During a courtesy call with Fahad Mohammed A. Al-Maniker, the Saudi Ambassador to Nepal, a request was made to immediately suspend the skills verification process for Nepali workers.

Minister Yadav’s secretariat stated that Ambassador Al-Maniker was also asked to ensure that the visa process for Nepali workers is not disrupted by the skills verification procedure.

Drawing attention to the situation where Nepali workers preparing to go to Saudi Arabia are facing problems due to confusion regarding the skill certification process, Minister Yadav urged to ensure an environment that does not hinder the employment of workers, according to the secretariat.

Leandro Trossard scored a pair of goals and Belgium overcame a slow start in the tournament to advance to the knockout round atop Group G with a 5-1 victory over New Zealand on Friday night.

Belgium will face an as-yet undetermined third-place finisher on Wednesday in Seattle. The match was played simultaneously to the other group finale in Seattle between Egypt and Iran, which ended in a 1-1 draw, dropping Egypt out of first.

The Belgians went into the match a surprising third in its group after opening the World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Egypt and a scoreless draw against Iran.

“I think we had the chances as well in the first two games, and we didn’t take them. So it’s important that we took them today,” Trossard said. “And it’s always nice to score a lot of goals, and we’re just really happy to go through in first place as well, and yeah, a lot of joy.”

Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers also scored for the Belgians, who were eliminated in the group stage in Qatar four years ago after finishing third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Elijah Just scored for New Zealand, which needed to win outright to have a chance at advancing. The All Whites head home without a first-ever World Cup win.

Should Belgium win its knockout round opener, it will face the winner of the match against the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 16.

“First, we’ll have to win our round of 32 match. I don’t even know who we’ll be playing yet, so it would be disrespectful to start talking about the round of 16 already,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. “We’ll see who comes through.”

The finish atop the group also means the Belgium won’t have to travel far for their first knockout game. The team’s training base is in Seattle.

Trossard came oh-so-close to scoring early in the match, but goal-line technology determined that the ball did not cross the line.

New Zealand defender Finn Surman was called for a handball in the box in the 23rd minute, giving Belgium a penalty kick, but video determined that his arm was in a natural position and play continued.

In a scramble in front of the net, Trossard popped the ball up into the cross bar and it fell into the goal to put Belgium in front in the 28th minute.

It was Belgium’s first goal at the World Cup since Michy Batshuayi’s goal against Canada in the group opener in Qatar in 2022. Belgium’s goal in its 1-1 draw against Egypt in the opener of this tournament was an own goal.

Trossard scored his second early in the second half, striking a rebound off a New Zealand player past goalkeeper Max Crocombe.

De Bruyne added a stunning strike from outside the box in the 66th minute to all but put the game away for Belgium. He celebrated by making a heart with his hands for the sellout Vancouver crowd.

Just’s goal avoided the shutout for New Zealand in the 84th minute, but two minutes later Lukaku scored on a header for Belgium and blew a kiss to the fans. Saelemaekers scored in stoppage time.

“It’s been a long journey, and proud of the boys,” said Just, who had three goals in the tournament. “Everyone worked their hardest, It just wasn’t there.”

Winger Jérémy Doku started for Belgium after missing Sunday’s scoreless draw with Iran with an illness. He then flew to London for the birth of his son. He had only trained with the team once in seven days.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made his 18th World Cup appearance for Belgium, breaking the mark set by Enzo Scifo.

New Zealand fell 3-1 to Egypt on Sunday in Vancouver, as the Pharaohs won for the first time at a World Cup. The All Whites tied 2-2 with Iran in their group opener.

In the 57th minute, Salah was surprisingly replaced by Mostafa Zico. In comments translated from Arabic, Hassan said Salah is being assessed by the team’s medical staff, and will have another examination when Egypt returns to the team hotel.

“I talked to Salah and he said he’s going to be OK and it’s not a big injury,” Hassan said. “We still have time to talk to the medical staff. I think he will be back, and when I spoke to Salah he assured me he’s going to be OK.”

