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The weather will be completely cloudy throughout the country today, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The Department said the monsoon wind has its influence across the country at present.  

There are chances of heavy rainfall at one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces towards the afternoon today and it will be completely cloudy throughout the country tonight. There is a possibility of heavy rain at one or two places of Koshi and Gandaki Provinces tonight, the Department stated.

Stating that there is a possibility of heavy rainfall occurring at one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces in the next 24 hours, the Department has urged people to be safe from the possible debris flow and risk or damage of flooding and landslide in these areas.

The Department also warned of the heavy precipitation possibly having partial impact on the daily life of the people including on agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road and air transport in these places.

Ministers representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal would not immediately resign from their posts.

After the discussion with Prime Minister Dahal, they decided not to tender their resignation for the time being.

The RSPm, who reached the Office of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar to submit their resignation today, took the decision to this effect, said Chief Whip of the RSP Parliamentary Party, Santosh Pariyar.

"Prime Minister Dahal told us that he will exercise constitutional rights and face Parliament. We, respecting the constitutional rights, decided to support this government until he faces the Parliament," shared Pariyar.

They urged the Prime Minister to face the Parliament as soon as possible, he said. There are four ministers of RSP in the incumbent government.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 600 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 144, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 142, 700 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 143, 600 per tola.

Meanwhile, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,865 per tola today. 

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to discuss the issue of Mukul Dhakal, general secretary of the party, gagging himself at the recently-held central committee meeting of the party. RSP decided to discuss the matter in its official meeting hours after it hit the headlines, much to the discomfort of the party.

Dhakal had sought a live telecast while presenting the review report at the central committee meeting. However, as most of the party members reportedly opposed his demand, Dhakal protested by taping his mouth over the violation of the right to expression. 

The party’s secretariat meeting held on Tuesday had decided to allow Dhakal to present the report. But later Rabi Lamichhane nixed the decision, after which joint general secretary Kabindra Burlakoti presented the report.

The RSP’s disciplinary committee has sought clarification from Dhakal for leaking the report to the media.

Dhakal had prepared the report after traveling across 39 districts and interacting with party leaders and cadres in 39 districts as per an RSP directives in the wake of a poor showing by the party’s candidate Milan Limbu in the recent by-elections held in Ilam-2. The idea behind the order was to catch the pulse of the electorate.    

Dhakal’s report has concluded that RSP cannot become a national party if it does not mend ways. 

The report has recommended the party to move forward with independent elected representatives such as Balen Shah and Gopi Hamal to improve its prospects in the next elections.

The Janata Samajbadi Party led by Ashok Rai is to support the new alliance of Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.

General Secretary of the party, Mohammad Ishtiyaq Rai, shared that the ministers who participated in the current government will resign today and support the new alliance. "Since the current government has lost its majority, the party has decided to move forward according to the new situation by asking the ministers who participated in the government to resign," he said.

The decision will be taken by a meeting of the party's office-bearers to be held today or tomorrow morning. The meeting will review the political developments and decide to support the new government, added Rai.

The party has two ministers and one minister of State in the present government.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has suspended its General Secretary and spokesperson Dr Mukul Dhakal.

He was suspended by the party's Central Committee on the recommendation of the party's Disciplinary Commission.

The meeting of the Central Committee of the party held late on Wednesday night decided to take action against Dr Dhakal.

Party's Joint General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti has been appointed acting General Secretary and Joint General Secretary Manish Jha has been appointed as acting spokesperson.

News editors are those who validate and add value to news content before it is disseminated and hence editorial freedom is essential to promote responsible journalism, said participants of a program organized in Kathmandu on Wednesday. 

Editors from different media houses: radio, TV, online, and news agencies who gathered to discuss 'Dimensions of the journalist code of conduct in news editing' were univocal on focusing on the capacity enhancement of editors, while guaranteeing editorial freedom to keep the charm of journalism intact.

Speaking at the program hosted by Press Council Nepal (PCN), its Chair Balkrishna Basnet, said editorial freedom is a must in newsrooms to strengthen journalism.

He urged journalists including editors to filter out information amidst the floods of information, misinformation, and disinformation from social networking sites and use them as the news source in the media contents. Information and news are different things and they should be rightly dealt with, he added.

Basnet advised every media house to also prepare an internal code of conduct and implement it to produce decent and credible journalistic products.

Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Chair Bipul Pokhrel said editing is a skill which should be properly reflected in the news content. Sharing his experiences in his journalism career, he said fact-checking is an indispensable part of the editing section to enhance the credibility of news content. "Editing is all about the verification of information, filtering of information, fact-checking, proofreading, copywriting, adding creativity, and so on."

The journalist leader said the editing chamber serves a fusion of beats, and additional skills are necessary to handle this effectively and efficiently.

He took time to highlight the need for coordination between the reporting and editing sections to produce quality products. He advised editors to keep themselves updated about the developments globally and know skills about the judicious use of technology to add value to the contexts before the dissemination.

 Voices of editors

The participants utilized the forum to share experiences and challenges they are bound to deal with in the newsroom.                                                                     

Editing is sometimes negatively correlated with a 'job of butchery ' which normally does not establish a sound relationship between reporting and the editing sections, they complained. 

Some of them complained of increasing corporate and marketing interests in the editing section, underscoring the need for the promotion of editorial freedom while some others said they sometimes feel discomfort chasing diverse content across multiple beats.

They were univocal that editing needs a specific skill and editors should have ample opportunities for sharpening their skills time and again. "Regular capacity enhancement opportunities for editors are warranted."

They shared about the increased workload in editing especially after the financial challenges in media with COVID-19 which led to the shrinking of media in terms of workforce.

Moreover, the Press Council Nepal was advised to accord priority to gender sensitization in newsrooms. They stressed the importance of motivating and empowering editors who do the role of 'gatekeepers' in news content but often work behind the scenes.

"Working in the news desk entails a responsibility that leaves no room for error, making it a position deserving of rewards, enhanced facilities, opportunities, and continuous motivation for editors," they asserted.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines hosted one of the largest airline trade events in Malaysia, the first Malaysia Airlines Trade Elevation Summit 2024, in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia (TM) and the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB). This inaugural event brought together 300 delegates, including over 200 international attendees from 48 cities and 21 countries.

“The summit marked a significant milestone for Malaysia Airlines as it advances the goals of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) and positions Kuala Lumpur (KUL) as a gateway for Asia and beyond, establishing Malaysia as a true ASEAN tourism and aviation hub,” says the Airlines.

“Key decision-makers from major trade companies worldwide participated in the summit, fostering global collaboration, strategizing future initiatives, and strengthening ties crucial for advancing Malaysia’s position in the global tourism landscape,” the Airlines says that the event underscored Malaysia Airlines’ commitment to leveraging its role as the national carrier to support national tourism objectives.

Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group, the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, Datuk Captain Izham Ismail said, “This summit transcended the typical conference; it celebrated partnerships that embody Malaysia Airlines’ inclusive spirit as we collaborate globally for mutual growth. We eagerly anticipate showcasing Malaysia’s hospitality and advancing tourism objectives through strategic alliances.”

The summit also featured the Golden Wau Awards, the first of its kind in the industry to celebrate top-performing sales agents who demonstrated exceptional achievements in driving revenue.