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The death toll in the Jalgaon train accident has gone up to 13 with the recovery of a headless body along the railway tracks, police said on Thursday.

Some passengers of the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express, who got off the train after an alarm chain-pulling incident, were run over by the Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent tracks in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening.

"Of the 13, we have identified eight bodies so far, including two from their Aadhaar cards,"Special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale told PTI.

The eight identified deceased include four hailing from Nepal, Jalgaon district information officer Yuvraj Patil told PTI.

As per the list provided by authorities, the four Nepalis have been identified as Kamala Navin Bhandari (43) (who lived at Colaba in Mumbai), Javakala Bhate (60) (who resided at Bhiwandi in Thane), Lachchiram Khataru Pasi (40) and Imtiyaz Ali (11).

Out of the 15 persons injured in the incident, 10 were currently undergoing treatment - nine at the Pachora civil hospital and one at a medical facility in Jalgaon city- while the others who suffered minor injuries were discharged, he said.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express reached the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), its final destination in the Maharashtra capital, at around 1.20 am on Thursday, a railway spokesperson said.

The Central Railway's general manager and other senior officials also reached the accident spot at night and inspected the site, he said.

They also visited the hospitals where the injured persons were taken for treatment.

The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday evening when passengers onboard the Pushpak Express, fearing a blaze, hastily jumped onto the adjacent tracks and were run over by the oncoming Karnataka Express, officials earlier said.

The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora town in north Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, when the Pushpak Express halted after someone pulled the chain at around 4. 45 pm on Wednesday, Central Railway officials said.

Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, however, denied that any spark or fire inside the coach caused passengers to pull the alarm.

In a video message from Davos in Switzerland, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said, "Some passengers in the train mistakenly assumed that smoke was coming out of the train and they jumped. Unfortunately, they were run over by another train."

The CM announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the passengers who died in the tragedy.

The Railway Board separately announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for grievous wounds and Rs 5,000 for simple injuries. PTI 

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) introduced a policy requiring payment systems like WeChat Pay, Alipay and PayPal to register in Nepal in 2019 after these platforms started handling large transactions worth hundreds of thousands of rupees illegally.

Although many operators registered in Nepal and are operating legally as per the established regulations, there are still complaints that these platforms are still handling large transactions by violating the regulations. Police have arrested several people conducting such illegal payments multiple times.

In 2018, 2021 and 2023, police made several arrests to nab people conducting illegal transactions through WeChat Pay. Those arrested for such transactions in 2018 included restaurant owners and Nepali sellers working for multinational companies, according to police. In 2021, police arrested some Nepalis and Chinese nationals for conducting transactions worth millions of rupees through WeChat Pay. Last year, police arrested a few people from a restaurant in Bouddha for sending hundreds of thousands of rupees to China through WeChat Pay.

Following the police action, the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) also took interest into these cases and conducted its own investigation. An official of the DRI said that an investigation conducted about five years ago concluded that transactions through WeChat Pay were causing revenue evasion worth around Rs 50m.

Chandi Prasad Ghimire, director general of DRI, said that they have filed 30-35 complaints related to foreign exchange misappropriation through WeChat Pay. “Some cases were filed against people arrested by the police, while some were filed following our investigation,” Ghimire said. He urged businesses not to evade revenue through WeChat Pay or any other means and to follow legal procedures.

Although banks like NMB Bank and Machhapuchchhre Bank support QR-based WeChat Pay payments in Nepal, illegal payments are still occurring through WeChat Pay QR codes issued in China. This has caused significant economic damage to the country as transacted amounts go directly to Chinese bank accounts.

The latest case from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police confirms that illegal fund transfers through WeChat have not stopped. SP Sudhir Shahi of CIB said the bureau cannot divulge further details about these cases as investigations are ongoing.

WeChat Pay permitted to do transactions

“Chinese traders were earlier using WeChat Pay for transactions in Nepal. They would send money directly to Chinese bank accounts,” a Nepali trader said. “Although authorities brought laws to stop such transactions, we hear this is still happening.”

