Nepal, India adopt updated modalities of boundary pillars inspection, repair

The 7th meeting of Nepal-India Boundary Working Group (BWG) concluded in India by adopting updated modalities for the inspection, repair and maintenance of boundary pillars along the Nepal and India boundary.

The meeting concluded on Tuesday also agreed on the need to adopt new technologies in the domain of survey and mapping in order to make the work of the BWG and its associated mechanisms more efficient, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry.

The Nepali delegation was led by Director General, Department of Survey, Prakash Joshi, and the Indian delegation by Surveyor General of India, Shri Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana.

The meeting reviewed the implementation of the outcomes of the 6th BWG meeting held in August 2019 in Dehradun as well as the progress of works of the 11th Survey Officials’ Committee (SOC) meeting held in September 2019 in Dehradun. 

The meeting concluded with the signing of agreed minutes. Both sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the Survey Officials’ Committee (SOC) in Nepal in August 2025 and the next meeting of the BWG in Nepal at a mutually convenient date.

 

The BWG is a joint body constituted by the Governments of Nepal and India in 2014 to carry out works in the fields of construction, restoration and repair of boundary pillars and other technical tasks.

 

Chief Minister Lama loses post of NC Parliamentary Party leader

Nepali Congress Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party leader Bahadur Lama has lost the post of Parliamentary Party leader.

Lama is also the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province.

In the vote that took place on a no-confidence motion registered against him, 15 NC provincial assembly members voted against the motion while 22 voted for it, ousting him from the post of Parliament Party leader.

The no-confidence motion was registered against him last Friday.

There are 37 provincial assembly members representing the Nepali Congress in the Bagmati Province Assembly and subsequent members of the NC Parliamentary Party.

Russian bombs kill 17 in Ukrainian penal colony

A Russian bomb attack on a penal colony in southeastern Ukraine killed 17 people overnight, officials said, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would shorten a deadline for Vladimir Putin to make peace, Reuters reported.

Dozens more were wounded in the attack on the front-line Zaporizhzhia region, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who described the bombing as "deliberate".

"And this was done after a completely clear position was voiced by the United States."

Zelenskiy added that a total of 22 people were killed in overnight strikes by Russia, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman who died in a missile strike on a hospital in another southeastern region, according to Reuters.

Trump administration slashed federal funding for gun violence prevention

The Trump administration has terminated more than half of all federal funding for gun violence prevention programs in the U.S., cutting $158 million in grants that had been directed to groups in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Reuters reported.

Of the 145 community violence intervention (CVI) grants totaling more than $300 million awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice, 69 grants were abruptly terminated, opens new tab in April, according to government data analyzed by Reuters.

The elimination of CVI programs is part of a broader rollback at the department's grant-issuing Office of Justice Programs, which terminated 365 grants valued at $811 million in April, impacting a range of public safety and victim services programs.

A DOJ official told Reuters the gun violence grants were eliminated because they "no longer effectuate the program's goals or agency's priorities." Thousands of Office of Justice Programs grants are under review, the official said, and are being evaluated, among other things, on how well they support law enforcement and combat violent crime.

US, China resume talks in Stockholm to ease tariff hostilities

U.S. and Chinese officials began a second day of talks in Stockholm on Tuesday to resolve longstanding economic disputes and step back from an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies, Reuters reported.

The meetings may not yield immediate large breakthroughs but the two sides could agree to another 90-day extension of a tariff truce struck in mid-May. It may also pave the way for a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the year, though Trump on Tuesday denied going out of his way to seek one.

The delegations met for more than five hours on Monday at Rosenbad, the Swedish prime minister's office in central Stockholm.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was seen arriving at Rosenbad on Tuesday morning after a separate meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng also arrived at the venue, according to Reuters.

Nepse surges by 30. 49 points on Tuesday

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 30. 49 points to close at 3, 001. 80 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 3. 18 points to close at 518. 11 points.

A total of 41,808,966-unit shares of 321 companies were traded for Rs 18. 52 billion.

Meanwhile, Muktinath Krishi Company Limited (MKCL), Trade Tower Limited (TTL) and Sanvi Energy Limited (SANVI) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise,  Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA) was the top loser as their price fell by 8. 60 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 5. 00 trillion.

Gold price drops by Rs 600 per tola on Tuesday

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 600 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 193, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 193, 6000 per tola on Monday.

Similarly, the price silver, however, has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 300 per tola today.

Nag Panchami being observed today

The Nag Panchami Festival that falls on the Shrawan Shukla Panchami as per the lunar calendar is being observed today across the country by Hindus as per the time-honored tradition.

The festival is being marked by worshiping Nag or the snake god and pasting a picture of the snake god above the main door of the house.

It is believed that sticking the picture of the snake god safeguards the family from snakes and scorpions, fire and lightning.

Nag Puja is believed to have started in the Vedic time and Nag is considered the king of snakes as per the Vedic tradition.

Special Pujas are being offered at Nagpokhari and Taudaha in Kathmandu, Siddhapokhari in Bhaktapur and several other ponds and shrines across the country this day.

After worshiping, the snake god is offered cow milk, Akshata, Dubo grass, rice pudding and Roti with due respect.