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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel assured that the newly introduced budget for the fiscal year 2025/26 would ensure proper utilization of the available resources and to foster infrastructure development. 

In a discussion organized by the Society of Infrastructure Journalists (SIJ-Nepal) on the 'Infrastructure sector in budget and its implementation', DPM Paudel reiterated that the budget has been devised to prevent the misuse of the resources in construction of infrastructures.

Paudel added that the budget was allocated in a realistic approach taking into consideration the needs of the nation and available resources.

According to him, several reform measures have been introduced and implemented to address the longstanding problems and challenges in the infrastructure sector. He believed that these measures would yield result-oriented outcomes.

"Budget is only a single digit document. The budget is prepared in a realistic way so that the credibility of the budget is not questioned," the DPM asserted, claiming that there has been no criticism of the newly introduced annual estimates of income and expenditure.

It may be noted that the incumbent government on May 29 had introduced an annual budget of Rs 1.964 trillion for the fiscal year 2025/26.

Furthermore, for fiscal discipline, he informed that the budget includes a dedicated focus on capital expenditure to ensure proper management of the resources and timely spending of the allocated budget. 

In a departure from the trend of increasing general expenditure, the DPM highlighted that stringent measures have been put in place to cap the general expenditure to prevent excessive recurrent spending. 

As for the Public Procurement Act, he informed that the 14th amendment to the Act has already addressed some existing issues. He expressed his readiness to consider further amendments in the Act if need be, so as to promote the country's construction sector. 

Addressing concerns over shortage of construction materials affecting construction works' timeliness, the DPM said that the excavation of mining and aggregate materials will be allowed from only appropriate places and after conducting environment impact assessment.

Citing the provision of alternative development financing for mega projects introduced by the government, he was confident that the Parliament would endorse necessary laws to facilitate such provisions.

Thibaut Bruttin is a Franco-Swiss civil society activist, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and President of the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID). He joined RSF in 2014 and contributed to the development of key initiatives such as the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), the evacuations of Afghan journalists, the press freedom centers in Ukraine, the escape of Marina Ovsyannikova from Russia, and the Svoboda satellite package targeting Russian audiences. He began his career in the international development team at the Louvre Museum and later worked for Echo Studio, a production and distribution company focused on impact-driven cinema. A film historian as well, Thibaut Bruttin has published several works, the most recent of which is Michel Audiard–Jean Herman/Vautrin (Actes Sud–Institut Lumière, 2023). Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked to him about the global and regional scenarios of press freedom and journalist safety.

What are the key threats that global journalists in common are facing today?

In 2025, the global state of press freedom is now classified as a “difficult situation” for the first time in the history of RSF's World Press Freedom Index. Although physical attacks against journalists are the most visible violations of press freedom and some 50 journalists were killed in 2024, RSF has underlined that economic pressure is also a major, more insidious problem. The economic indicator on the RSF World Press Freedom Index now stands at an unprecedented, critical low as its decline continues in 2025.

As a global organization, what are RSF's priorities?

RSF defends and promotes a free, independent and pluralistic press via publications, advocacy and direct support.

What is your overall impression of the status of press freedom in South Asia?

In the Asia-Pacific region, press freedom and access to reliable news sources are severely compromised by the predominance of regimes—often authoritarian—that strictly control information, often through economic means. In many countries, the government has a tight grip on media ownership, allowing them to interfere in outlets’ editorial choices. It is highly telling that twenty of the region’s 32 countries and territories saw their economic indicators drop in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index.

You recently visited Nepal and discussed the media fraternity here. How do you rate the status of press freedom in Nepal?

RSF published its World Press Freedom Index in early May and Nepal is ranked 90th, down 16 places. Worst: Nepal is 80th regarding the economy of the media 120th in terms of safety of the journalists. Today, the state of press freedom in Nepal is increasingly fragile. Therefore, Nepal must uphold its constitutional promise of a free press.

Despite a relatively calm and peaceful political situation, Nepali journalists still face physical threats. What are your suggestions to local stakeholders here to address this issue?

