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Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari and Romina Khursid Alam, Member of National Assembly and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister/Minister of State Convener Parliamentary Task Force on SDG held a meeting at the Embassy on Wednesday, Islamabad Post reported.

During the meeting, they discussed Nepal-Pakistan relations,  SAARC and SDGs and ways to further strengthening it.

Both sides also discussed the historical relations between Nepal and Lahore and Gujranwala.

Nepal recorded 868 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 3, 614 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 496 returned positive. Likewise, 3,091 people underwent antigen tests, of which 372 tested positive.

As of today, there are 5, 885 active cases in the country.

Three members of a family were found dead at Raru in Bungal Municipality-9 of Bajhang district on Wednesday.

Police said the trio (mother, son and daughter), who had left the house on Tuesday evening, were found hanging from a tree nearby their house this morning.

The deceased have been identified as Gita Parki (22), her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son, Inspector Ramesh Awasti said.

Police said that the Gita’s husband Pushkar Parki had returned from India on Tuesday.

A police team from Chainpur has been heading towards the incident site for investigation.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 5. 91 points to close at 2,056.88 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1.  68 points to close at 395. 75 points.

A total of 4,640,844 units of the shares of 218 companies were traded for Rs 1. 93 billion.

Meanwhile, Himalayan Hydropower Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 97 percent. Likewise, Himalayan Everest Insurance Limited 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 2. 93 trillion.

Chinese navy ships remained active off both Taiwan’s east and west coasts on Wednesday morning, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters, as Beijing kept up military drills in protest against last week’s visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A furious China has extended its largest-ever exercises around the self-ruled island it claims as its own beyond the originally scheduled four days. The drills last week have included ballistic missile launches, some of which flew over the island’s capital Taipei, and simulated sea and air attacks in the skies and waters around Taiwan.

Video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday showed Chinese fighter jets scrambling and refuelling mid-air, as well as navy ships on what it said were drills around Taiwan.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said the drills were focused on blockades and resupply logistics, “under a complex electromagnetic environment to refine joint containment and control capabilities”, according to CCTV.

About 20 Chinese navy and Taiwan navy ships remained close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, as of Wednesday morning, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Several other Chinese ships continued to conduct missions off Taiwan’s eastern coast, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Andrew Hsia, deputy chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, flew to China on Wednesday for what his party said was a pre-arranged trip to meet Taiwanese businesspeople.

Hsia told reporters he was not going to Beijing and did not have any official meetings arranged.

However, Taiwan’s government expressed “regret” at the trip coming amid the Chinese drills.

“At this moment, the Kuomintang still insisted on going to China, disappointing our people,” said Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that China was using the military drills as a game-plan to prepare for an invasion of the self-ruled island.

“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” Joseph Wu said on Tuesday, without providing evidence or offering a timetable.

“After the drills conclude, China may try to routinise its action in an attempt to wreck the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

Pelosi, a long-time China critic and a political ally of President Joe Biden, visited Taiwan last week on the highest-level visit to the island by an American official in decades, despite Chinese warnings. She said her visit showed unwavering U.S. commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 97, 100 per tola today.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 96, 600 per tola.

Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1,230 per tola today.

Floods and landslides have caused damage in various places of Nuwakot district.

Vehicular movement has been disrupted in almost all the places after the floods washed away roads and bridges.

The floods in the eastern part of Nuwakot district swept away a bridge and also caused damage to a hydropower project.

The District Police Office, Nuwakot said that the floods inflicted damage to the dam of Satbise-based Buddhabhumi Hydropower Project.

DSP Rupak Khadka of the District Police Office, Nuwakot said that the three workers stuck in the dam were rescued.

Police said that the floods in the Tadi river caused damage in various places.

It has been learnt that the floods caused damage to the bridge connecting Satbise, Tadi 4 and Thaprek, Panchakanya-4, the bridge linking Apar, Panchakanya-2 and Bahunebesi, Tadi-5 and the bridge connecting Simaraphant, Panchakanya-1 and Suryamati, Likhu Rural Municipality-3 and Dhikure Bazaar.

The District Administration Office, Nuwakot said that initiatives are being taken to operate transport by removing the obstruction.

Chief District Officer Narayan Prasad Risal said that he has directed the concerned authorities to clear the obstruction.

Uttargaya Rural Municipality Chairman Madhav Aryal said that the landslides obstructed the Betrawati-Mailung-Rasuwagadhi road section.

He said that the pilgrims heading towards Gosaikunda to take part in the Janaipurnima fair have been stranded mid-way after the mudslide obstructed the road section.

Incessant rain since Tuesday night inundated over 800 houses at squatter settlements on the bank of Manohara river in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-1.

Shree Bhakta Kasichhwa, member of the Province Sports Development Council, Bagmati Province and former chairman of the Bhaktapur District Sports Development Committee said that around 880 houses were inundated after flooded Manohara river entered into the settlements on Tuesday night.  

Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have been deployed to carry out rescue operations.

DSP Raju Pandey, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur said that the details of the damage destroyed in the water induced disaster are yet to be established.

He said that the swollen river swept away 80 houses.

Similarly, 20 houses at Duwakot Bensi in Changunarayan-1 were deluged and four persons were rescued, he said.