Ahead of the tournament, Hassan expressed a quiet confidence in the roster around Salah. Egypt made good on Hassan’s goal of the team advancing past the group stage for the first time in the expanded field.

It would still be a serious blow for Egypt if Salah is not able to play in the knockout round against Australia next Friday.

The four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner scored his 68th international goal in the Pharaohs’ first World Cup win, a 3-1 victory against New Zealand. The 34-year-old has assisted on two other goals in the tournament.

According to the Department of Animal Services, the infection has been confirmed in 82 places in 11 districts so far, and special vigilance has been adopted in the affected areas to control the disease.

After the bird flu was first confirmed in Morang on Chaitra 4, 2082 BS, the infection has spread to Jhapa, Sunsari, Mahottari, Bara, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kavrepalanchok.

According to Dr. Umesh Dahal, Director General of the Department of Animal Services, 569,858 birds have been destroyed so far in the course of infection control. He informed that 989,313 eggs and 1,954.85 quintals of grain have also been destroyed.

To control the disease, the Department of Animal Services has established a ‘Bird Flu Disease Control Cell’ under the leadership of the Deputy Director General and has mobilized technical teams in the affected areas in coordination with the federal, provincial and local levels.

According to the department, the infection has been brought under control in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari in Koshi Province, as well as Bara, Mahottari, Chitwan and Nawalparasi. However, special surveillance has been increased as infections are still being seen in some areas of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchok, informed Director General Dr. Dahal.

The department stated that the process of viral gene sequencing has been initiated in collaboration with the National Public Health Laboratory to ascertain whether or not any genetic changes (mutations) have occurred in the infecting virus.

The department has urged poultry farmers to strictly adhere to biosecurity standards at their farms, refrain from reusing old egg crates, ensure transport vehicles are thoroughly disinfected before entering the farm premises, and prevent contact between domestic and wild birds.

Similarly, the department has requested that it is mandatory to obtain a veterinary certificate when transporting poultry and poultry products, to get regular vaccinations, and to immediately inform the nearest animal services office if an unusually large number of birds are sick or dead on any farm.

She felt like she needed to prepare for death — in case she gets deported back to Haiti, a country she fled at 9 years old.

After the Supreme Court decided Thursday to allow the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti and Syria, fear ricocheted through those communities across the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people now face the prospect of deportation.

“I have been living with this internal fear, it’s like preparing for a funeral, just in case I die when going to another country,” said the nurse, who asked not to be identified for fear of being targeted for deportation.

She is among about 350,000 Haitians granted Temporary Protected Status, many of whom have legally lived and worked in the U.S. for decades and have children who are U.S. citizens. Thursday’s decision, which is expected to take effect July 27, also applied to around 6,000 Syrians. It could also open the door to the administration unwinding protections for 1.3 million people from 17 countries.

Temporary Protected Status allows people to live and work in the US

Congress created Temporary Protected Status in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries deemed dangerous, because of disasters, civil war or other violence or instability. It permits people to work legally in the U.S. but does not provide a path to citizenship. It can be renewed in increments of up to 18 months if the homeland security secretary deems conditions unsafe for return.

The Biden administration roughly doubled the number of people covered by TPS. The Trump administration ended those protections, insisting it was meant to be temporary, the countries are now safe and that President Joe Biden’s administration expanded the destination and poorly vetted its recipients.

TPS beneficiaries have, by definition, been living in limbo and their futures have been especially precarious under President Donald Trump, but the Supreme Court ruling delivered what could be a crushing blow to living and working legally in the United States.

Haitians in Ohio have been in the spotlight before

The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, became a particular target of the administration during the 2024 campaign, when Trump spread fictional rumors that Haitians there were eating people’s cats and dogs. There is no evidence to support those claims.

Still, the community has been under intense pressure ever since, said Viles Dorsainvil, the executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield.

Thursday’s ruling added to the panic and chaos. People don’t know if they should withdraw all their money from the bank, Dorsainvil said. They don’t know if they can work, if their kids can go to school. Many are making preparations to leave their children who are U.S. citizens behind if they are sent away.

