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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 4. 93 points to close at 2,693. 35 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 62 points to close at 452. 19 points.

A total of 22,555,713-unit shares of 319 companies were traded for Rs 8. 32 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited (NMIC) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Corporate Development Bank Limited (CORBL) 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. 47 trillion.

The Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj has launched the service for kidney transplant beginning today.

Hospital's Chief and Medical Superintendent Dr Nirajan Subedi said this is the first time the hospital is transplanting kidneys on two patients. The transplantations are to be carried out serially. 

A 14-member team led by Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha from Shahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Center (SDNTC) has already arrived here in view of the launching of the service.

The hospital has planned to undertake at least one transplant in a month and the service will be expanded gradually.

A team comprising urology specialist Dr Dipesh Gupta, anesthetist Dr Paras Pandey, nephrologist Dr Shaurav Hamal, urologist Dr Anjit Phuyal and Dialysis in-charge Dr Parash Shrestha has been assigned to handle the transplant department. 

Presently, 20-25 kidney patients receive the dialysis facility on a daily-basis.  The transplant has been available at a very minimum cost, Dr Subedi said. 

In addition to the kidney transplant service, Bheri Hospital has recently launched several other facilities, including a six-bed burn ward, a 20-bed surgical ward, a 16-bed post-operative ward, and a new outpatient department (OPD).

The US Commerce Department will impose tariffs of up to 3,521 percent on solar panel imports from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, citing unfair trade practices linked to Chinese subsidies and product dumping. The move follows a year-long investigation prompted by US solar manufacturers, Reuters reported.

The tariffs, varying by company and country, aim to support domestic production but may raise costs for businesses and consumers. A final decision is expected from the US International Trade Commission in June.

The announcement comes shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the region, where he criticized US trade actions, according to Reuters. 

China has responded with 125 percent tariffs on US goods and pledged to retaliate further.

Life can get unnecessarily difficult at times so it helps to simplify things whenever possible. Little things can go a long way in making everyday life easy. Here are some simple ways to reduce the complexities of life. They might not solve your larger problems but they will definitely give you more time to focus on what’s important and clear up mental space for you to deal with the bigger issues.

Meal prep in advance

Meal prepping is the easiest way to shorten your time in the kitchen and make healthy meals accessible. So take some time out, once a week or once every two to three days, to wash and chop your veggies, marinate chicken, and soak or stream pulses and grains. Having healthy ingredients on hand will make cooking seem less like a chore. You can also batch make tomato puree and ginger garlic paste and freeze this to use when you need, saving valuable time. Invest in some lightweight containers to store chopped vegetables in the fridge.

Invest in an air fryer

Kitchen gadgets help reduce the time you spend cooking by making chopping, blending, frying etc. easier and efficient. In many cases, they also save the time you would spend cleaning afterwards. A blender is a necessity in the kitchen. This will make everything—from making purées to juices—easy and effortless. It’s good to have a microwave as well as this will help you reheat food in minutes and without the need for extra pots and pans. But what we especially recommend is an air fryer. It’s a game changer and can promote healthy eating habits as well. An air fryer eliminates the need to use a lot of oil. In some cases, you don’t need oil at all. It’s a great time-saving alternative to frying that can be messy and time consuming and you can make basically everything from French Fries to Grilled Chicken in it.

Deal with clutter on a regular basis

You might not realize it but clutter can make everyday activities a hassle. You might struggle to find your keys or wallet as you leave home or lose or misplace things on a daily basis. By clearing out clutter—throwing mail you don’t need or storing things away—you will be creating more space in your life for things that matter and also make your home more aesthetically appealing. Take 10 to 15 minutes a day, every morning or before you go to bed, to put things away and toss things like receipts and wrappers that have gathered from the day. You will find that a cleaner home makes life so much smoother.

Schedule one day a week for grocery shopping

As we go about our busy days with a gazillion things to deal with, there is often the added pressure to do things like shop for food, buy toilet paper or soap etc. Although they might seem like small things, they take up mental energy and time. Scheduling a weekly grocery run simplifies things and saves you the trouble of having to run to the store for one thing or the other time and again. Make a list of things you need and shop in one go. You can also try stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, soap, toothpaste and the like to have to buy them once a month and not every or every other week.

