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CPN-UML and Janata Samajbadi Party have agreed to forge an electoral alliance in the upcoming federal and parliamentary elections. In an agreement signed between UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav on Friday, the duo had agreed to forge an electoral alliance on two seats in Province 1, 14 seats in Madhesh Province and one seat in Lumbini Province. The JSP has decided to forge an electoral alliance in Morang-5, Sunsari-1, Saptari-1, 2 and 4, Siraha-2 and 4, Dhanusha-1, Mahottari-3 and 4, Sarlahi-1 and 4, Rautahat-2, Bara-2, Parsa-1 and 2 and Rupandehi-4. Likewise, the UML and JSP have agreed to forge electoral alliance on four seats in Province-1, 32 seats in Madhesh Province, five seats in Lumbini and one seat in Sudurpaschim Province.

CPN-UML leader Bal Krishna Dhungel passed away on Saturday. He was found dead at his residence in Kadaghari in Kathmandu this morning. UML leader Nani Babu Budhathoki said that Dhungel died after he fell in the toilet. Dhungel was alone in the house as other members of the family had gone to Bardibas. According to SSP Bharat Bohara of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, a team of the Metropolitan Police Cricle, Baneshwor has reached the incident site. Dhungel of Okhaldhunga, who was previously in the CPN (Maoist Centre), was also a member of the first Constituent Assembly member. He was found guilty in the murder case of Ujjan Shrestha during the armed conflict.  

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is likely to be arrested in foreign funding case, ARY citing sources reported on Friday.  The report comes soon after the other PTI leaders including Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi were arrested the same day. The media outlet said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah ordered concerned authorities to lodge a case against Imran Khan.  Dawn newspaper citing sources reported that the federal government has prepared a plan under which the police have been given a go ahead to put Imran Khan under house arrest at his Banigala residence after the announcement of the much-hyped long march.  Notably, PTI leader Saifullah Niazi was also taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Cybercrime wing on Friday, on charges of running an 'unauthorized' website, which was being used for illegal fundraising, ARY news reported. "After Shehbaz Sharif's press conference yesterday and the subsequent arrests of Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi, it is clear that the government is panicking and is scared after the announcement of 'Azadi March'," PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain tweeted.  Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Rana Sanaullah gave reasons for the detention and noted that the PTI leaders were not appearing before the FIA in the party's prohibited funding case.  Meanwhile, Imran Khan directed party workers to get ready for the 'Haqeeqi Azadi March' in Islamabad. After the announcement, the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government had decided to call out the army and deploy troops in the capital city if PTI chief Imran Khan gave a call for the march. The ousted Prime minister claimed that there is only one way for Pakistan to come out of the prevailing situation and that is to ensure fresh general elections in the country.  While addressing a mega rally last month in Punjab's Rahimyar Khan district, Khan said he would give the final call for anti-government protests when the time was ripe, asserting that it would come when he is assured that he can "take three wickets in one ball". (ANI)

After facing heavy losses, Nepal Airlines has decided to sell five of its Chinese-made aircraft as nobody wants to lease them. The aircraft spent more time on the ground than in the air, and they were becoming a financial burden on the debt-ridden national flag carrier.  Eight years after acquiring a batch of Chinese planes it had hoped to fly on underserved mountain routes, Nepal Airlines finally decided that it didn't want the albatross around its neck anymore after the direction of the Ministry of Finance.  In 2012, the corporation advanced the purchase agreement of four Y12E (Y12E) and two MA60 (MA60) aircraft from China. One of these planes is now in a state of non-operation after the accident, while the remaining five are sitting idle in the parking lot of Tribhuvan International Airport. Besides maintenance issues and lack of spare parts, Nepal Airlines couldn't find pilots to fly the aircraft, and there was no sense in keeping them anymore. The deadline for the bids set by Nepal Airlines is October 31. Some top Nepal Airlines officials say they do not expect to see potential lessees. It is said that the Ministry of Finance has instructed the corporation to prepare to sell the aircraft to anyone who wants it after not even leasing it from this call, reported hamrakura.com. After purchasing the Chinese aircraft, it became a headache for the first batch that entered in 2014.  Now, as the losses continue to increase, the situation has arisen that these aircraft have to be sold at a loss price. In November 2012, state flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) signed a commercial agreement with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a Chinese Government undertaking to procure the aircraft. China at the time had provided the grant and concessional loan assistance of 408m Chinese Yuan, equivalent to Rs 6.67bn.  Out of the total aid money, a grant worth 180m yuan (Rs 2.94bn) went to pay for one MA60 and one Y12e aircraft. The other aircraft were bought for 228m yuan (Rs 3.72bn) with a soft loan provided by China's EXIM Bank.  Soon after their arrival, the NAC board then realized that aircraft cost more to operate than to purchase and bring to Nepal. In July 2020, the NAC board decided to stop the operation of aircraft and since they have been kept at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Though the planes are out of service due to high-cost operationalization and being unfit to fly, the Ministry of Finance has started paying back the interest on the loans for the planes. (ANI)