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Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) President Rajesh Kumar Agrawal said that women are a huge resource in the global economy.

Speaking at the Women Leadership Summit held in Kathmandu, Chairman Agrawal, however, said that the resource has not been fully utilized.

He said that the society can utilize women's full economic potential there by eliminating gender inequality and increasing opportunities for education, employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

President Agrawal went on to say that investing in women's empowerment will have a direct impact on family income, community prosperity, and economic development.

The session titled "Investing in Women" is being conducted with the recognition that ensuring gender equality is not only a moral necessity, but also a strategic path towards economic progress and sustainable development, he said.

In addition to that, President Agrawal underscored the need to increase women’s participation in the public bodies.

“There is a universal belief that women-led organizations have good governance. Hence, women’s role is very important in the prosperity of Nepal’s industrial and economic sectors. There is also a need to further enhance the role of women,” he stressed.

“We can see the development of women entrepreneurship growing positively in Nepal. Nepal's women entrepreneurs are making significant contributions in various sectors such as agriculture, tourism, information technology and handicrafts among others. Despite small business, the women have been contributing to the country’s economy,” Chairman Agrawal said, adding, “It is the need of the hour to develop women as an important basis for economic empowerment. For that, the CNI is ready to cooperate with the government.”

He stressed that women's representation in politics should be increased to achieve gender equality.

“Women's self-dependency is directly related to their financial conditions. It is necessary to increase the loan cap to utilize the knowledge and skills of women entrepreneurs,” CNI President Agrawal said while addressing the program.

He said that the Nepal government has been encouraging women legally to increase their participation in political and economic sectors.

Saying that Women's Leadership Summit is not just a summit, he said that It is also a campaign to encourage and advance women economically, socially, politically, and inclusively.

The staircase is usually the most neglected space in our homes. It serves a functional purpose without having much aesthetic appeal. But it’s located in a prime spot and is used quite a lot as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could deck up this space, in whatever simple way possible? Though slightly tricky, it’s actually not that difficult to turn this overlooked area of the house into a neat focal point. Here are three ways to bring a little cheer into an otherwise mundane space. These inexpensive ideas can transform your stairwell into a space you love, much like the other rooms in your home.

Add mirror tiles along the length of the staircase

A really regal yet simple way to glam up your space without spending a lot and needing a lot of construction or preparation is to use mirror tiles along the walls of the staircase. Mirror tiles are available in different shapes and sizes and the design can be customized according to your preference. You can also get the mirror etched if you want to take things up a notch. The mirrors will add texture to a simple wall as well as reflect light and make a narrow space seem wider. If you are feeling especially adventurous, you can even do up an entire wall with mirror tiles to give the space a larger-than-life appeal. 

Choose an accent color

More often than not, the color of the staircase area matches the rest of the house. Try to choose a bright color to paint the walls in the space. This will give it a burst of color and an eye-catching appeal. Green, peach, yellow, works well as staircases are generally narrow and these can give it an illusion of space. You can also choose to paint the wall on the landing area a different color and keep the adjacent walls a plain white or beige to match the rest of your house. Additionally, if you have wooden or metal railings along the staircase, you can also give these a fresh coat of paint to make the space come alive. 

Create a cozy nook

We need a cozy nook in our homes, to lounge undisturbed with a nice cup of coffee and a good book. The staircase area can make for an ideal place to create a nook that’s not in your way and functional as well. This can also be your drop zone for things that need to be shuffled up and down like bags, scarves, and coats. Have a small two-seater installed along the length of the landing, top with cushion and a throw and it’s all set. You can also install a few floating shelves on the walls above it to display some interesting knick-knacks and books.

The Trump administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban, according to sources familiar with the matter and an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.

In the second group, five countries, including Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan, would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

In the third group, a total of 26 countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan and Myanmar, would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments "do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days", the memo said.

A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity cautioned there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The New York Times first reported on the list of countries.

The move harkens back to President Donald Trump's first-term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient."

Trump's directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.

He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and "anywhere else that threatens our security."

