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President Ram Chandra Paudel on Thursday nominated Dr Anjana Shakya as a member of the National on the recommendation of the government.

President Paudel nominated Shakya as the National Assembly member as per Article 86 (2) (b) of the Constitution of Nepal, reads a statement issued by the Office of the President.

Earlier on April 12, the government had decided to recommend President Paudel to nominate Shakya a member of the National Assembly.

According to Article 86 (2) (b) of the Constitution of Nepal, the President can nominate three persons including at least one woman in the National Assembly on the recommendation of the government.

Similarly, President Paudel appointed Toyam Raya as the Auditor General on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council.

President Paudel appointed Raya of Morang as the Auditor General as per Article 240 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal, the President’s Office spokesperson Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai said.

Eight Chinese tourists were injured in a road accident in Pokhara on Thursday.

According to Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Kaski, Mohan Kumar Thapa, the accident took place when a microbus (Ba 1 pa 851) heading towards Mustang Chowk from Lakeside and a jeep (Ba 13 Cha 513) en route to Ratna Chowk collided with each other at Rastra Bank Chowk in Pokhara this morning.

All the injured are receiving treatment at Gandaki Medical College, said Kaski Police. All of them are out of danger, according to the Hospital.

Police have arrested both drivers.

The families of the youths of Nepalis, who were killed and injured during the Russia-Ukraine war, staged a demonstration in the southern gate of Singha Durbar on Thursday.

They staged the demonstration demanding that the government provide treatment and compensation to the Nepalis injured in the war and create an environment to bring Nepalis serving in the Russian army back home among others.

Police had intervened after they staged the demonstration.

Some of the demonstrators have also been arrested from the scene.  They also chanted various slogans carrying placards.

They have been drawing the attention of the government demanding that the Nepalis serving in the Russian army be brought back to Nepal and secure the release of Nepalis held captive by Ukrainian forces.

Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said that underdeveloped and Himalayan nations like Nepal should be prioritized for access to compensation, biodiversity, and adaptation funds established to address the damages caused by climate change.

He also urged developed countries to uphold their commitments and work earnestly to protect the world from the effects of climate change, while calling on the global community to recognize and address the challenges faced by developing countries, such as Nepal, which face significant risks from climate change.

Speaking at the 12th ministerial meeting of the V-20 (a group of countries at risk due to the effects of climate change) in Washington, DC, USA on Wednesday, Minister Pun emphasized the need for global collective commitment to mitigate the risks associated with climate change, according to the Nepali Embassy in Washington DC.

Pun highlighted the plight of the poor and marginalized populations in Nepal who are suffering from the effects of climate change. He also drew attention to the alarming impact of climate change on Nepal’s environment, such as the rapid melting of snow in the Himalayas, decreased water flow in glaciers, and increased risk of glacial lake outburst floods.

Other problems like irregular rainfall patterns, floods, landslides, and droughts are intensifying.

Moreover, Minister Pun noted that natural disasters resulting from climate change threaten sustainable development efforts, human health, and livelihoods.

Pun stressed the importance of developed nations providing financial assistance for climate adaptation programs in third-world countries like Nepal, which face high risks despite contributing minimally to climate change.

Minister Pun’s visit to the United States also included participation in the joint spring meeting of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

The V-20 is a body advocating for reducing the risk of climate change and increasing financial support to manage the global economic transition resulting from climate change.

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

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 138, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 139, 200 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 137, 950 per tola. It was traded at Rs 138, 550 per tola.

Meanwhile, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,725 per tola today.

The third Round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Nepal and Bangladesh was held in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal led the Nepali delegation while Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladeshi delegation.   

The two sides discussed regional issues of mutual interest, underscoring the need to revitalize SAARC and strengthen BIMSTEC for the promotion of regional cooperation. They agreed to cooperate at various multilateral forums, especially at the UN, for pursuing common interests, especially in the areas of LDC graduation, poverty alleviation, climate change, and safety and security of migrant workers.

They discussed all major issues of mutual interest and agreed to promote cooperation encompassing all sectors, especially trade and commerce, transit and connectivity, power and energy, tourism, culture and education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.

Both foreign secretaries emphasized the operationalization of the BBIN MVA framework to contribute to the individual country’s economy not only by expanding trade and connectivity, but also by creating more opportunities to promote people-to-people contacts.

Foreign Secretary Lamsal highlighted the need to tap full potential in economic, cultural and educational sectors through a meaningful collaborative partnership between the two neighbors by involving their private sectors. 

