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The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection has directed producers, importers and distributors to stop the sudden and unjustified price hike seen in daily consumer goods in the market.

Issuing a press statement on Wednesday, the Department has directed all concerned to control unnecessary price hikes in the market and maintain a competitive and fair market system. 

“The major producers, importers and distributors of food grains and oil are instructed to provide their goods or services without taking unfair profits and to provide relief to consumers by addressing the unnatural price hike,” the statement reads. .

The Department said its serious attention has been drawn to the complaints received from the consumers and reports in the media regarding the unnatural price hike and shortage in supply of daily necessities including edible oil, cooking gas, staple rice, etc.

The right of consumers to receive quality goods and services in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2075 BS and the Consumer Protection Regulations, 2076 BS shall be ensured by adopting all measures as required. 

For this, joint market monitoring is being carried out to check on the producers, sellers, importers, stockpilers, and service provider firms and establishments of essential and daily consumable goods in the country.

The Election Commission has introduced the 'Election Campaign Bank Account Operation and Management Procedures, 2082' to bring transparency in the expenses made by political parties and candidates contesting the elections. 

Accordingly, the campaign expenses of political parties and candidates during the general election have to be linked to the banking system.

The procedure has been enforced in accordance with Sections 24 and 50 of the Election Commission Act, 2073, Section 16 of the Election Code of Conduct, 2082, and the directive issued by Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank regulator.

According to the Commission, all political parties registered with the Commission and standing for the proportional representation (PR) and first past the post (FPTP) electoral system, candidates representing those parties and independent candidates will have to make all financial support and donations received and spent for campaigning through this special bank account. 

The arrangement has been made to discourage cash-based transactions and keep clear records of all income and expenses.

According to the procedure, political parties are required to obtain a recommendation from the Election Commission Secretariat to open a bank account for election campaigning, while in the case of candidates, a recommendation is required from the election office of the concerned district. 

Accounts can be opened in designated banks and financial institutions only on the basis of the recommendation. 

Provisions related to account operation, transaction limits, process for submitting details and monitoring have also been included in the procedure.

The Commission believes that transactions through the banking system will facilitate identification of sources, tracking of expenses and subsequent audits.

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday, officials for both sides said, even as they remained at odds over Washington's insistence that negotiations include Tehran's missile arsenal and Iran's vow to discuss only its nuclear program, Reuters reported. 

The delicate diplomatic effort comes amid heightened tensions as the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that many fear could escalate into a wider war.

Differences in recent days over the scope and venue for the talks have raised doubts whether the meeting would take place, leaving open the possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump could carry out his threat to strike Iran, according to Reuters. 

The Trump administration is withdrawing some 700 federal immigration enforcement agents from Minnesota, although about 2,000 agents will stay in place, White House border czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday, a number the state's Democratic leaders say is still too high, Reuters reported. 

In an unprecedented surge, U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of armed immigration enforcement agents in and around Minneapolis this year to detain and deport migrants, resulting in weeks of feuding with the state's elected leaders, angry and sometimes violent confrontations with residents, and street protests across the nation.

Homan said the deportation campaign was in the interest of public safety. He was partially reducing the deployment because he was seeing "unprecedented" cooperation from Minnesota's elected sheriffs who run county jails, although he did not give more details, according to Reuters. 

Ryan Routh has been sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in September of 2024, BBC reported. 

Routh, 59, was found guilty last year of trying to kill Trump, then still a presidential candidate, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. 

A US Secret Service agent in the area spotted a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes and fired at Routh, who then fled the scene. He was arrested nearby, according to BBC. 

MPs have approved the release of documents about Lord Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US, after angry Labour backbenchers forced a government climbdown over plans to withhold some material, BBC reported. 

Sir Keir Starmer told a dramatic Commons session he wanted to release the files - which could show what the government knew about Lord Mandelson's relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein - but insisted he would not publish anything that could damage national security or diplomatic relations.

That position unravelled after senior Labour figures, including former deputy leader Angela Rayner, urged ministers to change course, forcing the government to agree to involve a cross-party parliamentary committee in the process, according to BBC. 

The Election Commission (EC) has issued the bank accounts operation and management work procedure, 2082, urging the political parties and candidates participating in the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) elections to make expenses for electoral poll publicity through bank accounts. 

In a statement today, EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai called for the parties and candidates to make income and expenditure for election publicity by opening and operating bank accounts as per the procedure approved by the EC's meeting on Tuesday. 

The work procedure has been uploaded in the official website of the commission, it is informed. 

Necessary directive to this effect has been issued to the licensed banks and financial institutions with A, B and C categories, the statement reads. 

The EC has drawn attention of the political parties and candidates to operate election publicity bank accounts as per the Clause 50 of the Election Commission Act, 2073 to ensure routing publicity expenses to the banking system. 

President Ram Chandra Paudel returned home today after completing his official visit to Japan.

Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, ministers and the chiefs of the security bodies welcomed President Paudel at the VVIP Lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport. 

A contingent of Nepali Army accorded a guard of honour to the Head of the State.

At the invitation of the Japanese government, President Paudel left for Japan, leading a Nepali delegation to attend a special ceremony organized on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relations on February 1. 

The President addressed the special ceremony organized in Tokyo, Japan.

He was also accompanied by his spouse, Sabita Paduel.

During his stay, President Paudel paid a courtesy call on Japanese Emperor Naruhito, while the Japanese Prime Minister and the Minister of State for Foreign Minister paid a courtesy call on President Paudel separately.

Similarly, Paudel addressed a program of the Japanese businesspersons and of the Nepali diaspora in Tokyo. He also inspected the Nepali Embassy in Japan. 

Nepal and Japan had established diplomatic ties on September 1, 1956. 

Following the establishment of diplomatic relations, Nepal set up its embassy in Tokyo in 1965, while Japan's embassy in Kathmandu in 1967.