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A suspicious object has been found near the house of a candidate in Sundarharaicha of Morang on Thursday.

DSP Deepak Shrestha, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang said that a pressure cooker wrapped with wires was found near the house of ward member candidate in Sukrabare, Sundarharaicha Municipality-11.

Dhakal had filed candidacy for the post of ward member from the CPN-UML.

Police said that they have found a leaflet from the incident site urging people to take part in the elections.

A bomb disposal team from the Nepal Army has been heading towards the incident site, it has been learnt.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

RCB defeated CSK by 13 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune to reach the top-4 in IPL 2022 table on Wednesday, The Hindustan Times reported.

CSK had made a strong start in the Powerplay, scoring 51/0 in six overs but Shahbaz Ahmed provided the RCB with the big breakthrough, dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad on 28.

Devon Conway slammed yet another half-century but the regular wickets at the other end continued to hurt CSK, before Conway was caught by Virat Kohli at deep square leg himself.

In the end, Harshal Patel hurt the CSK with three wickets in his spell as Dhoni's side endured a seventh loss in the season, according to The Hindustan Times.

The “Si se puede! (Yes we can!)” chants gradually faded at the Santiago Bernabéu as the minutes passed and Real Madrid looked beaten.

As the end of regulation approached, many in the stands — and on the field — were close to giving up as Manchester City defended its 1-0 lead.

It seemed that there would be no magical night at the Bernabéu for the 13-time European champions this time.

But Madrid took its Champions League comebacks to another level on Wednesday, rallying late with two goals in two minutes by substitute Rodrygo to force extra time and defeat Manchester City 3-1 to reach the final — a showdown with Liverpool, Associated Press reported.

Karim Benzema, the hero of Madrid’s previous comebacks this season, converted a penalty kick in extra time for the decisive goal that allowed Madrid to advance 6-5 on aggregate after a 4-3 first-leg semifinal loss in which it escaped losing by a bigger margin. 

“I didn’t think we could do it again because we were struggling,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. “We had already eliminated some top teams that spent a lot of money to try to win a Champions, but today it was more impressive, happening in the final minutes.”

Madrid had already pulled off thrilling comebacks at the Bernabéu against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 and Chelsea in the quarterfinals.

“I cannot say we are used to living this kind of life, but what happened tonight happened against Chelsea and also against Paris,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “If you have to say why, it is the history of this club that helps us to keep going when it seems that we are gone.”

By doing it again against City, Madrid booked a spot in the May 28 final in Paris against Liverpool, which advanced after defeating Villarreal on Tuesday. Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final, when the Spanish powerhouse clinched its record-extending 13th title, according to the Associated Press.

“We have a score to settle,” Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said on Twitter after Madrid’s win.

The result ended City’s latest quest for its first Champions League trophy. Pep Guardiola’s team lost in the final last year to Chelsea.

“We were close but at the end we could not reach (the final),” Guardiola said.

Madrid looked defeated near the end of regulation before Rodrygo scored his goals two minutes apart. Riyad Mahrez had put City ahead in the 73rd but the Brazilian forward equalized in the 90th and got the go-ahead goal with a header a minute into stoppage time.

A few minutes before Rodrygo’s first goal, Ferland Mendy had saved Madrid from conceding a second goal that could have sealed City’s qualification by clearing the ball in front off the goal line while tumbling backward to keep an attempt by Jack Grealish from going in.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois moments later saved a Grealish shot with the bottom of his cleat.

Madrid carried all the momentum into extra time and Benzema gave the hosts the 3-1 lead by converting a 95th-minute penalty kick after he was fouled inside the area, Associated Press reported.

It was the 15th Champions League goal this season for Benzema, the competition’s leading scorer. It was his 10th goal in the knockout stage alone, tying Cristiano Ronaldo’s record in a single season.

