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The expansion of the six-lane expressway from Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur district to Dhulikhel in Kavre has gained nearly 67 percent of the physical progress, the project officials said.

Started three years ago, the project is expected to complete in the given deadline of mid-December, 2026. The 16 kilometers stretch of the Araniko Highway is being expanded into six lanes in two packages.

The first section from Suryabinayak to Sanga has achieved 65 percent completion and the route from Sanga to Dhulikhel recorded 55 percent progress. 

The Suryabinayak-Sanga is being constructed at a cost of Rs 3.88 billion. 

Information Officer of the Project, Anju Pariyar, said that a bridge over Mahadev river is being constructed in this stretch out of the total three bridges to be built.   

Pariyar shared that designs of two other bridges have been completed and the construction will be initiated soon.     

Likewise, the Lama Construction Pvt Ltd is carrying out the construction works of the Sanga-Dhulikhel section at the cost of Rs 4.5 billion. 

The construction works along the Sanga to Dhulikhel section has advanced smoothly recently though it was stalled for some period citing some local issues. 

Project Engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal shared that currently the construction works have been intensified in Janagal, Basghari-Budol, Saga-Bhainsepati and Banepa sites.

The World Meteorological Day 2026 is being observed across the world today celebrating the 76th anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

The theme of this year is "Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow". 

The themes chosen for World Meteorological Day reflect topical weather, climate or water-related issues, according to the WMO.

It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world. 

In Nepal, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology is also organizing an interaction program on awareness raising on weather, the importance of weather forecast and the measures for the climate change risk reduction, according to the Department's Meteorologist Sujan Subedi.

"The immense and often invisible observing and prediction system coordinated by WMO is the backbone of our economies. It is the central nervous system for early warnings, which have saved many millions of lives," the WMO stated. 

This World Meteorological Day therefore celebrates the work of the WMO community in observing our Earth to protect communities today and build resilience for tomorrow, it said.

The 27th Flora Expo organized by the Floriculture Association of Nepal concluded on Sunday by drawing more than 60,000 visitors and business worth Rs 12.2 million. 

The four-day-long expo that began with the slogan 'Floriculture for Clean Environment, Employment and Economic Prosperity' was organized in Bhrikutimandap exhibition hall and received an impressive number of visitors, Association's Senior Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Tamang said. 

The Expo had 65 commercial, 11 official and two competitive stalls.  

Floriculture is currently being carried out in about 270 hectares across 52 districts and that more than 53,500 people are employed directly or indirectly in the flower business in the country, it is said. 

Likewise, this sector has a total investment of more than Rs 8.8 billion in Nepal. 

Also, some agricultural policies have been modified and implemented, which has led to policy issues in imported flowers and flower-based products that need to be produced domestically.

Earlier, the Bagmati Province Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Madhusudan Paudel, had inaugurated the event while expressing his readiness to support the prosperous floriculture business.

The air pollution afflicting the country, including the federal capital, Kathmandu, for quite a while has declined remarkably after the rainfall last Friday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 178, making Kathmandu City as the second most polluted city in the world a week back. 

The AQI has now declined sharply placing Kathmandu City at AQI 60. It means Kathmandu is the 67th polluted place in the world now.

The AQI measurement from 0 to 50 is considered 'good' while 51 to 100 'requires alertness', 100 to 150 is 'unhealthy', impacting badly the people with respiratory and heart diseases. It is 'unhealthy for all' if the AQI ranges from 151 to 200, while the 'very unhealthy' stage is 201 to 300 and 'very dangerous' in case of the AQI above 300. 

Director General at the Department of Environment, Gyanraj Subedi, informed that the rainfall coupled with storms swept away the dust and polluted particles. It resulted in clean air.