Nepse plunges by 35. 53 points on Tuesday

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 35. 53 points to close at 2,137. 92 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 7. 11 points to close at 415. 63 points.

A total of 3, 769, 812 units of the shares of 229 companies were traded for Rs 1. 31 billion.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalisation stood at Rs 3.04 trillion.

Annapurna Media Network to organize electric vehicle rally on June 5

The Annapurna Media Network in association with Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) is organizing an electric vehicle rally in Kathmandu on June 5 (Sunday) on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Minister for Forest and Environment Ram Sahaya Yadav will inaugurate the event which will start at 7 am from Tinkune ground. 

The rally will pass through  Gaushala, Chabahil, Mahargunj, Balaju, Sorakhutte, Lainchaur, Kesarmahal, Jamal, Durbarmarg, Krishna Pauroti, Gyaneshwor, Ratopul, Gaushala, Tinkune and will culminate atTinkune ground.

Nepal Army chief to visit America to deepen defense ties

It is official, that Nepal Army Chief Prabhu Ram Sharma will be visiting America from June 27 to July 1, Nepal Army said on May 31. A Cabinet meeting held on May 30 endorsed Sharma’s visit to America.  During his visit to the US, Sharma is expected to hold bilateral talks on enhancing bilateral defense cooperation. Two countries enjoy a close military engagement.  In a press statement, Nepal Army said that visit will strengthen the military cooperation between the two countries.  

 

Death toll from heavy rain in northeastern Brazil rises to 91

Residents in Brazil'snortheastern state of Pernambuco were bracing for more days of heavy rain after at least 91 people were killed as downpours triggered floods and landslides, according to the Civil Defense, CNN reported.

A further 26 people are still reported missing, said the Civil Defense on Twitter.

The state governor, Paulo Câmara, said that many more people could be unaccounted for.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spoke to the press after visiting the area on Monday.

"Unfortunately, these catastrophes happen," Bolsonaro said during a press conference, saying "similar problems" happened before in other cities affected by heavy floods.

"We flew over the affected area, tried to land but, following recommendation from the pilots, decided not to due to inconsistency of the soil," Bolsonaro told reporters, according to CNN.

Since heavy rains began on Wednesday, nearly 4,000 have lost their houses, according to CNN Brasil. Fourteen municipalities have declared a state of emergency. 

The Pernambuco civil defense has urged residents living in high-risk areas around the city of Recife to seek shelter elsewhere after the rain caused landslides there. Schools in Recife have opened to shelter displaced families.

Brazil's northeast has been suffering from exceptionally high volumes of rain, officials say. Some areas have registered more rain in a 24-hour period over the weekend than the total volume expected for the month of May. 

Some parts of the state had a reprieve from the rain Monday as showers moved toward the coast, but Pernambuco is forecast to get another 30-60 mm of rain in the next two days, while isolated areas could see over 100 mm. The region could experience more than half a month's worth of rainfall in just four days, between Saturday over the weekend until the end of Tuesday, CNN reported.

Gusts -- which can lead to power outages and falling debris -- could also be as high has 100 kph.

The weekend downpour triggered the fourth major flooding event in five months in Brazil, according to a Reuters report, which highlighted a lack of urban planning in low-income neighborhoods throughout much of the country. Favelas -- slums or shantytowns -- are often erected on hillsides prone to giving way, usually outside major cities.

In December, downpours caused two dams to burst in nearby Bahia state, killing dozens and submerging entire streets, according to CNN.

Nepal embassy in Pakistan celebrates Mount Everest Day

The Nepali embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan organized a program to celebrate the Mt. Everest Day at the embassy in Islamabad. 

The program was organized to commemorate the first ascent to the Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.

Nepali Ambassador to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari welcomed the guests to the program and congratulated Abdul Joshi on his recent ascent to the Mt. Everest on May 16, 2022.

On the occasion, Ambassador Adhikari expressed his confidence that his expedition will inspire many young Pakistanis for mountaineering and adventure tourism and increase people-to-people contacts between Nepal and Pakistan, according to Islamabad Post.

He also highlighted the impacts of climate change on the mountains and urged for collectively addressing the negative consequences.

During the programme, Joshi shared his interesting expedition experience while scaling the summit. He also drew many parallels between Nepal and Pakistan, particularly in the field of trekking and tourism.

Nepal Tara Air plane crash: Black box recovered

The black box of the crashed Tara Air plane has been recovered on Tuesday. 

The plane with call sign 9N-AET, which had gone missing since Sunday, was found crashed on Monday morning. The wreckage of the aircraft was found scattered at Sanosware in Mustang district this morning.

There were 22 people including two German nationals, four Indians and 13 Nepali nationals on board the ill-fated aircraft when the incident occurred.

The plane had taken off for Jomson from Pokhara at 9: 55 am on Sunday.

It has been learnt that the aircraft was scheduled to fly at 6: 15 am but got delayed due to bad weather.

