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Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea in separate deals with the US, after three days of peace talks in Saudi Arabia, BBC reported.

Washington said all parties would continue working toward a "durable and lasting peace" in statements announcing the agreements, which would reopen an important trade route.

They have also committed to "develop measures" to implement a previously agreed ban on attacking each other's energy infrastructure, the White House said.

But Russia said the naval ceasefire would only come into force after a number of sanctions against its food and fertiliser trade were lifted, according to BBC.

The country currently has witnessed partial influence of westerly winds and local winds. 

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather is partly cloudy in the hilly regions and fair in the rest of the country today. 

Light rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at one or two places of the hilly regions of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces and light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions. 

Similarly, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces tonight. 

With chances of light rain accompanied by thunder and lightning at one or two places of the hilly regions of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces and light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions in the next 24 hours, the Division has urged all concerned to adopt alert measures. 

Granting permits has begun for spring mountaineering this year. 

According to the Department of Tourism, a total of 58 people, including 18 women and 40 men, from eight mountaineering groups have obtained permission for climbing various peaks, including the Annapurna-1. 

Climbers from 24 countries, including Nepal, have so far taken permission for mountaineering this season. 

Department Director Liladhar Awasthi informed that granting permission for climbing during the season has begun. 

"Permission will be given for scaling the world's highest peak, Mount Everest soon", he said. 

The climbing companies are engaged in the preparation to manage Everest climbing. 

"There has been an increase in climbing related activities in the Mount Everest region lately. The climbing companies have stepped up their preparation for climbing management here", the Department director further informed. 

Spring season is considered an ideal time for climbing peaks, including Everest. A significant number of foreigners turn up here to climb the world's summit this season. 

The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) has deputed an 'icefall doctor' to make way for climbing Mount Everest in the spring season. 

The SPCC has deployed a 10-member team to construct the road from the base camp to the second camp of Mount Everest. 

Similarly, skilled climbers have recently been deployed for 'rope fixing' from the second camp to the summit of Mount Everest. 

The Mountaineering Operators' Association has deputed 10 Sherpa climbers led by Ashok Lama to fix the rope to the summit. 

IME Group and IXI Corp have jointly established the Kathmandu Technical School (KTS). The school is brought into operation with an objective of producing skilled human resources in the job market. 

Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, inaugurated the school amidst a programme organized at Dhumbarahi today. 

On the occasion, Minister Bahndari said the government has put partnership with the private sector in priority as problems of unemployment and poverty would be resolved only from the fusion of skill, employment, entrepreneurship and capital. 

"Producing technical human resources is the government's priority. The government is ready to collaborate with the private sector in skill development and producing technical human resources", he asserted.   

Similarly, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and IME Group Chair Chandra Prasad Dhakal said with the operation of the school, the IME Group has been moving ahead for producing technical human resources. 

He expressed the belief that the school would play a significant role to make thousands of youths self-employed. "The school was established with a target of starting a new era in technical and vocational education in Nepal. We expect that the school will have a positive contribution in employment, education, society and overall economy", mentioned Dhakal.  

Likewise, Chairperson of Kathmandu Technical School, Manoj Poudel, shared that the school would help the government's objective of producing more than 100,000 human resources in the next 10 years. 

The school would impart training related to hospitality, culinary arts, caregiving,  as well as other employment-oriented and self-employment categories.

Japan's ambassador to Nepal, Maeda Toru, today paid a courtesy call on Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal. 

During the meeting held at the Minister's office in Singha Durbar, the Minister congratulated the newly-appointed ambassador Maeda for assuming the office.

He acknowledged Japan's grants, loan, multilateral assistance and technical support to Nepal for its infrastructure and human resources development, and in the conservation of environment as well as in the development of health, education and agriculture sectors.   

"We acknowledge the support and cooperation from the Japanese government, citizens, non- government organisations and universities during the natural disasters including the 2015 earthquake," the Minister said, adding that bilateral relations and cooperation with Japan is always the top priority of Nepal.  

He added that Nepal longed for taking benefits from Japan's experiences, knowledge, skills and technologies in their efforts for development in various sectors including infrastructure, industry, agriculture and hydropower.

On the occasion, the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries was recalled.

The Minister urged Japan's investors to explore opportunities in Nepal as well, pledging the security of their investment. 

He highlighted that the year 2026 will mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Japan, and in the same year, Nepal will graduate from the category of a least developed country to a middle-income developing nation. 

