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Columbia University said on Wednesday it will pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump's administration to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored, Reuters reported.

Trump has targeted several universities since returning to office in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled college campuses last year. He welcomed the agreement between his administration and Columbia in a post on social media late on Wednesday.

In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing Columbia over how it handled last year's protests by canceling $400 million in federal funding. It contended that Columbia's response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient.

"Under today's agreement, a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 - will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," the university said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned top European Union officials on Thursday to "make correct strategic choices", state media said, during a key summit in Beijing set to be dominated by thorny issues ranging from trade frictions to the Ukraine war, Reuters reported.

Expectations were low for the summit marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request.

Issues of trade imbalance, market access and rare earths are on the agenda as Xi and Premier Li Qiang meet visitors Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union Commission, and Antonio Costa, the European Council president.

"The more severe and complex the international situation, the more China and the EU must strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation," Xi told von der Leyen and Costa, state broadcaster CCTV said, according to Reuters.

A summit between China and the European Union (EU) has kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, with leaders set to discuss issues ranging from trade conflict to the war in Ukraine, BBC reported.

Expectations have been tempered however by uncertainty over global trade, politics and the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, after he had earlier reportedly declined a visit to Brussels, where the summit was originally to be held. 

China confirmed this week that Xi would meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa in Beijing.

Optimism had surrounded EU-China relations at the start of the year, with hopes that a Donald Trump presidency in the US would bring the two economic powerhouses closer, according to BBC.

At least 11 people lost their lives to wild animal attacks in Chitwan National Park in the last fiscal year 2024/2025.

The highest number of casualties was due to rhino attacks, with eight people losing their lives to the endangered animal. 

Similarly, two people lost their lives in attacks by elephants and one due to tiger attack, Park’s Information Officer Abinash Thapa Magar said. 

During the same period, 41 people were injured in wild animal attacks. 

Of the injured, 32 were seriously injured and nine suffered minor injuries.

The animals attacked the people, who had gone to collect green fodder, firewood and niguro or fiddlehead fern in the forest inside the Park.

In the last five years, 73 people have lost their lives to wild animal attacks in Chitwan National Park, with 169 people injured.

A woman died of a snake bike at Mohanpur in Krishnasawaran Rural Municipality-6 of Saptari on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Sangita Rai (50), wife of Indra Bahadur Rai, said Madhav Prasad Kafle, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Area Police Office, Kanchanpur. 

The meeting of the House of Representatives will be held  at 1 pm today. 

As per the agenda of the meeting, the Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens is scheduled to present a proposal seeking consideration of the house over the 'Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) (First Amendment) Bill, 2081'.

Similarly, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology will present a proposal seeking consideration over the Tilganga Eye University Bill, 2081, which originated in the National Assembly.

Furthermore, three parliamentary committees including the International Relations and Tourism Committee under the House of Representatives and the Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee and Legislative Management of the National Assembly are holding meetings today.

The International Relations Committee is scheduled to hold deliberations on the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2081 while a clause-wise discussion on the ‘Water Resources Bill, 2081’ will take place at the Legislative Management Committee. 

The Delegated Legislation Committee will discuss and endorse a report related to the National Parks.

The weather today will remain generally cloudy in Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and partly cloudy in the hilly regions of the country. 

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and at a few places in the rest of the country.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in its early morning bulletin says that there are chances of light rainfall and snowfall at a few places of the high hilly and mountainous region of the country.

Later tonight, the weather will remain generally cloudy in Koshi, Madesh and Bagmati Provinces and partly cloudy in the rest of the country. 

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of Koshi, Madesh and Bagmati and at a few places in the rest of the provinces. 

The impact of monsoon winds has weakened as of today, says the Department.

A landmark decision by a top UN court has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate change, including over historic emissions of planet-warming gases, BBC reported.

But the judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday said that untangling who caused which part of climate change could be difficult.

The ruling is non-binding but legal experts say it could have wide-ranging consequences.

It will be seen as a victory for countries that are very vulnerable to climate change, who came to court after feeling frustrated about lack of global progress in tackling the problem, according to BBC.