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Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya today said the tendency of weakening election integrity and contaminating poll-related activities could not be democratic.

Initiatives have been taken to create conducive environment for holding the May 13 local election in a fair, fearless and disciplined way and such efforts should not be doubted, he said at an event organised today here by the Election Commission. The programme was supported by the Press Council Nepal and the Federation of Nepali Journalists.

"It feels that there have somehow been difficulties in carrying out electoral reforms effectively due to the culture of not entertaining changes and taking them personally," he said.

Electoral reforms have been implemented only after discussion with stakeholders, he clarified. "We have decided to organise the local poll in a single phase and on a single day.

Elections after 1991 have not been held in a single phase and a single day. This could result in organising the poll in a fair, free, impartial way."

He explained, the EC took the risk of allocating election symbols to the parties except those with national recognition to pave the way for them to participate in the election despite a clear legal provision to this effect missing. "The decision was new for us (the EC team)."

According to the Chief Election Commissioner, political parties have been advised that the implementation of the Article 38 (4) that provides women the right to participate in all bodies of the state on the basis of the principle of proportional inclusion and Article 42 which is about the right to social justice would help enhance women's representation, participation and inclusion in the election.

Stating that election was becoming extravagant and the poll ran the risk of being influenced by money and resources instead of party principles and ideologies, he said the EC had fixed a ceiling for election expenditure for the same reason.

He said the Election Code of Conduct was drafted acting on the suggestions from all bodies concerned as the EC hoped to see its effective implementation. "Its monitoring will be carried out through the participation of all bodies concerned.

Acknowledging the contribution of media in taking the nation towards the election process, he urged mediapersons to fully comply with journalists' code of conduct and election code of conduct. "Media houses are expected to prove their professionalism, credibility, independence, fearlessness and to fulfil their responsibility towards citizens."

It has been proposed to ban the supply and consumption of alcoholic products during the electoral silence period to avert any untoward influence among voters, according to Thapaliya.

Council Chairperson Bal Krishna Basnet urged the media to fully abide by the journalists' code of conduct and election code of conduct.

He said, "It is the responsibility of all to follow the code of conduct. Media should play its role in covering the election in a free and fearless environment."

Similarly, FNJ President Bipul Pokharel opined that the media should play a significant role in taking voters to polling stations and helping to hold the election in a fearless manner.

Pokharel further said that journalists should actively show their neutrality during the poll.

On the occasion, an orientation on the issue of election code of conduct and news dissemination was given to photo journalists, online media journalists and journalists writing on election.

Under-Secretary of the EC, Kamal Bhattarai, gave a presentation on the 'Election Code of Conduct-2022 Implementation and Collaboration with Photo Journalists'.

Similarly, photo journalist Bikas Rauniyar gave a presentation on 'Photo Journalism: Past and Future' and photo journalist Bikas Karki on 'Election related News Collection, Reporting and Photo Journalism'.

Likewise, senior journalist Hari Bahadur Thapa presented a working paper on 'Election related News Collection and Reporting', EC Under-secretary Surya Prasad Aryal presented on 'Election Code of Conduct-2022 and media sector' and media expert Kiran Chapagain on 'Prevention of Misinformation and Hate Speech and its possible impacts on election'.

The CPN (Unified Socialist) has unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming local elections.

Unveiling the manifesto at a programme organized in the Capital on Tuesday, Unified Socialist Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal declared that each household would be provided with electricity up to 200 units free of cost through local government led by the party.

Necessary coordination would be made with federal and provincial governments for this, he highlighted.

He also noted that his party’s manifesto outlines a plan to provide basic electricity service to the houses out of its access and place top priority to provide free health, education and drinking water service through the local government budget.

The manifesto has also included popular programmes that the Nepal-led government did before and the campaign ‘let us build our village on our own’ initiated by the nine-month government of the CPN-UML.

“Each household of the municipality/rural municipality would be provided with 5,000 litres of water free of cost. Drinking water would be made available to the people of the area where drinking water is not within their reach, the manifesto highlighted.

Police in Sri Lanka opened fire on crowds protesting at fuel shortages during the economic crisis, leaving one man dead and 11 others wounded, BBC reported.

The casualties in the central town of Rambukkana came after live ammunition was used by police for the first time since protests erupted in early April.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets since Sri Lanka ran out of money for vital imports.

They want President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign but he is refusing to quit.

