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Australia's lower house of parliament has voted in favour of a national gun buyback programme, firearms and hate speech reforms, a month after the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach, BBC reported. 

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the gunmen would not have legally had access to firearms if had such legislation was in place prior to the attack. 

The individuals who killed 15 people on 14 December had "hate in their hearts and guns in their hands," Burke told parliament, according to BBC. 

Four former Prime Ministers are in the race for the elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5.

In this connection, CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is filing his candidacy from Jhapa constituency-5.

Similarly, coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal  and joint-coordinator of the same party and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal have been making preparations to file their candidacies from Rukum (East) constituency-1 and Rautahat constituency-1 respectively.

Likewise, patron of the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party and former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is filing his candidacy from Gorkha constituency-2.

Earlier in the election held in 2079 BS, UML Chair Oli was elected from Jhapa-5, NCP Coordinator Dahal from Gorkha-2 and NCP joint-coordinator Nepal from Rautahat-1.  Former Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai had supported the NCP coordinator Dahal in the 2079 BS election.

However, Nepali Congress former President and former Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had been winning election continuously from Dadeldhura since 2048 BS, is not in the election race. 

He is out of the election race this time due to circumstances that surfaced following the party's special general convention.

Nominations are being filed in all 165 constituencies across the country today for the first-past-the-post election (FPTP) scheduled for March 5.

Morocco will pursue legal action over  the outcome of Jan 18’s Africa Cup of Nations final, where opponents Senegal walked off the field to protest a penalty awarded against them but later returned to win the match, Reuters reported. 

Morocco were beaten 1-0 after extra time by Senegal in the decider in Rabat, but the hosts had a chance to win the trophy with a last-gasp penalty at the end of regulation time.

Senegalese players stormed off in protest after a VAR decision to hand Morocco a spot kick for a tug on the shoulder of striker Brahim Diaz, who then squandered the kick after having to wait some 14 minutes before the Senegal side returned, according to Reuters. 

Madison Keys launched her Australian Open title defence with a 7-6(6) 6-1 win over Ukrainian Grand Slam debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova to reach the second round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, Reuters reported. 

Keys found herself in trouble early on at Rod Laver Arena, conceding a double break with untimely double faults, and while she drew level at 4-4 the American was then dragged into a tiebreak where Oliynykova caused more chaos with her deep, looping shots.

The plucky Ukrainian brought up two set points but Keys erased the deficit with some trademark big-hitting to eventually snatch a tense tiebreak, punctuating her escape with a roar, according to Reuters. 

Candidacy registration is underway across the country today for the first-past-the-post (FPTP) elections of members of the House of Representatives. The general elections are being held on March 5.

The Election Commission has stated that necessary preparations for filing of nominations by the candidates have been completed by establishing election offices in all 165 constituencies across the country.

Meanwhile, the Commission has urged all political parties and associated candidates to reach the election offices peacefully and with dignity to complete the due process of candidacy. It has also fixed the time for candidacy registration for major political parties and their candidates, so as to reduce crowding and facilitate the process of candidacy registration.

In the total 275-member House of Representatives, 165 members are elected through the FPTP system and 110 through the proportional election (PR) system.

According to the election calendar set by the commission, nomination of candidates is being held across the country today, and candidates are required to be present with a copy of their citizenship certificate or voter ID card for filing their respective nomination papers. Various other documents need to be submitted and requirements met for being eligible to stand for the elections.

The commission has stated that all necessary preparations have been completed and expressed confidence that the filing of candidate nomination papers will proceed enthusiastically across the country today.

The waterbird census carried out this year shows that there are 42 species of birds in the Narayani River area. 

The bird census the previous year had found 41 species of birds and it was 42 species this year in the Narayani River area, said DB Chaudhary, Bird Census Coordinator of Chitwan National Park West Sector.

More birds have been found in the Narayani River and the surrounding wetlands of the western sector of Chitwan National Park than last year. 

According to the integrated data of the bird census conducted by a group of experts in the Narayani River and surrounding areas, 12,887 birds of 42 species have been found in the Narayani area this year

In 2024, 9,548 birds of 41 species were counted and in 2023, 10,257 birds of 41 species were counted. This year, one more species of bird has been found compared to the past few years and the number has also increased.

It may be noted that a total of 903 species of birds have been listed in Nepal. Of these, 162 species of birds are found in the aquatic area. 

The birds were counted in five groups, from Sighrauli to Amaltari, from Sighrauli to Pithauli, from Pithauli to Amaltari, and from Amaltari to Triveni Gandak Barrage. Coordinator Chaudhary shared that the initial estimate is that the overall number of birds has increased by 3,339 this year compared to last year. 

According to him, the largest number of migratory birds that come here are from Siberia and other northern hemispheres to escape the cold.

The Janak Education Materials Center Limited has so far printed 12.3 million ballot papers for the March 5 elections. 

The state-owned company has been entrusted with the responsibility of printing ballot papers for the upcoming House of Representatives elections.

According to the details provided by the center, 1.313 million ballot papers have been printed in the last 24 hours alone. 

A total of 28.3 million ballot papers for the proportional representation (PR) system of the election have been printed. The center has so far printed 50 percent of the ballot papers.

The center has provided a total of 1.098 million ballot papers to the Election Commission.

The Janak Education Materials Center has stated that the printing of the ballot papers for the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system will begin after the process of filing of nomination by candidates is completed and the final list is published, and the election symbols are given to the candidates.

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has decided not to stand in the upcoming House of Representatives elections.

Deuba has been elected from Dadeldhura in all elections since 2048 BS, but will not be a candidate this time, his secretariat has stated. 

Nominations are being registered today for the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system of the upcoming House of Representatives elections to be held on March 5.