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The Daunne section of the Narayanghat–Butwal road corridor under the East-West Highway will be disrupted six hours a day for another 15 days. Earlier, the Road Projects Directorate said that the road will be disrupted for six hours at night until April 28. However, the time has been extended to 15 more days due to continuous road expansion work. In a notice issued by the Directorate on Tuesday, it is said that vehicular traffic will be halted from 11 pm to 5 am until May 14. Earlier, work was done by stopping vehicle traffic for four hours in the afternoon for five days in March.

The project said that during the closure of the road, buses, minibuses, microbuses, and small vehicles heading towards Butwal will be stopped at the Hongsi Cement Gate Dumkibas Bazaar section and vehicles heading towards Narayanghat will be stopped at the Chisapani, Bardaghat section.

The Narayanghat–Butwal road section, which includes the 14-kilometer stretch through Daunne hill, is currently under expansion. During the night closures, freight vehicles from the east will be halted at Chormara–Arun Khola, while passenger vehicles will stop at Dumkibas bazaar. Similarly, freight vehicles from the west will be stopped at Jyamire and Hakui, while passenger buses will be held at the Bardaghat–Chisapani section.

However, recent rainfall has left the area muddy and may pose additional challenges for both construction and traffic management. Commuters said that it takes ages to cross just 14 kilometers of the Daunne section. The traffic police have requested drivers to use an alternative route as the road widening work will be done by stopping the vehicles.  

According to Chief Police Inspector Janak Banjara of the District Traffic Police Office , vehicles traveling east to west can utilize the Gaindakot to Kaligandaki Corridor route. Specifically, vehicles heading west from Narayanghat can take the route from Butwal to Palpa and then the Kaligandaki Corridor.

Germany’s economy grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the federal statistics office. The slight expansion, fueled by consumer spending and investment, is consistent with market expectations and has helped the economy avoid a technical recession following a 0.2 percent contraction in the previous quarter, Reuters reported.

Despite this positive uptick, Germany is the only G7 country that has not experienced yearly economic growth in the last two years. Analysts warn that President Donald Trump's newly announced US tariffs might have a substantial influence on Germany's export-driven economy, potentially paving the way for a third consecutive year of stagnation – an unprecedented scenario in the country's postwar history.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced that eye health would be integrated into the national Health Insurance Program.

PM Oli said so while inaugurating the international conference named '2030 In Sight Live Nepal' organized by various health organizations including the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

The event is a gathering of leaders, innovators and policy-makers where they deliberate on measures, collaborative initiatives and actions to achieve the goals outlined in 2030 In Sight Strategy to ensure that eye health is available to everyone by 2030.

On the occasion PM Oli reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthen the primary healthcare system and achieve the SDGs.

Oli reiterated that the government prioritizes eye health and thus is going to integrate it in the national insurance program. He also highlighted the government's prioritization of eye-care services, especially for those people at the risk of losing their vision.

The PM acknowledged the pivotal role played by the 'Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness' survey conducted in 2022 in shaping the country's eye-health priorities.

Furthermore, he informed that the National Health Sector strategy that has outlined the commitment to expand the coverage of cataract surgery from the current 35-45 percent to 75 percent by 2030.

Stating that no country could achieve the desired results in the eye health sector, the PM, thus, called for a greater global collaboration.

He asserted that the incumbent government had recognized eye health as an important aspect of the public healthcare system, he shed light on the government's initiatives such as eye-screening tests and imparting nursing programs at school level, and that he had contributed in promoting gender equity and gender access to education.

Preparations have been completed for the Investment Summit to be hosted by the Koshi Province government.

This information was shared at a press conference organized by the Province Investment Authority today.

The Summit will be held at Birendra Auditorium in Biratnagar.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the Summit on Thursday and it will conclude the next day.

The organizers hope that this conference would be historic and fruitful for the prosperity and development of Koshi Province, which has immense potential in terms of investment.

