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Police have arrested a person with a large cache of 'Shaligram Sheela' or the ammonite stone in Mustang.

The arrestee has been identified as Kunsang Ranging Gurung (41) of Surkhang of Loghekar Damodarkunda-5, Mustang. 

The Shaligram Sheela is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River.

The Hindus consider the Shaligram as a form of their god Vishnu.

The Kali Gandaki River flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda, enhancing the spiritual significance of these 'Shaligrams'. Collection of a large amount of Shaligrams is prohibited.

The Area Police Office, Chhusang Check Post at Baragung Muktikshetra-3,  Mustang has seized 894 kg 'Shaligram Sheela' packed in 34 white sacks during a regular security check, according to the District Police Office, Mustang.

Information Officer at the District Police Office, Mustang, Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, said that the Shaligram Sheela was confiscated from a Bolero jeep (Ga 3 Cha 8152) heading towards Jomsom from Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-3 in Mustang. 

According to the District Police Office, Mustang, Gurung, the jeep and the Shiligram Sheela have been handed over to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Office, Jomsom.

Meanwhile, ACAP Jomsom said that it has already handed over Gurung, the jeep, and Shaligram Sheela to Annapurna Conservation Area Project's Head Office in Pokhara for investigation, said Office Chief Rajesh Gupta.

Nepal defeated Oman by eight wickets in the ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifier on Monday.

In the match held at the Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground, Oman, who were invited to bat first after losing the toss, posted 117 runs.

Chasing 188,  Nepal achieved the target losing two wickets.

Niraj Kumar Yadav top-scored for Nepal with 46 runs off 31 balls hitting five boundaries and two sixes. Another opener Sahil Patel made 44 runs.

Capitan Niraj Bhatta remained unbeaten at 12 and Santosh Yadav at 10.

Saumya Bhavin Sampat claimed two wickets for Oman.

Earlier, Oman scored 117 runs in 38 overs.

For Oman, Jeet Shah scored highest 52 runs off 78 balls with six boundaries. Similarly, Siddhartha Shankar contributed 16, and Pratheish Ramesh 10 while other batters failed to score in double digits.

Yuvaraj Khatri took five wickets for Nepal. Likewise, Santosh Yadav claimed two wickets, and Linda Dayananda Mandal, Aparajit Paudel and Ashok Dhami took one wicket each.

In the first, Nepal beat the UAE by five wickets.

Similarly, Afghanistan defeated Hong Kong by eight wickets in the second match in the Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground and Oman by eights wickets in the first match.

The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, the umbrella body of school teachers, continued its protest in Kathmandu even on New Year’s Day demanding enactment of the School Education Act.

The Federation continued its protest demanding that the School Education Act be issued at the earliest based on the agreement reached with them.

The teachers have said that they would not return to the classrooms until their demand is addressed.

The development expenditure has shrunk to 29 percent until the third quarter of the current fiscal year 2024/25.

According to the data of the Financial Comptroller General Office, the capital expenditure of the government as of April 12, 2025 is only Rs 102.9 billion. The government had allocated Rs 352.35 billion under the capital heading for the current fiscal year. The capital expenditure so far is 29.2 percent of the annual allocation.

Not only the development expenditure, but the overall budget expenditure of this period has been weak. As compared to the annual allocation, 53.67 percent of the budget has been spent till April 13.

The government had presented a budget of Rs 1 trillion 860 billion and 30 million for the current fiscal year. An amount of Rs 998.50 billion has been spent till this April 13.

Similarly, out of Rs 1 trillion 140 billion and 66 million allocated under the current head, 59.45 percent or Rs 678.06 billion has been spent, according to the Financial Comptroller General's Office.

The expenditure under the financial management heading is equivalent to Rs 59.23 percent till April 13. For the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 367.28 billion under this heading, and of this 59.23 percent of the annual allocation has been spent.

Revenue collection also weak

The revenue collection is also weak in this period. Out of the total revenue collection target of Rs 1 trillion 419 billion and 30 million, only Rs 821.67 billion has been collected in revenue till April 11. This is equivalent to 57.89 per cent of the annual target.

Similarly, only Rs 14.26 billion in foreign grants or 27.27 per cent of the annual target has been collected so far against the target of collecting Rs 52.32 billion in foreign grants this year.

