Submit your Article

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 30.52 points to close at 2,645.20 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 4.76 points to close at 440. 34 points.

A total of 9,739,738-unit shares of 326 companies were traded for Rs 4. 48 billion.

Meanwhile, Guardian Micro Life Insurance Limited (GMLI) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 9. 29 percent.

Likewise, Upper Hewakhola Hydropower Company Limited (UHEWA) was the top loser as its price fell by 4. 92 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 38 trillion.

The First National Water Conference has concluded, issuing a nine-point Kathmandu Declaration.

The two-day conference organized by the National Federation of Irrigation Water User’s Association, Nepal under the leadership of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat wrapped up Sunday evening. It was organized as part of the Nepal National Glacier, Water and Weather Week-2025.

The conference pledged to ensure sustainable use, conservation, management and regulation of water resources in accordance with the Integrated River Basin Plan with coordination and collaboration among the three tiers of government, development partner organizations, community organizations and other stakeholders by ensuring water good governance.

It pledged to strengthen the concerned government and non-governmental organizations regarding the proper use and conservation of water in the policy and legal provisions related to the use and conservation of water, to develop institutional capacity, to maintain legal harmony among the three levels while formulating their policies and laws by the provincial governments and local levels, and to work with priority in this sector by all levels of governments.

Similarly, the Declaration mentions adopting a policy of cooperation to support social and economic transformation by developing water resources through national and international cooperation, effective implementation of preparedness plans for natural disaster management, adoption of latest technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change, and proper use and conservation of water through climate resilient action plan.

It has pledged to develop sustainable infrastructure and provide services in the areas of water resources including drinking water, irrigation and hydropower.

The Water Conference concluded with commitments to broadening the scope of research and studies in water management, as well as acknowledging the importance of indigenous knowledge, skills, and technologies for the effective use and preservation of water resources.

Through the Declaration, it has been vowed to scientifically document, analyze, and enhance the use of available knowledge and data, while building and strengthening an integrated information system. Long-term integrated plans will also be formulated and implemented.

Similarly, the conference emphasized the development of a common platform for all stakeholders to promote the systematic management of water resources with the priorities to strengthen community leadership, capacity building capacity, and the continuity and promotion of successful practices.

The conference also reaffirmed its commitments for utmost utilization of the resources and support available from the Green Climate Fund to address the damages and losses caused by climate change in the water sector.

Moreover, the effective utilization of water resources in various areas such as hydropower, agriculture, irrigation, tourism, and drinking water will be prioritized. This approach aims to advance the country's prosperity through sustainable development, laying the foundation for economic transformation, industrial growth, job creation, and regional trade.

The Water and Energy Commission, in collaboration with stakeholders, has pledged to take a leading role in integrated water resource management, multipurpose use, conservation, and regulation efforts.

 According to Madhu Prasad Bhetuwal, the Secretary of the Commission, such conferences will continue in the years to come. He also reaffirmed the commitment to maintaining environmental balance, sustainably managing natural resources, ensuring the proper use and preservation of water, and preventing pollution in water resources.

An Israeli military attack on the largest hospital in southern Gaza killed two people, injured several more, and ignited a large fire, according to the enclave's Ministry of Health, Alzajeera reported.

The government stated that the Nasser Hospital's surgical building in Khan Younis was the target of the Sunday night attack. The incident occurred just days after Israel's surprise wave of airstrikes last week, which marked the start of Israel's war in Gaza, overflowed the facility with dead and injured.

On Sunday, a 16-year-old kid who had had surgery two days prior was one of the people slain. According to a statement from Hamas, Ismail Barhoum, a member of the political bureau of the organization, was also slain as he was undergoing medical care at the hospital.

Israel's military acknowledged the incident, saying it targeted a Hamas member. Israeli officials have routinely blamed civilian losses on the armed Palestinian group that controls Gaza, claiming that it purposefully operates in densely populated areas, Alzajeera reported.

Nasser Hospital, like other medical institutions in Gaza, has been damaged by Israeli raids and airstrikes during the conflict.

