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International Jazz Day is being marked worldwide today. To observe this day, concerts and performance-based initiatives complemented by wide-ranging social outreach and educational activities would be organized.

UNESCO proclaimed April 30 as International Jazz Day in November 2011 to celebrate the power of jazz as a force for peace, dialogue and mutual understanding. "This Day is an opportunity to foster greater appreciation – not only for music, but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies," the UN agency mentioned. 

According to the United Nations, International Jazz Day raises awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people, as well as an educational tool. 

The story of jazz is written into the quest for human dignity, democracy and civil rights. It has given strength to the struggle against discrimination and racism, UNESCO stated on its official webpage. 

The country is under the influence of westerly and local winds, along with a low-pressure system in the lower atmosphere near the eastern region, resulting in cloudy conditions in most parts of the country, according to the Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Currently, light to moderate rain accompanied with thunder, lightning and windstorms is taking place in some places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali Provinces, and at a few places in Madhes and Sudurpaschim Provinces, the Department stated.

This afternoon, the weather will be generally to fully cloudy conditions across the country.   

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi and Madhes Provinces as well as in the hilly and Himalayan regions of the country.

The weather will be generally cloudy in the Himalayan region of the country and partly cloudy in Tarai, the Department mentioned in its weather bulletin.

The Bagmati Irrigation Project has announced that it would begin a campaign to demolish nearly 400 huts and other structures built illegally by encroaching upon the land of the project in Rautahat district.

The Project has already issued a public notice informing the residents there to clear the site on the bank of the irrigation canal. 

The authorities are working to clear more than 400 structures, including huts, sheds and other properties with assistance from the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and other agencies.

It is said that the people there are living for 28 years by encroaching upon the land of the canal in wards. 5 and 6 in Chandrapur Municipality, Rautahat.

The Chief of Bagmati Irrigation Project Karmaiya, Santosh Chaudhary, said they are clearing the encroached land on the canal bank by force as the encroachers are not leaving the site. 

Mayor of Chandrapur Municipality Sanjay Kumar Kafle, Chief District Officer of Rautahat Dinesh Sagar Bhusal and representatives of the security agencies would visit the area and the site will be cleared, Chaudhary shared. 

Project Chief Chaudhary said, "The campaign to clear the illegally built structures and control new encroachment has begun". 

Likewise, Member of the House of Representatives (HoR) of Rautahat 4, Ganesh Paudel said  thatthe government took this decision for canal management and the expansion of irrigation facilities. 

He said management of the Bagmati Irrigation Project was crucial since it is a national pride project.

The Art of Living, in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, launched a six-day BIMSTEC Youth Leadership Exchange Program in Bengaluru on 25 April 2026 to nurture future leaders from the BIMSTEC region.

The initiative brought together young leaders and policy practitioners from member countries representing a region of 1.7bn people and a $5trn economy. It aims to address shared regional challenges such as political instability, brain drain, and limited intra-regional cooperation.

The program was part of a three-to-four-month mentorship framework designed to transform ideas into community impact projects. It focused on holistic leadership development through emotional resilience, self-awareness, and inner wellbeing.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasized that leadership should be rooted in service, compassion, and unity, encouraging youth to realize their inner potential and lead change.

Key focus areas included conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, innovation in the age of AI, and cultural exchange to strengthen regional ties.

With over 60 percent of BIMSTEC’s population under the age of 35, the initiative aimed to empower youth as future policymakers and bridge gaps in connectivity, trade, and cooperation through value-based leadership.