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The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is constructing six 132/11 kV substations at various locations in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur to enhance the adequacy, reliability, quality, and safety of electricity transmission and distribution within the valley. Among these, the Teku substation in Kathmandu is already operational. The Futung and Mulpani substations are in their final stages, with work underway to bring them into operation within two months. The Changunarayan substation in Bhaktapur has been completed. The Chobhar substation is expected to be operational by June, while the Thimi substation in Bhaktapur will be completed within eight months.

Each substation has a capacity of 90 MVA. Once all are completed and operational, the infrastructure will be capable of handling 500 MW of electricity, meeting the Kathmandu Valley’s current demand. To address future demand, the NEA has set a 2050 deadline and is advancing plans for phased construction of transmission and distribution infrastructure in key areas of the valley. With peak electricity demand projected to reach 3,100 MW by 2050, the NEA is developing 20 new substations at 220, 132, 33, and 11 kV levels.

Land has been acquired for these substations, and preliminary work, including surveying, has been completed to construct a 220 kV transmission ring around Kathmandu Valley’s perimeter. The Lapsiphedi substation, currently under construction, will supply electricity to the valley from hydropower projects in the Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi river basins.

To improve the reliability, quality, and modernization of Kathmandu Valley’s electricity supply, the NEA is implementing various projects, including the construction of new substations, automation of existing ones, underground cabling, and the addition and strengthening of feeders and transformers.

NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising inspected the substations under construction on Friday, urging their timely completion to meet growing electricity demand. He emphasized that once these substations are operational, electricity demand management and supply in Kathmandu will become significantly more efficient and reliable.

To enhance electricity supply in the southeastern region of Kathmandu, the construction of a 132/11 kV substation in Mulpani, Kageshwori Manohara Municipality, is in its final stage. The Chapali-Bhaktapur 132 kV transmission line will be connected to the Mulpani substation, ensuring electricity distribution. Eight 11 kV feeders from the substation will supply power to areas such as Jadibuti, Pepsicola, Kandaghari, Gothatar, Mulpani, Jorpati, Sankhu, and Thimi. Work is underway to make the substation operational by March.

The construction of a 132/11 kV substation in Futung is also in its final stages. The Balaju-Chapali 132 kV double circuit transmission line will be tapped at the Futung substation to supply electricity to the surrounding areas. Once operational, power supply to Balaju, Nepaltar, Goldhunga, and other areas will improve.

A 132/11 kV substation has also been constructed in Chobhar, Kathmandu, following disruptions in construction at Khokana, Bungmati, Harisiddhi, and Lamatar under the Thankot-Chapagaun-Bhaktapur 132 kV transmission line, a crucial project for improving Kathmandu Valley’s electricity supply. The substation will receive electricity from the Matatirtha Substation, with work progressing to make it operational by June.

Additionally, a 132 kV underground transmission line will be built from the Chobhar Substation along the Ring Road to connect with the Lagankhel Substation in Lalitpur, which is being upgraded to 132 kV. The underground line will later extend to Chapagaun and Harisiddhi.

The gap between government revenue and expenditure has continued to widen in the current fiscal year, raising concerns about fiscal management. According to the Financial Comptroller General Office, which tracks government spending and revenue, total expenditure until February reached Rs 800.35bn, while revenue collection stood at Rs 690.18bn. This has resulted in a budget deficit of Rs 110.17bn.

The government’s performance in both expenditure and revenue mobilization has been lackluster in the review period. With seven months of the fiscal year already completed, only 46.9 percent of the revenue target has been achieved. While non-tax revenue collection has progressed to 58.9 percent and tax revenue to 46.2 percent, progress in grant mobilization remains alarmingly low at 17.35 percent. In the fiscal year 2024/25, the government has set a revenue target of Rs 1,419.3bn. However, it has managed to collect only Rs 671.84bn by February. 

On the expenditure side, recurrent spending stands at 48.54 percent, while capital expenditure lags at a mere 21.16 percent, highlighting the government’s inability to fund development projects. Overall financial management progress has reached 46.87 percent.

Of the total budget allocation of Rs 1,860.3bn for the current fiscal year, only Rs 800.35bn has been spent as of February. Recurrent expenditure stands at Rs 553.63bn against the target of Rs 1,140.66bn allocated, while capital spending is limited to Rs 74.57bn out of the Rs 352.35bn target. This growing gap between revenue and expenditure is complicating preparations for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26. The National Planning Commission has recommended a budget ceiling of Rs 1,900trn for the next fiscal year. The government had initially allocated Rs 1,860bn for the current fiscal year, but Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel reduced it by approximately Rs 200bn during the mid-term review.

