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Finally, the ruling coalition has heeded the Election Commission and agreed to hold local elections at the end of April. This clears the way for elections to all three tiers of government, forestalling a worrying political and constitutional vacuum. It could also break the current political logjam. As important, timely local elections will prevent a repeat of the ugly post-2002 period when local bodies were without elected officials for 15-long-years, their absence spawning a corrosive culture of ‘corruption by consensus’.

The ruling coalition, and particularly Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, had been hesitating to announce local elections as it feared the April timing would benefit CPN-UML, the main opposition, and harm the coalition partners, including Nepali Congress. But constant pressure from the UML as well as the civil society paid off and the coalition had to relent. However this decision came about, it is the right one. There can be no democracy without a periodic renewal of people’s mandate.

Also read: Editorial: Everyone’s responsibility

Covid-19 will continue to stalk local elections, even though the country is projected to be well off peak-infection by April-end. More worryingly, the Election Commission could struggle to properly enforce election code of conduct. In 2017 local elections, some ward-level candidates had spent up to a million rupees in campaigning; a whopping Rs 50 billion were spent just on campaigning for local elections across the country. If running in local elections is so costly, contesting provincial and federal elections has become prohibitive, barring all but the richest folks from contesting.  

Does the commission have enough money and manpower to strictly enforce the code of conduct across the country, come April? Can it defy those in power and function with a high level of independence? How will it ensure compliance with covid protocols? How will the commission, historically notorious for buying all kinds of unnecessary vehicles and equipment on election-eve, minimize its costs this time? The deliberations on these vital questions have to start today. Two-months is not a long time given the scale of the task: managing elections across 753 local units, with tens of thousands of candidates in the fray.

The District Administration Office, Lalitpur has decided to halt all the services other than essential ones from Thursday.

Saying that the Covid-19 cases have been increasing rapidly of late in the Kathmandu Valley and some of the staffers of the office have also tested positive for Covid-19, the office has decided to halt all the services except for emergency ones until further notice.

Chief District Officer Ghamshyam Upadhyay said that the office has stopped issuing citizenship certificates and national identity cards among others from today.

Students of the Biratnagar-based Nobel Medical College, which has been accused of charging more fees than the amount fixed by the government, have reached Kathmandu to pile pressure on the government.

The students led by Manish Bhattarai, coordinator of the Medical Education Struggle Committee, came to Kathmandu saying that the Nobel Medical College has not refund the students who have been charged additional fees yet.

Saying that the Nobel Medical College has been cheating the students, Bhattarai said that they would continue their protest until the college refunds the extra fees collected from the students.

It has been learnt that the Kathmandu Medical College has also been charging extra Rs 600,000 from the students.

The government has been urging the medical colleges to refund the additional fees of the students but to no avail.

Students of Nobel Medical College in Biratnagar, which has been accused of charging more fees than the amount fixed by the government, have reached Kathmandu to pile pressure on the government.

The students led by Manish Bhattarai, coordinator of the Medical Education Struggle Committee, came to Kathmandu saying that the Nobel Medical College has not refund the students who have been charged additional fees yet.

Saying that the Nobel Medical College has been cheating the students, Bhattarai said that they would continue their protest until the college refunds the extra fees collected from the students.

It has been learnt that the Kathmandu Medical College has also been charging extra Rs 600,000 from the students.

The government has been urging the medical colleges to refund the additional fees of the students but to no avail.

Amid growing tensions with Russia, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Ukraine and Germany this week.

In Kyiv, Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba "to reinforce the United States' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ned Price, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

In Berlin, Blinken will "discuss recent diplomatic engagements with Russia and joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, including Allies' and partners' readiness to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia."

Blinken will meet with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, followed by a meeting with the Transatlantic Quad, which also includes the UK and France, according to Price. Last week, there was a diplomatic talk between American and Russian officials which did not yield any results. 

Nepal condemned terrorist attacks in various places of Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday that killed three persons and wounded six.

Police identified the deceased as two Indian nationals and a Pakistani.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to the Twitter to condemn the terrorist attacks in different places of Abu Dhabi and to wish for speedy recovery of the injured.

"Nepal condemns the terrorist attacks in different places of Abu Dhabi, UAE yesterday. We also express deep condolences to the families of the deceased and wish for speedy recovery of the injured," the tweet read.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen claimed they were behind an attack targeting the UAE.

Nepal recorded 10, 258 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Tuesday.

As per the latest data provided by the Health Ministry, a total of 22, 828 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours.

The ministry said that 562 infected people have recovered from the disease.

The three districts of the Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, on Tuesday issued another directive to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

All the three District Administration Offices of the Valley issued the directive after the cases of the infection continue to rise at an alarming rate.

The order, which will come into effect from today midnight, has banned protests, rallies and gatherings till mid-February.