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Palestinian and UN officials warned Sunday of a worsening health crisis in Gaza as Israel's blockade continues. The Gaza health ministry claimed that 64 percent of medical supplies are depleted, with 43 percent of key medicines completely unavailable, according to Xinhua.

Hospitals are straining to manage an increasing number of critically ill individuals, while thousands of children await urgent surgery. Severe shortages of assistive devices and the inability to access treatment outside Gaza are worsening conditions for the disabled.

The Eye Hospital in Gaza warned of an imminent halt to surgeries due to lack of equipment. The UN said the ongoing blockade is causing irreversible harm, with thousands of aid trucks unable to enter, Xinhua reported.

Since March, over 2,700 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,500 injured. Food shortages forced the World Central Kitchen to cease operations, raising the risk of starvation, particularly among children.

Sudanese authorities announced on Sunday that a massive fire at fuel tanks in Port Sudan had been extinguished, and electricity was gradually restored across the Red Sea State following recent drone assaults.

The Civil Defense Forces stated that the blaze was tough to control because of enormous oil reserves. The state electrical provider said that power has been restored to impacted areas, according to Xinhua.

The attacks are part of intensified drone strikes by the RSF targeting SAF-controlled infrastructure amid ongoing conflict since April 2023.

Weekly three flights are to be operated from Resunga airport in Gulmi in view of the increasing number of passengers.

Suman Thapa, the Resunga Airport Station Head, said that even though weekly flights have been operated, the service will be provided three times a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, considering the increasing number of passengers in recent times.

Nepal Airlines Corporation has been unable to operate services regularly due to a shortage of aircraft. The national flag-carrier has been operating flights from its Twin Otter aircraft. Regular flights have resumed after the maintenance of Nepal Airlines' aircraft.

The air fare from Resunga to Kathmandu is Rs 7,080 and Rs 7,280 vice-versa.

Manoj Karki, a local, said the news of operation of three flights a week has brought excitement among the Gulmi folks. The Corporation's 18-seat capacity aircraft is scheduled to fly from Kathmandu to Resunga at 6:10 am and from Resunga to Kathmandu at 7:15 am.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli vowed to check the felling of Saal trees in the name of scientific forest management. Addressing the second National Forest Promotion seminar organised by the Ministry of Forest and Environment here on Saturday, PM Oli acknowledged the importance of Saal trees for causing rainfall. Saal trees should not be used for commercial purposes until these trees are mature, he reminded. 

The PM reaffirmed the incumbent government’s commitment towards forest conservation and capitalising on the forest resources for the greater good of the earth. He opined that we should now focus on production rather than expanding forest coverage. 

Moreover, the Head of the Government called for adopting a policy that emphasises the prudent usage of forest products for commercial purposes, as well as strengthening forests and converting shrubs into dense forest. Oli suggested officers at the agriculture and forest offices could work in unison to promote the commercial farming of fruits. He underscored mutual cooperation and collaboration for forest conservation and ensuring economic gains from the cultivation of fruits and herbal plants.

Encouraging farmers for animal husbandry would promote forests’ regeneration and would contribute to an increase in wildlife’s population, he said, adding that it further contributes to the conservation of both the forest and the agricultural ecosystem. PM Oli expressed concern over misinterpretation of his statement, ‘Now, there is no need to increase tiger population’, dubbing him as speaking against conservation.
However, Oli took pride in Nepal’s achievement in tiger conservation efforts and expanding forest coverage, which stands at 46 per cent at present. “We have protected tigers by more than double the international pledge we had made. The environmental conservation effort is in the interest of humans. If mankind itself is unsafe, the environment can’t be conserved,” he remarked. Noting that there were some countries that did not ratify the Paris Agreement, the PM saw the importance of global efforts in protecting the Earth and ecology.  

On a different note, he mentioned that Nepal is going to organise the ‘Sagarmatha Sambad’ for the first time at the level of the international diplomatic forum to coordinate global efforts for climate action. The event is slated to take place May 16-18 in Kathmandu.