Journalists in Nepal still face physical violence. Two media professionals have lost their lives recently: freelance journalist Suresh Bhul, from Dhangadhi, and Avenues TV cameraperson Suresh Rajak. I have met the widow of Suresh Rajak, killed during the pro-monarch demonstration and she expressed, just as Rajak’s colleagues did, the lack of progress and transparency in the investigation.  This case highlights several issues when dealing with the safety of journalists. First, what happened in this arsoned building? Second, was the response of the police and emergency services appropriate? And third, is there a true will to shed light on this incident? Reaffirming that attacks on journalists are unacceptable in a democracy is not enough. Impunity for crimes committed against journalists puts the entire profession at risk.

Could you shed light on the areas RSF is working in Nepal?

RSF is also advocating for public policies to support the media economy. The weakened economy of the news industry has two consequences, highly evidenced in Nepal: the outlets can be tempted to lower the quality of their content and favor sensationalist, polarizing or clickbait pieces; the journalists must diversify their resources and can engage in communications or politics. We urge media owners to fully implement the minimum wage regulation and to pay in due time their employees. Furthermore, we invite the parliament to amend the Social Media Bill so as to exempt from its scope news media, identified according to national licenses or international standards such as the Journalism Trust Initiative; and to adopt transparent, fair mechanisms for the allocation of public advertising and subsidies, to support independent media without discrimination. 

The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is being observed today. 

The United Nations General Assembly, during a special emergency session on Palestine on August 19, 1982, decided to commemorate this day, in shocked reaction to the then violence against Palestinian and Lebanese children caused by Israel's attack.

The purpose of this day is to address the physical, mental, and emotional suffering that children around the world endure and to ensure their protection. 

The United Nations has shown commitment to protecting the rights of children in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Even today, many children around the world are affected by conflict, extremist violence, exploitation and impunity.

The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030, adopted in 2015, has set clear goals for the protection of children. It includes a plan under Goal 16.2 to end all forms of violence, take strong action against exploitation, neglect, and abuse.

The United Nations has stated that ending and preventing grave violations against children is central to the mandate on children and armed conflict. The most effective way to protect children from hostilities is to eliminate the push and pull factors that lead to their involvement in armed conflict.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs to win the maiden Indian Premier League title.

Chasing 190 runs, Punjab were restricted by RCB bowlers to 184/7 from their 20 overs. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers for RCB with two wickets, The Indian Express reported.

Earlier, Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyerwon the toss and opted to bowl first. Virat Kohli’s 44(35) helped RCB to post 190/6 from their 20 overs, which did look like a below-par total, however, it was more than enough in the end.

This is the second time Punjab have reached the final of the IPL. Previously, in 2014, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. And RCB have reached the final four times before last time in 2016 when they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad, according to The Indian Express.

The western and central parts of the country are under the influence of the Westerly and local winds at present, while most parts of the Koshi Province are experiencing the influence of monsoon winds, the Meteorological Forecasting Division said.

The weather will be partly to generally cloudy across the country this afternoon with chances of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in some places of Koshi, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as at one or two places in the remaining provinces.

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two places in the Koshi Province and of light rainfall and snowfall at some places of the high hilly and mountainous region of the country.

Similarly, tonight the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of the country including Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini Provinces, while it will be fair in the rest of the country.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur in some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini Provinces, as well as in one or two places of the hilly regions of the remaining provinces.

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in one or two places of Koshi and Madhes Provinces. Similarly, there are chances of light rain and snowfall in some areas of the high hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces tonight.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has called for standing firmly against caste-based untouchability and discrimination.

The President stated this in his message of best wishes on the occasion of the National Day on the Abolition of Caste Discrimination and Untouchability today.

On this occasion, the President wished happiness, peace, and prosperity to all Nepali sisters and brothers residing in the country and abroad, stating that caste-based discrimination is a crime against social, moral, and human dignity.

In the message, he emphasised the need to strengthen national unity with equality by fostering mutual understanding, harmony, and cooperation among all castes and communities to promote social awakening and the development of equality, while firmly standing against caste discrimination and division to make the democratic state system meaningful.

