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Three persons died and 11 others were injured in a bus accident at Dhankuta on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Krishna Kumari Bhujel (73) of Dhankuta Municipality-6, bus driver Rudra Tamang (51) of Dharan Sub-Metropolis-13 and Leela Bahadur Shrestha (58) of Shadananda Municipality-13.

Bhujel and Tamang died on Monday in the course of treatment at the Dhankuta Hospital while Shrestha breathed his last during the course of treatment at the Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences at 4 am today, said police.

The bus (Ko 1 Kha 2177) was heading towards Dhankuta from Dharan when the incident occurred.

Surya Mani Tamang and Anmol Tamang of Shadanand Municipality-13, Krishna Raut of Barahachhetra Municipality-2, Ganga Prasad Sapkota of Pauwadungma Rural Municipality3, Sabina Baraili and Devi BK of Bhojpur Municipality-11, Hansha Bahadur Rai of Sagurigadhi Rural Municipality-6, Purna Maya Tamang of Shadananda Municipality-11, Dirgha Maya Rai of Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality-6, Ayush Rai of Itahari and Dhan Kumar BK of Dhankuta-6 were injured in the accident.

They are receiving treatment at Dhankuta Hospital, Nobel Hospital and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

The Kaligandaki Corridor, stretching 430 kilometers from Gaindakot in eastern Nawalparasi to the Korala border crossing in Mustang, has significantly enhanced regional connectivity and economic development across central Nepal. The blacktopped road now runs alongside the Kaligandaki River, enabling smooth vehicle movement through areas that were once difficult to access.

The corridor directly links six districts—East Nawalparasi, Palpa, Gulmi, Baglung, Myagdi, and Mustang—spanning both Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. It also intersects with major national highways including the Mid-Hill Highway, Madan Bhandari Highway, Siddhartha Highway, and Mahendra Highway.

According to the Maldhunga-Gaindakot Road Project Office in Palpa, the corridor has spurred the growth of over 50 new markets and significantly boosted economic activity. Settlements have expanded as people relocate closer to the corridor, and there has been a noticeable increase in land transactions and rising real estate values.

The corridor is also being promoted as a trade and religious tourism route. Project data shows the following distribution: 78 kilometers of the route lie in eastern Nawalparasi, 87 kilometers in Palpa, 39 in Gulmi, and 36 in Baglung. The remaining sections extend from Maldhunga to Beni (8 km), Beni to Jomsom (82 km), and Jomsom to Korala in Upper Mustang (101 km).

The route directly connects key district headquarters including Mustang’s Jomsom, Myagdi’s Beni, and Chitwan’s Bharatpur. It also provides improved access to Parbat’s Kushma, Baglung Bazaar, and Palpa’s Tansen. Baglung’s Waleya Airport and the Korala border point have become operational following the corridor's development.

The corridor has also improved north-south trade logistics, especially in the Mid-Hill region, reducing transportation time and improving market access. For example, travel from Butwal to Muktinath, which previously took two days, can now be completed in a single day. The new route from Maldhunga to Butwal via Tansen has shortened travel distance by 75 kilometers compared to the previous route via Pokhara.

Officials state that the corridor provides more direct access from Gulmi and Arghakhanchi to destinations such as Syangja, Pokhara, Narayangadh, and the eastern Terai. Residents of the Kaligandaki region, including those in Gulmi, can now reach their district headquarters much faster—cutting travel time from multiple districts to just a couple of hours.

According to a draft document obtained by Reuters, the United States is attempting to weaken a UN treaty intended to assist developing nations in addressing financial and climate change issues. In preparation for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in June, the document describes suggested changes to the global financial system, such as those pertaining to credit ratings, taxes, and subsidies for fossil fuels.

The United States opposes these amendments and seeks to eliminate references to "climate," "gender equality," and "sustainability." It also intends to replace a request to "reform the international financial architecture" with softer language about enhancing its resilience.

The US delegation claims that the document is excessively comprehensive and challenges the "ever-widening definition of sustainable development." It also opposes the United Nations influence over institutions like as the World Bank and the IMF, arguing that they should remain independent, Reuters reported.

These positions reflect a broader “America First” approach that resists global coordination on climate and development issues.

OpenAI has reversed plans to reduce its nonprofit parent’s control over its for-profit arm, after backlash and a lawsuit from co-founder Elon Musk.

 Although the goal of the planned change to a public benefit corporation (PBC) was to increase funding, there was a chance that this would compromise the nonprofit's control, Reuters reported.

The decision may jeopardize OpenAI's original goal of creating artificial intelligence for the good of humanity, according to critics. CEO Sam Altman affirmed on Monday that the nonprofit will continue to have complete authority over the governance of the business, according to Reuters.

