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Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah have reached a seven-point agreement on various issues in the lead up to the March 5 elections to the House of Representatives.

RSP President Lamichhane and Mayor Shah signed the agreement this morning. 

According to the agreement made public over the social media, the movement against corruption and bad governance waged by the youths shall be owned, and the demands of the injured and martyred families will be appropriately addressed. 

Similarly, it has been agreed that Rabi Lamichhane will remain the central president of the party while Balendra Shah will be the prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming House of Representatives elections. 

He will be the leader of the parliamentary party following the elections.

The name of the political party and its election symbol will be that of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and the party's office in Kathmandu. 

Issues such as involving youth in the party's organizational structure have been included.

Furthermore, the updated structure of the party following the agreement shall be registered at the Election Commission, while a call shall be made to all alternative political forces to join the RSP.

A total of 18, 903, 689 voters will cast their ballots to elect  new members of the House of Representatives in the general elections scheduled for March 5. 

According to the final voter list published by the Election Commission, 9,663,358 men, 9,240,131 women and 200 other voters are eligible to vote in the elections. 

The final voter list has also been published on the commission's website.

Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai shared that the commission has decided to publish the final voter list on Saturday in accordance with Section 20 of the Voter List Act, 2073. 

In the elections for members of the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly held in 2079 BS, the total number of voters was 17.9 million. 

As a result, the total number of voters in 2082 BS has increased by 0.915 million compared to 2079 BS. 

Likewise, a total of 23,112 polling booths have been determined across the country at 10,967 polling stations for voters whose names are included in the final voter list to vote. 

A total of 75 more polling stations have been determined in this election than the total number of polling stations in 2079 BS.

Italian police have arrested nine people accused of raising around €7m (£6m) for Hamas over more than two years, BBC reported. 

The money was ostensibly collected as humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians, a police statement said, but was instead sent to the militant group via a "complex fundraising system".

Alongside the arrests, police say they have seized more than €8m (£7m) in assets as part of the investigation, according BBC. 

An intense Russian attack on Kyiv overnight shows Moscow "doesn't want peace", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday as he prepared for a fresh round of peace talks, BBC reported. 

Zelensky made the comments en route to Florida, where he will meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss a new 20-point peace plan agreed by American and Ukrainian envoys.

The 10-hour missile and drone barrage directed at Ukraine's capital killed two people and left 32 injured, local authorities said, according to BBC. 

A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia has come into effect along the border, where almost three weeks of deadly clashes have forced nearly one million people from their homes, BBC reported. 

In a joint statement, the defence ministers of the two countries agreed to freeze the front lines where they are now, ban reinforcements and allow civilians living in border areas to return as soon as possible.

The ceasefire took effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday. Once it has been in place for 72 hours, 18 Cambodian soldiers held by Thailand since July will be released, the statement said, according to BBC. 

Myanmar is going to the polls in an election widely dismissed as a sham, with major political parties dissolved, many of their leaders jailed and as much as half the country unlikely to vote because of an ongoing civil war, BBC reported. 

The military government is holding a phased ballot nearly five years after it seized power in a coup, which sparked widespread opposition and spiralled into a civil war.

Observers say the junta, with China's support, is seeking to legitimise and entrench its power as it seeks a way out of the devastating stalemate, according to BBC. 

Former Nepal Army Lieutenant General Balananda Sharma has been appointed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs on Friday. 

Sharma took the oath of office and secrecy before President Ram Chandra Paudel at a special ceremony held at Sheetal Niwas this afternoon.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut and other distinguished officials were present in the oath-taking ceremony.

The interim government is giving continuity to holding consultations with the top leaders of the key political parties to create an enabling environment for the March 5 elections.

Towards this, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel held a meeting with CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the latter's residence at Gundu, Bhaktapur today.

Minister Kharel is a member of the Political Dialogue Committee formed by the interim government to engage with political parties and stakeholders to create a favorable atmosphere for the election to the House of Representatives.

Earlier today, Minister Kharel consulted with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba regarding the impending election. 

The government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki has been effortful to successfully conduct the fresh election on March 5, 2026 by forging a national consensus.