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The Supreme Court (SC) is beginning the hearing of 16 writ petitions lodged against the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Spokesperson at the SC Arjun Prasad Koirala said that preliminary hearings on different writ petitions will begin from today.

The petitions were filed at the SC demanding the restoration of the HoR and annulment of the appointment of the Prime Minister.

The petitions were registered at the SC following the new political course developed in the country after the Gen-Z protests of September 8 and 9.

A person died and 21 others were injured in a bus accident at Damak Municipality-2 in Jhapa district last night.

Of the injured people, the health condition of a passenger is critical, while 20 others went home after treatment in health facilities, according to police.  

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khagendra Bahadur Khadka said the bus (Ba 2 Kha 1983) carrying 35 people was heading to Tandi in Morang district from Damak, Jhapa when the incident occurred.

Police said that they have taken bus driver Bhakta Bahadur Darji (39) of Miklajun in Morang district for interrogation.

There is a possibility of moderate snowfall in some high hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces today, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. 

According to the Department, one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous region of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces are likely to receive heavy snowfall today.

According to the Department, the weather is likely to be affected in Bagmati, Madhesh and Koshi Provinces from Thursday to Saturday due to a cyclone called 'Montha' developed in the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone is in the stage of entering into Andhra Pradesh of India and would arrive in Nepal gradually. It will then shift to the central part of Nepal, it is stated.   

As the system turns active, there is a chance of moderate snowfall in some areas of the high hill and mountainous regions of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces, and in some areas of the high hill and mountainous regions of Gandaki Province.

Due to potential rainfall and snowfall, risks such as sudden flooding and landslides in rivers and streams may arise, which could also affect daily life, road and air transportation, agriculture, tourism, and other sectors.

The water flow in the Bagmati, Kamala, Koshi, and Kankai rivers, along with their tributaries, is expected to increase significantly, the Department noted.

There is also a high possibility of flash floods in some rivers flowing through the Kathmandu Valley, Kavre, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Makwanpur, Chitwan, and Sindhuli in Bagmati province; Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Mahottari, Dhanusha, and Saptari in Madhesh province; and Sankhuwasabha, Taplejung, Panchthar, Tehrathum, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari districts in Koshi Province.

Hence, the Department has called for all concerned agencies and the general public to adopt precautionary and safety measures.

More than 40,000 domestic and international tourists visited Mustang in the first 10 days of the month of Kartik.

The District Police Office, Mustang, stated that 37,146 domestic tourists and 3,732 foreigners arrived in Mustang district via the Beni-Jomsom road section from October 18 to 17.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Mustang, Tshiring Kippa Lama, said that a total of 11,808 vehicles entered into the district during the period via the Beni-Jomsom route. 

Some of the tourists arriving in the district to pay homage to the Muktinath temple on October 27 were affected due to snowfall that occurred on the same night. 

Tourists in the areas were affected following the rainfall and snowfall occurring since Monday night, police said.

Heavy snow in the trails along the Kagbeni Muktinath temple road section has troubled tourists and devotees, official of the Muktinath Mandir Development Committee Rabin Subedi said.

Subedi said that the Muktinath Snankunda (pond) and 108 taps have frozen following the massive dip in temperature, Subedi added.

In a long-awaited move to fulfil a constitutional right denied to millions of citizens overseas,the government is finally taking steps to allow Nepalis living abroad to vote in national elections.

To this end, the government is preparing to issue an ordinance. The Ministry of Home Affairs has already drafted amendments to several election laws to create a legal basis for overseas voting. The draft has been sent to the Election Commission (EC) for review. 

For now, the government plans to allow overseas voting only under the proportional representation (PR) system for the House of Representatives.

In 2018, the Supreme Court had directed the government to guarantee voting rights for Nepalis living abroad. In its verdict, a bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Purushottam Bhandari instructed the state to make the necessary legal, logistical, and technological arrangements to enable voting from abroad.

That order, however, remained unimplemented. Despite multiple elections since, millions of Nepalis working, studying or residing overseas have been unable to exercise their democratic right. According to the 2021 census, nearly 2.2m Nepalis live abroad.

