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The United States plans to reduce the number of personnel it has stationed within several key NATO command centers, a move that could intensify concerns in Europe about Washington's commitment to the alliance, three sources familiar with the matter said this week, Reuters reported. 

As part of the move, which the Trump administration has communicated to some European capitals, the U.S. will eliminate roughly 200 positions from the NATO entities that oversee and plan the alliance's military and intelligence operations, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations.

Among the bodies that will be affected, said the sources, are the UK-based NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre and the Allied Special Operations Forces Command in Brussels. Portugal-based STRIKFORNATO, which oversees some maritime operations, will also be cut, as will several other similar NATO entities, the sources said, according to Reuters. 

There is little question that the man who killed Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 will be convicted when the court delivers its verdict – Tetsuya Yamagami himself pleaded guilty to the crime at the trial's opening last year, BBC reported. 

The 45-year-old is set to be sentenced on Wednesday but what punishment he deserves has divided public opinion in Japan. While many see Yamagami as a cold-blooded murderer, some sympathise with his troubled upbringing.

Prosecutors have demanded life in prison for the "grave act" of shooting Abe dead. The former PM was a huge figure in public life in Japan, where there is virtually no gun crime - and the country was left stunned by his assassination, according to BBC. 

The European Parliament is planning to suspend approval of the US trade deal agreed in July, according to sources close to its international trade committee, BBC reported. 

The suspension is set to be announced in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday.

The move would mark another escalation in tensions between the US and Europe, as Donald Trump ratchets up his efforts to acquire Greenland, threatening new tariffs over the issue on the weekend, according to BBC. 

The CPN-UML has filed candidacies for all 165 electoral constituencies across the country for the March 5 elections to the House of Representatives with around 55 percent of its candidates being new faces.

Min Bahadur Shahi, Party's Chief of the Publicity Department, in a press meet organized at party office in Lalitpur on Tuesday, shared that the candidates including party Chairperson KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday registered their nominations in an enthusiastic presence of leaders, cadres and the public.

Shahi said of the total party candidates in fray, 54.54 percent are first-timer contenders.

Among them, there are 50 percent new candidates each in Sudurpaschim and Madhesh Provinces while 53.75 percent candidates contesting from Koshi Province are new, Shahi explained.

Likewise, Karnali Province has the highest portion of the new candidates at 75 percent whereas Lumbini Province has the lowest at 42.30 percent, he explained.

Similarly, new candidates make up 60 percent of the party's nominees in Bagmati Province and 61.11 per cent in Gandaki Province, he added.

The Supreme Court has denied interim order on a writ petition filed on leadership dispute of the Nepali Congress (NC).

A writ petition was filed against Election Commission's recognition of Gagan Thapa as the NC President elected from the special general convention.

A hearing was conducted in the single bench of Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel on Tuesday. 

The group led by Sher Bahadur Deuba had challenged the Election Commission's decision to confer authenticity on Thapa-led NC, but the court denied interim order sought in favour of Deuba.

The Justice argued that the writ warranted a remedy of constitutional questions associated with politics via final hearing, so interim order was not necessary. 

Justice Pokharel, however, ordered written responses on the case, giving it a prior right of hearing within 15 days of submission of the written responses.  

Shravan Kumar Shrestha had lodged the petition as an authorized representative of NC leaders Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka against Thapa's election as NC President, arguing that the special convention and Election Commission's recognition of Thapa were illegal.

A total of 2,925 candidates registered their nominations in 165 constituencies across the country towards the first-past-the-post electoral system of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5 as of 6 pm. 

At a press conference organized by the Election Commission (EC) this evening after the filing of the candidacies, Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said that the registration of 336 female and 2,589 male candidates has appeared in the EC's system. 

The number may still increase since the task of verification is underway in some electoral constituencies, he said. 

Only four candidates have registered their candidacies in Mustang which is the lowest in number. 

Likewise, five candidates have registered their candidacies in Manang, Raut informed. 

It has been reported that the candidacies in both districts have been finalized. 

The highest number of candidacies was registered in Rupandehi electoral constituencies 2 and 3, with 35 candidates each. 

Candidacy in Rupandehi constituency 2 has been finalized, while it is still pending in constituency 3. 

Generally, the registration of candidacies has been conducted peacefully as reported by the offices of the returning officers. 

The submission of nomination papers was scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm today. 

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane filed his candidacy from Chitwan-2 for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. 

He filed candidacy through the authorized representative, Sita Gyawali, on Tuesday, according to assistant election officer, Deviram Bhandari.

Leader Bikram Shrestha proposed Lamichanne's candidacy while Ramaji Thakuri seconded the proposal. Lamichhane could not attend the election office in-person due to his busy schedule. 

There are 442,082 voters registered in the voters' list in the district having three constituencies.

Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa filed his candidacy for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections from Sarlahi-4. The HoR election is scheduled for March 5.

President Thapa filed his candidacy through his authorized representative. 

He is proposed by Upendra Prasad Kushwaha and seconded by Ram Ashray Sah, according to election officer Binod Prasad Ghimire. 

Thapa, who had been contesting HoR elections from Kathmandu-4, changed his constituency this time.

As President Thapa could not be present here physically owing to hectic schedules, leader Birendra Singh filed his candidacy as his authorized representative, leader Niroj Karki shared this information.

Ravi Shankar Kushwaha of the CPN UML, Dr Amaresh Kumar Singh of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Dr Rajnish Yadav of the Nepali Communist Party, and Rameshwor Ray Yadav of the Janata Samajbadi Party also filed nominations from this constituency, according to election officer Ghimire.