The proliferation of such illegal activities led to foreign exchange misappropriation. This attracted the central bank’s attention. Consequently, NRB’s Foreign Exchange Management Department issued a circular in May 2019, terming WeChat Pay illegal and directing people not to use it. The central bank stated in the circular that using payment systems linked to foreign payment systems (like WeChat Pay, Alipay and POS machines issued from foreign countries, etc.) without Nepal Rastra Bank approval was illegal.

Subsequently, the central bank made provisions to recognize WeChat Pay through Payment and Settlement Regulations. After this, First Pay Technology Pvt Ltd applied for a Payment System Operator (PSO) license in Feb 2020 with a paid-up capital of Rs 100m. NMB Bank and Machhapuchchhre Bank also received licenses. First Pay entered an agreement with Tencent Company of China to bring WeChat Pay to Nepal legally. First Pay and these two banks have over 6,000 merchants including hotels and restaurants in tourist areas across the country.

Nepal Bankers Association Chairperson and Machhapuchchhre Bank CEO Santosh Koirala said it is necessary to bring such illegal payments into the legal framework.

Nepal Rastra Bank Spokesperson Ramu Paudel insisted that illegal payments are not happening now as systems are in place for WeChat Pay transactions to remain within the country. According to him, the payment system was established targeting Chinese tourists specifically for transparent transactions.

Similarly, AliPay can now process payments through all banks via Nepal Clearing Hosuse’s Nepal Pay. Foreign visitors can open convertible foreign currency accounts at Nepali banks and financial institutions valid for their visa duration. This facility expires after their visa ends.

Higher risk of illegal payments in Chinese tourist hubs

Thamel, Lumbini, Patan, Jhamsikhel, Bouddha and Rasuwa are some of the places frequented by Chinese tourists in Nepal. WeChat Pay stands have been installed at hotels, restaurants and travel agencies in these areas, according to Koirala. However, there still is risk of foreign currency misuse as Chinese service providers can use WeChat Pay QR codes issued in China to receive payments from Chinese nationals for the services they provide in Nepal.

The Manaslu region is witnessing a boom in tourism with more foreign tourists visiting the  region this tourism season than in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. 

According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP), which keeps data on tourists, 1,500 more tourists have visited the Manaslu region during the tourist season of this fiscal year compared to the corresponding period of the last fiscal (2023-24).

MCAP stated that 10,600 foreign tourists visited the region in 2024, compared to 9,177 in 2023. Santosh Sherchan, head of MCAP, said the region draws more tourists from Europe and America than from South Asian countries. In 2024, the highest number of tourists were from France (1,335), he informed, followed by 1,181 German citizens and 796 Americans. As for tourists from SAARC member-states, Indian nationals stood at the top with 159 individuals trekking to the region. The region also draws tourists from other countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain and China.

To enter the Manaslu region, tourists from SAARC member-states have to pay Rs 1,000 per person whereas the individual entry fee is Rs 3,000 for tourists from other countries. Tourists have to pay at the counters at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu and Damsite in Pokhara. According to MCAP chief Sherchan, tourists who have not paid entry fees at either of the two places have to pay double the regular fees at the checkposts in MCAP’s Jagat and Samagaun for entering the region.

Since the Manaslu conservation area is a restricted area, tourists must also obtain permissions from the Immigration Department, which issues one-week permits to visit the area, including Chum and Nubri valleys. Tourists have to pay $50 per person for the Chum valley during the tourist season and only $25 during off-season.

The tourists have to pay $70 per person for the Nubri valley during the season and $35 for off-season. If tourists want to visit the area for more than a week, extra charges apply. The Manaslu region, which is a restricted area, includes seven wards of Chumanubri rural municipality. From this year, the municipality has also started charging domestic tourists as well.

The municipality started collecting revenues from last September. The conservation area covers ward numbers 1 to 7 of Chumanubri rural municipality. Samagaun, Lho, Prok and Bihi VDCs fall under the Nubri valley whereas Chumchet and Chekampar constitute the Chum valley. The Manaslu region has been open to tourists since 2005.

Nepali authorities and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team have reached a staff-level agreement for the fifth review of Nepal’s economic reform program supported by the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement.