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

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

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 045 per tola today.

At least 34 people have died in the US - including 12 in Missouri alone - after deadly tornadoes tore through several south-eastern states, flipping cars and flattening homes, BBC reported.

In Kansas, at least eight people died after more than 55 vehicles were involved in a crash due to a dust storm.

More than 250,000 properties were without power across seven states - including Michigan, Missouri and Illinois - overnight into Sunday, according to tracker PowerOutage.

Further severe weather is expected for the region, with tornado watches issued across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle.

Six deaths were reported in Mississippi by the Governor Tate Reeves, as several tornadoes spread across the state.

Flash flooding and flood warnings have also been issued in central Mississippi, eastern Louisiana and western Tennessee; as well as parts of Alabama and Arkansas, as severe weather continues to track across the south-east.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has said these flash floods could prove deadly.

Multiple tornado warnings were also issued across Alabama on Saturday night.

The NWS warned of "multiple intense to violent long-track tornadoes" in those areas, describing the situation as "particularly dangerous".

The meteorological agency said: "If you live in these areas, get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass."

Gusts of up to 60mph (97km/h) have been recorded in Shelby, Tennessee, according to NWS data.

Mike Kehoe, governor of Missouri, said the state had been "devastated by severe storms and tornadoes, leaving homes destroyed and lives lost".

Missouri's emergency management agency said initial reports indicated 19 tornadoes had struck 25 counties so far, according to BBC.

A home belonging to one of the 12 people killed in Missouri was torn apart by a tornado.

"It was unrecognisable as a home. Just a debris field," Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County told CBS News, as rescuers attended the scene.

"The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls."

Alicia Wilson, who was evacuated from her home in Missouri, told TV station KSDK: "It was the scariest thing I've ever been through; it was so fast, our ears were all about to burst."

Arkansas has seen three deaths and 29 injuries - prompting Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to declare a state of emergency.

Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, also declared a state of emergency, while Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed one person had been killed in the state.

A dust storm that caused three deaths in Texas on Friday night caused a pile-up of an estimated 38 cars.

"It's the worst I've ever seen," Sgt Cindy Barkley, of the state's department of public safety, told reporters.

"We couldn't tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled."

A further death has since been reported in Texas.

The destructive storms fuelled more than 100 wildfires in several central states and overturned multiple semi-trailer trucks, CBS reports.

In Oklahoma, one of those fires, known as the 840 Road Fire, has already burned 27,500 acres and remains 0% contained, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Service. The agency has issued a "red flag" warning for the state's panhandle area, signalling a severe fire danger.

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump from using a 227-year-old law meant to protect the US during wartime to carry out mass deportations of Venezuelans, BBC reported.

Trump on Saturday proclaimed immigrants belonging to the Venezuelan crime gang Tren de Aragua were "conducting irregular warfare" against the US and that he would deport them under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

But US District Judge James Boasberg on Saturday evening ordered a halt to deportations covered by the proclamation that will last for 14 days, according to media reports.

Judge Boasberg told a hearing he had heard planes with deportees were taking off and ordered them turned back, the Washington Post reported.

The law allows the US during wartime to detain and remove people threatening the country's safety without having to follow due process. It was last invoked to intern people of Japanese descent during World War Two.

There was little surprise to the proclamation on Saturday, where Trump declared Tren de Aragua was "perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States".

He had promised to use the controversial law for mass deportations during last year's campaign.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other rights group had already sued to block him from using it on Saturday before he issued the proclamation, as well, according to BBC.

At a hearing, the judge said the terms "invasion" and "predatory incursion" in the law "really relate to hostile acts perpetrated by enemy nations," and the law probably did not offer a good basis for Trump's proclamation, according to the New York Times.

An ACLU lawyer had told the New York Times he believed there were two planes of Venezuelan immigrants in the air on Sunday. The BBC has not verified that report.

