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The UK and US conducted joint air strikes near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, targeting Houthi drone production facilities used in Red Sea attacks, according to the British Ministry of Defence.

The UK provided details on the operation, stressing efforts to limit civilian harm. The US, which has conducted over 1,000 plus strikes on Houthi targets since mid-March, has yet to comment on this joint action, Al Jazeera reported.

Concerns over civilian casualties are rising. Houthi media say a recent US strike killed 68 migrants at a detention center while the Pentagon is assessing the claim.

A Yemeni rights group reports hundreds of additional civilian deaths in recent strikes.

A meeting of the ruling coalition parties on Wednesday suggested the government bring policies and programs capable of further strengthening democratic republic, bringing the economy to its track and instilling a ray of hope among the youths.

During the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar, the leaders of the ruling parties stressed on the need to prevent the resources, said CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

He said that the government has been urged to focus on entrepreneurship, skill development, startups, enterprise development and market expansion so that the youth community is encouraged.

The meeting advised the government to remove unnecessary structures and to be strict in reducing unnecessary expenditures, focusing on the enhancement of good governance and work efficiency and strengthening of external relations.

President Ram Chandra Paudel will present the government’s policies and programs on May 2.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had summoned the meeting today to discuss the matter. 

The leaders have urged the government to collectively defend attacks on the existing system and to bring agricultural and livestock development programs focusing on hills so as to correct the migration trend.

In his response to the journalist's query, leader Gyawali said that the talks between the government and the agitating teachers are underway, expressing his confidence that an atmosphere will be created to resume the community schools soon.

Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chair Oli, Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, NC Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, UML senior Vice Chair Ishwor Pokhrel, General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel, Deputy General Secretaries Gyawali and Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal Chair Mahantha Thakur and Janata Samajbadi Party Chair Ashok Kumar Rai were present on the occasion.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 5. 61 points to close at 2, 626.36 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 28 points to close at 442. 26 points.

A total of 24,641,261-unit shares of 314 companies were traded for Rs 9. 37 billion.

Meanwhile, Samaj Laghubittya Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SAMAJ) and Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Bhugol Energy Development Company Limited (BEDC) was the top loser with its price dropped by 10. 00 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 36 trillion.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Tuesday that his government objected to the inclusion of The Resistance Front (TRF) in a UN Security Council (UNSC) statement denouncing the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Firstpost.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Dar stated that Pakistan had two major objections: the statement marked out Pahalgam without mentioning Jammu and Kashmir, and it mentioned TRF without providing sufficient evidence. As a result, neither the location nor any group were mentioned in the final UN Security Council statement.

The April 22 attack killed 26 individuals. TRF, apparently a subsidiary of Lashkar-e-Taiba, first claimed responsibility before later denying it. Dar denied media reports linking TRF to the incident, describing it as a local forum rather than a terrorist organization, Firstpost reported.

He also mentioned that the UNSC statement took more than two days to prepare due to Pakistan's demand on modifications.

The party unification announcement program between Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party has been deferred.

Janamat Party spokesperson Sharad Singh Yadav said that the unification program was postponed following the arrest of Nagarik Unmukti Party patron Resham Chaudhary.

He said that police in civvies had arrested Chaudhary this afternoon.

Yadav claimed that Chaudhary was apprehended to foil the unification process.

He mentioned that the senior leaders of the two parties take necessary decisions on the matter.

Nagarik Unmukti Party leaders and cadres chanted slogans after the arrest the Chaudhary.

The Daunne section of the Narayanghat–Butwal road corridor under the East-West Highway will be disrupted six hours a day for another 15 days. Earlier, the Road Projects Directorate said that the road will be disrupted for six hours at night until April 28. However, the time has been extended to 15 more days due to continuous road expansion work. In a notice issued by the Directorate on Tuesday, it is said that vehicular traffic will be halted from 11 pm to 5 am until May 14. Earlier, work was done by stopping vehicle traffic for four hours in the afternoon for five days in March.

The project said that during the closure of the road, buses, minibuses, microbuses, and small vehicles heading towards Butwal will be stopped at the Hongsi Cement Gate Dumkibas Bazaar section and vehicles heading towards Narayanghat will be stopped at the Chisapani, Bardaghat section.

The Narayanghat–Butwal road section, which includes the 14-kilometer stretch through Daunne hill, is currently under expansion. During the night closures, freight vehicles from the east will be halted at Chormara–Arun Khola, while passenger vehicles will stop at Dumkibas bazaar. Similarly, freight vehicles from the west will be stopped at Jyamire and Hakui, while passenger buses will be held at the Bardaghat–Chisapani section.

However, recent rainfall has left the area muddy and may pose additional challenges for both construction and traffic management. Commuters said that it takes ages to cross just 14 kilometers of the Daunne section. The traffic police have requested drivers to use an alternative route as the road widening work will be done by stopping the vehicles.  

According to Chief Police Inspector Janak Banjara of the District Traffic Police Office , vehicles traveling east to west can utilize the Gaindakot to Kaligandaki Corridor route. Specifically, vehicles heading west from Narayanghat can take the route from Butwal to Palpa and then the Kaligandaki Corridor.

Germany’s economy grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the federal statistics office. The slight expansion, fueled by consumer spending and investment, is consistent with market expectations and has helped the economy avoid a technical recession following a 0.2 percent contraction in the previous quarter, Reuters reported.

Despite this positive uptick, Germany is the only G7 country that has not experienced yearly economic growth in the last two years. Analysts warn that President Donald Trump's newly announced US tariffs might have a substantial influence on Germany's export-driven economy, potentially paving the way for a third consecutive year of stagnation – an unprecedented scenario in the country's postwar history.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced that eye health would be integrated into the national Health Insurance Program.

PM Oli said so while inaugurating the international conference named '2030 In Sight Live Nepal' organized by various health organizations including the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

The event is a gathering of leaders, innovators and policy-makers where they deliberate on measures, collaborative initiatives and actions to achieve the goals outlined in 2030 In Sight Strategy to ensure that eye health is available to everyone by 2030.

On the occasion PM Oli reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthen the primary healthcare system and achieve the SDGs.

Oli reiterated that the government prioritizes eye health and thus is going to integrate it in the national insurance program. He also highlighted the government's prioritization of eye-care services, especially for those people at the risk of losing their vision.

The PM acknowledged the pivotal role played by the 'Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness' survey conducted in 2022 in shaping the country's eye-health priorities.

Furthermore, he informed that the National Health Sector strategy that has outlined the commitment to expand the coverage of cataract surgery from the current 35-45 percent to 75 percent by 2030.

Stating that no country could achieve the desired results in the eye health sector, the PM, thus, called for a greater global collaboration.

He asserted that the incumbent government had recognized eye health as an important aspect of the public healthcare system, he shed light on the government's initiatives such as eye-screening tests and imparting nursing programs at school level, and that he had contributed in promoting gender equity and gender access to education.