Benzema had scored hat tricks when Madrid rallied against both PSG and Chelsea. Madrid came back against PSG after losing the first leg in Paris and conceding early in the second leg at the Bernabéu. Against Chelsea, Madrid won the first match 3-1 but was down 3-0 in the second leg before rallying in extra time, when Benzema again scored the deciding goal.

Wednesday’s game started tighter than last week’s back-and-forth first leg in Manchester, but City eventually opened the scoring when Mahrez found the top corner with a firm left-footed one-timer from inside the area following a pass by Bernardo Silva, who attracted the Madrid defenders before feeding the ball to his teammate, according to the Associated Press.

Mahrez had scored both of City’s goals in the second leg of last season’s semifinal against PSG. The Algerian became the first City player to scored seven times in a single Champions League campaign.

Madrid had scored 22 goals in its last eight games in all competitions but struggled to get past the City defense.

Benzema set up Rodrygo’s first goal from inside the area, and Marco Asensio flicked Dani Carvajal’s cross for the Brazilian’s stunning header in stoppage time.

Rodrygo had scored twice when Madrid clinched the Spanish league title in advance at the Bernabéu on Saturday, when celebrations went late into the evening with players and coach Carlo Ancelotti asking for the fans’ support against Man City.

Fans had already given players a spectacular welcome as the team’s bus arrived before the match on Wednesday, crowding the streets around the Bernabéu, Associated Press reported.

The EU has proposed some of its toughest measures yet against Russia, including a total ban on oil imports and sanctions on war crimes suspects, BBC reported.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package was aimed at maximising pressure on Russia while minimising damage to Europe.

Russian crude oil would be phased out within six months, she said.

Hungary has rejected the proposal as unacceptable and the Czech and Slovak governments want a transition period.

The EU has been focusing for weeks on how to wean itself off Russian oil and gas. It has already pledged to reduce gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022 and now plans to phase out crude oil over six months and refined products by the end of 2022.

"We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion," the Commission president said.

The package first has to be approved by EU ambassadors and is set to be signed off in the next few days. 

But Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said his country would veto it in its current form: "They exactly know that what they are proposing is against Hungarian interests... and if we do that we are completely going to ruin the Hungarian economy."

Slovakia as well as Hungary currently relies on Russian oil and under the initial proposal would be given until the end of 2023 to find alternative suppliers. Slovakia's economy minister said his country wanted a three-year transition period, while Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he would also seek a two-to-three year exemption to tackle problems with pipeline capacity, according to BBC.

Last year, Russia supplied the EU with a quarter of its oil imports, and the Netherlands and Germany were the biggest buyers. 

The Dutch government has said it wants to halt all Russian fossil fuel imports by the end of this year and Germany has drastically reduced its reliance on Russian oil imports, down from 35% to 12%. 

The UK, which is no longer in the EU, is already phasing out Russian oil, which accounts for 8% of its imports. 

German Economics Minister Robert Habeck has said the six-month transition period gives Berlin long enough to make the change. 

The problem for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic is that they are all landlocked and rely on their neighbours for fuel supplies. Czech special envoy for energy security Vaclav Bartuska told the BBC that Europe was currently trying to redraw the map of energy supplies as fast as it could: "We want to get rid of Russian crude once and for all and we want to be absolutely sure there'll be no need to go back and ask Russia again."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was working on various options in response to the planned embargo. Sanctions were a double-edged sword for the Europeans and others, he said, as the cost for European citizens would increase every day. Oil prices rose by 5% on news of the EU plan to $110 a barrel of Brent Crude, BBC reported.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a video briefing on social media that the gradual EU ban on oil was "better than nothing". Any country that opposed the oil embargo was complicit in Russia's crimes in Ukraine, he said, whatever their arguments.

Russia has dismissed speculation that it will declare all-out war in Ukraine in the coming days as "nonsense", BBC reported.

Moscow has up until now denied it is at war, instead referring to the invasion as a "special military operation".

But Western officials have speculated that President Vladimir Putin could use the 9 May Victory Parade to announce an escalation of military action.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said there was no truth to the rumours "at all".