“As a Haitian, I always say that life has not been easy for us, nothing has been easy for us and this is another chapter in our life. And we’ve been in that type of situation since after the presidential campaign when they came up with that type of conspiracy theory of us eating cats and dogs,” he said. “We’ve been targeted. We’ve been in the spotlight for their political agenda.”

Dorsainvil said he’s focused on trying to keep people calm, telling them not to panic, not to feel hopeless or make desperate decisions that could further jeopardize them and their children.

Many TPS holders work in caregiving roles

On Thursday morning, a Haitian mother of a 17-month-old baby boy who lives in Florida woke up to the news.

“I was reading it and I just for a moment there I just felt like I couldn’t breathe, like as if something was just sitting on my chest, like my lungs couldn’t extend,” the 37-year-old said, her voice breaking.

She asked not to be identified for fears of being detained and deported.

“I did not expect this. It is so hard to accept. Maybe I am in denial but I think this can’t be real,” she said. “I had so much hope.”

She arrived in the U.S. in 1995 when she was 7 years old and graduated from high school here. But she could not go to college because she did not have legal status.

But in 2010 everything changed, when the U.S. granted Haitians protection after a catastrophic earthquake. The U.S. repeatedly extended that amid the gang violence that has consumed the country and displaced more than a million people.

The Florida woman applied, and she was able to go to school and become a nurse.

She was supposed to begin a new job in two weeks. Now she doesn’t know if she’s authorized to work.

TPS holders are overrepresented in caregiving roles, and the long-term care industry, like nursing homes and facilities for disabled people, industry groups said, could be hit particularly hard as fear and uncertainty ripples across America.

The nurse in Kentucky said she’s trying to focus on her work taking care of disabled people. But it’s hard to not think of the worst-case scenario, imagining being separated from her children, who are ages 13, 12, 8, and 2, and being sent to her home country that she left more than two decades ago. She reads in the news that there are gang wars, kidnappings, killings.

“I don’t want to go there. I am very Americanized,” she said. “It’s like someone saying, hey, do you want to go live in a horror movie? Like, you know, no, I don’t.”

“We are small,” he said. “But we have big hearts and we are fighters.”

Cape Verde completed an improbable run through the group stage with a third straight World Cup draw, a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Friday night to advance in the tournament.

The small island nation off the western coast of Africa, which is making its debut on soccer’s grandest stage, already held 2010 champion Spain to a 0-0 draw and then came from behind to get a 2-2 result against Uruguay.

“The team was very eager to show this to the whole world,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said while draped in his country’s flag. “We are proud of having arrived at this stage. We have shown that we are a small country, but that we fight for the things that we want to achieve.”

Cape Verde’s three points put the team in second place behind Spain, which beat Uruguay on Friday night and won the group.

Cape Verde will play reigning World Cup champion Argentina in Miami on July 3.

Drawing all three group matches doesn’t guarantee advancement at major soccer tournaments. But several teams have done it in the past, including Wales in 1958, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990, and Chile in 1998. New Zealand, however, also got three draws at the 2010 World Cup and was eliminated.

On the eve of the match, Bubista mused, “everyone is entitled to dream and nothing is impossible.”

The Blue Sharks proved him right, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds as this country of just more than 500,000 reached the round of 32.

A woman, her face painted with a flag of the archipelago, held a sign that read: “Small Islands, Big Dreams.”

A dream that these underdogs have made reality as they continue their charmed run on the world stage.

They did it with another strong game from Vozinha, whose tournament success has helped him amass more than 16 million Instagram followers.

He had a save in first half stoppage time, grabbing a header from Mohamed Kanno to keep Saudi Arabia scoreless. Another save came in the 66th minute when he leaped to deflect a shot from Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat.

A third came in the 92nd minute when he stopped a shot by Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

“There is a lot of quality in our national team,” Vozinha said. “Maybe for many of you, you think the Cape Verdean player is not good enough. But we came here to show that we have a lot of quality and we are here to compete and our players can play everywhere in the big competition, in the big leagues.”