Despite its limited spending capacity, the finance ministry is drafting a budget of around Rs 1,900bn for the next fiscal year. Officials, led by Budget Division Chief Shrikrishna Nepal, are working on the budget under the NPC’s ceiling. However, they face the challenge of addressing the funding gap caused by the suspension of US aid. Officials say the ministry is setting ambitious targets for foreign grants and loans, aiming for 22 percent and 30 percent increases, respectively, in the upcoming budget.

TikTok is profiting from sexual livestreams performed by teens as young as 15, according to BBC.

We spoke to three women in Kenya who said they began this activity as teenagers. They told us they used TikTok to openly advertise and negotiate payment for more explicit content that would be sent via other messaging platfor.ms, BBC reporting says

TikTok bans solicitation but the company knows it takes place, moderators have told the BBC. TikTok takes a cut of about 70% from all livestream transactions, we have previously found.

TikTok told the BBC it has "zero tolerance for exploitation".

Livestreams from Kenya are popular on TikTok - each night over the course of a week, we found up to a dozen in which women performers danced suggestively, watched by hundreds of people around the world, according to the report.

Britain's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, on Monday launched an investigation into how TikTok, Reddit and online image sharing website Imgur safeguard children's privacy.

Social media companies use complex algorithms to prioritise content and keep users engaged. However, the fact that they amplify similar content can lead to children being influenced by increasing amounts of harmful material.

The watchdog said it is probing how ByteDance's short-form video-sharing platform TikTok uses 13–17-year-olds' personal information to suggest content in their feed.

Social media platform Reddit and Imgur are being investigated over how they assess the age of their child users, it said.

"If we find there is sufficient evidence that any of these companies have broken the law, we will put this to them and obtain their representations before reaching a final conclusion," the Information Commissioner's Office said in a statement.

TikTok, Reddit and Imgur did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Britain has previously passed legislation that set tougher rules for social media platforms, including a mandate for them to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content by enforcing age limits and age-checking measures

Social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are required to "tame" their algorithms to filter out or downgrade harmful material to help protect children under proposed British measures published last year. Reuters

The gold is being traded at Rs 168, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,915 per tola today. 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, a vital step for Washington to be able to offer security guarantees that Kyiv says are essential to deter Russia.

At a summit in London just two days after Volodymyr Zelenskiy clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump and cut short a visit to Washington, European leaders offered a strong show of support to the Ukrainian president and promised to do more to help his nation.

European leaders agreed they must spend more on defence to show Trump the continent can protect itself, and the European Commission chief suggested the bloc could ease rules that limit debt levels.

Starmer, who welcomed a visibly shaken Zelenskiy on Saturday with a warm hug, said Britain, Ukraine, France and some other nations would form a "coalition of the willing" and draw up a peace plan to take to Trump.

"This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act. Time to step up and lead and to unite around a new plan for a just and enduring peace," Starmer said.

Leaders did not provide details of their plan. Before the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron told newspaper Le Figaro that the plan would involve a one-month ceasefire that would apply to air and sea attacks but not to ground combat.

European troops would be deployed if a more substantial peace agreement was reached, he said. It was not clear whether other nations had agreed to the terms.

Zelenskiy said after the meeting that he left London with "Europe's clear support" and readiness to cooperate.

"There will be diplomacy for the sake of peace," he said in his nightly video address. "And for the sake of us all being together - Ukraine, all of Europe and definitely, definitely America."

Earlier, Zelenskiy told reporters that Ukraine would not cede any territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement and said he was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the United States.

Zelenskiy said he believed he could salvage his relationship with Trump after Friday's shouting match, but that talks would have to take place behind closed doors.

"The format of what happened, I don't think it brought something positive or additional to us as partners," he said.

Europe is scrambling to ensure that Kyiv is not squeezed out of any talks after the Oval Office clash raised fears that the U.S. could pull support for Ukraine and impose a peace plan negotiated with Russia.

Several European leaders said they must increase defence spending - something that could help bring Trump on side to offer a U.S. security guarantee in the event of peace.

"After a long time of underinvestment, it is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive body, told reporters.

Europe needs to turn "Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders," she said.

LACKING WEAPONRY, STOCKS

Europe, which lacks the weaponry and depth of ammunition stocks of the U.S., hopes to convince Trump that it can defend itself but that Russia will only adhere to a peace deal if it comes with the backing of the United States.

Talks with the U.S. have centred on Washington providing a so-called backstop for a European peacekeeping role, possibly in the form of air cover, intelligence and surveillance and a greater but unspecified threat if Russian President Vladimir Putin again sought to take more territory.

Crucial to getting any agreement from Trump is for European nations to increase defence spending and signal they would take part in any peacekeeping role - something Starmer acknowledged was difficult to get unanimity on.

