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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.

The parliamentary sub-committee submitted its report on Pokhara International Airport to the Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives.

Rajendra Lingden, who led the sub-committee, carried out a thorough investigation on the construction process of the airport and submitted the report to the PAC.

Arjun Narsing KC, Aman Lal Modi, Gokul Prasad Banskota, Janardan Sharma, Tara Lama Tamang, Deepak Giri, Dev Prasad Timilsina, Prem Bahadur Ale and Ram Krishna Yadav were the members of the sub-committee.

The report will be discussed in the meeting of the PAC.

The sub-panel had conducted the study and monitoring of the airport in response to the questions raised from multiple sectors over the irregularities in the construction process. The monitoring was done as per PAC's decision made on June 9, 2024.

During the field visit and inspection, the sub-committee held discussions with stakeholders, locals and experts.

The report was prepared incorporating multifarious issues ranging from physical infrastructure, equipment, runway, to vicinity.

The airport was constructed at the cost of Rs 22 billion with the loan from EXIM Bank of China. The construction was completed on December 29, 2022.

Although the facility was officially launched in January 2023, the airport has not witnessed international flights except few chartered ones. Only domestic service is available there.

The sub-committee report would divulge the problems that plagued the construction process, which is expected to help the government take further decisions on it, the sub-committee said.

The Trump administration is set to impose new port fees on Chinese ships in a bid to strengthen the US shipbuilding industry and counter China's market dominance.

Effective in 180 days, these regulations will charge Chinese ship owners based on cargo weight, container count, or vehicle capacity, BBC reported.

Bulk carriers will incur a fee of $50 per ton, increasing by $30 annually for three years. Container ships will face charges of $120 per container, while Chinese-built vessels will pay $18 per ton. Non-US built car carriers will be charged $150 per car, with a maximum of six charges per ship annually.

A second phase of the regulations will launch in three years, favoring US-built LNG ships and introducing stricter rules over a 22-year period, according to BBC.

Analysts warn that these measures, combined with recent tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese imports, are already disrupting international trade, causing congestion in European ports and increasing costs for US consumers.