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Leela Devi Gadtaula and Mahesh Thapa took the oath of office and secrecy as the Chair of the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, respectively. 

The newly appointed chairs of the  commissions on transitional justice took the oath before Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut.  The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Supreme Court today. 

After taking the oath, both chairs administered the oath of office and secrecy to the members of the respective commissions.   

The CIEDP chaired by Gadtaula comprises Gopalnath Yogi, Agni Prasad Thapaliya, Sirjana Pokhrel and Binita Nepali as the members. 

Similarly, the TRC chaired by Thapa includes Achut Prasad Bhandari, Dr Tika Prasad Dhakal, Padam Bahadur Shahi and Kumari Kaushalya Ojha as the members. 

The Cabinet on May 15 made the appointments at the both commissions based on the recommendations made in accordance with the Disappeared Persons Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 BS (amended).

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said the religion should not be used to address political interests. 

At a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today, the Minister said any incidence of violence should not be covered up and excused in the name of religion.

"I do not mean to say that one religion is best and another is not. I do clearly mean that the Tinkune violent incident and the arson that took place on March 8 should not be judged from linking those incidents with any religion or religious faith," he said, adding that "The Hindu faith believes in non-violence, peace and fraternity which were not reflected during the Tinkune demonstrations."  

The advocacy for monarchy made during the Tinkune demonstration is against Nepal's constitution, the Home Minister said adding that such a move can't be judged as an appropriate one under any pretexts. 

According to him, the necessary investigations and prosecutions against those responsible for the violence in Tinkune are currently underway. He stated, "Anyone found guilty during the investigation will be brought to justice." Regarding the violent demonstrations carried out by pro-monarchist forces in Tinkune, he said he has already informed the respected State Affairs Committee of Parliament.

According to him, photojournalist Suresh Rajak from Avenues Television was killed in a fire set in a private house in Tinkune, while another individual, Sabin Maharjan, succumbed to bullet wounds during the efforts to control the demonstration.

"The government is clear that the organisers of the demonstrations should take responsibility for the arson at a herbal medicine manufacturing company. Investigations are going on to determine the details of the damages caused during the Tinkune demonstrations," he said.

Of the injured during the demonstration, three individuals are currently receiving treatment, while the others have already returned home after recovering. The government has guaranteed free treatment for those injured, he added.

In response to a question regarding the delay in implementing the Supreme Court's verdict on the Giribandhu Tea Estate, the Minister explained that since the Ministry is not a defendant in the case, it is not in a position to receive information or engage in correspondence regarding the implementation of the verdict.

"I would like to request that the relevant ministries and bodies take action regarding the implementation of the verdict issued by the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on 2080-10-24 BS (February 7, 2024)," he stated.

Minister Lekhak further said the Ministry of Home Affairs is fully prepared to implement the Constitution of Nepal, the laws of Nepal, and the decisions and verdicts of the respected courts, ensuring the protection and promotion of government and public property.

Five out of six hospitality companies listed on the Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) reported profits in the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2024/25, indicating a continued post-pandemic recovery for the tourism and hospitality sector. Unaudited third-quarter financial statements show these companies collectively earned a net profit of Rs 803.6m, a 1.58 percent increase compared to the same period of the last fiscal year.

Among the six publicly listed companies—Soaltee Hotel Ltd, Taragaon Regency Hotel Ltd, Oriental Hotel Ltd, City Hotel Ltd and two cable car and hospitality infrastructure companies, Chandragiri Hills Ltd and Kalinchowk Darshan Ltd, all but City Hotel posted profits. City Hotel Ltd, the operator of Hyatt Centric, posted a net loss of Rs 173.8m in the nine-month period. In contrast, Soaltee Hotel Ltd, which operates The Soaltee Kathmandu, led the profit chart with a net profit of Rs 467.3m, a 13.36 percent year-on-year growth. Next were Hyatt Regency operator Taragaon Regency with a net profit of (Rs 337.5m) and Oriental Hotel, which operates Radisson Kathmandu, with a net profit of Rs 44.75m. Kalinchowk Darshan (Rs 18.9m), and Chandragiri Hills (Rs 10.88m) also ended the third quarter in the green.