Executive Director of the Authority, Dr Saroj Koirala, informed that 71 projects will be showcased in the Summit and the total estimated cost of these projects is Rs 173.49 billion. These showcased projects are from the tourism, agriculture, industry, energy, infrastructure, IT and service sectors. Investors from Nepal, India, China, Russia, the US, South Korea and other Western countries will participate in the event.

Executive Director Dr Koirala shared that the summit will discuss six different topics of agriculture, tourism, industrial production, marketing, infrastructure development, energy and health services and medical education.

Similarly, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Rewati Raman Bhandari opined that the Investment Summit would help increase employment and boost domestic capital in the province. He also expressed commitment to amend the laws that hinder the investment.

Likewise, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Ram Bahadur Magar opined that the investment summit would help in making the province economically strong, creating employment and developing potential sectors to attract tourists and increase production.

China has begun quietly notifying select companies about exemptions from its 125% tariffs on certain US-made goods. The move comes as Beijing strives to mitigate the domestic effect of its protracted trade disputes with Washington, Reuters reported.

Although China has previously issued waivers for products such as pharmaceuticals, microchips, and aviation engines, the existence of a broader "whitelist" of exempted commodities has not been made public until now.

Local authorities are contacting companies individually to advise them that specific product classifications may be spared from tariffs.

In addition, Reuters claimed that China has recently waived tariffs on US ethane imports, following industry requests for exemptions due to the lack of alternative suppliers.

China’s commerce and customs ministries have not commented on the reported exemptions.

President Donald Trump's second term marked the worst 100-day performance in US markets since the 1970s. According to MarketWatch, the S&P 500 has fallen 7.3 percent, the Dow 6.8 percent, and the Nasdaq 11 percent since his January 20 inauguration, Firstpost reported.

Trump's unpredictable economic policies, such as increased tariffs, massive public-sector layoffs, and federal program shutdowns, have rattled markets and heightened recession fears. JPMorgan expects a 60 percent chance of a recession, while Goldman Sachs predicts 45 percent.

Historically, markets have risen during a president's first 100 days. Since 1929, the S&P 500 has increased by an average of 3.8 percent. The only worse drop occurred in 1973, under Nixon. The dip also contrasts starkly with the 3.7 percent post-election rise, which was driven by the expectation of market-friendly policies, as stated by the Firstpost.

Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary has been arrested on Wednesday.

Police apprehended Chaudhary from the premises of the program venue in Pragya Bhawan at a time when preparations were underway to announce the party unity between Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party.

The reason behind the arrest is yet to be ascertained.

The Ministry of Health and Population has directed all public healthcare facilities across the country to disclose complete identification details of the doctors and health workers involved in treatment of patients.

Healthcare professionals have been instructed to ensure that the recommendations for radiology, laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures are clearly documented in patients' report cards.

The Ministry, in a circular today, issued the order towards this with an objective to ensure accountability and transparency in the public health sector.

The move is also expected to further facilitate in treatment of the patients as well to simplify the re-testing process for patients 

All the federal hospitals and health institutions have been asked to include all vital identification details of the doctors such as full name, medical specialization, Nepal Medical Council's registration and signature of the doctors among others in the patients' report card.

Spokesperson of Ministry, Dr Prakash Budhathoki, shared that the directive is intended to mitigate the malpractice of referring patients elsewhere for testing when those facilities are available in-house.

According to him, the incomplete prescription and absence of complete medical documentation had been creating challenges in proper diagnosis and treatment of the patients.

He expressed his confidence that the mandatory disclosure of the identification details of the medical professionals in patients' report cards would make medical professionals more responsible and accountable.

It may be noted that Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel, emphasizing reforms in curative services for the patients in public healthcare facilities, has been adopting several initiatives and measures to make healthcare services affordable and accessible.

The recent directive is a part of the Minister's broader initiatives to improve the services in the public health sector.