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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) increased by 0. 89 points to reach 2, 079.60 points in the pre-open session on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 0. 47 points.

As many as 1, 130 shares of four companies were traded at Rs 430, 080.

At least 25 persons are confirmed to have died after a bus carrying 28 tourists from Panna district in Madhya Pradesh and two staffers fell in a 150-metre-deep gorge in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Sunday evening, The Indian Express reported.

According to officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), which is involved in the rescue and relief operation along with the district administration, 25 bodies have been recovered and the five injured people taken to a nearby hospital. The passengers were on their way to Yamunotri Dham in Uttarkashi.

“On Sunday evening we were informed that around 4 km ahead of Damta, under the Purola police station area, a tourist bus fell into a gorge. The bus reportedly had 28-30 passengers and fell into a 150-metre-deep gorge. Soon after getting the information, SDRF teams reached the spot and started a rescue operation. Backup teams from Ujeli, Mori, Chakrata, and Sahastradhara posts have also been sent,” read a statement issued by the SDRF.

“So far, we have recovered 25 bodies from the spot and five were injured. As per unverified information, one of the injured died during treatment. There were a total of 30 persons on the bus–28 pilgrims, a driver and a conductor,” said an SDRF official, adding that the rescue operation was going on.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the kin of those killed in the accident. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.

In a tweet from the PMO India Twitter account, Modi said the bus accident in Uttarakhand was heart-wrenching. “I express my condolences to those who lost their loved ones. The local administration in the supervision of the state government is trying to provide every possible help,” he tweeted, according to The Indian Express.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the disaster control room in Dehradun and directed the district administration to carry out relief and rescue work expeditiously. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh also expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah talked to Dhami over the incident and said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams had also been deployed to help with the search and rescue operation.

“The information of a bus carrying devotees falling into a gorge is sad. I have talked to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the incident. Local administration and SDRF teams are involved in the rescue operation and those injured are being taken to nearby hospitals. The NDRF will also reach there soon,” Shah tweeted.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the death of the pilgrims from Panna was unfortunate. “I and my team are in constant touch with the Uttarakhand government and district administration. Arrangements are being made for the treatment of the injured and bringing the bodies of the deceased to Madhya Pradesh. The families should not consider themselves alone in this time of crisis. We all are with the grieving families,” he tweeted, The Indian Express reported.

Wales has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 64 years after beating Ukraine in a play-off for this year's finals in Qatar, BBC reported.

Wales beat Ukraine 1-0 in Cardiff after captain Gareth Bale's free-kick was deflected into the visiting goal by Ukraine skipper Andriy Yarmolenko.

Wales will share Group B with USA, Iran and England at November's World Cup.

Fans are celebrating with many telling BBC Wales they never thought they would see this moment in their lifetime.

Wales' first minister, Michael Sheen, Gabby Logan, and a wealth of Welsh celebrities joined supporters from around the world praising the team.

"It's amazing what we can achieve when the whole country comes together," said Mark Drakeford, according to BBC.

"Commiserations to Ukraine - despite our differences on the field, Wales stands with you."

Fans leaving the Cardiff City Stadium after the game in the pouring rain sang and cheered as they celebrated Wales qualifying for the finals in Qatar in late November.

Ukraine fans had praised the home supporters for their welcome in Cardiff while the Welsh FA had invited the UK's Ukrainian ambassador to the game in support to the people of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

As well as holding banners in solidarity to Ukraine before kick-off, fans enjoyed a rousing rendition of Welsh football anthem Yma o Hydfrom folk singer Dafydd Iwan, BBC reported.

Skipper Bale has said their win over Ukraine is the "greatest result in history of Welsh football"and that sentiment was echoed by fan Clive Frances who hailed Wales' "amazing" achievement.

A person died and another sustained injuries when a motorbike they were riding on met with an accident at Danda in Ratuwamai Municipality-9 of Morang district on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar Sharma (25) of Sunbarsi Municipality-9.

