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As the tiger population increases in Nepal, its habitat area has to be expanded.

Although the park areas, buffer zones and other forest areas are the habitat of tigers, the problem of shrinking tiger habitat is seen in recent years as the number of tigers has increased.

Speaking at an interaction program organized by Chitwan National Park in Chitwan today, Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, stressed the need to increase the habitat for tigers.

He said that the number of tigers has been increasing over the last five years indicating a need to increase the habitat. "There is a need to protect the tigers by keeping them in open zoos," he said, adding that the open zoos could be linked to income generation.

The number of tigers in Nepal has increased from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. The number of tigers was 198 in 2013 and 253 in 2018.

Acharya said that due to the increase in the number of tigers, the habitat area has decreased by 93 percent.

In recent years, the number of tigers has been increasing in Nepal due to the focus on conservation.

Acharya said that forest areas in the country can accommodate around 500 tigers. "It seems that 404 tigers can be kept in the core area of the parks,” he added.

According to him, the deer species is the main prey of the tiger and there is also a need to protect deer. Similarly, tigers also hunt monkeys and domestic animals for food.

He said that there were about 100,000 tigers in the world 100 years ago, but now the number has come down to 5,000.

Nepal recorded a 13.11 percent surge in smartphone imports during the first eight months of fiscal year 2024/25 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.

According to trade statistics released by the Department of Customs, from mid-July 2024 to mid-March 2025, the country imported smartphones worth Rs 21.91bn, a notable increase from Rs 19.37bn in the corresponding period of 2023/24. 

Customs data reveals that 1,407,078 units of smartphones were imported over these eight months, with 177,121 units arriving in the eighth month alone (mid-February to mid-March). The government mobilized Rs 4.08bn in revenue from smartphones in the review period.

Chinese manufacturers maintained their dominance in the review period, as 1,107,083 units valued at Rs 15.09bn were imported from the northern neighbour. India followed as the second-largest source, with 294,822 units worth Rs 6.39bn imported in eight months. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Redmi, Oppo, realme, OnePlus and iTel are immensely popular among Nepali consumers because of their affordability and widespread availability. South Korean smartphone brand Samsung is also immensely popular with Nepali consumers. Most of the Samsung phones brought to Nepal are manufactured in India. Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo and Vivo are also made in India. 

Beyond China and India, smartphones also entered Nepal from countries like Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, though in smaller volumes. These imports were largely brought into the country by Nepalis returning from abroad, particularly migrant workers and students, who often purchase high-end devices unavailable or more expensive in the local market. 

In the first eight months of the previous fiscal year (2023/24), Nepal imported 918,024 units from China worth Rs 13.29bn and 327,560 units from India valued at Rs 5.78bn. By mid-January 2025, the sixth month of the current fiscal year, imports had already reached Rs 16.71bn, signaling a consistent upward trajectory in smartphone imports.

Nepal imported smartphones worth Rs 28.66bn, totaling 1,839,035 units, in fiscal year 2023/24. Smartphones worth Rs 18.95bn were imported from India, while Rs 9.25bn worth of smartphones came from India during the year. The government collected Rs 5.33bn in revenue from these imports.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkey after the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption, BBC reported.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was scheduled to be chosen in a vote on Sunday as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate.

The nation witnessed the greatest rioting in over a decade on Sunday night, with protestors being shot at with rubber bullets and tear gas in response to his arrest, according to BBC.

The accusations made against him, according to Imamoglu, are driven by politics. "I will never bow," he posted on X prior to being placed under arrest on remand.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 600 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 173, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 174, 100 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the price is being traded at Rs 1, 980 per tola today.

US President Donald Trump's administration has said it will revoke the temporary legal status of more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, BBC reported.

Those migrants have been warned to leave the country before their permits and deportation shield are cancelled on 24 April, according to a notice posted by the federal government.

The 530,000 migrants were brought into the US under a Biden-era sponsorship process known as CHNV that was designed to open legal migration pathways. Trump suspended the programme once he took office.

It is unclear how many of these migrants have been able to secure another status in the interim that would allow them to stay in the US legally, according to BBC.

A total of 4,468 criminal offenses have been officially reported before the police across the country in the month of Falgun in the lunar calendar.

Among the criminal cases registered in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), the highest number of cases (25.22 percent) are banking offenses.

The Kathmandu Valley witnessed a significant rise in criminal offense, including banking crimes, shared Deputy Inspector General of Police Dinesh Kumar Acharya, the central spokesperson of Nepal Police. Most of the banking offenses are related to cheque bounce.

Furthermore, crimes committed due to misuse of social media have also been increasing.

During the month, 1,127 offenses have been reported under banking offenses. Similarly, 521 cases of crimes against public interest, health, safety and morality have been registered.

Likewise, 501 cases were suicide-related offenses, 419 cases of drug-related crimes, 286 cases of theft, 168 cases of rape, 162 cases of fraud, 154 cases of vehicular homicide, 71 cases of attempt to murder and 42 cases of murder have been registered with the police.

Spokesperson DIG Acharya said that 1,337 cases have been registered in the Kathmandu Valley.

A total of 711 cases have been registered in Madhes Province, 665 in Koshi, 612 in Lumbini, 376 in Bagmati, 279 in Sudurpaschim, 323 in Gandaki and 161 in Karnali Province.

The fire that broke out at the Shangrila Ply Industry in Khaira of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolis-9, destroyed property worth millions of rupees. The fire is reported to have originated following an electrical short circuit.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Chakra Bahadur Shah of the District Police Office, Dang, more than 30 houses near the industry are at risk due to the fire.

The plywood industry is huge, spreading over an area of eight bigaha. The work of removing the belongings inside those houses is underway while their occupants there have been taken to safer locations.

The fire has gutted wood, raw materials, ply-making machines and other materials used to make ply. The fire that broke out in the industry at 2 am is yet to be brought under control.

Firefighting efforts are underway with the help of fire engines from Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Lamahi, Gadhwa and Kapilvastu.

A large number of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army personnel and locals are working together to douse the fire.

China is organizing the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) from March 25 to 28, in Qionghai City, South China’s Hainan Province. It is an annual event at which government officials, heads of international organizations, business leaders and scholars converge to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. However, there will not be high-level participation from Nepal as Nepal’s Ambassador to China Krishna Prasad Oli has been told to represent Nepal.

Last year, then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s foreign affairs advisor Rupak Sapkota had attended the program. In the past, there used to be participation of the prime minister or president but nowadays Nepal is sending low-key officials. Officials say as Nepal’s top political leadership snubbed the invitation, China has not shown interest to lend the invitation to the top political leadership.

Launched in 2002, the forum has witnessed Asia’s regional integration as it pulled through the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the SARS epidemic in 2003, the global financial crisis in 2008 and the recently concluded Covid-19 pandemic.

In the first conference, King Birendra was invited in 2001 and in 2015 then President Ram Baran Yadav represented Nepal.  Now, the region once again finds itself on the cusp of change. “Our world is in the middle of a pivotal transition, where disruptive shifts are profoundly reshaping the international order,” BFA Secretary General Zhang Jun said at a press conference in Beijing. “What this means is that the BFA, as a high-level platform dedicated to dialogue and cooperation, now stands at a new horizon, where it is charged with both greater expectations and heavier responsibilities,” he added.