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A Turkish Airlines plane flying from Kathmandu to Istanbul reported a fire shortly after takeoff. The fire broke out in the right engine about four minutes after departure from Tribhuvan International Airport. The aircraft was carrying 225 passengers.

Airport officials said the pilot shut down the right engine and turned the plane westward. Tribhuvan Airport was closed for about 15 minutes as emergency teams were placed on alert. Fire engines and ambulances were prepared as a safety measure.

The fire was brought under control after the engine was shut down. The aircraft was diverted to Kolkata, India, using its left engine. The plane landed safely, and airport operations in Kathmandu returned to normal.

Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) is organizing the Nepal–India Think Tank Forum 2026, themed “Regional Resilience: Strengthening Nepal–India Security Cooperation,”  to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. 

The one-day event will be held on Tuesday at the Kathmandu Marriott Hotel.

The forum will feature three focused sessions that will examine the convergence, continuity, and future trajectory of Nepal–India security cooperation; address transnational threats, connectivity, and economic security challenges shaping bilateral relations and explore the role of think tanks, youth, and media in building resilient Nepal–India relations, reads a statement issued by NIICE. 

Speakers from India include Ambassador Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Advisor of Indian Prime Minister Modi who is heading a think tank called NatStrat; Former Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd.), Director General of the United Service Institution of India, that is the oldest security think tank of India; Capt. Dr. Alok Bansal, Executive Vice President of India Foundation which closely works with the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party; Prof.Sangeeta Thapliyal of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Dr. Gaurav Saini, Co-Founder of Council for Strategic and Defence Research.

From Nepal, speakers Anurag Acharya, Director at Policy Entrepreneurs Inc., Dr. Angana Guha Roy, Associate Director at Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs; Maj. Gen. BinojBasnyat (Retd.), political and security analyst; and senior journalists Sanjeev Satgainya, Bibek Dhoj Thapa, Research Associate and Program Coordinator at NIICE and several others. 

“At a time when our region is facing new and complex challenges, Nepal and India must work closely together to address shared concerns, "Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE said, adding, "​​​​​​Platforms like this will create valuable space for dialogue, enabling experts and policymakers from both sides to sit together, exchange ideas, and jointly explore practical solutions to common challenges.”

Police have arrested two persons on the charge of taking a youth hostage in Siraha. 

The accused allegedly lured the victim to India by promising him a lucrative job.

According to District Police Office information officer Ramesh Bahadur Pal, the arrestees have been identified as Suraj Mukhiya (26) of Kalyanpur Municipality-7, and Prashant Chaudhary (22) of Lahan Municipality-11.

Police said the alleged victim, Rishakesh Kumar Marik of Kalyanpur-7, was assured of a well-paying job in Gaya, India. 

After he reached there, the two allegedly confiscated his mobile phone and academic certificates. The incident reportedly took place on January 4. 

As stated by the victim, he was kept in a hostel, physically assaulted, and threatened with death while the accused demanded ransom from his family. 

The accused allegedly collected Rs 217,000 from the victim’s family as ransom and also took Indian currency (INR) 30,000 from the victim himself.

An election police officer died after falling off a cliff at Kharakte Salleri in Baitadi on Wednesday. 

Fresh recruit Prakash Chand (32) of Dasharathchand Municipality 4 died in the incident, according to District Police Office Chief Deepak Kumar Rai.

The accident took place this morning while he was returning home after successfully completing the police training to serve in the March 5 elections to the House of Representatives.