Submit your Article

The government has announced a further £450m of military support to Kyiv, as the UK and Germany prepare to host a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels, BBC reported.

Defence officials are convening to "pile pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin and force him to end his invasion of Ukraine, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.

"We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine's defences," he added. 

The package includes funding for hundreds of thousands of drones, anti-tanks mines and and repairs to military vehicles, according to BBC.

The weather will be partly to generally cloudy across the country today.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in the hilly region and at a few places in the rest of the country, the Weather Forecasting Division has said.

There is also a possibility of light rainfall and snowfall at a few places in the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.

This is due to the influence of westerly winds and local winds. In addition, there is also the influence of water vapor-rich air coming in from the Bay of Bengal, adds the Division.

Later tonight, the weather will continue to remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region and mainly clear in the rest of the country. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places in the hilly region and at one or two places in the rest of the country. 

There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall at a few places in the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.

Nepal Police have said that Durga Prasai, who is absconding after being involved in various criminal incidents, is on the wanted list.

Nepal Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Dinesh Kumar Acharya said that serious attention has been drawn to the news report published in various media outlets stating that Durga Prasai has been arrested, citing various police sources.

He has requested all concerned not to publish and broadcast misleading news as Prasai has not yet been arrested.

Nepal’s economy is showing signs of steady recovery and resilience, according to latest reports from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). While the outlook is positive, these institutions say the country still faces some serious hurdles that need to be addressed to maintain this momentum.

The World Bank’s Nepal Development Update (April 2025) has forecast economic growth of 4.5 percent for the current fiscal year, up from 3.9 percent last year. It expects average growth of 5.4 percent over the next two years. The World Bank has attributed this rise to improvements in the services sector, boosted by stronger domestic trade, rising imports and solid performance in hydropower and construction. The ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (April 2025) offers a similar but slightly lower estimate of 4.4 percent growth. It highlights increased hydropower production and better agricultural output—especially in paddy farming—as key drivers of the growth. Both institutions have said that Nepal has managed to bounce back well, despite challenges like natural disasters and travel disruptions caused by the upgrade of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The NRB’s latest report supports this optimistic view. Inflation has eased to 3.85 percent in mid-March of 2025, down from 4.82 percent a year before—well below the central bank’s target. Foreign exchange reserves are healthy, enough to cover more than 17 months of merchandise imports and 14 months of merchandise and services imports, while exports are up by 57.2 percent. These indicators suggest that the country’s economic fundamentals are becoming more stable.

The growth prospects, however, are not without risks. The World Bank has warned that global issues, such as political conflicts, rising prices, and heavy dependence on remittances and tourism, could affect Nepal’s growth. It also said the FATF greylisting has hampered Nepal’s efforts to access international capital markets after having a BB- country rating. The ADB added that ongoing tariff rises may cause a global economic downturn, affecting Nepal’s tourism receipts and remittances, and lower foreign aid could negatively impact growth as Nepal relies on foreign aid to finance development needs. 

The government must prioritize reforms and enhance its spending efficiency to maintain this momentum. Promoting private sector growth through clearer laws and regulations, bolstering the financial system, harnessing hydropower potential, and upgrading tourism infrastructure could generate employment opportunities and lessen dependence on remittances. Similarly, the government should act swiftly to implement the Financial Action Task Force’s recommendations to secure Nepal’s removal from the ‘gray list.’ Failure to address this could lead to severe repercussions.

Kuwait set 186-run target against Nepal in the second match of the four-nation T20I series.

Kuwait, who were invited to bat after losing the toss at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, scored 185 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Opener Clint Anto top-scored for Kuwait with 41 runs hitting four boundaries and two sixes.

Another opener Ravija Sandaruwan made 26 runs. 

Similarly, Meet Bhavsar contributed 35, Usman Patel 13 and Bilal Tahir scored 32.

Likewise, skipper Mohammad Aslam remained unbeaten on 17 and Yasin Patel on 3 runs.

Sompal Kami took highest three wickets for Nepal. Mandan Yadav claimed two wickets and Lalit Rajbansi and Kushal Bhurtel took one wicket each.

Earlier on Wednesday, Nepal defeated Qatar by eight wickets.

The number of victims who died after a roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub surged to 184 late Wednesday as dozens of people lingered outside the Dominican Republic’s forensic institute for news of their loved ones still missing more than a day after disaster struck, Associated Press reported.

Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors, although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.

Several blocks away from the rubble, people searching for friends and family donned face masks and began complaining about a bad odor as they pleaded with officials to give them information about their loved ones.

Earlier in the day, National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they had identified so far, according to Associated Press.

“We cannot wait until nighttime!” said one woman who was waiting for news of a relative whose name she did not hear. “We’re going to go crazy!”

Officials called for calm, saying they had already delivered at least 28 bodies to their families but did not yet have a tally of all the bodies recovered. Late Wednesday, officials raised the number of dead to at least 184, with over 200 injured.

Barcelona thumped visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after Robert Lewandowski scored twice against his old club to earn the Catalans a sizeable lead ahead of next week's return visit to Germany, Reuters reported.

Undefeated since late December, treble-chasing Barca predictably dominated the opening stages and grabbed the lead with Raphinha's strike in the 25th minute. A string of saves from Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel frustrated Barca for the remainder of the first half.

Barcelona emerged more determined after the break and it took them only three minutes to score the second goal, with Raphinha assisting Lewandowski, who nodded home from close range.

The Polish striker extended their lead in the 66th minute from just inside the box while Lamine Yamal wrapped up another demolition job by Barcelona in the 77th.

"I think we played very well but we are not thinking about the semi-finals yet, we must keep the same focus and mentality that have brought us here so far," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus, according to Reuters.

Chinese companies that sell products on Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab are preparing to hike prices for the U.S. or quit that market due to the "unprecedented blow" from President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, the head of China's largest e-commerce association said, Reuters reported.

Trump said on Wednesday he would raise tariffs on Chinese imports to 125% from the 104% level already in effect, escalating the high-stakes confrontation between the two world's largest economies.

"This isn't just a tax issue, it's that the entire cost structure gets entirely overwhelmed," said Wang Xin, the head of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association, which represents more than 3,000 Amazon sellers.

"It'll be very hard for anyone to survive in the U.S. market," she told Reuters.

Some sellers are looking to increase prices in the U.S. while others are looking to find new markets, Wang said.