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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has opined that everyone should have a deep sense of gratitude and dedication towards mothers as they are the direct manifestation of mother Earth.

In his message of best wishes shared through a social site today on the occasion of the Matatirtha Aunshi festival, the Prime Minister wished for deepening the feeling of dedication and gratitude towards all mothers.

PM Oli has expressed heartfelt respect and tributes to all mothers on the day of Matatirtha Aunsi, a special day dedicated to paying gratitude and reverence to the mother. He stated that he cannot recollect his mother's face as she passed away when he was four years old.

"My mother's face is not very clear in my memory, because I was bereft of my mother's warm embrace when I was four years old. For me, the birthplace became a mother's image," the Prime Minister wrote in his social site post.

"Today is Matatirtha Aunshi or Mother's Day and I vaguely remember my mother's face,” he added.

The Kathmandu District Court on Sunday remanded Nepali Congress lawmaker Maya Rai to three days in judicial custody.

The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on Saturday night apprehended Rai from her residence in Kapan for misappropriating the funds of Kalimati-based Swarnalaxmi Savings and Credit Cooperative Society.

Rai, who is also a Nepali Congress central leader, had been at large for a long time after the Kathmandu District Court issued an arrest warrant against her on cooperative fraud and organized crime.

She was working as the joint secretary by staying on the Cooperative’s board of directors.

She has been kept at the District Police Range, Kathmandu in Bhadrakali.

Meanwhile, police have informed the Parliament members about the arrest of lawmaker Rai.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 5.98 points to close at 2,664.01 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.81 points to close at 450. 07 points.

A total of 28,438,428-unit shares of 314 companies were traded for Rs 10. 87 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited (NMIC) and Crest Micro Life Insurance Limited (CREST) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 9. 99 percent.

Likewise, Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (WNLB) was the top loser as its price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 42 trillion.

Police have arrested a teacher after he along with his fellow teachers hurled stones at police and attempted to breach the prohibited area in New Baneshwor.

In response, police used a water cannon to stop the teachers from entering the the restricted area.

Around 15 teachers were injured in the incident, police said.

Police intercepted them after they tried to break through the prohibited area and enter the Parliament building.

The Nepal Teachers’ Federation gave continuation to the pretest after a meeting with the government ended inconclusively on Saturday.

The teachers have been staging protests in Kathmanud for the past 26 days, demanding immeidate enactment of the School Education Bill.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, which murdered 26 civilians, but sources suggest Pakistan and China colluded to weaken the official statement.

Unlike the UNSC's 2019 Pulwama statement, which called for cooperation with the "Government of India," the most recent version just mentions "all relevant authorities." According to The Times of India, Pakistan, with China's support, pushed for the softer expression to avoid India taking the lead in the inquiry.

Pakistan, a non-permanent UNSC member, also issued a separate statement expressing “concern” but stopped short of condemning the attack. Islamabad is now demanding for a "independent" investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed support for a neutral investigation.

The US initially proposed a stronger draft, but tough negotiations led to a diluted final version. The move has raised fresh concerns in New Delhi as it tries to manage its uneasy ties with Beijing, The Times of India reported.

Over five billion budget from various bodies has been returned to the state treasury, citing the funds remained unspent.

The majority of the refunded budget falls under capital expenditures. Among the agencies returning the highest amounts are the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Committee (MCA-Nepal).

According to Ambika Prasad Khanal, the Ministry's Information Officer, Rs 53.4 million was refunded under general expenditures, while a significant Rs 5.03 billion was returned under capital expenditures.

Towards the capital expenditures, those bodies refunding the budget are the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Rs 9.5 million), the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (Rs 3.9 million), the Election Commission (Rs 24.02 million) and the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (Rs 15.8 million).

Towards the capital expenditures, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation refunded Rs 2.35 billion while the MCA-Nepal refunded the budget around Rs two billion.

Other bodies sending the capital expenditures budget back are the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (Rs 367.08 million), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Rs 300 million) and the Office of the Auditor General (Rs 16.01 million). 

According to the provisions of the Economic Procedure and Financial Responsibility Act and Regulations, if the budget allocated for any plan or program is not spent by mid-March and if it is not able to spend it even during the remaining period of the fiscal year, then it should be returned to the Ministry of Finance by third week of April. The MCA-Nepal has returned about 58 percent of the budget this year as it had returned 70 per cent of the budget last year.

There is uncertainty over whether US assistance will continue in this project or not, while the budget allocated by the government for this project will not be spent. For the current fiscal year, MCA-Nepal had received a budget of Rs 13.36 billion. Of this amount, Rs 9.9 billion would be funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the remaining Rs 3.45 billion would be borne from internal sources.

However, after MCA-Nepal did not spend the budget, about 58 percent of the budget has been returned to the Ministry of Finance. Not only in the current fiscal year but also in the last fiscal year, MCA-Nepal's expenditure was very weak. MCA-Nepal had spent only about 30 percent of the total budget for the last fiscal year and returned the remaining 70 percent of the budget.

The government had allocated Rs 10.84 billion for the last fiscal year to spend on projects under MCA-Nepal, out of which Rs 7.60 billion was returned. The budget could not be spent as per the target as the compensation distribution and acquisition of land required for the construction of the power transmission line has slowed down.

For nearly 60 days, no food, fuel, medicine or other item has entered the Gaza Strip, blocked by Israel. Aid groups are running out of food to distribute. Markets are nearly bare. Palestinian families are left struggling to feed their children, Associated Press reported.

In the sprawling tent camp outside the southern city of Khan Younis, Mariam al-Najjar and her mother-in-law emptied four cans of peas and carrots into a pot and boiled it over a wood fire. They added a little bouillon and spices.

That, with a plate of rice, was the sole meal on Friday for the 11 members of their family, including six children.

Among Palestinians, “Fridays are sacred,” a day for large family meals of meat, stuffed vegetables or other rich traditional dishes, al-Najjar said, according to Associated Press.

“Now we eat peas and rice,” she said. “We never ate canned peas before the war. Only in this war that has destroyed our lives.”

The around 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are now mainly living off canned vegetables, rice, pasta and lentils. Meat, milk, cheese and fruit have disappeared. Bread and eggs are scarce. The few vegetables or other items in the market have skyrocketed in price, unaffordable for most.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “ very close to a deal,” Associated Press reported.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote, according to Associated Press.