The case will now move through the legal system and could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

The proclamation, and the fight around it, should rally Trump's supporters, who largely returned him to the White House on his pledges to crack down on illegal immigration and bring down prices of everyday goods. Since he was inaugurated in January, he has swiftly worked to overhaul the US immigration system.

Rights groups, along with some legal experts, are calling the invocation unprecedented, noting the Alien Enemies Act has been used in the past after the US officially declared war against other countries. Under the constitution, only Congress can declare war.

All Venezuelan citizens in the US who are at least 14 years old, members of Tren de Aragua and "are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents" were to be "apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies", under Trump's order.

Trump did not lay out in the proclamation how US officials would determine that a person is a member of the violent, transnational gang.

By using this law, instead of immigration laws that already give him "ample authority" to deport the gang's members, Trump would not have to prove that detainees are part of Tren de Aragua, said Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice in a statement.

"He wants to bypass any need to provide evidence or to convince a judge that someone is actually a gang member before deporting them," she said, BBC reported.

"The only reason to invoke such a power is to try to enable sweeping detentions and deportations of Venezuelans based on their ancestry, not on any gang activity that could be proved in immigration proceedings."

Property worth around Rs 1.5 million was reduced to ashes when a fire broke at a house with tin roof of local Krishna Hari Shrestha in Kathmandu on Saturday.

The fire, which broke out at 9: 40 pm and continued for an hour, destroyed the  one-story house of Shrestha at Syuchatar in Nagarjun Municipality-7, according to Apil Bohara, spokesperson at the District Police Range, Kathmandu.

The fire engines could not reach the house to put off the flame due to the narrow street.

However, the security personnel and locals jointly extinguished the fire with the help of two small-size fire engines. Although four other fire engines had reached around the incident site, they could not access the right place owing to a narrow street.

A police team led by chief of Kalimati Police Circle, Rupak Khadka, was mobilized to douse the fire. Even the police personnel from Swayambhu assisted the rescue team.

All household items including clothes, food grains, furniture and utensils were destroyed in the blaze.

Police have suspected that the incident might have occurred due to power leakage.

A person works hard but often gets overlooked for promotions. How should they navigate this situation—should they speak up, change jobs, or change their approach?

Answered by Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist

It’s frustrating when you work hard but feel like no one notices. You might start questioning your worth, wondering if you should speak up, stay quiet, or even look for another job. Being ignored at work can make you doubt yourself, feel less motivated, and even cause burn out. But before you decide what to do, let’s see why this happens and how you can take charge of the situation.  

One reason could be an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ scenario. Sometimes, your hard work happens behind the scenes. If leaders don’t see it, they might not realize how much you’re contributing. Being good at your job isn’t always enough—you need to make sure others notice your efforts.  

Second would be you’re too modest. If you don’t like talking about your achievements, others might not know how much you’ve accomplished. While being humble is great, it can backfire if people who promote themselves get all the attention.  

Also, it happens when you doubt yourself. Do you feel like you’re not good enough for a promotion? This kind of self-doubt can stop you from speaking up, which makes it easier for others to overlook you.  

So, what can you do about it?  

First, it helps to understand Your Workplace. Pay attention to who gets promoted and why. Is it based on hard work, connections, or something else? Knowing this can help you figure out how to stand out.  

Next, show your achievements. Don’t assume people will notice your work. Keep a record of your successes—big projects, results you’ve delivered, and positive feedback. Share these in meetings or during performance reviews.  

Talk to your boss. Don’t wait for recognition—ask for it. Set up a meeting and say something like, “I want to grow here. What do I need to do to move up?” This shows you’re serious and opens the door for feedback.  

Work on building relationships. Get to know people outside your immediate team. Attend company events, connect with leaders, and ask for advice from senior colleagues. Networking can help you get noticed.  

If nothing works, then consider other options. If you’ve tried everything and still feel ignored, it might be time to look elsewhere. Finding a workplace that values your contributions can make a huge difference.  

Feeling overlooked doesn’t mean you’re not doing great work—it often means you need to adjust how you’re being seen. By understanding why this happens and taking steps to highlight your value, you can take control of your career.