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Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has given details of an updated peace plan offering Russia the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east and the creation of a demilitarised zone in their place, BBC reported. 

Detailing the 20-point plan agreed by US and Ukrainian envoys in Florida at the weekend, Zelensky said the Russians would respond on Wednesday once the Americans had spoken to them.

Describing the plan as "the main framework for ending the war", he said it proposed security guarantees from the US, Nato and Europeans for a co-ordinated military response if Russia invaded Ukraine again, according to BBC. 

Police located several guns, a stockpile of ammunition and a shopping list for bomb materials in the home of a Western Australian man arrested after pledging support for the Bondi attackers, a court has heard, BBC reported. 

Martin Glynn, 39, appeared in a Perth court on Wednesday charged with racial harassment, possessing a prohibited weapon and failing to store firearms correctly.

Prosecutors allege flags of Hamas and Hezbollah, both declared terrorist groups by Australia, were located during a police raid sparked by a tip-off from the public, according to BBC. 

US authorities have discovered more than a million more documents potentially related to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein that they plan to release in the coming days and weeks, officials say, BBC reported. 

The FBI and federal prosecutors in New York informed the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the discovery.

"We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible," the DoJ said on Wednesday, according to BBC. 

The Christian community is celebrating Christmas Day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.

Jesus Christ is believed to have been born in Bethlehem, Israel some 2022 years ago today, on December 25.

Today is celebrated as Love Day for those who came to love people, Peace Day for those who came to establish peace, and Liberation Day for those who came for liberation.

On the occasion, the government also announced a public holiday today.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) led by Rajendra Lingden and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal led by Kamal Thapa have unified their parties.

Lingden and Thapa signed a unification agreement on Wednesday. 

The two parties have agreed to organize a unification declaration program next week. The RPP had 14 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives, while the Thapa-led party did not have a single seat.

Both sides have not disclosed details about the structure or leadership of the new party. They signed a brief agreement stating their mutual commitment to party unification. Both are known as royalist parties. 

Working Women Journalists (WWJ) has successfully concluded a three-day training program with the objective of enhancing the capacity of women journalists.

The training, titled "Investigative Reporting on Parliamentary Affairs for Women Journalists" was organized with the support of the UNDP’s PSP Project and was attended by 25 women journalists from various media outlets.

On the first day, Dr. Jagat Nepal, a lecturer at Tribhuvan University, provided training on the structure, functions, and procedures of Parliament. Likewise, Narendra Saud, News Editor of Annapurna Post, delivered a presentation on parliamentary reporting and its practical aspects.

On the second day, former Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma shared her experiences related to gender issues in Parliament and the media. In the second session, Rajendra Fuyal, former Secretary of the National Assembly under the Federal Parliament, briefed participants on the Parliament Secretariat and its key responsibilities.

On the third day, senior journalist and former President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Shiva Gaunle, conducted a session on ethical standards in investigative journalism. Similarly in the second session, Namrata Sharma, former Chairperson of the Center for Investigative Journalism, presented on investigative journalism in parliamentary reporting.

Certificates were distributed to the participants by UNDP / PSP Project National Project Manager Dila Dutta Pant, senior journalist Namrata Sharma, and former President and Advisor of WWJ, Shubheksha Bindu.

Addressing the program, National Project Manager Pant emphasized that women journalists should aspire to become experts rather than remain only reporters in the field of parliamentary reporting.

He stated that Parliament is a vast source of stories with many unexplored issues and stressed that those who take leadership in this area will succeed. "If you step forward and take leadership, you can do very well in this field", Pant said.

WWJ President Ramkala Khadka said the training was organized to strengthen democracy by promoting investigative journalism in parliamentary affairs, ensuring accountability of power, and providing accurate information to the public.

She noted that women journalists can undertake investigative reporting on issues such as corruption and financial irregularities, conflicts of interest in law-making, parliamentary committee proceedings, and the impact of policy decisions.

Earlier, with UNDP’s support, WWJ had also completed a study on the role of women parliamentarians in representation within Nepal’s Parliament.

Participants shared that the training was highly beneficial. One of the participants, Mamta Thapa, said she had identified several investigative story ideas related to parliamentary accounting issues after the training and suggested that WWJ should introduce fellowship programs to encourage women journalists to produce investigative stories.

Another participant, Arati Poudel, also stated that the training helped her gain extensive knowledge about Parliament and the potential areas for investigative reporting within it.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has said that necessary preparations have already begun for conducting the House of Representatives elections on March 5. 

“It is now irrelevant to argue whether the elections will be held or not,” he said.

Addressing the concluding session of a two-day orientation organized by the Election Commission (EC) for political parties on submitting closed lists of candidates under the proportional representation (PR) system, he added, “Holding the elections is an obligation in the present situation.”

He emphasized that political issues related to the elections will be resolved politically, and the EC will uphold matters addressed through political and legal means. 

According to the Acting Chief Election Commissioner, the elections are also essential for the regularization of the Constitution. He urged political parties to select capable candidates and contribute to establishing good governance.

Bhandari also called on political parties to consider caste, language, class, and geography while submitting closed lists for the PR system. 

He urged them to avoid politics of prohibition and to help create an environment conducive to the election. He further reminded parties of the importance of complying with the election code of conduct.

“No one is expected to create obstacles for the elections,” he said, encouraging parties to engage with voters politely. “The Election Commission’s role is to act as a referee during the elections; the players are the political parties,” he added, reminding them of their responsibility to ensure a successful election.

The orientation was attended by EC Commissioners Dr Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagun Shumsher JB Rana, Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut, Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, and two representatives from each of the 93 political parties that applied to take part in the PR election.

With President Ram Chandra  Paudel, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, issuing the House of Representatives Member Election (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2082, political parties are now required to submit closed lists under the PR system based on the population percentages of Dalits, Indigenous Nationalities, Khas Arya, Madhesi, Tharu, and Muslims according to the 2078 census report. The lists must be inclusive.

The closed lists are to be submitted to the EC between 10 am and 4 pm on December 28-29. 

Spokesperson Bhattarai confirmed that the EC is fully prepared for this process.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 1. 37 points to close at 2, 585. 87 points on Wednesday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 0. 94 points to close at 448. 53 points.

A total of 7,224,917-unit shares of 334 companies were traded for Rs 1. 47 billion.

Meanwhile, Infinity Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ILBS) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 5. 32 percent. 

Likewise, Grameen Bikas Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (GBLBS) was the top loser as its price fell by 4. 23 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 34 trillion.