The High-Level Economic Reform Advisory Commission has identified a declining consumption growth rate and a reduction in investment as the primary reasons for the sluggish economic growth rate. The commission, formed under the leadership of former Finance Secretary Rameshore Khanal, has suggested that immediate policy interventions are necessary to improve the demand side. To achieve high economic growth, it has recommended structural reforms on the supply side to create an investment-friendly environment and reduce production costs to enhance competitiveness of Nepali goods.

According to the commission’s report, reduced credit growth, declining real estate transactions, millions of rupees trapped in cooperatives, delays in government payments, issues in recovering commercial credit, and a crisis in the construction sector have led to reduced consumption and investment. “Delays in balancing certain monetary tools used for relief during the pandemic, insufficient activation of fiscal policy, and import control policies caused the economy to face successive problems. As a result, the economy has experienced further stagnation over the past two fiscal years,” the commission said in its report.

It has recommended reducing barriers and expanding opportunities in sectors critical for economic growth, such as agriculture, forestry, land, mining, water resources, tourism and information technology. To create opportunities in these sectors, the commission has emphasized the need for policy interventions in physical infrastructure development, urban development, energy security, education and skill development, health and research and development.

The commission has urged the government to implement the suggestions provided by the High-Level Public Expenditure Review Commission and the High-Level Tax Reform Committee regarding public expenditure, revenue policy and administration. To create an industrial and business-friendly environment, the commission has proposed establishing a single registration entity where all types of businesses can register, and taking the entire registration process online. It has also suggested making all business registrations free and eliminating the need for renewals.

Likewise, the commission has proposed allowing up to 50 percent foreign investment based on the evaluation of investment proposals. It has suggested that Nepali firms or companies permitted to invest abroad should pursue double taxation avoidance agreements and bilateral investment agreements with approved countries. It has also called on the government to abolish the Department of Revenue Investigation Department and the Revenue Leakage Act, transferring investigations related to foreign exchange misuse to the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

To make farm subsidies effective, it has urged the government to distribute subsidies to farmers through a single-window system through the local government. Likewise, it has suggested creating a Farmers’ Welfare Fund in collaboration with provincial and local governments to provide subsidized loans.

The commission also said in its report that businesses should not be restricted by setting a maximum profit ceiling. Likewise, it has urged the government to make bank interest rates stable, at least for productive sectors. “Since Nepal’s exchange rate is fixed with the Indian currency, it causes fluctuations in the external sector to impact domestic banking liquidity and lead to volatility in interest rates,” the commission said in its report.

Stating that the lack of collateral is preventing many, especially startups, from accessing bank loans, the commission has suggested that introduction of a personal credit scoring system would facilitate loan disbursements for small businesses.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Donald Trump to visit his country ahead of any deal with Russia to end the war.

"Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead," Zelensky stated during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes program, BBC reported.

The interview was conducted before to the deadly Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, which left 117 people injured and 34 dead, including two children.

Trump called the incident "horrible," while Germany's chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, charged Russia of war crimes, according to BBC.

There was no quick formal response from Russia, whose forces over the border are thought to be preparing for a major onslaught.

Former King Gyanendra Shah has extended best wishes for the happiness and peace to all Nepali within the country and abroad.

In a video message on the occasion of the New Year 2082 BS today, Shah stated that he was always conscious and sensitive that let there be no conflict among the Nepalis.

Likewise, the former king also expressed sadness over the human and physical losses that occurred in the course of the violence, arson, vandalism and demonstrations in Tinkune of Kathmandu some days back.

China’s exports jumped 12.4 per cent in March from a year earlier as companies rushed to beat increases in US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The customs administration said that imports declined 4.3 percent, according to ABC News.

It claimed exports from the world's second largest economy increased by 5.8 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the previous year, while imports sank 7 per cent.

China's trade surplus with the United States was $27.6 billion in March, as exports increased by 4.5 percent. It has a $76.6 billion trade surplus with the United States in the first quarter of this year.

China is facing 145 per cent tariffs on most exports to the United States as of the most recent revisions in Trump’s trade policies, ABC reported.

However, the biggest increases in exports were to China’s Southeast Asian neighbors, which saw exports from China jump nearly 17 per cent in March from a year earlier. Exports to Africa increased by more than 11 percent.