Nepal would like to enhance trade and investment cooperation with Bangladesh, Lamsal said and asked Bangladesh to explore investment opportunities in Nepal, including in the hydropower sector. Furthermore, she requested the Government of Bangladesh to eliminate the Other Duties and Charges (ODCs) levied on Nepali products being exported to Bangladesh. Lamsal also emphasized the exchange of visits at different levels.

Foreign Secretary Momen stressed the need for an early conclusion of a power agreement between Bangladesh, India and Nepal to enable his country to import power from Nepal. He thanked the Government of Nepal for allocating land for the construction of a monastery in Lumbini, expressing hope that it would turn out to be a milestone in bilateral relations.

Checkpoints in Sudurpaschim Province bordering with India will remain closed till April 19 evening.

The border crossings - Jhulaghat of Baitadi, Pulghat of Darchula, Gaddachauki and Brahmadev of Kanchanpur - have remained closed since Tuesday evening.

Chief District Officer of Baitadi, Bhimkant Sharma, said the checkpoints were closed in view of Lok Sabha election taking place in India.

The election is taking place in Uttarakhand and Champawat in India on April 19. The movement along the checkpoints has been completely prohibited during the period due to security sensitivity, he added.

The checkpoints were closed in coordination with Indian officials.

Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun last night held separate meetings with World Bank (WB) Group Vice Presidents Akihiko Nishio (Development Finance) and Guangzhe Chen (Infrastructure) at the Washington DC-based WB Headquarters.

According to the Minister's Secretariat, the minister thanked Akihiko Nishio for entertaining Nepal's proposal to organize a meeting of the International Development Association (IDA-21) under the World Bank Group in Kathmandu in the coming June.

He also met with Riccardo Puliti, International Finance Corporation (IFC) regional vice president for Asia and the Pacific.

The finance minister apprised WB Vice President Akihito that preparations for hosting the event are going well in cooperation with the WB Nepal Office in Kathmandu. He also utilized the time to call on the WB to explore further areas of investment in Nepal through concessional loans or grant schemes.

He said that Nepal's latest achievements in the areas of telecommunications, transport, and clean energy are capable of catching global attention.

The minister said that Nepal has adopted the Kathmandu Declaration incorporating a strategic action plan for Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (Grid) that was endorsed by the Government of Nepal and its 16 development partners in 2021.  As per the concept of the Declaration, Nepal will be implementing the First Nepal Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Programmatic DPC in the upcoming year.

The minister also acknowledged the WB's initiation to invest in the 1,063-MW upper Arun Semi Reservoir Project and the 635-MW Dudhkoshi Reservoir Project.

Similarly, during his meeting with another Vice President, the minister said Nepal accorded top priority to infrastructure development.  "The Nepal Government focuses on energy, transport and urban infrastructure-centered projects," he said.

He said a roundtable meeting held with the WB's Kathmandu-based officials regarding the financial modality of the Upper Arun and Dudhkosi was productive, expressing his hope of finding a solution for the financial management for the implementations of projects soon.

Stating that both projects are the 'game changer' projects of Nepal, he expressed the belief that their development will enhance the country's capacity of building big infrastructure projects. He shared that they were confident that the finance management of the Upper Arun Hydropower Project would be done within the coming mid-July.

The finance minister informed that works like distribution of compensation to the people affected by the Upper Arun Project, construction of the approach road and land acquisition are in completion phase.

Reiterating that Nepal has ensured the regional market for hydropower, he said an agreement has been reached for exporting 10,000 megawatts power to India in the next 10 years and the process has been forwarded for Bangladesh to buy Nepal's power. 

During the meeting with IFC Vice President Puliti, Finance Minister Pun expressed the belief that collaboration between IFC and Nepal would be further deepened in the coming days. Recalling that Nepal and IFC have five decades long collaboration, he said IFC has invested in Nepal's tourism sector for the first time.

He said the cooperation extended by IFC for Nepal's economic endeavors and for the private sector development through capital management is laudable. He also appealed for increasing the investment areas as well as capital mobilization and technical assistance in the days to come, noting that IFC has been providing assistance in Nepal's tourism, energy, transportation and agriculture sectors.

Minister Pun reiterated that there are better investment opportunities for investment in the information technology sector in the coming days. According to him, Nepal has adopted the policy of welcoming foreign direct investment due to its small economy, which is looking for investment capital.

In the three separate meetings, the finance minister informed that the Third Investment Summit is going to be held on April 28 and 29 in Kathmandu with the goal of increasing the foreign direct investment, adding that high-level participation is expected in it.

Minister Pun left for the USA on Monday to participate in the Joint Spring-time Meeting of the WB and the IMF.