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A one-day strike by workers at 13 German airports, including the Frankfurt and Munich hubs and all the country’s other main destinations, caused the cancellation of most flights on Monday, Associated Press reported. 

The 24-hour walkout, which started at midnight on Sunday, involves public-sector employees at the airports as well as ground and security staff.

At Frankfurt Airport, 1,054 of the day’s 1,116 scheduled takeoffs and landings had been canceled, German news agency dpa reported, citing airport traffic management.

All of Berlin Airport’s regular departures and arrivals were canceled, while Hamburg Airport said no departures would be possible. Cologne/Bonn Airport said there was no regular passenger service and Munich Airport advised travelers to expect a “greatly reduced flight schedule.”

The ver.di service workers union’s strike also targeted the Bremen, Hannover, Duesseldorf, Dortmund, Leipzig/Halle and Stuttgart airports. At the smaller Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports, only security workers were called out, according to the Associated Press. 

The German airports’ association, ADV, estimated that more than 3,500 flights in total would be canceled and about 560,000 passengers affected.

The union announced the strike last Friday. But at Hamburg Airport, it added a short-notice walkout on Sunday to the strike on Monday, arguing that it must ensure the measure was effective.

The so-called “warning strike,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations, relates to two separate pay disputes: negotiations on a new pay and conditions contract for airport security workers, and a wider dispute over pay for employees of federal and municipal governments,  Associated Press reported. 

The latter already has led to walkouts at Cologne/Bonn, Duesseldorf, Hamburg and Munich airports. Pay talks in that dispute are due to resume on Friday, while the next round of talks for airport security workers is expected to start on March 26.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk have clashed with Poland's foreign minister over the use of the tech billionaire's Starlink satellite internet system in Ukraine, BBC reported.

Musk said on X that Ukraine's "entire front line" would collapse if he turned the system off. Radoslaw Sikorski responded, saying his country paid for its use in Ukraine and a threat to shut it down would result in a search for another network.

Rubio dismissed Sikorski's claims and told him to be grateful, while Musk called him a "small man".

The exchange appeared to lead to Polish PM Donald Tusk calling on his country's allies to show respect for their weaker partners, rather than arrogance.

Starlink's system is part of SpaceX's venture to provide high-speed internet to remote and underserved areas. It has been used extensively by the Ukrainian military, according to BBC.

Sunday's exchange started when Musk posted that Starlink was the "backbone of the Ukrainian army" and that "their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off".

Sikorski then responded, saying that Poland was paying for the service.

"Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per year," Sikorski wrote. "The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers."

Getty Images Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in front of a microphone in a jacket and red tie

In response, Rubio said Sikorski was "just making things up... no-one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink".

 "And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now," he added.

Musk later responded to Sikorski's post calling him a "small man".

"Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink," he wrote.

On Monday morning Polish Prime Minister Tusk, without specifying who or what he was referring to, wrote on X: "True leadership means respect for partners and allies, BBC reported.

"Even for the smaller and weaker ones. Never arrogance. Dear friends, think about it."

The Starlink terminals are key to Ukraine's army operations and have been used since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

There are tens of thousands of terminals in the country, including up to 500 bought by the US Department of Defence in June 2023.

Net profit of commercial banks has gone up by a marginal 1.62 percent over the first seven months of fiscal year 2024-25. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, 20 commercial banks reported a combined net profit of Rs 36.06bn in the review period (mid-July 2024 to mid-Feb 2025). The combined net profit of 20 commercial banks was Rs 35.49bn in the review period of the previous fiscal year.

Nabil Bank has reported the highest net profit of Rs 4.01bn in the first seven months of 2024-25. Following closely are Global IME Bank Ltd and Nepal Investment Mega Ltd with net profits of Rs 3.89bn and Rs 3.43bn, respectively. Nepal Bank Ltd saw its net profit grow by a whopping 156.31 percent, rising to Rs 2.45bn in mid-February from Rs 959.17m in mid-February last year. Prabhu Bank Ltd also reported a 97.78 percent growth in its net profit to Rs 1,834.67bn in mid-February 2025. 

While net profit of most of the commercial banks have crossed the billion-rupee mark, a handful of banks are still not close to the one-billion-rupee threshold. NIC Asia Bank recorded the lowest net profit of Rs 464.7m in the seven-month period, followed by Kumari Bank (Rs 738.6m) and Agricultural Development Bank Ltd (Rs 799.9m). Siddhartha Bank (Rs 855.1bn), Citizens Bank (Rs 902.6bn) and Machhapuchchhre Bank (Rs 869.1m) have also reported net profits below Rs 1bn.

In contrast, only four commercial banks had reported net profit below one billion rupees in mid-February last year. Out of 20 commercial banks in the country, 11 managed to increase their net profit in mid-February compared to last year, while nine saw their net profit drop.  NIC Asia reported the biggest drop of 78.31 percent in its net profit, with the bank’s net profit dropping from Rs 2.14bn in mid-February last year to Rs 464.73m in mid-February. Next is Rastriya Banijya Bank Ltd, which saw a 53.83 percent drop in its report to Rs 1.23bn. Agricultural Development Bank Ltd and Siddhartha Bank also saw net profit drops of 49.16 percent and 39.7 percent to Rs 799.95m and
Rs 855.19m, respectively.

Low-interest income and the need to allocate substantial provisions for non-performing loans (NPLs) have significantly impacted the profitability of commercial banks. Despite a strong showing of
Rs 36.06bn in collective net profits in seven months, banks are grappling with a dual burden: diminished revenue from lending and rising costs to cover bad debts.

