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Today's Chatpat: October 12th, 2023

1. A police sub Inspector has been sentenced to six years in prison for corruption charges for skimming off more than Rs 1 crore from the Nepal Police petrol pump in Naxal, Kathmandu. The CIAA had filed the case against the police official for corruption. The court has given the final verdict today after two years since the case was filed.

The court has fined the police official Rs 60 lakhs in fines and additional Rs 60 lakhs as payment back to the Nepal Police. The CIAA had claimed that the police official had misappropriated around Rs 1.03 crores by falsifying customer payments while working at the petrol pump run by Nepal Police. All of our security agencies run fuel stations in the valley under its welfare scheme programs.

2. Nepal has managed a draw against Laos 1-1 in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers held at the national stadium in Kathmandu this evening. Anjan Bista managed to scored the equalizer in the 48th minute after Laos went a goal ahead in the game in the first half.

Anjan Bista is now tied with Hari Khadka and Nirajan Rayamajhi as the leading scorers for the national team with 13 goals each. Nepal will face Laos in the latter's home ground for the qualifiers next week.

3. According to media reports, Nepal Airlines has airlifted 253 Nepali students from Israel and is expected to land in Kathmandu tomorrow at 10am. Our government officials have said that they are yet to bring back the bodies due to governmental procedures. 10 Nepali citizens were killed when Hamas launched a surprise assault into Israel on Saturday.

4. The international media reports that Israel has launched the most powerful bombing campaign in its 75-year history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Gaza is now under total siege and Israel has announced full blockade of food, fuel and electricity in Gaza.

Israel has also said that it will not allow any humanitarian assistance in Gaza until Hamas releases hostages. The Red Cross has pleaded to Israel to allow fuel into Gaza to allow hospitals to operate for the sick and the injured in Gaza. Israel has also bombed two international airports in Syria as well.

5. It seems that the Health Ministry has no clue on how to run our pubic health institutions. 177 doctors have resigned at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in protest against no promotion of its staff for many years. According to media reports, non-medical staff at BKIHS have not been promoted in the last 15 years and doctors have not been promoted since the past seven years.

The Health Minister was in the news the other day for terminating the contracts of hundreds of doctors and medical staff at Bir Hospital in the capital. The minister cited lack of funds for such termination. Our medical professionals face physical abuse from patients' relatives across the country and the Health Ministry and our security personnel have failed to provide adequate security for them even after thousands of doctors protested across the country against such attacks.

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