Starmer increased the UK's defence spending before his visit to Washington last week, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said some European leaders had privately set out new plans on defence spending at the meeting but he declined to give details.

'UNCOMFORTABLE VIEWING'

Trump has upended U.S. policy on the three-year-old war since he returned to the White House in January, casting doubt on U.S. military and political support for Ukraine - and Europe - and ending the isolation of Moscow.

"We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country - So that we don't end up like Europe!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network late on Sunday.

Trump had blindsided Europe by calling Putin without warning and sending a delegation to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russia without including Ukraine or Europe. Trump has falsely suggested that Kyiv was responsible for starting the war, and on Friday, he criticised Zelenskiy for not being grateful for U.S. aid.

Zelenskiy, who has in the past thanked the U.S. for their support, said on Monday that: "There has not been a day when we have not felt this gratitude" to Washington.

Zelenskiy's clash with Trump ended a week when Europe had appeared to be in a better position in its drive to encourage Trump to continue to offer support to Ukraine after cordial visits to Washington by Macron and Starmer.

Starmer described watching the spat between Zelenskiy and Trump in the Oval Office as uncomfortable viewing, but he was keen to push the conversation forward by offering himself as a go-between for Europe and the United States.

In a further show of support for the Ukrainian leader, Zelenskiy later on Sunday flew to meet King Charles at his private residence in eastern England.

The Trump administration on Sunday continued to criticise Zelenskiy. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz told CNN that the U.S. needs a Ukrainian leader who is willing to secure a lasting peace with Russia, but that it is not clear Zelenskiy is prepared to do so.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump's "common sense" approach and accused European countries of seeking to prolong the conflict by propping up Zelenskiy "with their bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units".

Starmer said the leaders on Sunday also agreed to work to ensure Kyiv is at the table of any peace talks and boost the country's own defence capabilities.

"Europe must do the heavy lifting, but to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing," Starmer told a news conference. REUTERS

The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has appointed Australian coach Matt Ross as the head coach of the Nepal national football team. Ross will make his debut as Nepal’s head coach in an international friendly against Singapore on March 21. Following this, Nepal will face Malaysia on March 25 in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers.

Although Nepal was originally scheduled to host Malaysia, the match will now be played in Malaysia due to the Dasarath Stadium not meeting international standards. Despite the official announcement of his appointment only 19 days before these crucial matches, Ross had already arrived in Nepal. He expressed his excitement about taking on the role and praised the country’s football environment.

“Since arriving in Nepal, I have seen an immense passion for football. I watched the Women’s League, the International Women’s Championship, and the KP Oli Cup. I am excited to start working with the players,” Ross said.

“I know many Nepali players have gone to Australia. Coming from Australia myself, I find this an important issue,” he stated. He acknowledged the technical strengths of Nepali players and emphasized the importance of quick preparation for the upcoming matches against Singapore and Malaysia. “Malaysia and Singapore pose tough challenges for us. We have very limited time to prepare, so it is crucial to start training immediately and establish a connection with the players. Despite the challenges, we are ready,” he added.

Ross aims to secure points in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and improve Nepal’s footballing standards. He outlined his long-term vision, which includes grassroots development, improving Nepal’s FIFA rankings, and winning the SAFF Championship in both men’s and women’s categories. Calling for support from fans, Ross stated, “Support from the fans will be crucial, and I urge everyone to stand with us.”

The 47-year-old Ross holds a UEFA Pro License. In 2020, he served as the assistant coach of the South Korean women’s national team, which reached the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 final, where they lost 3-2 to China.

Before his stint in Korea, Ross coached China’s U15 women’s team and worked for four years as a video analyst for the German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt’s women’s team. During his time at the club, Frankfurt won the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2015. He later obtained his UEFA Pro License and coached Frankfurt for two years before moving to Sweden’s top-division women’s club Växjö in 2017. From Sweden, he transitioned to China and later to Korea. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at United FC in the UAE.

Nepal is placed in Group F alongside Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia in the final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers. Only the group winners will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.

Singers Arjun Sapkota and Samjhana Bhandari have released their latest song, ‘Kyari Bhulam Mero Man’. The song’s official music video premiered on Samjhana Bhandari’s YouTube channel on Thursday morning. The song captures the emotions of love and heartbreak, with lyrics penned by Santosh Sapkota. Arjun Sapkota has composed the music, while HBN Kismat handled the arrangement.

The music video features Sapkota and Sarita Dhungana in lead roles. Speaking about the initial response, Arjun shared that the song has been gaining traction on TikTok and receiving positive feedback on YouTube. Directed by Bishal Ghimire, the video is shot by Buddha Thapa and edited by Anish Mahat. Since its release on Feb 27, the song has garnered over 400,000 views.