The banking system is currently awash with liquidity, with deposits rising amid slow credit disbursement. Nepal’s post-pandemic recovery has faltered because of global inflationary pressures and domestic issues like political instability and infrastructure delays, which have resulted in a slowdown in business expansion and consumer spending. As a result, banks have struggled to disburse credit effectively, leaving large pools of funds idle. This low credit off-take has directly affected interest income of banks. 

Meanwhile, the economic slowdown has affected borrowers’ ability to repay loans and pushed non-profit loan (NPL) levels higher. The surge in bad loans has forced banks to set aside sizable provisions to cushion potential losses which has eroded profitability of banks.

Thousands of supporters greeted Nepal’s former king in capital Kathmandu on Sunday and demanded his abolished monarchy be reinstated and Hinduism brought back as a state religion, Associated Press reported.

An estimated 10,000 supporters of Gyanendra Shah blocked the main entrance to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport as he arrived from a tour of western Nepal.

“Vacate the royal palace for the king. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want monarchy,” the crowds chanted. Passengers were forced to walk to and from the airport.

Hundreds of riot police blocked the protesters from entering the airport and there was no violence.

Massive street protests in 2006 forced Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule, and two years later the parliament voted to abolish the monarchy as Gyanendra left the Royal Palace to live the life of a commoner.

But many Nepalis have grown frustrated with the republic, saying it has failed to bring about political stability and blaming it for a struggling economy and widespread corruption. Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.

Rally participants said they were hoping for a change in the political system to stop the country from further deteriorating, according to Associated Press.

“We are here to give the king our full support and to rally behind him all the way to reinstating him in the royal throne,” said Thir Bahadur Bhandari, 72.

Among the thousands was 50-year-old carpenter Kulraj Shrestha, who had taken part in the 2006 protests against the king but has changed his mind and now supports the monarchy.

“The worst thing that is happening to the country is massive corruption and all politicians in power are not doing anything for the country,” Shrestha said. “I was in the protests that took away monarchy hoping it would help the country, but I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind.”

Gyanendra has not commented on the calls for the return of monarchy. Despite growing support for the former king, Gyanendra has slim chances of immediately returning to power.

He became the king in 2002, after his brother and family were massacred in the palace. He ruled as the constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute power. He disbanded the government and parliament, jailed politicians and journalists and cut off communications, declaring a state of emergency and using the army to rule the country.

Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.

Carney, 59, took 86% of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.

"There's someone who's trying to weaken our economy," Carney said of Trump, spurring loud boos at the party gathering. "He's attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can't let him succeed."

"This won’t be business as usual," Carney said. "We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible."

Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him, according to Reuters.

"Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given," Trudeau said.

Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.

Trudeau has imposed C$30 billion of retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to tariffs Trump levied on Canada.

"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect," Carney said.

Carney's win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks - Canada and England - meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump.

The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 20. 68 points to close at 2, 751.42 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 53 points to close at 459. 76 points.

A total of 15,094,915-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 8. 37 billion.

Meanwhile, NESDO Sambridha Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (NESDO) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. Likewise, Upakar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ULBSL) was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 98 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 56 trillion.

Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut has said that judges should work in a judicious manner.

Inaugurating the Second Conference of Women Judges-2081 organized on the occasion of the International Day of Women Judges today, he asserted that the judges should carry out their works keeping in mind the judiciary's prestige and dignity.

"While taking pride in the presence of women judges, it is necessary to pay attention to fair justice and to making prudent decisions. It is necessary to work keeping in mind the dignity and prestige of the court so that the consumer of justice gets justice,” the Chief Justice said.

He expressed the belief that although women judges have to juggle work at home, family and justice delivery, success will surely be achieved if they work hard.

Nepal's first woman Chief Justice Sushila Karki said the presence of women judges has been improving in the last three years, and it is necessary that they enhance their capacity, courage and studies.

She stressed the need for women judges to be competent while making judicial decisions without any fear.

Senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Sapana Pradhan Malla, said that the presence of women judges is important even though it is not that only women judges are sensitive while serving justice. She pointed out the need for women judges to pay more attention to capacity building and studies as well.

Supreme Court Judge and Judges Society Chair Til Prasad Shrestha said such conferences were necessary for enhancing the quality of justice and would also facilitate the execution of justice.

General Secretary of Judges Society Nepal, Tek Narayan Kunwar, said that the conference was organized with the objective of holding necessary discussions on women's participation in the judicial sector and gender equality in the judiciary.

A total of 60 people including 50 women judges and 10 former chief justices and judges are participating in the conference.

On the occasion, Chief Justice Raut honored the first woman Chief Justice Karki for her contribution to the judicial sector.

Discussions are being held on various issues related to inclusiveness in the judiciary and representation of women judges, challenges and possibilities.

The first national conference of women judges was held on March 22, 2024.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asserted that the private sector has a significant contribution to make in creating employment in the country.

Inaugurating the National Labor and Employment Conference, 2081 today, PM Oli expressed the view that the role of private sector would be more crucial as the government has been carrying out activities to bring change in country's situation by developing entrepreneurship as well as to materialize national aspiration 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali'.

Attention should be paid to increase production and productivity by utilizing the science and technology at maximum as there would be no growth in the country's economy if employment opportunities are not created in the country, he shared.

Prime Minister Oli stressed the need of carrying out activities to produce capable human resources who can compete in the global market and to create maximum employment in the country.  

On the occasion, National Skill Development Corporation and Employer Company signed a memorandum of understanding.

Similarly, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and Swiss Agency also signed MoU for the expansion of integrated market information system under Prime Minister Employment Program.