His appointment of a new cabinet on Monday angered many Sri Lankans. There were protests in a number of areas on Tuesday after Sri Lanka's main fuel retailer put prices up by nearly 65%.

The Rambukkana crowds had been protesting for about 15 hours demanding fuel, BBC Sinhala's Ranga Sirilal reports.

"Police had to fire to control the protesters. They set fire to some tyres too, so police had to fire to disperse them," police spokesman Nihal Talduwa told the BBC.

The authorities say the crowd threw stones and other objects at police, injuring a number of them. 

Two of the injured protesters are reported to be in a critical condition. The man who died was likely to have been shot, Mihiri Priyangani, director of the Kegalle Teaching Hospital, told Reuters news agency. 

"We are suspecting gunshot injuries but need a post-mortem to confirm the exact cause of death."

Thousands of angry motorists and bus drivers have been burning tyres and blocking the nearby highway linking the capital Colombo with the city of Kandy.

The island nation is grappling with its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

It is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that Sri Lanka cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices, according to BBC.

With power cuts lasting half a day or more, public anger has soared.

The demonstrations mark a massive turnaround in popularity for Mr Rajapaksa who swept into power in 2019, promising stability and a "strong hand" to rule the country.

Critics say corruption and nepotism - his brothers and nephews occupied several key ministerial portfolios - are the main reasons for the crisis.

The new cabinet contained several party stalwarts, but was shorn of Rajapksa family members, apart from the president's elder brother Mahinda who kept his job as prime minister, BBC reported.

Ukraine's allies have pledged to send more weapons to help it defend against a renewed Russian offensive, BBC reported.

The US and others vowed to send artillery, anti-tank and air Defence aid to Kyiv during a 90-minute video call on Tuesday. 

Ukraine says it needs the weapons to help defend itself as Russia launched a new campaign in the country's east.

Clashes there have marked what Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said was the start of the "battle for the Donbas". 

The eastern Donbas - which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions - is where Russia is concentrating its efforts.

According to Ukraine, Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian positions along the entire 300-mile (480km) front line since Monday.

It was amid these renewed attacks that Western leaders met to discuss further military assistance for Ukraine, according to BBC.

Following the meeting, the US defence department said additional military aircraft and aircraft parts had been sent to Ukraine to increase their fleet size and repair others in Ukraine's arsenal that were damaged.

The US defence department added that the US had not provided aircraft to Kyiv itself, and did not provide details on which countries have provided the aircraft.

President Zelensky has been appealing to the US for Soviet-made air defence systems and fighter jets as an alternative to a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Last month, the US refused a proposal by Poland to provide it with MiG-29 fighter jets, which it would then transfer to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters after the meeting between Western allies, added that the US is planning to provide a further military aid package to Ukraine of a similar size to the $800m (£615m) aid package he announced last week, according to US media.

He said Washington would also be sending Ukraine more artillery - heavy guns deployed in land warfare.

Other countries also pledged to help Ukraine with further military assistance during the meeting.

"They [Ukraine] need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them," said the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in parliament after the meeting, BBC reported.

In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was providing finance to enable Ukraine to buy anti-tank weapons and ammunition from German arms manufacturers. 

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic said it would repair Ukrainian tanks and armoured vehicles when they are damaged in combat.

Further economic sanctions against Russia was another topic on the agenda.

The arms pledges follow persistent calls from President Zelensky for allies to increase their weapons supplies to Kyiv.

"We need heavy artillery, armed vehicles, air defence systems and combat aircraft — anything to repel Russian forces and stop their war crimes," Mr Zelensky said on Twitter last week. "Nobody will stop Russia except Ukraine with heavy weapons".

Russia fiercely opposes such assistance.

"The United States and Western states under its control are doing everything to drag out the military operation for as long as possible," Russia's defence chief Sergei Shoigu said.

The leaders also discussed how to provide security guarantees to Ukraine after the war even if it is not a member of Nato, a French presidential advisor said.

Nato is a military alliance whose 30 members - including the US, UK and Germany - have agreed to come to one another's aid in the event of an armed attack against any one of them.

Since Ukraine is not a Nato member, the alliance isn't obliged to come to its defence. 

Its members fear that involving themselves in direct armed confrontation could lead to an all-out conflict between Russia and the West.

Instead, Nato members have supplied Ukraine with millions of dollars worth of military aid since Russia launched the invasion, according to BBC.