Despite the marginal increase in overall profitability, hotel companies saw only a slight increase in operating revenue. The combined operating income grew by just 2.71 percent compared to the same period last fiscal year, suggesting that while business has improved, growth is still modest and uneven across companies. For instance, Soaltee Hotel posted the highest operating income of Rs 1.89bn, followed by Taragaon Regency with Rs 1.08bn. Oriental Hotel generated Rs 502.1m, while City Hotel, despite its loss, reported revenues of Rs 202.3m. Chandragiri Hills earned Rs 104.3m, and Kalinchowk Darshan reported the lowest revenue at Rs 58.9m.

Taragaon Regency has the highest paid-up capital at Rs 1.96bn, followed by City Hotel (Rs 1.67bn). Other companies include Chandragiri Hills Ltd with Rs 1.53bn, Oriental Hotel with Rs 1.18bn, Soaltee Hotel Ltd with Rs 1.02bn and Kalinchowk Darshan with Rs 600m.

Reserve funds have also shown a healthy buildup, with Oriental Hotel leading with Rs 2.73bn, followed by Soaltee Hotel with Rs 1.54bn, and Taragaon Regency at Rs 1.03bn. Notably, City Hotel Ltd is the only company with negative reserves. This indicates that while most hospitality firms are now on a stable recovery path from the pandemic, some—particularly newer or highly leveraged ventures—are still struggling to break even.

In terms of earnings per share (EPS), a key indicator for shareholders, Taragaon Regency Hotel Ltd topped the list with an EPS of Rs 17.20, reflecting strong profitability and efficient capital use. Soaltee, Oriental and Kalinchowk Darshan were next, while City Hotel Ltd reported a negative EPS. Reflecting growing investor interest toward tourism and hospitality stocks, nine more hospitality companies have applied to the Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) for approval to launch their initial public offerings (IPOs).

A Summit Air plane en route to Lukla from Kathmandu made an emergency landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) this morning after some technical issues.  

Rinzi Sherpa, spokesperson at TIA, said that the pilot had made the decision for an emergency landing at the airport  after some technical issues were reported in the aircraft as it was flying in the Phaplu region.

The aircraft made a safe landing at 7:24 this morning.

Currently, a technical team is working to fix the issues. 

The TIA Office stated that 19 people were on board the plane including the pilot and crew members and all of them are safe.

Vehicular movement along the Kanti Highway has been obstructed after the flooded Baguwakhola washed away a diversion on Monday morning.

DSP Shyamu Aryal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Makwanpur, said the flooded Baguwa river swept away the hume pipes, causing disruption for the vehicular movement.    

DSP Aryal said that efforts are being made to resume vehicular movement. 

Romania's centrist Bucharest mayor, Nicusor Dan, won the country's presidential election on Sunday in a shock upset over a hard-right, nationalist rival who had pledged to put Romania on a path inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump's politics, Reuters reported.

Official results from nearly all voting stations showed Dan garnering about 54% of ballots cast by voters in the EU and NATO member country of about 19 million people, while Trump supporter George Simion was at 46%.

Dan, 55, a soft-spoken mathematician, made a last-minute dash to the top in recent days after weeks of trailing Simion, a eurosceptic wanting to end military aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia. The election drew the highest percentage of voter turnout in a Romanian election in 25 years.

Simion, who was the top vote-getter in the first round of the election two weeks ago with 41% of ballots cast, conceded after earlier saying he won the election, according to Reuters.

Russia launched on Sunday its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the war, destroying homes and killing at least one woman a day before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to discuss a proposed ceasefire with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.

Ukraine's intelligence service said it also believed Moscow intended to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile later on Sunday as an attempt to intimidate the West. There was no immediate response from Moscow to the accusation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, straining to restore ties with Washington after a disastrous February White House visit, met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome on Sunday on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration.

Zelenskiy said the meeting was "good" and released pictures of Ukrainian and U.S. officials sitting outside at a round table and smiling. Ukrainian media said the meeting lasted 40 minutes, according to Reuters.

Sir Elton John described the government as "absolute losers" and said he feels "incredibly betrayed" over plans to exempt technology firms from copyright laws, BBC reported.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said if ministers go ahead with plans to allow AI firms to use artists' content without paying, they would be "committing theft, thievery on a high scale".

This week the government rejected proposals from the House of Lords to force AI companies to disclose what material they were using to develop their programmes.

A government spokesperson said that "no changes" to copyright laws would be "considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators".