Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning likely today

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in few places in the hilly areas of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Sudurpaschim Provinces and one or two places in the rest of the country. 

There are also chances of light rain and snowfall in one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous areas of the country, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division. 

The country is currently under the influence of westerly winds coupled with local winds. There is also partial influence of water vapor-rich winds coming from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. As a result, the weather today will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of the four Provinces and mainly clear to partly cloudy in the rest of the country.

The Division has urged all concerned to take necessary precautions as there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with lightning in one or two places in all seven provinces, which may affect daily life, agriculture and health services, road and air transport.

 

 

Three killed as jeep plunges into Madi river

Three persons died and two others were injured when a jeep they were travelling in plunged into the Madi river in Tanahun along the Prithvi Highway.

The jeep (Ga 2 Cha 5760) was heading towards Chapaghat from Damauli when the incident occurred, according to District Police Office Police Inspector Raju Adhikari.

The deceased have been identified as Prabin Thapa Magar (35), Kumar Thapa (22) and Kushal Thapa ( 20)  of Byas Municipality-5, according to police. They died while undergoing treatment at the Damauli Hospital. 

The injured were rescued by the Nepal Army's Kalibhanjan Battalion, Nepal Police and locals.

 

 

 

White House National Security Council slashes staff in dramatic restructuring, sources say

Dozens of staffers were fired from the White House National Security Council on Friday, as President Donald Trump moved to slash the size and scope of the once-powerful body, five sources briefed on the matter said, Reuters reported.

Staff dealing with most major geopolitical issues, from Ukraine to Kashmir, were terminated in the afternoon, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media.

The move came just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser.

The NSC restructuring is expected to further reduce the agency's influence, transforming it from a powerful policymaking body into a small organization focused more on implementing the president's agenda than on shaping it, the sources said, according to Reuters.

In practice, the move is expected to grant more authority to the State Department, the Defense Department and other departments and agencies involved in diplomacy, national security and intelligence matters, the sources said.

Sameer Rizvi stars with maiden IPL half century as Delhi Capitals defeat Punjab Kings by 6 wickets

The Top 2 race is still wide open as Delhi capitals signed off their IPL campaign with a win against heavy favourites Punjab Kings on Saturday, Indian Express reported.

Sameer Rizvi starred with his maiden IPL half century while Karun Nair chipped in with an important 44 to help their team over the finishing line.

 

Shreyas Iyer scored a half century while Marcus Stoinis chipped in with a blistering 16-ball 44 as Punjab Kings posted 208/6 against Delhi Capitals.

While Punjab kept losing regular wickets, their run rate never dipped even as Mustafizur Rahman and Kuldeep Yadav took 3 and 2 wickets each.

Vipraj Nigam also took 2 but the punjab batters went after Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar to score the massive total, according to Indian Express.

Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bat first against the Punjab Kings. Axar Patel will not be available for DC so Faf du Plessis will lead the side.

With Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluruboth dropping points against Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings are in pole position to finish in the Top 2 considering they don’t slip up against Delhi Capitals at Jaipur on Saturday.

Nepal-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group's meeting on May 26

The meeting of Nepal-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group is scheduled to be held on May 26.

Group's Coordinator, also House of Representative member, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha shared that the meeting is going to be held at the hall of the International Relations and Tourism Committee in Singha Durbar.

The meeting aims to further bolster the historical ties between Nepal and the UK as well as to expand mutual cooperation and support among the parliamentarians of the two countries, Shrestha said.

The Nepal side group includes parliamentarians --Bimalendra Nidhi, Sushila Thing, Bhagawati Neupane, Suhang Nemwang, Madhav Sapkota, Pashupati Shumsher JBR and Dr Chandrakath Raut. 

The parliament of Nepal has formed separate parliamentary groups with various parliaments across the world to expand the ties.

 

 

 

Broken traffic lights cause chaos in valley

To manage increasing urbanization and traffic congestion in the Kathmandu Valley, traffic lights were installed at 69 intersections. However, 29 of them have been non-functional for months, with no government agency stepping up to repair them. Of the 69 installations, the Department of Roads was responsible for 46, Kathmandu Metropolitan City for six, and Lalitpur Metropolitan City for seven. Additionally, seven lights were installed in collaboration with various banks, and three by other organizations. Among them, 13 are Pelican crossings.