A group of shirtless men in the crowd each painted one letter of his name on their chests as they cheered Cape Verde.

But Vozinha had a much bigger fan among the crowd of 68,278 as his mother Ana Candida Evora watched from a luxury suite, waving a tiny Cape Verde flag. It was her second match of the tournament after missing Vozinha’s epic seven-save performance against Spain because of visa issues.

Cape Verde had a chance to score in the 50th minute, but Kevin Pina’s shot from distance was just above the crossbar. Another chance came in the 74th minute when Laros Duarte’s shot from the middle of the box was stopped by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais.

A last chance to score came in the final seconds when Nuno da Costa sent a shot from the middle of the box wide left.

But it didn’t matter because a couple of minutes after the final whistle, Spain completed its victory over Uruguay and set off a joyous celebration among Cape Verde’s players and fans, many of whom cried as they rejoiced.

Having led his squad to new heights, Bubista was asked if he could have imagined such a run entering the tournament.

“I’ve always said that sooner or later Cape Verde would be on such a stage,” he said. “Of course it’s hard to have such a forecast, but I always knew.”

Saudi Arabia was eliminated after finishing with two points in the group stage.

“We were very poor in terms of creating things, controlling the game and creating actions,” coach Georgios Donis said. “And one cannot win a game this way. It would be very difficult.”

A team of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police nabbed Sherpa from Kathmandu in connection with fraud and criminal breach of trust. 

Bureau Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent of Police, Anup Shumsher JB Rana, shared that Sherpa was arrested for the investigation into the charge of embezzling Rs 87.8 million of Tungaram International Academy located at Hattigauda.

Sherpa is also accused of taking advantages and causing loss to school while serving as the executive head of the school. 

The event, organized recently by the Consulate General of Nepal in Lhasa, brought together 113 participants, including Executive Vice Chairman of the People’s Government of the Xizang Autonomous Region Zhao Peng, senior officials of the regional government, Chinese investors already investing or interested in investing in Nepal, Chinese businesspersons engaged in trade with Nepal, Nepali entrepreneurs based in Lhasa, tourism entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

The programme, chaired by Consul General Laxmi Prasad Niraula, featured a presentation by Consul Sabin Bhattarai on Nepal’s prospects for trade, tourism and investment. A promotional video highlighting Nepal’s investment climate, tourism potential and trade opportunities was also screened.

According to a press release issued by the Consulate General on Friday, chief guest Zhao Peng said the Consulate General of Nepal had played an important role in strengthening relations between Nepal and China. Describing Nepal as China’s true friend, he said the two countries have consistently respected each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

He said the Xizang regional government was ready to provide all necessary support to the Consulate General and expressed confidence that his recent visit to Nepal had further strengthened bilateral ties. Referring to Nepal as a beautiful, peaceful and friendly country, he encouraged Chinese investors to visit, do business and invest in Nepal.

Similarly, Consul General Niraula expressed gratitude for the goodwill and support extended to Nepal by the Government of China, the Xizang Autonomous Region and the Chinese people.

He said Nepal-China relations, particularly Nepal-Xizang ties, have been built on mutual trust, friendship and cooperation since the time of Princess Bhrikuti and the renowned artist Araniko. Reiterating Nepal’s firm commitment to the One China Principle, he said Nepali territory would not be allowed to be used against any friendly country.

He said the programme had been organized to inform Chinese government agencies and investors about Nepal’s trade, tourism and investment opportunities and to promote broader bilateral economic cooperation, adding that it had been successful in terms of both participation and quality.

Prior to the programme, Consul General Niraula paid a courtesy call on Executive Vice Chairman Zhao Peng. During the meeting, he said recent high-level visits between Nepal and China had further strengthened bilateral relations. 

He requested China’s support for the development of border infrastructure, facilitation of cross-border trade and movement, easier business operations and travel for Nepalis residing in Xizang, and simplified visa and Tibet travel permit procedures for Nepali nationals.

He also sought China’s support for the restoration of the historic Saraswati Temple in Lhasa and the Nepali-style Bhimsen Temple in Shigatse.

