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Lawmakers have said that India is conspiring not to build Nijgadh International Airport.

Speaking at the International Committee of Parliament on Monday, some lawmakers spoke about the international conspiracy, while others said India is against the construction of airport.

Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal suggested the government draw the attention of the Indian government regarding the current obstructions in the construction of the airport

“India is building international airports in Raxual and Kushinagar to prevent the construction of Nijgad international airport. So Nepal government should talk with Indian side about it,” Nepal said.

Lawmaker Deepak Prakash Bhatta said there have been obstructions in the construction of the airport to make Nepal a client state.    In the meeting, other lawmakers stressed the construction of the airport removing all difficulties. 

Newly elected representatives in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City took the oath of office and secrecy amidst a program in the Capital on Monday.

Rajkumar Khatiwada, chief returning officer in Kathmandu, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mayor Balen Shah, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol among others.

Mayor Shah, an independent candidate, took the oath in both Nepali and Nepal Bhasa.

Later, Shah administered the oath to other elected representatives including Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol.

The local elections were held on May 13.

Russian and Ukrainian troops traded blows in fierce close-quarter combat Sunday in an eastern Ukrainian city as Moscow’s soldiers, supported by intense shelling, attempted to gain a strategic foothold to conquer the region. Ukraine’s leader also made a rare frontline visit to Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, to assess the strength of the national defense, Associated Press reported.

In the east, Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the strategic city, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation there as “indescribably difficult,” with a relentless Russian artillery barrage destroying critical infrastructure and damaging 90% of the buildings. 

“Capturing Sievierodonetsk is a principal task for the occupation force,” Zelensky said, adding that the Russians don’t care about casualties.

The city’s mayor said the fighting had knocked out power and cellphone service and forced a humanitarian relief center to shut down because of the dangers.

The deteriorating conditions raised fears that Sieverodonetsk could become the next Mariupol, a city on the Sea of Azov that spent nearly three months under Russian siege before the last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.

Sievierodonetsk, located 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of the Russian border, has emerged in recent days as the epicenter of Moscow’s quest to capture all of Ukraine’s eastern industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up its efforts to capture the nearby city of Lysychansk, where civilians rushed to escape persistent shelling, according to the Associated Press.

The two eastern cities span the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last major areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, which makes up the Donbas together with the adjacent Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, visited soldiers in Kharkiv, where Ukrainian fighters pushed Russian forces back from nearby positions several weeks ago. 

“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app after the visit.

Russia has kept up its bombardment of the northeastern city from afar, and explosions could be heard shortly after Zelenskyy’s visit. Shelling and airstrikes have destroyed more than 2,000 apartment buildings in the city since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov.

In a video address later Sunday, Zelenskyy praised Kharkiv regional officials but said he had fired the regional head of the country’s top security agency, the SBU, for his poor performance. In the wider Kharkiv region, Russian troops still held about one-third of the territory, Zelenskyy said, Associated Press reported.

After failing to seize Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Russia is focused on occupying parts of Donbas not already controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told French TF1 television Sunday that Moscow’s “unconditional priority is the liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” adding that Russia sees them as “independent states.”

He also suggested other regions of Ukraine should be able to establish close ties with Russia.

In Luhansk, constant Russian shelling has created what provincial governor Serhiy Haidai called a “severe situation.”

“There are fatalities and wounded people,” he wrote on Telegram. On Saturday, he said, one civilian died and four were injured after a Russian shell hit a high-rise apartment building.

But some Luhansk supply and evacuation routes functioned Sunday, he said. He claimed the Russians had retreated “with losses” around a village near Sievierodonetsk but conducted airstrikes on another nearby river village, according to the Associated Press.

Civilians who reached the eastern city of Pokrovsk, 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Lysychansk, said they held out as long as they could before fleeing the Russian advance.

Yana Skakova choked back tears as she described leaving with her 18-month and 4-year-old sons while her husband stayed behind to take care of their house and animals. The family was among 18 people who lived in a basement for the past 2 1/2 months until police told them Friday it was time to evacuate. 

“None of us wanted to leave our native city,” she said. “But for the sake of these small children, we decided to leave.”

Finance Minister Janardan Sharma presented a budget of Rs 1, 793. 83 billion for the fiscal year 2022/23 on Sunday.

Finance Minister Janardan Sharma presented the budget at the Federal Parliament today.

Out of the total budget, the government has allocated Rs 753 billion or 42 percent for recurrent expenditure, Rs 380. 38 billion or 21. 2 percent for capital expenditure and Rs 230. 22 billion or 112.8 percent financial provision.

Similarly, the government has allocated Rs 429. 83 or 24 percent for grants to sub-national governments.

The government will take Rs 1, 240. 11 or 69.1 percent from revenue and Rs 55. 46 billion or 3.1 percent from foreign grants to bear the source of estimated expenses.

Likewise, the government will take a total loan of Rs 498. 46 billion—Rs 242. 26 billion or 13.5 percent from foreign loans and Rs 256 billion or 14.3 percent from domestic loans.