Election officials say they are discussing all possible models of election, including early voting, polling at diplomatic missions and online voting. 

Earlier, the Election Commission had proposed piloting voter registration in the UAE, Qatar and Malaysia, where the largest numbers of Nepali migrant workers live and work.

With the House of Representatives dissolved, the government plans to move ahead through an ordinance. Once the Election Commission submits its feedback, the Ministry of Home Affairs will forward the draft to the Council of Ministers for approval.

The proposed amendment stipulates that only Nepalis registered in the official voter list will be eligible to vote. The Election Commission will gather and confirm this data with the help of Nepali embassies and other agencies abroad.

To guide implementation, the government has asked the Policy Research Institute, a state-affiliated think tank, to conduct a study on the logistics of overseas voting, including eligible countries, management systems and vote counting mechanisms.

The home ministry also aims to address concerns that people with dual citizenship might misuse the process. The revised draft clarifies that only verified Nepali citizens listed in the Election Commission’s official voter roll will be allowed to vote from abroad.

The right to vote is guaranteed under Article 84(5) of the Constitution, which ensures every Nepali citizen aged 18 and above the right to vote in accordance with federal law. Yet without the necessary legislation, that right has remained on paper for millions working overseas.The government’s latest move has rekindled cautious optimism among migrant workers.

If all goes as planned, the next elections could mark a historic moment when Nepalis abroad finally cast their votes for home.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 2, 900 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 237, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 239, 900 per tola on Monday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 2, 920 per tola.

This year's Chhath festival concluded today by offering Argha to the rising sun this morning. The four-day festival that began last Saturday was celebrated with main puja last evening and concluded today by offering Argha to the rising sun.

This festival concluded with much fanfare by offering curd (Argha) to the rising sun in the rivers and ponds across the country including the districts of Kathmandu.

Chhath was marked in a grand manner in the districts of Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha and Saptari in Mithila and others. The festival was celebrated with rituals on the banks of ponds, lakes and rivulets. The feature of the festival is to increase human being's interest in the truth and non-violence and encourage them to remain sympathetic to all living creatures.

The rising and setting suns are worshipped with devotion in the festival which is considered an attractive system of prayers to the Sun God.

There was a crowd of devotees and enthusiasts on the banks of ponds, rivers, rivulets and lakes in the festival. Chhath is a festival of goodwill, faith, and social harmony as people from all backgrounds come together in a common place to offer worship to the Sun God. It is widely believed that appeasing the Sun God brings happiness, prosperity, well-being, and longevity to family members.

The devotees observed fasting the whole day and performed puja for their ancestral deities to welcome the goddess of Sashti. Devotees consume fruits just one time on the second day of Chhath festival. There is a tradition of offering Argha to the setting sun and worshipping it in the evening by observing fast on Kartik Shukla Sasthi -- the main day of the festival.

On this day, devotees observe fasting and even do not drink water. There is a religious belief that no one will suffer from skin disease if Argha is offered by worshipping the sun ritually.

Nepal has incurred a trade deficit of about Rs 400bn in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2025/26. According to the foreign trade statistics released by the Customs Department, imports stood at Rs 46bn, while exports amounted to Rs 72.78bn during this period.

This resulted in a trade deficit of Rs 395bn out of a total foreign trade volume of Rs 540bn by October. In the last three months, imports from neighboring India amounted to Rs 258bn and exports amounted to Rs 59bn, resulting in a deficit of Rs 199bn.

Similarly, the trade deficit with China was Rs 14.7bn by October. Imports from China were valued at Rs 14.8bn and exports at only Rs 186m. 

Nepal recorded the highest trade surplus with Denmark, with imports worth just Rs 4m and exports standing at Rs 289m, resulting in a trade gain of Rs 249.8m. Trade surpluses were also recorded with countries like Germany, Romania, Sweden, and Lebanon. 

Among imports, petroleum products topped the list in the last three months. Nepal imported worth Rs 16.78bn, diesel worth Rs 20.69bn, and LP gas worth Rs 13.98bn during this period. Additionally, smartphones worth Rs 13.62bn were imported.