In response, Zhao Peng said Nepal and Xizang share not only a border linked by the Himalayas and rivers but also deep historical and cultural ties. 

He said China was ready to cooperate on border management, would take initiatives for the restoration of the Saraswati and Bhimsen temples, and remained prepared to construct a permanent bridge over the border river at Rasuwagadhi, according to the press release. (RSS)

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the remaining parts of the country are under the partial influence of westerly winds and local winds. Monsoon would likely to expand at remaining parts of Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and entire areas of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces within next four-five days. 

Currently, mountainous and hilly areas of the country have been witnessing generally cloudy weather and partly cloudy weather in Terai region. Light rainfall accompanied by thunder and thunder is taking place at one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces.

According to the Department, generally cloudy weather is likely at mountainous and hilly regions of the country as well as Terai region of Madhes and Koshi Provinces this afternoon. 

Similarly, moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning is forecast at a few places in the Terai region of Koshi Province and Madhesh Province, and at one or two places in the Terai regions of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini Provinces. There is also a possibility of snowfall in Himalayan region. 

The Department has urged to adopt necessary precautions as heat wave conditions are likely at a few places in the Terai regions of Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

Tonight, generally cloudy weather may occur in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces as well as partly cloudy weather in Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces. 

Likewise, there is a possibility of moderate rainfall and snowfall at few places of mountainous and hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and some places of mountainous and hilly regions of Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces. 

The Department also requested to stay alert as it has forecast heavy rainfall at one or two places of mountainous region of Koshi Province and Terai region. (RSS)

U.S. President Donald Trump said the drone attack violated the ceasefire. The strikes came shortly after Trump told reporters, “You’ll find out,” whether the U.S. would respond.

U.S. Central Command said the military struck missile and drone locations and coastal radar sites in Iran.

“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said at the White House shortly before the U.S. struck back. When asked why there would be strikes when Trump has insisted talks with Tehran are going well, Trump said of Iran: “They’re a little bit different.”

He then abruptly cut off questions and reporters were ushered out of his office.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, responded to Trump on social media earlier Friday, saying, “the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules” and to “not mistake control for escalation.”

“This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management,” Azizi wrote.

Strikes conclude an hour later

The U.S. strikes on Iran concluded about an hour after U.S. Central Command announced the military action on social media, a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.

The British military said on Thursday that a container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, coming hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said no injuries were reported.

The development came during a fragile time for the U.S. and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the U.S. over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal it reached with the U.S. last week.

The attack on the cargo ship happened while a United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation to move stranded ships out of the strait this week, using an alternative route, hugging the shores of Oman rather than sailing through the central part of the strait.

The International Maritime Organization halted the evacuations after the attack and said on Friday they won’t resume until there are guarantees that the other ships won’t be attacked.

About 115 ships were able to move out of the strait in recent days, leaving about 500 still in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.

The opening of the alternative passage through the strait was expected to relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the U.S.

The U.S. and Iran are still negotiating terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.

Cargo ship attack poses a test for shipping

Shipping analysts said the drone strike cast a shadow over what had been a growing stream of trapped vessels finally leaving the Gulf and an increasing flow of tankers carrying crude oil.

“A week of widening commercial confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has hit its first significant test,” said marine data company Windward on X. It said that while the strait remains operationally open with 43 transits recorded after the incident, “the pace of normalization has slowed.”

On Wednesday before Thursday’s drone strike, 78 vessels transited the strait, the highest since the war began, although below the prewar averages of 130 or more per day.

At least two tankers reversed course while attempting to transit the strait on the U.N.-backed route near Oman after Iran insisted vessels use only the Teheran-approved routes, according to marine data and analytic firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

More than two dozen ships were still transiting the strait’s southern route after the attack, Lloyd’s said Friday.

Lebanon and Israel make a step toward peace

Ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced an agreement Friday described as a step toward peace following months of conflict between Israeli troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., called the framework a move toward “enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the plan was a “great achievement” for Israel.

“The most important thing, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” he said, adding that they will stay until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer poses a threat to Israel.