This is the seventh crash in the Pokhara-Jomsom route in the last three decades.

Black box is a small machine that records information about an aircraft during its flight, used to discover the cause of an accident.

 

Sidhu Moose Wala: Murder of popular Indian singer sparks anger

The murder of a singer in the northern Indian state of Punjab, a day after his security cover was trimmed, has sparked outrage, BBC reported.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot by unidentified people while he was travelling in the state's Mansa district on Sunday evening. He was 28.

Two others were injured in the attack.

The murder led to a political storm in the state, with opposition leaders criticising the government and police.

State police chief VK Bhawra had said on Sunday that a Canada-based gangster had claimed responsibility for the attack.

But Moose Wala's family demanded an apology from Mr Bhawra for linking the death to gang rivalry without a proper investigation, according to BBC.

On Monday, Mr Bhawra clarified in a statement that he hadn't said that Moose Wala was a "gangster or affiliated with gangsters".

"One Goldy Brar has claimed the responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The investigation would look into all aspects regarding the murder," he said, adding that he had been "misquoted" by some media outlets.

Punjab's chief minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered an inquiry - led by a high court judge - into the incident. 

Opposition leaders have questioned why the singer's security cover was scaled back.

Police said that Moose Wala's security detail had been reduced to two commandos from four, and that these officers weren't travelling with the singer when he was attacked, BBC reported.

He was among over 400 people in Punjab whose security detail was withdrawn or scaled back recently by the government. 

Mr Mann had said the step was partly taken because of a government exercise to crack down on so-called "VIP culture" which privileges politicians above ordinary citizens. 

Police officials said it was also done to deploy more personnel for security ahead of the upcoming anniversary of the controversial Operation Blue Star - when the Indian army stormed the Sikhs' most sacred shrine in 1984.

But the government's move sparked controversy after the names of people on the list were leaked on social media, with some pointing out that it increased the threat to their lives.

Mr Mann has expressed shock at Moose Wala's murder and promised that the culprits would be punished. He also urged people to maintain peace after protests erupted in some parts of the state. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by Moose Wala's murder - the singer had joined the party last year, according to BBC.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also urged federal home minister Amit Shah to initiate an inquiry into how the list of persons whose security was withdrawn got leaked.

Moose Wala, known for his temperamental and edgy lyrics, was one of Punjab's biggest pop stars. He was also a controversial figure who had several brushes with the law. 

Critics often called him out for promoting gun culture - a major concern in Punjab - through his songs and social media activity.

In May 2020, the singer was booked for firing an AK-47 rifle at a shooting range during the Covid lockdown. He also had a police case against him for allegedly promoting violence and gun culture through his song Sanju.

He contested the state assembly election earlier this year as a Congress candidate but lost.

His death shocked fans across the country and abroad, especially Canada, which has a sizeable Punjabi diaspora population. Social media was flooded with tributes, with many demanding justice for Moose Wala, BBC reported.

Australia election: PM Anthony Albanese secures majority government

Australia's new Labor government has secured a majority in parliament, election analysts say, BBC reported.

The centre-left party, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, defeated Scott Morrison's conservative coalition in an election on 21 May.

A record vote for independents and minor parties had made it uncertain whether Mr Albanese would govern in his own right.

But he now has the 76 lower house seats needed, after victories in tight races.

It is a different story in the Senate, where Mr Albanese's government will need crossbench support to pass laws.

About a third of Australians voted for candidates outside the major parties, with support surging for the Greens and independents running on climate platforms, according to BBC.

Mr Albanese has promised a "constructive relationship" with the expanded crossbench, despite not needing to rely on their votes in the House of Representatives. Two seats there remain undecided. 

He will announce his cabinet on Tuesday.

The veteran politician, who heads Australia's first Labor government in almost a decade, has promised to adopt more ambitious emissions reduction targets. 

However, he has so far refused calls to phase out coal use or to block the opening of new coal mines.

Mr Albanese flew to Tokyo last week for a summit with the leaders of Japan, India and the US, known as the Quad. 

His government is also aiming to sure up ties in the Pacific in the face of growing Chinese influence. Foreign Minister Penny Wong made a trip to Fiji within days of being sworn in.

Her visit came as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on a tour of small Pacific nations, hoping to secure trade and security deals, BBC reported.

Last month, China and the Solomon Islands agreed a security pact that sparked fears in Australia and the US that Beijing could build a naval base in the region.

Mr Morrison lost power after shedding almost 20 seats at the election. These included traditional conservative strongholds in the cities, where climate policies were seen as a key factor.

Staunch conservative and former defence minister Peter Dutton will now be opposition leader, after he was chosen by the Liberal Party to replace Mr Morrison.

Barnaby Joyce - who made international headlines over a row about Johnny Depp's dogs- was replaced by David Littleproud as leader of the Nationals, the Liberals' junior coalition partner, according to BBC.

In the last 40 years only one government - under John Howard in 2004 - has won a Senate majority.