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Fog and mist will persist until midday at some places in the Tarai region today.

Likewise, there will be partly cloudy conditions over the high hilly and mountainous areas of Koshi Province while the weather in the rest of the country will be mainly fair, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division.

Tonight, mist will continue to occur at a few places in the Tarai region. Furthermore, weather will remain mainly fair over the hilly and mountain regions of the country.

Meanwhile, Meteorological Analysis by the Division states that at present there is the influence of the low-pressure system in the upper atmosphere in Nepal.

The special central general convention of the Nepali Congress is starting from today.

The special general convention is being held after the majority of the general convention delegates signed a call for it.

The convention is being held under the leadership of General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma.

The two-day special general convention is scheduled to be inaugurated at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu at 1 pm today.

Before the inauguration, leaders and cadres will gather in Sundhara, Ratna Park, Shankardev Campus, Kamalpokhari, Kupandol and other areas of Kathmandu at 11 am and leave for Bhrikutimandap with a rally, shared Jagadishwar Narsingh KC, coordinator of the special general convention public mobilization committee.

It has been decided that the special general convention will be chaired by Congress Kathmandu President Krishna Sabuj Baniya.

The organizing committee has stated that most of the delegates have already arrived.

The registration of the names of the participating delegates will be held from 8 am, informed Secretariat Coordinator Manoj Mani Acharya.

According to Ramesh Dhamala, Coordinator of the Accommodation and Food Management Committee, accommodation has been arranged for 3,600 delegates in various places in Kathmandu.

After the inauguration of the special general convention, the closed session will be held in the Bhrikutimandap assembly hall from January 12.

The special general convention, however, has not been supported by the establishment faction of the party, including its current President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The 304th Prithvi Jayanti was celebrated across the country by organizing various programs on Sunday.  

On the occasion of Prithvi Jayanti National Unity Day, President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, ministers and other dignitaries paid homage at the statue of Prithvi Narayan Shah in front of Singha Durbar.

Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) has raised concerns over provisions related to voter information included in the “House of Representatives Member Election Directive, 2082” issued by the Election Commission.

In a statement, DRN said the directive’s Chapter 4, Clauses 10 and 12, which allow political parties and independent candidates to receive digital copies of the voter register, are inconsistent with constitutional provisions and the Right to Privacy Act, 2075. According to DRN, the voter register contains sensitive personal details such as voter ID numbers, gender or gender identity, age, and parents’ names, which could make individuals easily identifiable and pose risks to personal privacy.

DRN also expressed concern that personal details including voter numbers, age, gender, and names of spouses and parents are already publicly accessible on the Election Commission’s website. It warned that distributing digital copies of voter lists containing such information to private devices could further increase the risk of misuse, not only during the election period but also afterward.

Citing the Right to Privacy Act, DRN noted that voter identification details are defined as personal information and that gender identity is classified as sensitive personal data protected from publication or dissemination in ways that could affect an individual’s private life. The organisation stated that the exceptions allowing limited disclosure under the law—such as explicit consent of the individual, self-disclosure, court orders, or criminal investigations—do not apply to the provisions in the election directive.

DRN said the protection of voter data is directly linked to fundamental rights, public trust, and the credibility of democracy. It added that the inclusion of details such as gender identity, age, and parents’ names in a single dataset could enable the creation of detailed personal profiles, raising additional concerns, particularly for gender minorities.

The organisation has called on the Election Commission to immediately suspend the digital distribution of voter data, review and limit the scope of personal information made public on its website, amend the directive in line with constitutional principles and the Right to Privacy Act, and consult with civil society, legal experts, and human rights organisations before finalising any revisions.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has strengthened engagement with key stakeholders from India’s travel, corporate, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), and wedding tourism sectors by participating in MTM and LLTM 2026 held in New Delhi.

The event took place at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity on Jan 8–9, where the board participated as a focus partner. During the programme, NTB presented Nepal’s potential as a destination for corporate events, incentive travel, conferences, and wedding tourism, with India positioned as a priority source market.

