Submit your Article

The 43rd Memorial Day of the first elected Prime Minister, BP Koirala, is being celebrated today by organizing various programs across the country, recalling BP contributions to Nepal's political, literary and social sectors.

Born on Bhadra 24, 1971 BS, Koirala passed away on Shrawan 6, 2039 BS.

The founder of the Nepali Congress, BP Koirala, had also established his fame as a proponent of the principles of 'nationality, democracy and socialism' and 'national reconciliation'.

Koirala became the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal in Jestha 2016 BS after the parliamentary elections of 2015 BS.

He has also contributed significantly to the field of Nepali literature. A pioneer of psychological realism in Nepali literature, Koirala has to his credit one and a half dozen works including 'Tin Ghumti', 'Modi Aayin', 'Hitler Ra Yehudi', 'Sumnima' and 'Narendradai' among others.

During his premiership, BP pushed forward the land reforms program of abolition of the birta system and the notion that the tillers should own the land.

On Poush 1, 2017 BS, after the popularly-elected government was overthrown by then King, Koirala and other leaders were imprisoned in the Singha durbar. A month later, he was imprisoned in Sundarijal jail along with other leaders.

Koirala, who was released from prison for health reasons in 2025 BS, lived in exile in India for eight years. After analyzing that nationality weakened while in exile and fighting for the restoration of democracy, he returned to Nepal with the policy of national unity and reconciliation on 16 Poush, 2033 BS.

The Sundarijal Prison, where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Ministers of the first elected government were imprisoned, has been transformed into the BP Museum. The museum shares a collection of important things from BP's life. In addition to the important materials of BP's life, the tanker used in the revolution of 2007 BS, the plane of Nepal Airlines Corporation, which was hijacked by the Nepali Congress to raise funds for the revolution in 2029, are also kept in the museum.

On the occasion of BP Memorial Day, Nepali Congress, sister organizations and BP Museum Management Committee will organize different programs, Chief Secretary of the NC Central Office, Krishna Prasad Paudel told the RSS.

Likewise, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has organized a program to distribute the BP Koirala National Prize, BP Museum's Archeological Officer Bhisma Baskota said.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, has announced plans to construct four high-capacity power transmission lines through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Publishing a notice on Monday, the NEA invited expressions of interest (EOI) from private firms and companies to build the 118-kilometer Tingla–DudhKoshi–Dhalkebar 400 kV line, the 94-kilometer Arun Hub (Shitalpati)–Inaruwa 400 kV line, the 80-kilometer New Khimti–Dhalkebar 400 kV line and the 30-kilometer Lapsiphedi–Tinpiple 220 kV line. 

These lines are part of NEA’s long-term plan to upgrade Nepal’s national grid to support increasing power generation and enhance inter-provincial connectivity.

According to an NEA official, they will select the most suitable companies through a competitive bidding process based on the proposed Annual Required Revenue (ARR) and technical qualifications. The selected companies will develop the projects under a build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) model, where they will finance, build, operate the transmission lines for a certain period, and then transfer ownership back to the government.

The estimated cost for the Tingla–DudhKoshi–Dhalkebar line stands at approximately $142m (Rs 19.61bn), while the Arun Hub–Inaruwa and New Khimti–Dhalkebar projects are expected to cost $80m each. The estimated cost of the Lapsiphedi–Tinpiple line, the shortest and the cheapest of the four transmission line projects, is $18m (Rs 1.48bn). Interested companies have been given 30 days to submit their EOIs to NEA’s Business Development Directorate.

Earlier, two state-owned entities, National Transmission Grid Company Limited and Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL), joined hands with six private companies to build the 220 kV Tamor–Dhungesanghu transmission line. The length of the transmission line is 32 kilometers. That project, which also includes a 220/132 kV substation, is being developed under a BOT model at an estimated cost of Rs 3.8bn. Simbuwa Remit Hydro Limited, Remit Hydro Limited, Crystal Power Development Pvt Ltd, Union Hydropower Limited and Nepal Hydro Venture Pvt Ltd  and the two state-owned firms signed an agreement to build the transmission line in Kathmandu in December last year.