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said last week that the Moscow parade - commemorating the defeat of the Nazis and end of World War Two - might be used to drum up support for a mass mobilisation of troops and renewed push into Ukraine, according to BBC.

"I would not be surprised, and I don't have any information about this, that he is probably going to declare on this May Day that 'we are now at war with the world's Nazis and we need to mass mobilise the Russian people'," he told LBC radio.

Russian officials only refer to the invasion as a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" or "de-Nazify" the country, referencing a baseless claim about Nazis in the Ukrainian government which Moscow used to justify the invasion. 

As well as the annual parade in Moscow, there are also long-standing reports that the Kremlin is planning some sort of additional parade in the city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, almost all of which is now under Russian control. Ukrainian forces remain in one area of the city - a vast industrial steelworks called Azovstal.

Latest reports suggest that after the recent successful evacuation of some civilians, attacks on the steelworks have resumed and contact has been lost with the last remaining soldiers inside.

Ukrainian officials say the streets of the city centre are being cleared of debris, bodies, and unexploded bombs. Large parts of the city lie in ruins, after Russian forces bombarded it relentlessly for weeks under siege.

Ukrainian politician Alyona Shkrum told the BBC she was expecting things to become more difficult alongside Russia's victory day celebrations, BBC reported.

"For Putin and for the empire he's trying to build, basically this is a symbolic day, right?" she said.

"So he takes some kind of victory day and he turns it into a big fight right now against Nazis, which is obviously Russian propaganda and completely ridiculous. 

"We are expecting that there will be quite tough times here in Kyiv and in Odesa and in Mariupol, and in other cities for 9 May."

Complaining that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons,” Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country, as the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war Wednesday by proposing a ban on oil imports.

Heavy fighting also raged at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol that represented the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the ruined southern port city, according to the mayor, Associated Press reported.

A Russian official denied that Moscow’s troops were storming the plant, but the commander of the main Ukrainian military unit inside said Russian troops had broken into the mill’s territory.

The Russian military also said it used sea- and air-launched missiles to destroy electric power facilities at five railway stations across Ukraine, while artillery and aircraft also struck troop strongholds and fuel and ammunition depots.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of “resorting to the missile terrorism tactics in order to spread fear across Ukraine.”

Air raid sirens sounded in cities across the country on Wednesday night, and attacks were reported near Kyiv, the capital; in Cherkasy and Dnipro in central Ukraine; and in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast. In Dnipro, authorities said a rail facility was hit. Videos on social media suggested a bridge there was attacked.

There was no immediate word on casualties or the extent of the damage.

Responding to the strikes in his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “All of these crimes will be answered, legally and quite practically – on the battlefield.”

The flurry of attacks comes as Russia prepares to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany. The world is watching for whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a victory in Ukraine or expand what he calls the “special military operation.”

A declaration of all-out war would allow Putin to introduce martial law and mobilize reservists to make up for significant troop losses, according to the Associated Press.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the speculation as “nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Belarus, which Russia used as a staging ground for its invasion, announced the start of military exercises Wednesday. A top Ukrainian official said the country will be ready to act if Belarus joins the fighting.

The attacks on rail infrastructure were meant to disrupt the delivery of Western weapons, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons.”

A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon’s assessment, said that while the Russians have tried to hit critical infrastructure around the western city of Lviv, specifically targeting railroads, there has been “no appreciable impact” on Ukraine’s effort to resupply its forces. Lviv, close to the Polish border, has been a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons.

Weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped its forces thwart Russia’s initial drive to seize Kyiv and seems certain to play a central role in the growing battle for the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that Moscow now says is its main objective, Associated Press reported.

Ukraine has urged the West to ramp up the supply of weapons ahead of that potentially decisive clash. Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, which had been slow at first to help arm Ukraine, said his government is considering supplying howitzers, in addition to Gepard anti-aircraft guns and other equipment it has agreed to send.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, which lies in the Donbas, said Russian attacks left 21 people dead on Tuesday, the highest number of known fatalities since April 8, when a missile attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk killed at least 59.

