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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that nuclear talks with the US in Oman have grown "more serious and frank," with discussions focusing on concrete suggestions. The most recent discussion lasted three hours, and both sides agreed to continue negotiations, according to Xinhua.

President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed US efforts to remove Iran's nuclear facilities as "unacceptable." He underlined Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology, citing potential applications in healthcare and industry.

US authorities continue to push for the demolition of Iran's key nuclear sites, despite Iran's insistence that its program is entirely civilian and non-military, Xinhua reported.

Sudanese authorities announced on Sunday that a massive fire at fuel tanks in Port Sudan had been extinguished, and electricity was gradually restored across the Red Sea State following recent drone assaults.

The Civil Defense Forces stated that the blaze was tough to control because of enormous oil reserves. The state electrical provider said that power has been restored to impacted areas, according to Xinhua.

The attacks are part of intensified drone strikes by the RSF targeting SAF-controlled infrastructure amid ongoing conflict since April 2023.

Virat Kohli has announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket, two weeks before India's Test tour of England starts on June 20. The 36-year-old played 123 matches and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, according to  BBC.

Kohli also led India in 68 Tests, winning 40, the highest of any Indian captain. His final Test century came in November, against Australia.

In a statement, Kohli said the decision “wasn’t easy” but felt “right,” adding that the format had tested and shaped him, BBC reported.

He retired from T20Is in 2024 but will continue playing ODIs.

President Donald Trump will go to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 15 to secure large Gulf investments amidst a slowing US economy. The trip begins in Riyadh, where Trump will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attend a summit of Gulf leaders, Reuters reported.

A US-Saudi investment forum on May 13 will feature CEOs from top firms including BlackRock, Alphabet, and Citigroup. Trump aims to attract sovereign wealth funds to support US jobs and manufacturing, reinforcing his “America First” agenda.

The visit follows the first US GDP decline in three years, driven by new tariffs and global trade disruptions, as stated by Reuters.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet with counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the EU on Monday to discuss continued support for Ukraine and enhanced regional defence cooperation, according to Reuters.

The discussions take place before Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with EU leaders on May 19 to discuss improving trade relations after Brexit and securing a new defense agreement.

Lammy is expected to announce new sanctions targeting those aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move follows a joint visit to Kyiv by leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Poland to support Ukraine’s call for a 30-day ceasefire, backed by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has subsequently suggested holding direct peace negotiations with Ukraine.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the conflict between India and Pakistan stopped after they called for calm and restraint from both sides and prayed for peace. 

He said so while addressing a program organized in Lumbini on the occasion of 2569^th Buddha Jayanti on Monday.

Though a war situation had emerged between India and Pakistan just a few days ago, the Prime Minister said that it did not escalate into a full-scale war.

Saying that India and Pakistan have reached a cease-fire agreement, Prime Minister Oli thanked both the countries for exercising restraint.

“Though India and Pakistan exchanged strikes for days, it did not escalate into war. I would like to thank both countries for restraint. We had prayed that this situation would not turn into a war,” PM Oli said.

The new leadership at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched a renewed effort to collect long standing disputed dues related to dedicated and trunk power lines. On Friday, the Authority issued a public notice calling on customers with outstanding dues to file appeals by June.

The NEA stated it aims to resolve the disputes—which have remained unresolved for nearly a decade—by addressing misunderstandings from a new perspective. The decision to move forward was made at a Board of Directors meeting on May 4. According to the NEA, total disputed dues now amount to Rs 23.44bn.

To facilitate dispute resolution, the NEA has amended Sub-regulation 2 of Regulation 55 under its 2021 Electricity Distribution Regulations. Under the revised provision, five percent of the billed amount can be submitted either in cash or via a Class A bank guarantee valid for one year.

The dispute began in 2016 after NEA introduced new tariffs for dedicated and trunk lines. In 2018, approximately nine months after load-shedding ended, NEA sent backdated bills covering two years and seven months. Industrialists contested the charges, arguing they had received trunk line facilities without formal notice and were billed as though load-shedding continued. Most only paid regular bills, rejecting the additional charges.

NEA regulations stipulate that customers seeking 20 hours of uninterrupted electricity via trunk lines during extended load-shedding must apply in advance, with service granted only after NEA Board approval. Customers are also required to provide Time-of-Day (TOD) meter data, which the NEA must verify.

To address the dispute, NEA formed a task force which submitted its findings. In 2019, the parliamentary Accounts Committee also intervened. A subcommittee recommended that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) probe NEA officials for failing to enforce tariff regulations, leading to revenue losses. The subcommittee also urged NEA to implement provisions requiring payment within 35 days of billing or disconnection after 60 days of non-payment.

Multiple committees have since examined the issue. In 2024, a commission led by former Justice Girish Chandra Lal submitted a report directing the government to recover Rs 6.11bn in dues from Feb 2016 to May 2018. NEA’s notice mentions plans to collect this amount as well.

Former NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising had also attempted to collect these arrears per the commission’s recommendations, but government intervention stalled the effort.

Weekly three flights are to be operated from Resunga airport in Gulmi in view of the increasing number of passengers.

Suman Thapa, the Resunga Airport Station Head, said that even though weekly flights have been operated, the service will be provided three times a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, considering the increasing number of passengers in recent times.

Nepal Airlines Corporation has been unable to operate services regularly due to a shortage of aircraft. The national flag-carrier has been operating flights from its Twin Otter aircraft. Regular flights have resumed after the maintenance of Nepal Airlines' aircraft.

The air fare from Resunga to Kathmandu is Rs 7,080 and Rs 7,280 vice-versa.

Manoj Karki, a local, said the news of operation of three flights a week has brought excitement among the Gulmi folks. The Corporation's 18-seat capacity aircraft is scheduled to fly from Kathmandu to Resunga at 6:10 am and from Resunga to Kathmandu at 7:15 am.