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New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women, Reuters reported. 

A bipartisan committee will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse at the ranch, located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, the state capital. Legislators are also urging local residents to testify.

Epstein died in what was ruled a suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges, according to Reuters. 

An unbeaten fifty by Will Jacks and three-wicket hauls for Sam Curran and Jamie Overton steered England to a nervy 24-run win over Italy in the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday, as the twice champions progressed to the Super Eight stage, Reuters reported. 

Player of the match Jacks hammered 53 off 22 balls to help England score 88 runs in the last six overs and post 202-7, their highest total of the tournament.

Italy's Ben Manenti struck a rapid 60 to keep the T20 World Cup debutants in the game, but their efforts to pull off a huge upset all but ended when Curran dismissed Grant Stewart for 45 in the 19th over and they were all out for 178, according to Reuters. 

Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said that election expenses will remain transparent via the banking system. 

During a meeting with bankers at the commission today, he noted that measures have been put in place to prevent cash transactions during elections. 

He also revealed that the commission has established a dedicated directory for the purpose. 

The commission has made it mandatory for political parties and candidates to arrange separate bank accounts to manage their election spending in a transparent manner. 

In the previous election, parties and candidates were not mandated to operate bank accounts for their expenditures. However, this year it is required for parties and candidates to make their election spending through bank accounts. 

"A provision has been introduced allowing candidates to spend up to Rs 3.3 million, depending on geographical factors, with monitoring of the funds disbursed from the candidates' accounts to ensure financial discipline," Commissioner Bhandari said. 

Secretary at the commission, Krishna Bahadur Raut, noted that though all candidates from remote districts like Kalikot have successfully opened bank accounts, many candidates from more accessible districts have yet to do so. 

He emphasized that it should not be overly difficult to open an account, given the presence of at least one bank in all 753 local levels. 

Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, joint secretary and spokesperson of the commission, reported that out of 3,406 direct (first-past-the-post) candidates, only 671 have opened bank accounts to date. 

Santosh Koirala, President of the Nepal Bankers Association, indicated that some candidates have faced challenges in opening bank accounts in absence of national identity cards. 

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan have signed an agreement on tourism cooperation aimed at strengthening tourism diplomacy between Nepal and Japan.

Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NTB and Izumi Miyazaki, Governor of the Wakayama Prefecture, signed the MoU amid a programme at NTB office at Bhrikutimandap today.

Under the MoU, both sides have agreed to collaborate on joint promotion, knowledge exchange and sustainable tourism development.

The MoU prioritizes joint tourism promotion and marketing, exchange of tourism-related information and best practices, exchange of visits by experts and officials. 

It also seeks to enhance cooperation in communications and public relations while promoting culturally respectful and sustainable tourism.

During the MoU signing ceremony, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Anil Kumar Sinha acknowledged the visit of the governor-led Japanese delegation as a welcome step. 

Minister Sinha further noted that this collaboration, taking place in the context of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Nepal–Japan diplomatic relations, would play an important role in advancing sustainable and responsible tourism. 

The Minister remarked, "Both countries attach high importance to cultural values. This partnership, marking 70 years of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Japan, will provide a strong foundation for sustainable tourism." 

Likewise, Mukunda Prasad Niraula, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, recalled the long-standing relation between Nepal and Japan and termed the agreement a historic step for tourism promotion.

He added that the MoU comes at an opportune time to expand and diversify Nepal’s tourism market, highlighting the country’s identity as the land of the Himalayas and the birthplace of Lord Buddha

Similarly, Izumi Miyazaki, Governor of Wakayama Prefecture, expressed his happiness over the collaboration agreement with Nepal.

He said, "We are happy to have signed an agreement with Nepal, which is rich in history and culture. I am confident that this agreement will further strengthen tourism promotion between Nepal and Wakayama."

Also speaking at the programme, CEO Joshi mentioned that Japan is one of Nepal's important tourism source markets and cited that Japanese tourist arrivals have recently increased by around 8 per cent in the recent time.

The MoU will come into effect from the date of signing. As per the agreement, both parties will designate contact point for coordinating cooperation activities.

Furthermore, the MoU states that both parties will bear their respective expenses.

Although the MoU is not legally binding, this agreement based on mutual goodwill and trust is expected to further enhance the seven-decade long Nepal-Japan relations through tourism cooperation. 

Police have arrested seven inmates, who had absconded from different jails of Kathmandu Valley during Gen Z movement.   

A team from District Police Range, Kathmandu made them public today. 

They are Tenjing Bahadur Tamang (41) of Rasuwa; Pritam Gurung (20) of Lamjung; Babita Tamang (23) of Kanchanpur; Bikram Nepali of Kavrepalanchowk; Bhuwan Tamang of Dolakha; Bhuwan Tamang of Sindhuli; and an Indian national Roshan Sah, said Spokesperson at the Range, Superintendent of Police, Pawan Kumar Bhattarai. 

All of them have been sent to respective jails where they had been serving terms on various charges before Gen Z uprising, added the police.

Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma is leaving for Dhaka, Bangladesh today to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected government in Bangladesh.

The Foreign Minister's visit reflects Nepal's commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and deepening the bonds of cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh, reads a press statement issued by the Foreign Ministry. 

Foreign Minister Sharma would be accompanied by senior officials of the Ministry. 

Minister Sharma is scheduled to return home on February 19.

Citizens of the United Kingdom and Canada can now enter China without a visa starting Tuesday, according to AP. The move brings the total number of eligible countries to 79. The policy aims to boost tourism and business ties.

AP reported that visitors can stay for up to 30 days. The visa-free entry covers travel for business, tourism, exchange programs and family visits. Most European nations already qualify under the scheme.

Citizens of countries such as the United States and Indonesia can enter China for up to 10 days if they are in transit. They must hold onward tickets to a third country. The broader policy has expanded significantly over the past two years.

The addition of the UK and Canada follows recent visits by Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Mark Carney. Both leaders are seeking to improve relations with Beijing after several years of strained ties.

For most countries, the visa-free arrangement is set to expire at the end of this year. However, Chinese authorities have extended similar policies in the past.

ByteDance has pledged to curb its AI video tool Seedance after legal threats from Disney. The move follows complaints from several Hollywood studios over alleged copyright infringement. Seedance’s latest version has gone viral for its realistic clips.

According to Reuters, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing ByteDance of using a “pirated library” of copyrighted characters. These include figures from Marvel and Star Wars. Disney’s lawyers described the alleged action as a “virtual smash-and-grab” of intellectual property.

ByteDance said it respects intellectual property rights and is strengthening safeguards. The company did not give details on what measures it plans to introduce. It had earlier paused the option allowing users to upload images of real people.

Reuters reported, the Motion Picture Association demanded the tool immediately stop infringing activities. SAG-AFTRA accused Seedance of blatant infringement, while Paramount Skydance reportedly sent its own legal notice.

The controversy adds to wider tensions between AI firms and the entertainment industry. Last year, Disney and NBCUniversal sued Midjourney over copyright claims. Meanwhile, Disney has a $1 billion deal with OpenAI to use selected characters on its AI platforms.