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The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) led by Rajendra Lingden and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal led by Kamal Thapa have unified their parties.

Lingden and Thapa signed a unification agreement on Wednesday. 

The two parties have agreed to organize a unification declaration program next week. The RPP had 14 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives, while the Thapa-led party did not have a single seat.

Both sides have not disclosed details about the structure or leadership of the new party. They signed a brief agreement stating their mutual commitment to party unification. Both are known as royalist parties. 

Working Women Journalists (WWJ) has successfully concluded a three-day training program with the objective of enhancing the capacity of women journalists.

The training, titled "Investigative Reporting on Parliamentary Affairs for Women Journalists" was organized with the support of the UNDP’s PSP Project and was attended by 25 women journalists from various media outlets.

On the first day, Dr. Jagat Nepal, a lecturer at Tribhuvan University, provided training on the structure, functions, and procedures of Parliament. Likewise, Narendra Saud, News Editor of Annapurna Post, delivered a presentation on parliamentary reporting and its practical aspects.

On the second day, former Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma shared her experiences related to gender issues in Parliament and the media. In the second session, Rajendra Fuyal, former Secretary of the National Assembly under the Federal Parliament, briefed participants on the Parliament Secretariat and its key responsibilities.

On the third day, senior journalist and former President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Shiva Gaunle, conducted a session on ethical standards in investigative journalism. Similarly in the second session, Namrata Sharma, former Chairperson of the Center for Investigative Journalism, presented on investigative journalism in parliamentary reporting.

Certificates were distributed to the participants by UNDP / PSP Project National Project Manager Dila Dutta Pant, senior journalist Namrata Sharma, and former President and Advisor of WWJ, Shubheksha Bindu.

Addressing the program, National Project Manager Pant emphasized that women journalists should aspire to become experts rather than remain only reporters in the field of parliamentary reporting.

He stated that Parliament is a vast source of stories with many unexplored issues and stressed that those who take leadership in this area will succeed. "If you step forward and take leadership, you can do very well in this field", Pant said.

WWJ President Ramkala Khadka said the training was organized to strengthen democracy by promoting investigative journalism in parliamentary affairs, ensuring accountability of power, and providing accurate information to the public.

She noted that women journalists can undertake investigative reporting on issues such as corruption and financial irregularities, conflicts of interest in law-making, parliamentary committee proceedings, and the impact of policy decisions.

Earlier, with UNDP’s support, WWJ had also completed a study on the role of women parliamentarians in representation within Nepal’s Parliament.

Participants shared that the training was highly beneficial. One of the participants, Mamta Thapa, said she had identified several investigative story ideas related to parliamentary accounting issues after the training and suggested that WWJ should introduce fellowship programs to encourage women journalists to produce investigative stories.

Another participant, Arati Poudel, also stated that the training helped her gain extensive knowledge about Parliament and the potential areas for investigative reporting within it.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has said that necessary preparations have already begun for conducting the House of Representatives elections on March 5. 

“It is now irrelevant to argue whether the elections will be held or not,” he said.

Addressing the concluding session of a two-day orientation organized by the Election Commission (EC) for political parties on submitting closed lists of candidates under the proportional representation (PR) system, he added, “Holding the elections is an obligation in the present situation.”

He emphasized that political issues related to the elections will be resolved politically, and the EC will uphold matters addressed through political and legal means. 

According to the Acting Chief Election Commissioner, the elections are also essential for the regularization of the Constitution. He urged political parties to select capable candidates and contribute to establishing good governance.

Bhandari also called on political parties to consider caste, language, class, and geography while submitting closed lists for the PR system. 

He urged them to avoid politics of prohibition and to help create an environment conducive to the election. He further reminded parties of the importance of complying with the election code of conduct.

“No one is expected to create obstacles for the elections,” he said, encouraging parties to engage with voters politely. “The Election Commission’s role is to act as a referee during the elections; the players are the political parties,” he added, reminding them of their responsibility to ensure a successful election.

The orientation was attended by EC Commissioners Dr Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagun Shumsher JB Rana, Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut, Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, and two representatives from each of the 93 political parties that applied to take part in the PR election.

