Curfew continues in Bara

Following a protest by Gen Z in Simara, the District Administration Office has issued a curfew order. 

Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra stated that the curfew was enforced to prevent untoward incidents. 

After a clash erupted between leaders and supporters of the CPN-UML and Gen Z on Wednesday, the local administration had imposed curfew from 12:30 pm to 8 pm.. 

As the Gen Z youths organized a demonstration at Simara Chowk early Thursday morning, the District Administration Office clamped a curfew from 1 am to 8 pm. 

Meanwhile, CDO Mishra has urged Gen Z to seek a solution through dialogue.

 

 

Nepse plunges by 0. 79 points on Thursday

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 0. 79 points to close at 2, 560 . 29 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 61 points to close at 440. 65 points.

A total of 10,449,296-unit shares of 328 companies were traded for Rs 4. 68 billion.

Meanwhile, Dhaulagiri Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (DLBS), Bandipur Cablecar and Tourism Limited (BANDIPUR) and Jhapa Energy Limited (JHAPA) were the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Bungal Hydro Limited (BUNGAL) was the top loser as its price fell by 9. 05 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 45 trillion.

PSG defender Hakimi wins African Footballer of the Year

Paris St Germain's Achraf Hakimi was named African Footballer of the Year at the 2025 CAF Awards in Rabat on Wednesday, the first defender to claim the prize in 52 years as he finished ahead of Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen in the voting, Reuters reported.

Moroccan right back Hakimi was rewarded for a trophy-laden 2025 with PSG in which he claimed the Champions League, Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France and UEFA Super Cup.

He is the first Moroccan to win the award since midfielder Mustapha Hadji in 1998, and the first defender since Zaire centre back Bwanga Tshimen in 1973, according to Reuters.

Philippines sentences 'Chinese spy mayor' to life in jail

A former Philippines mayor who was accused of spying for China has been found guilty of human trafficking for her role in running a scam centre, BBC reported.

On Thursday, she and three others were sentenced to life in prison and a fine of 2m pesos ($33,832; £25,942). 

The case of Alice Guo has gripped the Philippines for years, after authorities uncovered one of the country's biggest scam centres in her small town of Bamban. Some 800 Filipinos and foreigners were later rescued from the scam hub after a raid, with many of them saying they were forced to run "pig butchering" scams, according to BBC.

Turkey set to host COP31 after reaching compromise with Australia

The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held in Turkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event, BBC reported.

Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia and others.

A consensus must be reached but neither country had been willing to concede. Australia has now agreed to support the Turkish bid in return for their minister chairing the talks following negotiations at COP30, currently being held in Brazil, according to BBC.

US military officials in Ukraine amid reports of Russia peace plan

Senior Pentagon officials have arrived in Ukraine to "discuss efforts to end the war" with Russia, the US military has said, BBC reported.

The team, led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday when he returns from a trip to Turkey.

Reports began surfacing on Wednesday that the US and Russia had prepared a new peace plan, containing major concessions from Ukraine. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed the plan, according to BBC.

Trump signs bill ordering justice department to release Epstein files

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he signed a bill ordering the release of government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, BBC reported.

The bill requires the justice department to release all information from its Epstein investigation within 30 days, although some could be withheld if they relate to an active investigation or are deemed to invade personal privacy.

With Trump's support, the legislation overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, on Tuesday, according to BBC.

GenZ youths clash with police in Simra

A clash broke out between GenZ youths and police at Simra Chowk in Jitpur Simra Sub-Metropolitan City-2, Bara on Thursday.

GenZ youths staged a protest in Simra today demanding the arrest of the UML leader who beat up a member of their group.

The youths had taken to the streets since this morning, burning tires and obstructing the road.

According to the District Police Office, Bara, two individuals were arrested for their involvement in the incident. They have been identified as Dhan Bahadur Shrestha, Ward President of Jitpursimra Sub-Metropolitan City-2 and Kaimudin Ansari, Ward President of Ward 6.

On Wednesday, the CPN-UML was scheduled to hold a Madhes state-level public awareness program at Parwanipur in Bara.

The tension stemmed from Wednesday’s event, when party General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and youth leader Mahesh Basnet among other leaders were heading to Simra from Kathmandu to address the program.

GenZ youths had gathered at Simra Chowk to protest their arrival while youths aligned to UML were heading to the airport to welcome their leaders.

The dispute between the two groups turned into clash during which GenZ Bara leaders Samrat Upadhyay was injured after being attacked by the UML cadres.

In retaliation, a group of anguished GenZ youths reached the Simra Airport, vandalized the gate of the airport, entered the airport premises, hurled stones and glass bottles at the airport office.

Security personnel subsequently fired two rounds of tear gas to disperse the mob.