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In response to the U.S. governments upcoming port fees for Chinese-built and operated vessels, set to take effect in mid-October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian emphasized on Friday that such measures could be detrimental.

According to Global times, he stated that imposing fees and additional tariffs on cargo handling equipment would not only elevate global shipping costs but also disrupt supply chains and exacerbate inflation in the United States, ultimately harming American consumers and businesses without reviving the domestic shipbuilding industry.

Lin encouraged the United States to follow known facts and international rules, calling for an urgent halt to these activities. He also stated that China would take the appropriate precautions to preserve its lawful rights and interests in light of the situation.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that anti-constitutional activities are not acceptable.

Inaugurating the Gandaki Province-level security seminar in Pokhara today, he said that anti-constitutional activities and instability in the name of former monarchists or any other name would not be forgiven in any condition.

Minister Lekhak said that everyone should be ready to defend the present Constitution obtained through long struggle and sacrifice.

Stating that seven Constitutions have been framed in a span of seven decades in Nepal, he opined that the present Constitution is the world's most advanced democratic Constitution and it is possible to solve every problem through it.

"Criticism, evaluation and various activities can be carried out remaining within the Constitution. Anarchic activities such as promoting murder and violence through anti-constitutional activities cannot be carried out. Action will be taken as per law if such activities are carried out," the Home Minister said.

Stating that protecting the Constitution is the need of the hour, he said, "It is 10 years since the current Constitution was promulgated. Efforts will be made to further improve the Constitution carrying out an assessment of this period and by making amendments based on the need through consensus with all concerned.”

The Home Minister said the government is continuously working towards solving all the problems such as the increasing drug abuse, suicide, vehicle accidents, cybercrime, and natural disasters among others which have emerged as challenges in recent years.

Meanwhile, he stressed on the need for the government bodies to make their service delivery more effective and efficient.

Home Minister Lekhak pointed out the need for the Office of the Chief District Officer, as the representatives of the federal government, to be active to make service delivery effective by coordinating among the federal, provincial and local levels, and others in the districts.

A parliamentary subcommittee investigating the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport has concluded that irregularities and corruption worth Rs 10bn (approx) occurred during the construction phase. The subcommittee, formed under the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and led by Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) President Rajendra Lingden, has prepared a draft report highlighting discrepancies under 11 different categories. The draft has been signed by several members and circulated to other lawmakers for review.

According to reports, the irregularities in the airport construction could be among the largest corruption scandals in Nepal’s history. The initial project cost, estimated at Rs 14bn, was suspiciously inflated to Rs 22bn. The report points to widespread malpractice across nearly all areas of the project, raising concerns about both quality and compliance. It further states that tax exemptions were provided in violation of the original contract, leading to significant revenue losses. A new implementation agreement was signed to repeatedly grant a total of Rs 2.22bn in tax waivers, which the report describes as deliberate financial misconduct.

Taking to Facebook, Lingden posted that the subcommittee also noted that irregularities began as early as the bidding process and continued throughout the construction phase, both financially and technically. It accuses that a three-member task force was strategically formed to legitimize cost escalations, bypassing public procurement laws and established norms. In addition, the report mentions that the Ministry of Finance failed to provide some critical information, implying that the actual scale of corruption could be even higher.

Based on these findings, the subcommittee has proposed that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) be instructed to investigate and take legal action against those involved. It also recommends that the government conduct a comprehensive legal and technical review of the project and ensure that the airport becomes fully operational and commercially viable. The subcommittee expressed its appreciation to all involved members and secretariat staff for their active participation in the investigation process.

World Heritage Day is being observed across the world today, raising awareness about old monuments and sites and the need for preservation.

It is also called the International Day of Monuments and Sites. The observance of the Day began in 1983 in a bid to protect the heritage sites listed by UNESCO.

The UNESCO heritage sites in Nepal are, Basantapur, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares, Changunarayan Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudha and Swayambhunath Temple, Lumbini, and the Chitwan and Sagarmatha National Parks.

Even a heritage walkathon was planned in the Kathmandu Valley, according to the Department of Archaeology. Officer at the Department, Sandip Khanal, informed that the heritage march was being organized by different conservation committees.

The march would be joined by the culture experts in the presence of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pande.

According to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the theme of the Day for this year is: 'Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions'.