The Head of the State has called on every individual, family, society, government bodies at all three levels, political parties, national and international non-governmental organizations, civil society, and journalists to be more sensitive against untouchability and racial discrimination.

Reminding of the constitutional provisions ensuring the building of society based on social equality and justice, he has stated that may the National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Untouchability inspire the relevant bodies to create a significant basis for the gradual end of all forms of discrimination and oppression based on economic, social, political, cultural, and ethnic grounds.

The President expressed that positive changes can be brought about in thinking, working style, customs, and social practices, as well as in behavior, by enhancing mutual unity, reconciliation, and harmony, to reduce the existing racial discrimination and untouchability in social behavior.

President Paudel has expressed his best wishes in the message for everyone to be inspired to build a cultured and equality-based prosperous nation free from racial discrimination and untouchability on the occasion of the National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Untouchability.

The National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Untouchability is marked on the 21st of the Nepali month of Jesth every year to commemorate the day when the government declared the country a 'caste discrimination-free nation' on Jeth 21, 2063 BS (June 4, 2006).

Transport entrepreneurs, who have brought public transport service to a halt across the country, have called off their protest programs.. 

Following a directive from the federal government, the Gandaki Province government decided to suspend the ride-sharing regulations for a month. 

The transport entrepreneurs had shut down public transportation services in protest against the regulations introduced by the Gandaki Provincegovernment.

An agreement was reached between the federal government and the transport entrepreneurs at midnight on Monday itself. However, transport entrepreneurs waited for the Gandaki provincial government to withdraw the regulations before calling off the strike. 

As a result, despite the agreement, the general public had to suffer with no public transport available.

President of the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs Bijay Swar said that the protest programs have been withdrawn and public transport service resumed from today itself. 

An agreement was reached after repeated talks between high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management and transport entrepreneurs on Monday. 

The agreement was forwarded to the Gandaki Province government through the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. 

Based on the recommendation from the federal government, the Gandaki government suspended the regulations for a month.

The Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy (CESIF) organized a seminar on "Terrorism in South Asia and its Implications for Nepal" on June 2, 2025, at Kathmandu. The seminar discussed the persistent threat of terrorism in South Asia and its specific repercussions for Nepal, focusing on Nepal's vulnerabilities and the need for effective countermeasures. 

Speaking in the program, Former Foreign Minister and senior leader of Nepali Congress N.P said that terrorism in South Asia poses a serious spillover risk for Nepal, warning that “vulnerabilities are no longer only at others’ homes—we are also open to them.” 

The foreign minister highlighted systemic flaws in immigration management, referencing past lapses like the IC 814 incident, where Nepal failed to classify the perpetrators as terrorists or coordinate diplomatically with the country of origin of the terrorists. Parliamentarian Raj Kishore Yadav talked about ‘Nepal’s silence’ on the Pahelgam attack as a diplomatic misstep and lamented parliament’s continued failure to frame terrorism as a national issue.  Nepal should have been more assertive and explicitly sided with the victim side, he said. 

Shankar Das Bairagi, former national security advisor and foreign secretary emphasized Nepal’s normative commitments to international conventions but admitted that the implementation gap “depreciates our credibility.” He identified immigration, open border and intelligence as critical vulnerabilities and called for institutional reforms to enhance data sharing and deterrence capabilities. Former Ambassador Dinesh Bhattarai traced the ideological roots of South Asian terrorism to the differences in religion, and statistically noted, Hindus are the clear target. 

Binoj Basnyat, a strategic affairs analyst spoke about shifting nature of warfare in South Asia, shaped by technology, proxy conflicts, and big power rivalries, noting that Nepal’s counterterrorism efforts currently rely heavily on soft diplomacy but lack proactive mechanisms. “We must revisit the way our security is maintained,” he said, emphasizing that Nepal’s experience with past insurgencies does not adequately prepare it for emerging transnational threats. 

Former foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya strongly urged Nepal to take a principled stance on regional terrorism, particularly in cases like the Pahelgam attack, stating that “Nepal should have clearly sided with India” and used such incidents as diplomatic openings to build trust with India.