary of Lumbini Province, Bikram Khanal, President of Khotang, Bishnu Kumar Rai, and regional President of Parsa Constituency-1, Arvind Kumar Gupta.

Since their clarification was not found satisfactory, a decision has been made to expel them for one year based on the available evidence according to the Congress statute, and to expel Anand Yadav, Chair of the Laxminiya Rural Municipality in Dhanusha district, for six months. 

As their response to the clarification sought by the Central Disciplinary Committee was not satisfactory, it has been decided to suspend them for six months based on available evidence according to the NC statute, and to suspend Krishna KC, the former chair of NC Kaski, for three months, said coordinator Dhungana.

Nvidia has become the first company in the world to reach a market value of $4tn, BBC reported.

Shares in the chip-maker rose by as much as 2.4% to $164 on Wednesday, as the company continues to benefit from the ongoing surge in demand for the tech that powers artificial intelligence (AI).

The US-based company reached a market value of $1tn for the first time in June 2023, and has continued to climb rapidly since.

Tech analyst Dan Ives, of Wedbush Securities, said in a note that was in a historic moment for Nvidia.

"They are the only game in town with their chips the new gold and oil," he wrote, according to BBC.

South Korea's former president has been rearrested over last year's failed martial law bid that plunged the country into political turmoil, BBC reported.

Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached in April over the order, which saw military rule introduced for six-hours in December. 

A senior judge at Seoul's Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Wednesday, citing fears he could destroy evidence.

Yoon, who was the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, faces trial on charges of leading an insurrection over his attempt to impose martial law, according to BBC.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is drifting south and making it difficult for Americans to enjoy summer, six members of Congress have said in a letter to Canada's embassy, BBC reported.

"We write to you today on behalf of our constituents who have had to deal with suffocating Canadian wildfire smoke filling the air to begin the summer," they wrote to Ambassador Kirsten Hillman.

It was signed by Tom Tiffany and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin and Michelle Fischbach, Brad Finstad, Pete Stauber and Tom Emmer of Minnesota. The Canadian embassy told the BBC that Canada takes wildfire prevention "very seriously". 

Two Canadians have died in this year's wildfires and tens of thousands of others have evacuated, according to BBC.