The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board which will give Nepal access to about $40.6 million in financing.  The agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board. Upon completion of the Executive Board Review, Nepal would have access to SDR 31.4m (about $40.6m), bringing the total IMF financial support disbursed under the ECF to SDR 219.7m (about $283.9m), from a total of SDR 282.42m, according to the statement.

The economic recovery that began in the fiscal year 2023-24 was disrupted by the severe floods in September 2024, which caused widespread damage across critical sectors and further dampened the still-weak domestic demand. Inflation accelerated to 6.1 percent in Dec 2024 due to a spike in food prices following the floods, the statement says.

Nepal’s external position continued to strengthen, bolstered by robust remittances and subdued imports. Accordingly, revenue growth remained modest. Amid the ongoing correction from the post-pandemic credit boom, vulnerabilities in the financial sector are increasing, with the banking sector's non-performing loans reaching 4.4 percent in October 2024, and the financial health of the savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) sector deteriorating.

“Growth is expected to gather pace, exceeding 4 percent in 2024-25, supported by stronger public capital expenditure, including on post-flood recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Relatedly, imports are expected to rebound in the second half of the year. Flood-driven food inflation is expected to ease as transport networks are repaired and agricultural output recovers improving the food supply. However, the outlook is subject to important downside risks, including under-execution of growth-enhancing capital projects, an increase in financial sector vulnerabilities, and potential disruption to policy continuity and reform implementation.

Against this background, policies and reforms envisaged under the ECF-supported program remain well-placed to help preserve macroeconomic stability and strengthen Nepal’s policy framework. Growth-friendly fiscal consolidation—by accelerating capital expenditure coupled with stronger revenue mobilization—is critical to boost sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Timely execution of spending will further support this effort. Monetary policy should continue to follow a data-driven approach to maintain price and external stability while supporting growth. With amendments to the AML Law enacted, the next steps would be to focus on the effectiveness and application of the new legal framework. Amendments of the NRB Act are key to strengthening the central bank’s independence and governance.

In order to draw the attention of the international community toward the adverse impact of climate change in the Himalayas, Nepal has decided to organize Sagarmatha Sambaad, a global dialogue, on May 16-18 in Kathmandu.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made this announcement at a special function organized in Singhadurbar in the presence of Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba and other high-level government officials. According to officials, the government plans to organize Sagarmatha Sambaad every two years to highlight key issues facing the country.

The theme for this year’s dialogue is ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity’ and PM Oli has requested the international community to take part in the dialogue. Nepal plans to invite high-level government officials, representatives from multilateral organizations and other climate stakeholders for the dialogue.

Over the years, Nepal has tried to draw the attention of the international community toward the adverse impact of climate change on her Himalayas and beyond, with little success. 

Nepal’s snow-capped mountains have shed a considerable mass of ice due to global warming, adversely impacting biodiversity, local communities, livelihoods and accentuating risks of water supply disruptions. The dialogue was initially planned in 2019 when KP Oli was in power, only to be postponed at the 11th hour due to the covid-19 pandemic. Successive governments after 2019 did not take any initiative to organize such a dialogue.

This dialogue, if it materializes, will be the first global dialogue with Nepal as the host at a time when countries across the world are organizing their own dialogues to raise their agendas in the global arena. 

According to government officials, it is a multi-stakeholder dialogue forum committed to deliberating on the most prominent issues of global, regional and national significance. The dialogue is named after the world's tallest mountain Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), which is a symbol of friendship and is meant to promote the notions of common good and collective well-being of humanity, which relies heavily on freshwater sources like Sagarmatha and other Himalayas for survival.  

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 900 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 160, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 158, 100 per tola on Tuesday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 20 and is being traded at Rs 1, 895 per tola today.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has congratulated Marco Rubio on his appointment as the 72nd US Secretary of State. 

The Foreign Minister today took to social site X to congratulate Rubio on his appointment as the US Secretary of State.

"We look forward to working together to further strengthen the ties between Nepal and the United States," Foreign Minister Rana posted on X.  

The 53-year-old Rubio has represented Florida in the US Senate since 2011.

According to international news sources, President Donald Trump's proposal to appoint him on the post was unanimously confirmed in a 99-to-0 vote.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 158, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 157, 000 per tola on Monday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 860 per tola today.