The 62nd report of the Auditor General highlighted the issue, stating that 29 traffic lights are in disrepair and need urgent attention. The report also recommended the adoption of modern traffic management technologies, such as CCTV, surveillance vehicles, body-worn cameras, and GoPro cameras. Currently, the Valley Traffic Division monitors 415 CCTV cameras installed at 270 locations.

According to Deepak Giri, spokesperson for the Traffic Division, no specific authority has been designated to handle the repair of broken traffic lights. Traditionally, the agency that installed the lights is expected to maintain them. After recent discussions, it was agreed that the Urban Department would assume responsibility for the upkeep of road-installed traffic lights. The department has already issued a tender for their maintenance.

Arjun Prasad Aryal, spokesperson for the Department of Roads, stated that while the department holds jurisdiction over traffic light installation in the Valley, various institutions—including metropolitan cities, ward offices, and financial institutions—have also installed lights independently. Each body is expected to monitor its own installations.

Among the lights installed by the Road Department, only those at Jadibuti and Koteshwor are currently non-operational. Aryal noted that the repair process is time-consuming due to legal requirements under the Procurement Act 2007. This year, the department has issued a Rs 15m tender for repairing and maintaining lights under its jurisdiction.

Rakesh Maharjan, head of the Road Safety and Traffic Branch at the Road Department, added that many lights installed by metropolitan cities remain non-functional and have not been formally handed over to the department. As a result, the department does not consider itself responsible for their maintenance. According to Maharjan, the traffic lights at Tinkune and Jadibuti Chowk were damaged during recent protests. These are currently under repair. Lights with minor issues are fixed quickly, but those with hardware or software malfunctions take longer to repair.

There are approximately 107 major intersections in the Valley, all of which require traffic lights. However, the department is prioritizing high-traffic intersections, with new lights under construction at Radhe Radhe Chowk and Char Dobato Chowk in Bhaktapur. Maharjan emphasized that installing traffic lights is costly. The price varies depending on the number of connected roads, with a single intersection costing upwards of Rs 5m. Generally, traffic light hardware lasts five to seven years.

The department is also upgrading old traffic lights with modern, automated digital systems, which are more expensive but efficient. Historical data from the Road Department shows that a total of 115 traffic lights have been installed in the Valley to date—65 by the Road Department, 38 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City, five by Lalitpur Metropolitan City, and five by Mahalaxmi Municipality. However, records for many intersections are incomplete.

Of the 69 lights currently supposed to be in operation, only 40 are functional. The lack of maintenance and accountability has left traffic police to manually manage many busy intersections. This has led to increased traffic congestion, frequent rule violations, and overall traffic disorder in areas without functional traffic lights.

 

 

380 households at Dagatundanda in Baglung facing water crisis

The 'One House, One Tap' water supply scheme that started at Dagatundanda of Badigad Rural Municipality in Baglung district ten years ago remains incomplete, leaving 380 families in the area reeling under severe water crisis.

As a result, the residents of Dagatundanda have started migrating to other areas due to the lack of drinking water.

A public water supply system was constructed in the village in 1991 benefiting 700 households, and in 2015 a new scheme was initiated to extend the same water supply source to three 380 households.

The 'One House, One Tap' scheme was begun after the 25-year-old initial water supply scheme became dilapidated, but the locals are angry as the latest water supply scheme has not been completed even after 10 years.

Although efforts have begun to provide drinking water to 380 households through a new plan by the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office, the project has not been completed even after 10 years due to a lack of budget, it is said.

Prem Lal Sapkota, a former chief of the local council from Dagatundanda, stated that people have started migrating out due to the lack of drinking water in the village.

 

 

 

 

Sum 41 music agent among those killed in San Diego plane crash

Prominent music agent Dave Shapiro is among those who were killed after a small plane crashed into a residential street in San Diego, according to his talent agency, BBC reported.

Shapiro was the co-founder of Sound Talent Group, whose clients include rock bands like Sum 41, Story of the Year and Pierce the Veil.

Daniel Williams, former drummer for the band The Devil Wears Prada, is also feared to have been involved in the crash. Media reports indicate he posted on social media from the plane.

Federal officials say there were six people on board the plane and all are presumed dead. The crash destroyed one home and damaged 10 others in the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood, leaving charred cars and fiery debris, according to BBC.