Meanwhile, the NTGC is also in the process of onboarding private sector companies to build two transmission lines: the 400 kV Hetauda-Shitalpati line of 32 kilometers and the 220 kV Lamabagar–Barhabise line of 43.7 kilometers.

Four companies—White Flower Energy, Api Power Company, Summit Energy Solution and Shangrila Energy - have submitted their EOI to build the application to build the Hetauda–Shitalpati 400 kV transmission line. Similarly, NASA Company Ltd and Sanima Hydropower have submitted an interest to build the 220 kV Lamabagar–Barhabise transmission line.

A group of journalists, human rights advocates, and lawyers led by advocate Abhaya Raj Joshi has filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court seeking the annulment of Section 295 of the Muluki Criminal Code, 2074. This provision criminalizes taking or publishing photographs of individuals without their consent, even in public places. The petitioners argue that this clause poses a serious threat to press freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to information as guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal 2015.

The petitioners claim that Section 295 has led to legal confusion and emboldened attempts to suppress journalistic activity under threats of prosecution. They argue that the provision contradicts the Constitution, international human rights treaties, and established legal standards regarding public interest and freedom of the press. Even public figures, they say, have started harassing journalists for clicking their photographs in public places, citing this provision.

The writ petition calls on the Supreme Court to declare the provision unconstitutional and to issue a mandamus order to prevent its enforcement. The petitioners have also requested interim relief until a final verdict is delivered, citing growing instances of intimidation against photojournalists.

According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), there were 73 incidents of press freedom violations in the one-year period from 4 May 2024, to 30 April 2025. This marks an increase from the 62 incidents recorded during the same period the previous year. The FNJ notes that such incidents are on the rise and increasingly linked to the misuse of Section 295.

A preliminary hearing on the writ is scheduled for Aug 6.

US Senator Lindsey Graham says President Donald Trump plans to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries buying Russian oil—specifically India, China, and Brazil—to cut off funding for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to Firstpost.

Graham called it a move to hold nations accountable for supporting Russia’s war effort and warned of economic consequences. He also accused Vladimir Putin of trying to rebuild a Soviet-style empire by violating international agreements and Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The Pentagon has withdrawn 700 US Marines from Los Angeles, concluding a controversial deployment ordered by President Donald Trump in response to protests over federal immigration raids.

The move followed criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who opposed the presence of troops on city streets. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also approved the recent drawdown of 2,000 National Guard troops, according to Firstpost.

Mayor Bass welcomed the withdrawal, calling it a step toward restoring local control. This marked the first federal troop deployment to a state without the governor’s consent since 1965.

The World Health Organization has accused Israeli forces of striking its main warehouse and staff residence in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, severely disrupting its operations, Firstpost reported.

Airstrikes caused major damage and forced staff and families to flee. WHO said male staff were detained and interrogated, with one still in custody. Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has called for the staffer’s release and urged protection for humanitarian workers.

The strikes coincided with Israeli tank advances into southern and eastern Deir al-Balah, where shelling reportedly killed at least three people and injured others, according to Firstpost.

United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the release of over 230,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 assassination of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The files include records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, internal memos, and accounts of potential leads — including statements from the former cellmate of James Earl Ray, King’s convicted assassin, who claimed Ray spoke of a possible plot, according to BBC.

The release follows an executive order by US President Donald Trump to declassify remaining documents related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

The UK and 27 other nations have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning of worsening civilian suffering and condemning Israel’s aid delivery model as dangerous and dehumanising, BBC reported.

The statement criticised the killing of civilians seeking food and rejected plans to forcibly relocate Gaza’s population, calling it a violation of international law.

Aid agencies report rising deaths from hunger and malnutrition, with hospitals overwhelmed and food supplies critically low.

Israel rejected the criticism, blaming Hamas for the crisis and insisting it facilitates humanitarian aid, according to BBC.

The war, now in its 21st month, has killed over 59,000 people in Gaza.