Police said that the incident occurred after Sharma lost control of the bike (Me 4 Pa 4551) at around 5:20 pm yesterday.

Critically injured in the incident, Sharma was rushed to the Rangeli Hospital but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Pillion rider Kishan Kumajar (22) of Arariya Kusakatta, India was injured in the accident, police said.

He is undergoing treatment at the Rangeli Hospital.

Police said that they are investigating the case.

There have been 780 confirmed cases of monkeypox in countries where the virus is not usually found, the World Health Organization says, BBC reported.

That is roughly triple the 257 cases it reported a week ago.

It says the figure - for the past three weeks - is probably an underestimate and assesses the global risk level as "moderate".

The infection is usually mild, but this is the first time it has spread widely outside Central and West Africa.

The WHO said cases had been identified in 27 countries where it is not already "endemic" - meaning places it is expected to be found, according to BBC.

Most of these new cases are in Europe and North America as well as small numbers in Mexico, Argentina, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

The UK has the most cases, with 207, followed by Spain with 156 and Portugal with 138.

In its latest update, the WHO said some countries were reporting that new cases were appearing beyond known contacts of previously confirmed cases, which it said suggested chains of transmission were being "missed through undetected circulation of the virus".

"It is highly likely that other countries will identify cases and there will be further spread of the virus," it added.

While the current risk to human health for the general public "remains low", the public health risk could "become high" if the virus becomes widespread in countries where it is not normally found, it said. No deaths have been reported as a result of the current outbreak, BBC reported.

The global health body said most, but not all, of the reported cases so far have involved men who have sex with men. There is no evidence that monkeypox is sexually transmitted, but it is passed on through close contact.

The organisation said many cases were not presenting with the typical clinical picture for monkeypox, with some describing pustules appearing before symptoms such as fever.

Most cases of the virus clear up on their own within a few weeks. Symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain, aching muscles, as well as a rash which goes through different stages.

Monkeypox can sometimes be more severe, however, and has been reported to have caused deaths in West Africa in the past, according to BBC.

Australia has accused the pilot of a Chinese fighter jet of carrying out a dangerous manoeuvre near one of its aircraft over the South China Sea, BBC reported.

It says the Chinese aircraft released flares and cut in front of the Australian surveillance plane.

The Chinese jet then released "chaff" - an anti-radar device which includes small pieces of aluminium which entered the Australian plane's engine.

Beijing claims most of the region as its own territory.

The Royal Australian Air Force P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted on 26 May by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft, during what was a routine maritime surveillance activity, Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said.

"The intercept resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre which did pose a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew," he said, according to BBC.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Chinese jet flew very close in front of the RAAF aircraft and released a "bundle of chaff" containing the small pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft's engine.

"Quite obviously this is very dangerous," Mr Marles told ABC television.

In a statement, Australia's defence ministry said it had "for decades undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region" and "does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace".

Beijing has not commented on the incident. China has been building up military infrastructure there in recent years.

But the US, neighbouring countries and others, including Australia, dispute its claim, BBC reported.

In February, Australia accused a Chinese navy ship of shining a military grade laser towards one of its warplanes over the Arafura Sea off northern Australia.

Gunmen opened fire on worshippers and detonated explosives at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, leaving dozens feared dead, state lawmakers said, Associated Press reported.

The attackers targeted the St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state just as the worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, legislator Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said. Among the dead were many children, he said.

The presiding priest was abducted as well, said Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber.

“Our hearts are heavy,” Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu tweeted Sunday. “Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people.”

Authorities did not immediately release an official death toll. Timileyin said at least 50 people had been killed, though others put the figure higher. Videos appearing to be from the scene of the attack showed church worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said “only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act,” according to a statement from his spokesman.

“No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win,” said Buhari, who was elected after vowing to end Nigeria’s prolonged security crisis, according to Associated Press.

