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The sweeping new tariffsannounced Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump were met initially with measured reactions from key trading partners, highlighting the lack of appetite for a full-fledged trade war, Associated Press reported.

Trump presented the import taxes, which he calls “reciprocal tariffs” and range from 10% to 49%, in the simplest terms: the U.S. would do to its trading partners what he said they had been doing to the U.S. for decades.

“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” he said. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”

The president promised that “Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country.” He framed it not just as an economic issue, but a question of national security that threatens “our very way of life.”

Financial markets were jolted, with U.S. stock futures down by as much as 3% early Thursday and Tokyo’s market leading losses in Asia. Oil prices sank more than $2 a barrel and the price of bitcoin dropped 4.4%, according to the Associated Press.

The Kathmandu Valley blanketed with a haze will continue to see it for some days. Air pollution has taken a toll on the valley weather.

However, with the improving pace of wind, the haze will be fizzling out from Friday, according to meteorologist Binu Maharjan. There is no chance of rainfall at present in the Kathmandu Valley, but the haze will be cleared gradually, she added. 

The Weather Forecasting Division has said the country has partial impact of westerly and local winds, causing partly cloudy in the hilly regions of the country, including Lumbini Province today.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has vowed stringent action against those involved in violent attacks on journalists and media houses during the March 28 demonstration at Tinkune, Kathmandu. Fair investigation into the violent incidents would find those behind the atrocities, he added.

Home Minister Lekhak made such a pledge during a meeting with a team led by General Secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Ram Prasad Dahal, on Wednesday. The FNJ delegation submitted a memorandum to Minister Lekhak. 

It was an anarchic and violent demonstration orchestrated by those sans ideology, Lekhak reminded, adding that the anarchic mob was intended to perpetrate crimes. "The mob crossed every limit, thereby putting journalists and media houses at the receiving end. The Nepal government is serious about it," he stressed.

He shared information on relief assistance to be provided to the family of victim journalist Suresh Rajak and another injured journalist.

On the occasion, FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal requested the Home Minister to investigate well the atrocities meted out on media houses and death of an on-duty journalist during the demonstration, and to take a stringent action on culpable ones.

Information on it was shared by the Home Minister's secretariat.

Raj Kishor Yadav, Chairman of International Relations and Tourism Committee of Parliament has addressed the ‘Indian Ocean Conference 2025: The BIMSTEC Dialogue’ organized by Indian Foundation in Thailand on the sidelines of BIMSTEC Summit. 

It is an honour to represent Nepal at the 'Indian Ocean Conference 2025: The BIMSTEC Dialogue' hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand, a land of the free that was previously called Siam, Yadav said. 

 This Sanskrit word has connected us for centuries. Nepal's shared vision of fostering prosperity and connectivity with South and Southeast Asia(SEA) as a founding member of BIMSTEC since 1997, he added. 

As the Nepali adage states, 'Strength lies in unity,' we gather to advance our Collective and robust Prosperity, he said, we request all to channel this unity to transcend challenges into opportunities and Take the plunge for Aspiration. 

We are the civilisation state extending the Bharat Barsha, now divided into seven states with 22% of the total global population, and we are the hub of ancient wisdom, biodiversity, and youth and have been leaders for millennia, Yadav said. 

 We must work for resilient infrastructure to untapped this potential, breaking trade barriers for equitable growth. So this platform is also a bridge connecting the landlocked Himalayas with the vibrant ASEAN markets and blue economies of the Bay of Bengal, he said.

The hotline service (1151) launched by the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation to resolve electricity related problems has become effective.

The hotline service is receiving a large number of complaints. It was launched in order to resolve problems like dilly dallying in work, power cut without notice, irregular meter reading as well as other unnecessary hassles. 

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Dipak Khadka, directed to address the people's complaints filed at the hotline as soon as possible.  

Ram Krishna Poudel, who is working at hotline service, shared that they have been resolving the problems informing the chief of the concerned offices and distribution centres soon after receiving the complaints. 

Total 1,902 complaints were registered at the hotline service from February 13-March 13 while more than 1,000 complaints have already been registered till March 31, he added. Most of the complaints received at hotline service are related to disruption in power supply and low voltage. 

The service recipients also use Facebook and viber to file complaints and additional human resources have been deputed to address the complaints. 

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning an executive order that would ease rules governing exports of military equipment, and could announce it as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, four sources familiar with the discussions said, Reuters reported.

The sources, some in government and some in industry, said they expected the order would be similar to legislation proposed by Trump's national security adviser, Michael Waltz, last year when he was a Republican member of the House of Representatives.

An executive order could increase sales for big U.S. defense contractors like Lockheed Martin.

If it had become law, the bill backed by Waltz in 2024 would have amended the U.S. Arms Export Control Act to increase the minimum dollar amounts that trigger a congressional review of arms exports to other countries. They would increase to $23 million from $14 million for arms transfers, and rise to $83 million from $50 million for the sale of military equipment, upgrades, training and other services, according to Reuters.

The World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is being observed globally today by organizing a variety of awareness related programmes. 

This Day has been observed on April 2 every year since 2007 at the call of the United Nations. 

The Day is marked in order to promote the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for autistic individuals, ensuring their equal participation in the society. 

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said the Day would be useful to achieve sustainable development goals and to fulfill health related commitments. 

In a message on this Day, Guterres stressed the need of providing health, education and employment opportunities to autistic individuals.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtran Shinawatra, are holding a meeting today. 

Prime Minister Oli is on an official visit to Thailand at the cordial invitation of his Thai counterpart. 

Before the meeting with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prime Minister Oli attended the welcome program hosted by his Thai counterpart. 

This is the first official visit of Nepali Prime Minister to Thailand. 

It is expected that this visit would contribute to the expansion of mutual relations and collaboration between the two countries. 

According to the Foreign Ministry, an agreement related to collaboration in culture and tourism sectors would be signed after the meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries. 

Similarly, six different memoranda of understanding would be exchanged between non-governmental and business organisations of the two countries. After the agreement, the two prime ministers are scheduled to hold a joint press conference. 

Likewise, the Prime Minister would participate in a luncheon hosted by his counterpart as well as hold a courtesy meeting with the King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, today itself. 

He is scheduled to return home on April 5.