Have a go-to bag of essentials near the door

More often than not, it’s a mad rush to get out of the house. As we run about gathering things we need, we keep forgetting something or the other and thus moving about the house to find them. Having a bag of essentials near the door or in a drawer by the door or shoe cabinet will ease this tedious process. Grab a large pouch and put things like tissues, lip balms, masks, pens, hair ties and other things you might need when you are going out in it. This will be your go-to bag of sorts that you can quickly grab things from when you are running late and find that you haven’t carried something you need. Keep this where you keep your keys or at least nearby so that it’s easily accessible. We guarantee this will help you reach wherever you are going on time.

Maintain an organized bedside table 

An organized bedside table can make you more productive as well as make your early morning or bedtime routine more comfortable. Not only does a well kept bedside area make your bedroom seem calmer and more put together, it also saves you the trouble of having to get up to fetch things as you wind down for the day. It’s a convenient space to store your essentials that you might sometimes even need in the middle of the night. You don’t want to go waddling through the house for a glass of water or a painkiller during the middle of the night. Place a nice glass tumbler with water next to your alarm clock and book and some basics like painkillers, creams, and throat lozenges in a tray in the drawer below it. The idea is to keep everything you need close by so that you don’t have to keep getting out of bed at night. 

Nepal Teachers’ Federation Chairman Laxmi Kishor Subedi said that they would continue their protests until the endorsement of the School Education Bill.

He said so while addressing the teachers’ protest organized in Baneshwor this afternoon.

Subedi directed the teachers not to participate in the Grade 12 exams.

“The National Examination Board has said that it will conduct the exams by deploying civil servants and security personnel. None of us will participate in the exams,” he said.

Earlier, this morning, the NEB had decided to hold the Grade 12 exams as scheduled.

Amid growing uncertainty over whether the Grade 12 exams will be held on time owing to the teachers' protest, a meeting of the National Examination Board held this morning had decided to hold the Grade 12 exams on time.   

On Monday, Education Minister Bidhya Bhattarai resigned from her post amid demonstrations of the teachers demanding immediate enactment of the School Education Bill.

The exams of 550, 000 students will be uncertain if the exams are affected by the protests of teachers.

The protests have even delayed the results of Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and affected the new admission process.

India and the United States are making steady progress toward a bilateral trade agreement, according to official statements following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice President JD Vance in New Delhi, BBC reported.

Vance, on a four-day visit to India with his family, met Modi on Monday evening. The leaders discussed a range of key issues, including trade, defence, strategic technologies, and energy cooperation. A dinner was hosted by the Prime Minister in honor of Vance and his family.

“We are committed to mutually beneficial cooperation, including in trade, technology, defence, energy and people-to-people exchanges,” Modi said in a post on X, according to BBC.

The visit comes as India wants to reach a trade agreement with the United States before President Donald Trump's 90-day tariff truce expires on July 9. Prior to the halt, India faced potential tariffs of up to 27%.

Modi also expressed anticipation for President Trump’s upcoming visit to India, expected later this year during the Quad summit in Delhi.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has urged the metropolis denizens not to burn plastic waste in open places.

The metropolitan city has urged the people not to burn waste indiscriminately as the smoke from burning plastic waste is harmful to human health.

Sarita Rai, Head of the KMC's Environment Management Department, said the polluted air is harmful mostly to children, senior citizens, and people suffering from respiratory and heart issues.

He urged the people of the metropolis to dispose of all kinds of waste in the KMC vehicles coming to collect garbage.

Department Chief Rai also urged the industries to comply with the 'Pollution Control Standards- 2081 BS'.

Indian Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar has arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day official visit to Nepal on Tuesday.

High-ranking officials of the Foreign Ministry and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava welcomed him at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

During his India visit on February 12, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka extended an invitation for Minister Khattar to visit Nepal.

Minister Khadka and Indian Power Minister Khattar are scheduled to inaugurate the 220kv Inaruwa–Basantpur–Baneshwar–Tumlingtar transmission line and substations in Tumlingtar, Baneshwar and Basantpur this afternoon.

Minister Khattar will inspect the powerhouse and dam site of the Arun III hydropower project constructed by India today itself.

Similarly, an agreement will be signed on the formation of a joint company for a new cross-border transmission line.

The Indian minister is scheduled to visit Muktinath Temple in Mustang on Wednesday.

The same day, he will pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh.

Minister Khattar will return home after offering prayers at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.