According to the organisers, the Jan 9 program functioned as a decision-focused and targeted networking platform, bringing together selected corporate buyers, established brands, and senior industry leaders. Discussions focused on evolving priorities in tourism and the MICE sector through structured and forward-looking interactions.

A key feature of the event was the “reverse marketplace” format, which facilitated one-on-one meetings between buyers and sellers. NTB stated that this platform enabled direct engagement with Indian corporate and MICE decision-makers, helping to expand business linkages and strengthen confidence in Nepal as a destination.

Through destination presentations, the board promoted Nepal as an attractive option for incentive travel, conferences, experiential travel, and festival- and celebration-focused tourism. Citing India as Nepal’s leading tourist source market, NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi said such strategic participation is expected to support long-term tourism growth.

On the second day, the “MTM Star Awards for Wedding Planners” recognised organisations for excellence in India’s wedding and celebration economy. On this occasion, Nepal highlighted its growing presence in wedding and destination celebration tourism and expressed optimism about further expansion in this segment.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, participation in targeted international platforms such as MTM and LLTM 2026 is expected to further strengthen tourism cooperation with India and contribute to positioning Nepal as an emerging destination for corporate, MICE, and wedding tourism.

The National Heritage Conservation Foundation Nepal has honoured taekwondo athlete and international referee Dipendra Dhakal at a special ceremony held in Kathmandu.

The honour was conferred during the “National Heritage Outstanding Athlete Award–2082” programme organised by the foundation at the Nepal Tourism Board auditorium in Bhrikutimandap. Minister for Information and Communication Jagdish Kharel presented the award to Dhakal, recognising his contribution as an international taekwondo referee and athlete.

According to the organisers, Dhakal has played a significant role in representing Nepali taekwondo at the international level through his participation as a referee and athlete in various global competitions. He has served as a referee in tournaments held in South Asia, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain. He also officiated at the Seventh World Military Games held in Wuhan, China, in 2019.

Singer and composer Arjun Sapkota has been named the most popular Nepali music artist of the past month, according to the December ranking released by music data platform “Viberate.”

Sapkota topped the list with a score of 492.4K. The platform publishes the popularity ranking on a monthly basis. His song Jhaliko, composed by Sapkota, has gained wide attention on social media. The song has received more than 19.5m views on YouTube, while thousands of users have also created videos using the track on TikTok.

The folk-style song features vocals by Melina Rai and Samikshya Adhikari alongside Sapkota, with lyrics written by Santosh Sapkota.

Maithili and Bhojpuri singer Sannu Kumar from Rajbiraj ranked second on the list with 444.7K points. Kumar enjoys significant popularity in Nepal’s Tarai and Madhesh regions.

Singer Sushant KC ranked third, followed by Tanka Budathoki in fourth place and Balen in fifth. The remaining artists in the top 10 are Sajjan Raj Vaidya, Trishna Gurung, Vten, Prakash Dutraj, and Melina Rai.

Viberate compiles its rankings using real-time data collected from major streaming platforms, social media, and radio, aimed at tracking artist popularity for musicians, managers, and record labels.

The CPN-UML has finalized its candidates for the National Assembly elections.

The UML has decided to field Roshni Meche, Prem Dangal, Samjhana Devkota, Ramkumari Jhankri, Mina Rakhal, Leela Bhandari and Som Portel as National Assembly candidates for the elections to be held on January 25.

Jhakri, who left the CPN (Unified Socialist) and joined the UML shortly before its 11^th General Convention, was elected as a central member at the convention.

A UML official said that any change in the agreement between the parties could lead to a revision of the candidate list.

The Nepali Congress, UML, and Nepali Communist Party have formally decided to forge an alliance in the National Assembly elections which will fill 18 seats.

The Congress and UML have also reached an agreement on the number of seats. They have divided seven seats each.

The Nepali Communist Party has been given three seats and the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal has been given one seat.

However, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Nepali Communist Party has expressed his dissatisfaction with the number of seats.