The local and westerly wind have their influence in the country at present, and the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the Koshi, Madhes and Bagmati Provinces and the hilly region of the rest of the provinces this afternoon.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division said there are chances of light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning at some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces.

Similarly, there is a possibility of light rain as well as snowfall in some places of the high hilly and mountainous region of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces.

According to the Division, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, and fair in the rest of the country tonight. Light to moderate rainfall is predicted in some places of these provinces tonight.

For the past two weeks, community school teachers and staff have been staging protests in Kathmandu, demanding the immediate enactment of the School Education Bill 2080. Their prolonged strike has affected the government's school enrolment campaign as well as the evaluation of answer sheets of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE). The national examination of Grade 12 also looks uncertain with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation instructing teachers to boycott  examination duties.

While the teachers have every right to demand professional growth and better service conditions, the prolonged standoff between the government and educators is harming the very foundation of Nepal’s education system. Teachers are on a stir because of the delay in passing the School Education Bill, which has been languishing in the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives. Although a sub-committee has been formed to consolidate suggestions from various stakeholders, the progress in the Bill has been far from satisfactory. The teachers appear in no mood to budge this time, citing repeated betrayals from the government in the past.

Had the government acted with urgency, the bill could have been passed during the winter session. The protesting teachers argue that the lack of decisive action has forced them to take the extreme measure of boycotting examinations—a move that could jeopardize the academic future of over 550,000 students. The consequences of this impasse are severe. With schools shut and admissions for the new academic session stalled, parents could turn to private institutions, which will further weaken the already struggling public education system. If public schools continue to fail due to systemic neglect and political indifference, the gap between privileged and underprivileged students will only widen.

The Bill, rooted in the six-point agreement reached in 2023, promises to align education with Nepal’s federal constitution, decentralize management and ensure equitable distribution of teachers. However, provisions of granting local governments control over teachers’ appointment and transfers have sparked fears of political interference and job insecurity. A solution to these concerns should be found at the earliest to facilitate the early passage of the Bill. The teachers’ body has proposed three solutions—a special parliamentary session, an ordinance or immediate convening of the budget session. The government has called the budget session of federal parliament for April 25, apparently a fortnight earlier this year, per officials, to facilitate the passage of the Bill.

Political leaders and major parties have shown little seriousness toward the demand of teachers, with some exploiting the protests for political gains. It is high time the political leadership realized that education reform is not just about teachers’ demands; it is about the future of hundreds of thousands of kids.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 800 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 189, 800 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola on Thursday.

The price of silver, however, has remained constant. According to the Association, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 960 per tola.

A man murdered his wife in Dharan by staying in Korea.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the mastermind behind the murder of Chun Kumari Budhathoki of Mahalaxmi Municipality, Dhankuta, who was found dead in Panchankya Jungle of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-6, Sunsari, was her husband Prem Bahadur Budhathoki, Sunsari Police Chief SP Suman Kumar Timinsina said.

Police have made public six persons including her husband Prem Bahadur of Dhankuta for their involvement in the murder of Chun Kumari.

The arrestees have been identified as Prem Bahadur Budhathoki’s brother Dhakendra Budhathoki (29) and his wife Shristi Budhathoki (25) of Sangam Chowk, Pathari Sanischhare Municipality-3, Morang, Yogendra Gautam (36) of Lumangding, Miklajung Rural Municipality-7, Panchthar, who has been living in Phagu Tole, Urlabari Municipality-5, Morang for the seven years, his wife Denu Gautam (28). Both of them are Prem Bahadur’s sister and brother-in-law, SP Timinsina said.

Similarly, Keshav Raj Dahal (40) of Pathari Sanishchhare-3, Morang has also been arrested for his involvement in the murder.

Raju Thapa Magar (35) of Tejpur Khakanbasti, Assam, India, who was involved in the murder, however, is on the run, SP Timinsina said.

A team led by Inspector Diwas Kunwar of the Area Police Office, Dharan had conducted the investigation after the body of Chun Kumar was found in the forest.

Prem Kumar was arrested soon after he landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport from Korea.

DSP Prakash Jabegu of the Area Police Office, Dharan said that Chun Kumari was murdered over a family dispute.

According to police, the body of Chun Kumari was found in the forest on April 7.