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Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the state-owned monopoly, hiked the prices of petroleum products.

The NOC has decided to increase Rs 21 per liter each in petrol and Rs 27 per liter in diesel and kerosene.

As per the new revised rate, the petrol will now cost Rs 199 per litre and diesel and kerosene will cost Rs 192 per litre.

The NOC, however, has not increased the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

Nepal reported 23 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 254 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 18 returned positive. Likewise, 773 people underwent antigen tests, of which five were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 12 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 108 active cases in the country.

The government has ordered the authorities to ensure that shopping malls, stores, kitchen markets and other places of trading remain closed after 8pm everyday in an effort to save power and fuel amid rising energy prices worldwide, bdnews24.com reported.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the order on Sheikh Hasina’s instructions in a letter dated Thursday to several ministries, departments and local authorities, stating that the Bangladesh Labour Act already stipulates the closure of shops at 8pm.

To keep up with the global energy prices, the government earlier this month increased gas prices across the board. Power plants will now get gas at Tk 5.02 per cubic metre, up from Tk 4.45. Gas prices for captive power plants have been raised to Tk 16 from Tk 13.85.

Fuel prices began soaring after the Russia-Ukraine war began. Unrefined oil was sold at $65 per barrel in December last year, but the price leapt to $124 by March. It is now being sold at around $120 each barrel.

Data showed the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation or BPC made a lot of profit over the past seven years, but the war between Russia and Ukraine is biting into its revenues.

The flooded Seti River has damaged motorable bridge linking two wards of Pokhara Metropolitan City, disrupting transportation.

The torrential rain pouring down since Saturday night has increased water level and has eroded the foundation of the bridge, said the Division Road Office, Pokhara, adding that as a result, people's mobility on the damaged bridge has been at risk. Structures of the bridge should be relocated to elsewhere, he said.

The river has damaged pillars of the bridge, said Pushpendra Pandey, ward chair of the metropolis-19.

The 72 meters long and 7 meters wide bridge was constructed five years ago by the road office.

Similarly, the swollen river eroded the road linking Bharawari and Kavre, disrupting transportation, said a local school teacher Santosh Acharya.