Minister Dahal also expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for providing scholarships to Nepal’s government officials each year under the Japan Development Scheme (JDS). Additionally, Nepal has benefitted from Japan's Colombo Plan.

An online system has been launched to make the justice system more simple and convenient. 

The online system that is used to send notice about the hearings assigned to offices of Chief Attorney in all seven provinces by the Supreme Court and take action on special nature of complaints by District Courts was launched today.

Launching the online system, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut shared that the justice system must be reformed and for that improvement in technology was essential.

"The justice system will be reliable, trustworthy and transparent once the online system is launched. It will also help remove irregularities and aberrations," he argued. Digitalization in the justice system was the need of the hour, CJ Raut added. 

The Supreme Court has been giving priority to the use of information technology with an objective of making judicial service easy, smooth and effective as well as to develop court as a paperless institution.

Chandra Bahadur Thapa Chhetri has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Health Insurance Board.

Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-appointed Chairperson Thapa at the Ministry today. He was the Board member for three years before this.

Newly appointed Chairman Thapa said that there is a plan to include all the citizens by reviewing and reforming the health insurance policy to improve health insurance.

He pledged to make the insurance claim payment process faster and transparent and to manage the insurance fund transparently and effectively, to take initiative for the approval of the permanent organization structure of the Health Insurance Board, to launch an awareness campaign about the importance of health insurance and to make the insurance programme effective by collaborating with the government, the private sector and international organizations.

Nepal has achieved remarkable success in poverty reduction, nearly eradicating extreme poverty, largely driven by remittances. To strengthen future growth, Nepal should prioritize policy actions that unlock domestic opportunities, according to the World Bank’s Nepal Country Economic Memorandum: Unlocking Nepal’s Growth Potential, released on 24 March 2024. 

Despite progress, Nepal’s economic growth lags behind regional peers. Nepal’s economy grew at an average annual real rate of just 4.2 percent between 1996 and 2023, ranking sixth out of eight South Asian nations, the report states. Structural challenges such as low productivity, declining exports, and a stagnant industrial sector have held back the economy and led to slow job creation in non-agriculture sectors. Young workers are migrating abroad in search of better job opportunities as domestic prospects remain limited.

“Nepal’s success in poverty reduction is impressive, but its economic potential remains largely untapped,” said David Sislen, World Bank Division Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. “Nepal has significant potential to drive stronger growth and create jobs by implementing key reforms to increase the returns from migration, boost exports, use hydropower efficiently, and boost digitalization.”

“The 16th Plan for Nepal outlines a vision of good governance, social justice and prosperity and prioritizes productivity and competitiveness, decent and productive jobs, social security, and ensuring a smooth transition from LDC status. The government is committed to ensuring an enabling policy environment for Nepal’s sustainable growth,” said Vice Chair of the National Planning Commission, Prof Shiva Raj Adhikari.

Produced every five years, the Nepal Country Economic Memorandum offers a roadmap for faster growth in key sectors. It recommends policy actions in four critical areas to unlock Nepal’s economic potential.

A systematic and institutionalized migration system can enhance the returns from migration, the report states: Integrating migration into national development, job creation, and poverty reduction strategies will provide a platform to work toward such a system. Policies should focus on reducing the cost and increasing the benefits and safety for current low-skilled migrants, while also eyeing longer-term skill and destination diversification.

Expanding and better implementing bilateral labor agreements will be critical. Initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and retraining and reskilling programs would allow returning migrants to reintegrate into the domestic labor market, according to the report. 

Improving market competition in key sectors and addressing infrastructure deficits can boost exports. Better managing inflationary pressures would address the erosion of exporters’ price competitiveness, it states: Encouraging people to use remittances for investments and business growth could help ease inflation. Simplifying the process for businesses to get tax refunds on imported materials and lowering import taxes would make it easier for them to export more products. With Nepal’s transition from Least Developed Countries status and the loss of trade preferences, authorities should seek additional preferential trade agreements. 

Developing a clear financing strategy to develop the hydropower sector will help mobilize much-needed investments, goes the report. This strategy could include developing the domestic bond market and an effective framework for large-scale public-private partnerships. Strengthening the regulatory and legal frameworks, by reducing bureaucratic red tape and streamlining the current licensing process, would improve the structure of the electricity market and attract additional investment, the report adds.