While OpenAI plans to restructure its for-profit operations in order to generate funds and remain competitive in the AI market, the nonprofit will continue to oversee its direction. Altman emphasized that the current governance paradigm will not change.

The 37.5 MW Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat Hydropower Project has been constructed in Raghuganga Rural Municipality of Myagdi. The project, promoted by Tudi Power Company Limited, has begun testing the dam, descender (water retention pond) and tunnel by pouring water into it.

Prakash Timilsina, the project’s resident engineer, informed that the testing of the physical structure has begun as per the schedule to start trial production on May 15. “The testing of the physical structure is being done by filling the dam, descender, tunnel and penstock pipeline with water,” he said. “The equipment installation at the power house has been completed and the transmission line is ready.”

Timilsina said that the penstock test was successful and no problems were seen in the tunnel, descender and dam, which were filled with water since Tuesday. A dam has been constructed in Bandi, Raghuganga Rural Municipality-8, and a 110-meter-long, 8-meter-high, and 30-meter-wide water retention pond has been constructed nearby.

A 950-meter-long penstock pipeline has been constructed to transport the water brought from the dam through a 5-kilometer, 300-meter-long tunnel to the power house at Bagar in Chimkhola, Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7.

The height of the outlet from the power house to the tunnel is 360 meters. The civil contractor for the project, whose construction began in November 2020, is Ramechhap Sherpa and South Asian Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. The tunnel was dug from four places.

A 14-kilometer-long 220 kV transmission line has been constructed from the power house to the switchyard built in the power house premises of the Rahughat Hydropower Project in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-3. The transmission line has 49 towers. The electricity generated from the project will be connected to the 220 kV Dana-Kushma transmission line through a ‘loop in, loop out’ (Lilo) method. The 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project, promoted by Tudi Power, along with Chimkhola-Mangle-Rahughat, is estimated to cost Rs 14bn.

Upper Rahughat is also in the final stages of construction. Chimkhola-Mangle-Rahughat is the first hydropower project to be completed in the Rahughat Basin. 21.3 MW Thulokhola, and 22.3 MW Upper Thulokhola hydropower projects on the Rahughat River are nearing completion.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 9. 62 points to close at 2,610. 76 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 24 points to close at 440. 25 points.

A total of 18,437,942-unit shares of 319 companies were traded for Rs 7. 63 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited (NMIC), Om Megashree Pharmaceuticals Limited (OMPL) and Citizens Super 30 Mutual Fund (C30MF) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Himalayan Power Partner Ltd. (HPPL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 9. 99 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 34 trillion.

Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro that drew more than two million people, Aljazeera reported.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro said on social media on Sunday that it had thwarted a bomb attack that had been planned by the suspects for the free concert, held on the famous Copacabana Beach on Saturday.

The police added that an adult “responsible for the plan” had been arrested along with a teenager in an operation codenamed “Fake Monster” – a reference to “Little Monsters”, the star’s pet name for her fans.

The suspects, it said, had recruited people online to “carry out attacks using improvised explosives” in the aim of “gaining notoriety on social media”. Police working in coordination with the Justice Ministry carried out raids across Rio de Janeiro state as well as in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso, according to Aljazeera.

A female Nepali student was found dead in her hostel room at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening, in what police have described as a suspected case of suicide.

Parents arrived in Bhubaneswar

The grieving parents of the first-year B.Tech student arrived at the mortuary in AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the incident. “We received information (about her demise) at 8:00 PM,” the student’s visibly distraught mother told ANI. Her father said the family had spoken to her just hours before the incident. “On the day of the incident, we had a telephone conversation with her at 3:00 PM. She talked to us nicely,” he added.

What authorities are saying

Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh stated that preliminary findings suggest it was a case of suicide. “Prima facie, it appears to be a suicide case, as she was found in a hanging position inside a locked room,” Singh told ANI. He added that all necessary evidence had been collected and that the body was sent for a post-mortem at AIIMS.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena provided further details, saying the incident came to light during a routine attendance check. “When the hostel warden was taking evening attendance, one student did not respond. On checking, the girl was found hanging inside her room. No note was found,” Meena said.

UGC sets up fact-finding committee

In response to the incident and rising concerns, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has formed a four-member fact-finding committee headed by IGNOU Vice-chancellor Nageshwar Rao. The panel will look into the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicides at KIIT, assess the university’s adherence to student welfare norms, and recommend preventive measures.

Other members of the committee include Shashikala Wanjari (VC, NIEPA), HCS Rathore (former VC, Central University of South Bihar), and Sunita Siwach (Joint Secretary, UGC), who will serve as the committee’s coordination officer.

A worrying pattern?

This is the second such incident involving a Nepali student at KIIT in the last three months. In February, another Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, also died by suicide at the university. The latest case has triggered concerns among students, parents, and diplomatic channels, with police confirming they are in touch with the Nepali embassy. Security arrangements have been made around the campus.