Rainfall likely in Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki
There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at one or two places in the rest of the country today.
This is due to the influence of westerly winds and local winds in the western and central parts of the country, while most parts of Koshi Province are under the influence of monsoon winds, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
As a result, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki and mainly fair to partly cloudy in the rest of the country.
Tonight, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy throughout the country.
Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is possible at a few places of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at one or two places in the rest of the country.
Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Annapurna ascent begins
The Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the first ascent of Mt Annapurna have begun.
The celebration event was inaugurated by welcoming a team that trekked from Narchyang in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi to the base camp of Mt Annapurna at the entry point of the trekking route, Narchyang Valley on Saturday.
Mathias Herzog the son of the first person to reach the summit of 8,091-meter-high Mt Annapurna, Maurice Herzog of France was part of a team of 14 foreigners, tourism entrepreneurs, and journalists who came to participate in the trekking team starting from Sunday. They were welcomed by the Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 Ward Office, Annapurna, Janajagaran Youth Club, and the Creative Mothers' Group.
French artists who came with Mathias Herzog made musical presentations in honour of the first climber. They are also scheduled to perform at the Annapurna Base Camp this evening. Six guests from France, three from Britain, five from India and one from Italy, including the son of the first climber Maurice, Mathias, and grandson Ethan Herzog, have come to participate in the Diamond Jubilee program at the invitation of the government, said Lok Bahadur Pun, Ward Chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.
According to him, around 200 people are participating in the Maurice Herzog trekking team that will reach the Annapurna Base Camp at an altitude of 4,100 meters today via Narchyang valley, Humkhola, Phutphute Jharana, Sandhikharka, Bhusket, Panchkunda Lake.
The Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated by holding various programs until June 5, said Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun.
Annapurna is called the eldest mountain because it was the first human step above eight thousand meters. On June 3, 1950, the French team of Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached the summit of Annapurna.
Paris erupts in euphoria before skirmishes as PSG win Champions League
Wild celebrations erupted across the French capital on Saturday after Paris St Germain crushed Italian opponents Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time, although skirmishes with police later threatened to spoil the party, Reuters reported.
On the Champs Elysees, bus shelters were smashed up and projectiles hurled at riot police, who fired tear gas and water canons to push back surging crowds as thousands of supporters descended on the boutique-lined boulevard.
There were also clashes with police on the Paris ring road and at least two cars were torched near PSG's Parc des Princes stadium.
Inside the stadium, transformed into a giant fan zone for the night, 48,000 people let out a roar of ecstasy at the final whistle in Munich.
"Total euphoria, crazy atmosphere," said Gilles Gailliot who had been watching the game in the Paris stadium. "It made up for the wait and the years of disappointment. Finally Paris and its supporters have been rewarded," Gailliot added, according to Reuters.
Pentagon chief warns of imminent China threat, asks Asian allies to spend more on defence
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and potentially imminent as he pushed allies in the Indo-Pacific to spend more on their own defence needs, Reuters reported.
Hegseth, speaking for the first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, underlined that the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for the Trump administration.
"There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on the Communist nation since he took office in January. He added that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world", and echoed Trump's comment that China will not invade Taiwan on the president's watch.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to "reunify" with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. It has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games around Taiwan, according to Reuters.
Ukraine keeps Russia guessing over talks, US senator warns Moscow of sanctions
Ukraine resisted U.S. and Russian pressure to commit to attending another round of peace talks on Monday, saying it first needed to see Russian proposals, while a leading U.S. senator warned Moscow it would be "hit hard" by new U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a deal to end their three-year-old war, and Russia has proposed a second round of face-to-face talks with Ukrainian officials next week in Istanbul.
Kyiv has said it is committed to the search for peace, but that it was waiting for a memorandum from the Russian side setting out their proposals.
"For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X on Friday after hosting Turkey's foreign minister for talks in Kyiv, according to Reuters.
"Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results," he said, citing the lack of a document from Russia.
US sends nuclear deal proposal to Iran
The US has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington, the White House confirmed on Saturday, BBC reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had been presented with "elements of a US deal" by his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi during a short visit to the Iranian capital.
It comes after a report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Iran had further stepped up its production of enriched uranium, a key component in the making of nuclear weapons.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday it was in Tehran's "best interest to accept" the deal, adding: "President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb," according to BBC.
Hamas makes hostage pledge but demands changes to US Gaza ceasefire plan
Hamas responded to a US ceasefire proposal by saying it is prepared to release 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 dead hostages in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners, while requesting some amendments to the plan, BBC reported.
The group repeated its demands for a permanent truce, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and guarantees for the continuous flow of humanitarian aid. None of these are in the deal on the table.
It was neither an explicit rejection nor a clear acceptance of the US terms, which Washington says Israel has accepted.
Hamas said it had submitted its response to the US draft proposed by Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East," according to BBC.
Bhotojatra festival to be observed on Sunday, public holiday in Kathmandu Valley
The Bhotojatra festival will be observed on Sunday.
The cultural festival includes the ritual of displaying the legendary gem-studded Bhoto or vest believed to belong to the Rato Matsyandranath, the deity of good harvest.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has, through a notice today, declared a public holiday in the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur - for Sunday on the occasion of the Bhotojatra.