Israeli soldiers have murdered over 600 people since commencing their assault on the enclave, including dozens in the last 24 hours, according to Palestinian health officials.

 

The merger between Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party has been confirmed. On Saturday, Janamat Party Chair CK Raut and Nagarik Unmukti’s patron Resham Chaudhary announced their decision to unite the two parties to form a strong national political force.  

During Nagarik Unmukti’s central committee meeting, which was primarily focused on party unification, Raut delivered a special address. He acknowledged that not merging with Nagarik Unmukti in the past was a major mistake. “Had we united before the elections, we would have secured 20–21 seats. At that time, people didn’t vote for us with the belief that we would become a national party, but rather, they placed their trust in us. If we had united then, we could have won a significant number of seats,” he said.  

Raut stated that they are now ready to correct that mistake and urged people not to feel uneasy about the unification of Madhesi and Tharu-based parties. He also pledged to elevate the symbolic identity of Tharus, represented by the ‘Dhakiya’ (a woven basket), which is Nagarik Unmukti’s election symbol. “This unity is impossible without your consent. Only with mutual agreement and respect can we truly come together. I promise you that we will build a party that makes ‘Dhakiya’ a source of pride,” he declared.  

Raut also revealed that there were conspiracies to prevent the merger but affirmed their commitment to moving forward together. Speaking to ApEx after the meeting, he said the atmosphere was positive and that party unification was now certain. “I witnessed a very positive environment in the meeting. The merger is almost finalized,” he claimed. He also dismissed concerns about leadership disputes, saying, “Neither Reshamji nor I have any personal interests. We are far from chasing positions. Since both of our parties have been formed by the people, there will be no internal conflicts.”  

Nagarik Unmukti patron Chaudhary emphasized that unity should not be just political but also heartfelt. He urged Raut to be prepared to take a stand as an opposition leader if necessary. “If we don’t get justice, he may have to sit in the opposition bench in Parliament. We may even have to leave ministerial positions and take to the streets,” Chaudhary said.  

Nagarik Unmukti’s two-day central committee meeting has formed a task force to facilitate the merger with Janamat Party. The three-member committee will be led by Gangaram Chaudhary, with Sunita Chaudhary and Ramlal Dangoura as members. Earlier, in late February, Janamat Party’s central committee had also formed a similar task force, led by MP Abdul Khan, with Sharad Singh Yadav and Bal Govinda Chaudhary as members.  

Chaudhary also called on his wife, Nagarik Unmukti Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha, to join the unification effort. Addressing the central committee, he admitted that their past decisions had caused major setbacks. “Because of you and me, provincial governments collapsed. From today, let’s shake hands and move forward together. Everything will fall into place,” he said.  

He further reminded Shrestha that her access to Baluwatar (the Prime Minister’s residence) was made possible by Nagarik Unmukti’s 16 MPs. He warned that without these lawmakers, she would be left politically isolated.

Petroleum products worth Rs 122.2 billion have been imported through Birgunj border transit point in the last eight months of the current fiscal year, 2024/25.

The imported petroleum products include diesel, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and kerosene.

Petroleum products worth Rs 1.67 billion more were imported in the eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period previous fiscal year, 2023/24. Petroleum products worth Rs 120.53 billion were imported in the eight months of the last fiscal year.

Deepak Lamichhane, chief customs administrator at Birgunj Customs Office, said revenue from import of petroleum products has also increased along with the imports in the current fiscal year.

"The import of petroleum products seems to have increased as it is the time for infrastructure construction," he said.

According to the Office, Rs 50.13 billion revenue has been collected from the import of all types of petroleum products in the eight months of the current fiscal year.

Revenue of Rs 44.80 billion was collected in the same period of the last fiscal year.

Chief Customs Administrator Lamichhane said Rs 27.31 billion revenue was collected from the import of 685,991 kiloliters of diesel worth Rs 61.45 billion in the eight months of the current fiscal year.

Similarly, 290,382 kiloliters of petrol worth Rs 25.30 billion was imported in the eight months of the current fiscal year, resulting in the collection of Rs 16.48 billion in revenue.

A total of 210. 42 million kilograms of LPG worth Rs 24.05 billion has been imported in the eight months of the current fiscal year. A total of Rs 4.5 billion revenue has been collected from this.

In the eight months of the last fiscal year, 186.812 million kilograms of LPG worth Rs 19.52 billion was imported, the Office said.

As the tiger population increases in Nepal, its habitat area has to be expanded.

Although the park areas, buffer zones and other forest areas are the habitat of tigers, the problem of shrinking tiger habitat is seen in recent years as the number of tigers has increased.

Speaking at an interaction program organized by Chitwan National Park in Chitwan today, Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, stressed the need to increase the habitat for tigers.

He said that the number of tigers has been increasing over the last five years indicating a need to increase the habitat. "There is a need to protect the tigers by keeping them in open zoos," he said, adding that the open zoos could be linked to income generation.

The number of tigers in Nepal has increased from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. The number of tigers was 198 in 2013 and 253 in 2018.

Acharya said that due to the increase in the number of tigers, the habitat area has decreased by 93 percent.

In recent years, the number of tigers has been increasing in Nepal due to the focus on conservation.

Acharya said that forest areas in the country can accommodate around 500 tigers. "It seems that 404 tigers can be kept in the core area of the parks,” he added.

According to him, the deer species is the main prey of the tiger and there is also a need to protect deer. Similarly, tigers also hunt monkeys and domestic animals for food.

He said that there were about 100,000 tigers in the world 100 years ago, but now the number has come down to 5,000.

Nepal recorded a 13.11 percent surge in smartphone imports during the first eight months of fiscal year 2024/25 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.

According to trade statistics released by the Department of Customs, from mid-July 2024 to mid-March 2025, the country imported smartphones worth Rs 21.91bn, a notable increase from Rs 19.37bn in the corresponding period of 2023/24. 

Customs data reveals that 1,407,078 units of smartphones were imported over these eight months, with 177,121 units arriving in the eighth month alone (mid-February to mid-March). The government mobilized Rs 4.08bn in revenue from smartphones in the review period.

Chinese manufacturers maintained their dominance in the review period, as 1,107,083 units valued at Rs 15.09bn were imported from the northern neighbour. India followed as the second-largest source, with 294,822 units worth Rs 6.39bn imported in eight months. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Redmi, Oppo, realme, OnePlus and iTel are immensely popular among Nepali consumers because of their affordability and widespread availability. South Korean smartphone brand Samsung is also immensely popular with Nepali consumers. Most of the Samsung phones brought to Nepal are manufactured in India. Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo and Vivo are also made in India. 

Beyond China and India, smartphones also entered Nepal from countries like Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, though in smaller volumes. These imports were largely brought into the country by Nepalis returning from abroad, particularly migrant workers and students, who often purchase high-end devices unavailable or more expensive in the local market. 

In the first eight months of the previous fiscal year (2023/24), Nepal imported 918,024 units from China worth Rs 13.29bn and 327,560 units from India valued at Rs 5.78bn. By mid-January 2025, the sixth month of the current fiscal year, imports had already reached Rs 16.71bn, signaling a consistent upward trajectory in smartphone imports.

Nepal imported smartphones worth Rs 28.66bn, totaling 1,839,035 units, in fiscal year 2023/24. Smartphones worth Rs 18.95bn were imported from India, while Rs 9.25bn worth of smartphones came from India during the year. The government collected Rs 5.33bn in revenue from these imports.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkey after the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption, BBC reported.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was scheduled to be chosen in a vote on Sunday as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate.

The nation witnessed the greatest rioting in over a decade on Sunday night, with protestors being shot at with rubber bullets and tear gas in response to his arrest, according to BBC.

The accusations made against him, according to Imamoglu, are driven by politics. "I will never bow," he posted on X prior to being placed under arrest on remand.