In addition to supplying weapons to Ukraine, Europe and the US have sought to punish Moscow with sanctions. The EU’s top official called on the 27-nation bloc on Wednesday to ban Russian oil imports, a crucial source of revenue, according to the Associated Press.

“We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

The proposal needs unanimous approval from EU countries and is likely to be the subject of fierce debate. Hungary and Slovakia have already said they won’t take part in any oil sanctions. They could be granted an exemption, Associated Press reported.

Query

I’m a 33-year-old newly married woman with a full-time job. Ever since I got married a few months ago, I have struggled to understand the culture of my husband’s family, and to adjust with my in-laws. Juggling my home and work has been frustrating. Sometimes I have to leave work early just to attend a function that my in-laws want me to be present at. It is difficult to fulfill all the responsibilities of a ‘housewife’ when I also have job priorities. My in-laws complain that I’m not social enough or present at home enough. They expect me to be a traditional housewife. I do care about them but I feel burned out with so much on my shoulders. What do I do? —A.K. 

Answered by Krishangi, Psychologist at Happy Minds 

This is a common problem for most Nepali working women. They are defying the old social norms, and there are bound to be some pushback and friction. You’re feeling obligated to please your in-laws by sacrificing your career and identity.  

There is a clear generational gap between you and your in-laws. For them, it is what they have been taught and seen their whole lives. You can’t tell them to suddenly flip a switch and change their mind—it’s not that simple. It is natural for them to have such expectations of you because their in-laws had the same expectations of them.  

You have to try to be patient and gentle with them. Make sure you let them know that while family is important to you, you also cherish your job and that you are not trying to sacrifice one for the other. Tell them that you are simply trying to balance your priorities.  

In a situation where they expect you to be present with them or at a social event when your work schedule doesn’t allow you to do so, tell them in a respectful manner that you can’t be there. You can stand up for yourself without sounding rude. Convey your message respectfully. There has to be a healthy discussion, where you and your in-laws can meet halfway when it comes to such problems.  

If you still have difficulty standing up for yourself, try to talk to your husband about it. Tell him how it is from your perspective. Maybe he can support you in having a fruitful conversation with your in-laws.  

Political meddling in the appointment, retention and promotion of top-ranking civil servants has become par for course in Nepal. One recent victim of this was Maha Prasad Adhikari, who was wrongfully sacked as Nepal Rastra Bank governor. The Supreme Court duly restored him to the post and dismissed the government’s flawed logic for his removal. Now an appointment in Nepal Police has come into controversy. On May 1, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Dhiraj Pratap Singh was appointed the new police chief. A day later, Biswa Raj Pokharel, second in command before Singh’s appointment, filed a writ at the Supreme Court, asking for the annulment of Singh’s ‘wrongful’ appointment made by violating seniority. 

Things are not so straightforward. Both Singh and Pokharel had joined the police force on the same day in 1993. But in 2019 the KP Sharma Oli government promoted Pokharel to the rank of Deputy Inspector General—ahead of Singh. A year later, it created an additional AIG post to adjust Pokharel, much to Singh’s chagrin. Now Singh has turned the tables on Pokharel. There is clearly a lot of politicking behind the appointment of the police chief—more so on election-eve.  

Over the years the government’s executive arm has behaved like a law unto itself. Whenever a new government is formed, it tries to appoint high-ranking judges and chiefs of security bodies along partisan lines, and the latest police row is part of the same trend. This is not to argue that a less competent senior officer must always be promoted over a more competent junior. But there is seldom any evaluation of competence when making these political appointments. 

Unless a system is developed to rigorously vet the eligibility to civil servants for top posts, the government would do well to stick to the seniority basis. After all, many officers are deservedly in higher ranks based on internal evaluations. Even if we don’t get it right immediately, in time, this will set a good precedent and boost the morale of our state organs. It’s never a good idea to break the natural chain of command without a solid reason.