With President Ram Chandra  Paudel, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, issuing the House of Representatives Member Election (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2082, political parties are now required to submit closed lists under the PR system based on the population percentages of Dalits, Indigenous Nationalities, Khas Arya, Madhesi, Tharu, and Muslims according to the 2078 census report. The lists must be inclusive.

The closed lists are to be submitted to the EC between 10 am and 4 pm on December 28-29. 

Spokesperson Bhattarai confirmed that the EC is fully prepared for this process.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 1. 37 points to close at 2, 585. 87 points on Wednesday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 0. 94 points to close at 448. 53 points.

A total of 7,224,917-unit shares of 334 companies were traded for Rs 1. 47 billion.

Meanwhile, Infinity Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ILBS) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 5. 32 percent. 

Likewise, Grameen Bikas Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (GBLBS) was the top loser as its price fell by 4. 23 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 34 trillion.

Russia plans to put ​a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next decade to supply its lunar space program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station as major powers rush to explore the earth’s only natural satellite, Reuters reported. 

Ever since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space in 1961, Russia has prided itself as ‌a leading power in ‌space exploration but in recent ‌decades ⁠it ​has fallen ‌behind the United States and increasingly China.

Russia’s ambitions suffered a massive blow in August 2023 when its unmanned Luna-25 mission smashed into the surface of the moon while attempting to land, and Elon Musk has revolutionized the launch of space vehicles — once a Russian speciality, according to Reuters. 

The Election Commission has established the offices of the Election Officers in seven provinces and also appointed election officers for the National Assembly member elections to be held on January 25.

The Commission’s spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said  that the Commission has appointed the district judges as the election officers.

Accordingly, Bhimraj Prasai has been appointed the Election Officer in Koshi Province, Shubhanath Puri in Madhesh Province, Geeta Shrestha in Bagmati Province, Himal Belbase in Gandaki Province, Prakashraj Pandit in Lumbini Province, Deepak Dhakal in Karnali Province, and Bhuvan Singh Thapa in Sudurpaschim Province.

Elections are taking place to the 19 vacant National Assembly member seats that will fall vacant on March 4. 

According to the election schedule, the publication of the voter list will take place from 10 am to 11am on January 3, objections and complaints regarding the list will be investigated, and the final voter list will be published from 3 pm to 4 pm on January 6.

Similarly, candidate nominations will be made from 10 am to 3 pm on January 7; complaints against the candidates can be filed from 10 am to 4 pm on January 8; candidates can withdraw their names from 10 am to 1 pm  on January 11, and the final list of candidates will be published from 1 pm  to 2 pm the same day.

As per the election schedule, the election symbols will be allocated to the candidates from 10 am to 1 pm on January 12. The voting will take place at the relevant polling center from 9 am to 3 pm.

Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has said that the government is primarily mandated for successfully conducting the elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5.

Inaugurating the Karnali Province–level Security Seminar jointly organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Birendranagar, Surkhet, the Home Minister stated that preparations for the elections are progressing accordingly.

“Our main strategy is to prevent the country from facing any kind of potential crisis,” he said, adding that the government is working to ensure the elections are held in a peaceful, free, and impartial environment, thereby helping to normalize the overall situation of the country. 

He went on to say the public mandate requires elections to be held within six months of the dissolution of Parliament and emphasized that security challenges will be addressed by strengthening security mechanisms.

The Home Minister further informed that the names of all those who attained martyrdom during the Gen Z movement have been published in the national gazette and that the government is focused on providing relief to their families. He stressed the need to bring Gen Z groups into the political mainstream to promote prosperity, development, and good governance in the country.

“Gen Z groups are not affiliated with any specific political party. They represent a collective force of energy, creativity, and talent, which should be utilized for national development,” he said.

The seminar was attended by Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki, Director of the National Investigation Department Tekendra Karki, Chief Secretary of the Karnali Provincial Government Birendra Kumar Yadav, Armed Police Force Inspector General Raju Aryal, Nepal Army Lieutenant General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson Anand Kafle, Chief District Officers from all 10 districts, and heads of the security agencies. 

Three people - including two police officers - have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian authorities have said, BBC reported. 

Two traffic police officers saw a "suspicious individual" near a police car on the city's Yeletskaya Street, and when they approached the suspect to detain him, an explosive device was detonated, Russia's Investigative Committee has said. 

The two police officers died from their injuries, along with another individual who was standing nearby, according to BBC.