In Rome, Pope Francis responded to news of the attack.

“The pope has learned of the attack on the church in Ondo, Nigeria and the deaths of dozens of worshippers, many children, during the celebration of Pentecost. While the details are being clarified, Pope Francis prays for the victims and the country, painfully affected at a time of celebration, and entrusts them both to the Lord so that he may send his spirit to console them,” the pope said in a statement issued by the Vatican press office. 

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the church. While much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, Ondo is widely known as one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states. The state, though, has been caught up in a rising violent conflict between farmers and herders.

Nigeria’s security forces did not immediately respond to questions about how the attack occurred or if there are any leads about suspects. Owo is about 345 kilometers (215 miles) east of Lagos, Associated Press reported.

“In the history of Owo, we have never experienced such an ugly incident,” said lawmaker Oluwole. “This is too much.”

The US and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in a show of force matching a North Korean missile display a day earlier that extended a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations, Associated Press reported.

The allies’ live-fire exercise involved eight Army Tactical Missile System missiles – one American and seven South Korean – that were fired into South Korea’s eastern waters across 10 minutes following notifications for air and maritime safety, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Forces Korea. 

The tit-for-tat missile launches were aimed at demonstrating the ability to respond swiftly and accurately to North Korean attacks, the South Korean military said. 

The South’s military on Sunday detected North Korea firing eight short-range missiles over 35 minutes from at least four different locations, including from western and eastern coastal areas and two inland areas north of and near the capital, Pyongyang, in what appeared to be a single-day record for the country’s ballistic launches.

It was North Korea’s 18th round of missile tests in 2022 alone — a streak that included the country’s first launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in nearly five years. South Korean and US officials also say North Korea is preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017 as leader Kim Jong Un pushes a brinkmanship aimed at cementing the North’s status as a nuclear power and negotiating economic and security concessions from a position of strength, according to the Associated Press.

US and South Korean forces conducted a similar live-fire exercise following North Korea’s previous ballistic launches on May 25, which South Korea’s military said involved an ICBM flown on medium-range trajectory and two short-range weapons. Those tests came as Biden wrapped up his trip to South Korea and Japan, where he reaffirmed the US commitment to defend both allies.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a speech marking the country’s Memorial Day on Monday said his government would pursue “fundamental and practical security capabilities” to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and missile threat. 

“North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs have grown to a point where they are not only a threat to the Korean Peninsula, but to Northeast Asia and world peace,” Yoon said at the National Cemetery in Seoul, saying his government would “sternly respond to any kind of North Korean provocation.” 

Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, has vowed to strengthen the South’s defense in conjunction with its alliance with the United States. His goals include enhancing missile strike and interception capabilities and resuming large-scale military exercises with the United States, which were suspended or downsized in recent years to create space for diplomacy with Pyongyang or because of COVID-19, Associated Press reported.

Yoon’s dovish predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who had staked his five-year term on inter-Korean engagement, refrained from missile counter-drills after North Korea resumed ballistic missile tests in 2019 as its diplomacy with the U.S. fizzled.

North Korean state media have yet to comment on Sunday’s launches. They came after the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan concluded a three-day naval drill with South Korea in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, apparently their first joint drill involving a carrier since November 2017, as the countries move to upgrade their defense exercises in the face of North Korean threats.

North Korea has long condemned the allies’ combined military exercises as invasion rehearsals and often countered with its own missile drills, including short-range launches in 2016 and 2017 that simulated nuclear attacks on South Korean ports and US military facilities in Japan. 

Hours after the North Korean launches, Japan and the United States conducted a joint ballistic missile exercise aimed at showing their “rapid response capability” and “strong determination” to counter threats, Japan’s Defense Ministry said. 

The United States has vowed to push for additional international sanctions if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, but the prospects for meaningful new punitive measures are dim with the UN Security Council’s permanent members divided, according to Associated Press.