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Police have arrested Managing Director of Birgunj National Medical College and Teaching Hospital Shahanawaz Hussain Ansari and Lab head Sanjay Shah.

Police took both of them under control after finding expired medicines and chemicals in the lab and pharmacy of the medical college.

Both of them have been kept at the District Police Office, Parsa, DSP Keshar Neupane, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Parsa said.

A market monitoring committee of the Birgunj Metropolitan City carried out a raid at the lab and pharmacy of the medical college.

During the monitoring, expired chemicals and medicines were found in the pharmacy, Kanhaiya Thakur, a member of the monitoring committee, said.

SP Kumod Dhungel of the District Police Office, Parsa also participated in the monitoring team.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has quit the Koshi Province government.

Three ministers of the party tendered their resignation on Monday.

Ramesh Upreti, Rajendra Karki and Narayan Burja Magar submitted their resignation to Chief Minister Kedar Karki.

The Maoist Center had decided to quit the provincial government only on Monday.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a meeting with senior leaders of the four major political parties representing the Parliament on Monday.

The meeting, however, ended inconclusively after the main opposition Nepali Congress said that it would not backtrack from its stance of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

The Congress has also been preparing to bar the home minister from taking the rostrum.

Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present an amended bill on political parties on Tuesday.

That is why, Speaker Ghimire held a meeting with the four parties representing in the Parliament so that there would be no disruption in the meeting.

Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak clarified that they demanded the formation of a parliamentary probe committee as the savings of millions of Nepali nationals have been embezzled and there is an involvement of sitting ministers.

“We have allowed the House to function. We have not presented ourselves in an irresponsible way. But still the government has not become serious. Now, the government itself will be responsible if the proceedings of the federal Parliament are obstructed,” he said.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chief Whip Ramesh Bartaula said that the parliamentary probe committee will not be formed.

He said that it will set a wrong precedent  if the parliamentary committee is formed even in a minor issue.

Similarly, CPN (Maoist Center) Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that as Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present a bill in the Parliament tomorrow, he will answer the questions raised against him at that time.

Likewise, Rastriya Swatantra Party said that the Congress has leveled baseless allegations against party President Lamichhane.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Rastriya Swatantra Party Rabi Lamichhane were present in the meeting. Bishnu Paudel attended the meeting from the CPN-UML.

Similarly, chief whips and whips of four major political parties were also present in the meeting.

Paul Staniland is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He is non-resident scholar, South Asia Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked with him about US South Asia policy, particularly focusing on Nepal. 

How do you see the broader US South Asia policy?

The US is aiming to align with India, reduce or manage Chinese influence in the smaller states of South Asia, and access the rapidly growing markets in the region. It keeps an eye on Pakistan, which is a source of concern regarding potential escalation from tensions with India and terrorism, but has clearly downgraded that relationship compared to the post-9/11 period.

It has been two years since the Joe Biden administration came up with the Indo-Pacific Strategy, how is it playing out in South Asia?

The Indo-Pacific Strategy seems to have been reasonably well-received in India as a signal of US commitment to competing in Asia. It's less popular and desirable in other states in the region, which are quite worried about getting sucked into US-China rivalry and have interests that often do not tightly align with that competition. 

What are the key US interests in South Asia?

As noted above, the US wants to keep China out, work with India, and have access to markets in the region.

How does the US see China’s growing interests in this region?

Chinese influence is certainly an area of concern as it is seen as rapidly expanding and increasingly able to deploy massive resources, though my sense is that there may be a growing recognition that it has been very difficult for China to convert its economic power into enduring political influence. The CPEC in Pakistan has not been especially successful, BRI is often contested in ‘host’ countries (like Nepal), and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was not prevented or solved by Chinese involvement.

What are the latest trends in US-Nepal relations?

The US is definitely interested in Nepal as a case where it can provide economic and governance benefits in the context of growing Chinese influence. That said, I don’t think the US public or most of its policy community think about Nepal a lot as a major site of strategic competition—there has been an American presence since the 1950s, so it’s not wholly new. Nevertheless, there is a growing interest and some learning about how to best approach Nepal; for instance, it’s been noticeable that the US has tempered the use of Indo-Pacific Strategy framing around Nepal and is ideally hoping to provide opportunities that complement, rather than necessarily direct take on or denounce, Chinese efforts. 

What are key US interests in Nepal? 

The US wants a growing, democratic Nepal that is on reasonably cordial terms with the US and India.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has decided not to allow Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who is suspected to be involved in the cooperatives scam, to address from rostrum.

An office bearers’ meeting of the party held in Budhanilkantha has decided to bar Home Minister Lamichhane from taking the rostrum as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has answered on behalf of the government.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the meeting has concluded that there is no alternative to forming a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Home Minister Lamichhane.

He said that they demanded the formation of a probe committee as the Prime Minister’s answers on cooperative scam were not satisfactory.

The Congress , the largest party in the lower house, has called a meeting of the parliamentary working committee and Parliamentary Party on Tuesday morning to decide on a new strategy after understanding the views of the ruling parties in the meeting called by the Speaker this afternoon.

According to the Speaker’s press advisor Shekhar Adhikari, the Speaker has called Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Congress President and main opposition party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party President Lamichhane in Singha Durbar at 2 pm today hold a discussion on contemporary political issues.

The Congress has continuously been raising questions against Lamichhane after the formation of a new equation and being appointed as the Home Minister.

The price of gold has increased 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 136, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 135, 600 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 135,550 per tola today against Rs 134,950 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 685 per tola.

Ghode Jatra, also known as the Horse Racing Day which falls on the Nepali month of Chaitra, is being celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley with much gusto on Monday.

The Ghode Jatra is known as the oldest festival celebrated in the country's cultural hub of the Valley.

The festival is being celebrated annually as per a mythology which relates the genesis of the festival after the death of a demon named Tundi.

Legend has it that the demon who lived on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel, used to instigate terror among the Kathmandu denizens. After his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body by riding horses.

There is a belief that the parade of horses at Tundikhel keeps the demon's spirit away. The faster the horses run, the better Tundi's spirit is dispelled. As per another legend, the Ghode Jatra is held to mark the start of the New Year.

The festival is celebrated on the day of Krishna Aunsi, as per the lunar calendar, which is a day before the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and this day is taken as the start of the New Year.

The horse parade, known religiously as Aswa Yatra, is organized to welcome the New Year.

The day before Ghode Jatra is also known as Pichas Chaturdarshi, as per lunar calendar.

On the day, the Nepali Army cavalry team performs different artistic stunts riding on their horses.

A Nepali national drowned while another has gone missing in the sea in Portugal. The incident took place at Montijo, close to Lisbon, in the night on April 6.

The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Dhana Bahadur Tamang of Katunje, Netrawati Dabajong Rural Municipality-5, Dhading district of Nepal. The missing one is Tek Bahadur Tamang (38) of the same place.

The incident happened when the Tamang duo were searching for sea food in the sea at Montijo, said Gopal Yonjan, Chairman of Tamang Society Portugal. According to Yonjan, a rescue team recovered Dhana Bahadur's body on Sunday while Tek Bahadur is still reported missing.