Submit your Article

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Kathmandu marked Great Martyr’s Day and International Mother Language Day (IMLD) 2026 with due solemnity and fervor in Kathmandu, underscoring the enduring significance of linguistic rights and cultural diversity.

The two-day program held at the Embassy premises brought together members of the diplomats from different embassies and international organizations based in Kathmandu.

On the occasion, Embassy officials read out messages of the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh released on this august. Video messages from the President of UNESCO General Conference were also played in the event.

In his welcome remarks, Bangladesh Ambassador paid deep homage to the language martyrs for upholding the sanctity of Bangla in 1952. He highlighted the need for preserving and promoting mother language and underlined the necessity of multilingual mother-tongue based education as a basis of quality education system leading to overall development.

The Heads of Missions of Finland, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Russia and Deputy Representative of UNICEF delivered remarks in their mother tongue- Finnish, Singhali, Malay, Russian and Korean,  highlighting the leadership role of Bangladesh in celebrating the International Mother Language Day worldwide.

They recognized the importance of mother tongue-based multilingual education as the foundation for continued learning and development and the role of the young generation.

Two persons were injured after being attacked by a leopard in Tarakeswar Municipality-9, Kathmandu. 

According to SP Pawan Kumar Bhattarai of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, the injured have been identified as Dulal Maharjan and Mayanath Wagle.  Maharjan has been taken to Shubham  Hospital and Wagle to the Army Hospital for treatment. 

Maharjan sustained minor injuries to his head and left hand, while Wagle to his left hand.

Bhattarai said that locals have taken the leopard under control and it is currently locked inside the house. 

The Election Commission recommended the government to grant three day holidays for the elections from Falgun 20-22. The commission confirmed that it was requested with the aim of increasing the enthusiastic participation of voters in the elections.

Preparations are underway to immediately implement the policy of mixing 10 percent ethanol in petrol in Nepal. 

In the program on 'Ethanol Blending Policy in Nepal: Opportunities, Challenges and Implementation Strategy' organized  today by the Society of Economic Journalists Nepal (SEJON), representatives from the government and the private sector have emphasized the need to quickly implement the policy of ethanol blending in petrol. 

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Kumar Sinha stated that the decision to mix ethanol in petrol has reached the implementation phase after extensive study and discussions.

“Study and discussion on this matter has been going on for almost 20 years. All studies have now been completed and the Order to Mix Ethanol in Petrol-2082 has been approved. The policy will soon be published in the Gazette and will be implemented,” he said.

Minister Sinha said that mixing ethanol with petrol is an important step towards clean energy and claimed that mixing 10 percent ethanol could reduce petrol imports from Nepal by about Rs six billion annually. He argued that implementation of this measure will help reduce the trade deficit.

The Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies expressed his belief that ethanol production would increase agricultural products like sugarcane, expand the use of agricultural land, and help stimulate the domestic economy.

He, however, acknowledged that there are challenges in areas such as establishing new industries, industrial environment, safety, employment, and raw material production. 

Minister Sinha mentioned that there is potential for foreign investment in this area and emphasized that while competition is necessary, unhealthy competition should not occur. He suggested that for ethanol to be competitive, its price should be lower than petrol and for that, the procedure on this will be brought soon.

Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Govinda Bahadur Karki, said that many commissions and recommendation committees had been formed in the past for ethanol blending in petrol. He shared, on the occasion, that an order regarding ethanol blending had come from the government based on the recommendations of those commissions and committees.

Secretary Karki stated that the idea of blending ethanol with petrol is in the country's interest after analysing the positive and negative aspects of all types of fuels. He expressed the confidence that the government formed after the House of Representatives elections will also continue with this policy.

Executive Director of Nepal Oil Corporation, Chandika Prasad Bhatta, said the program of blending ethanol with petrol, which has been prepared for a long time, has now reached the implementation stage and clarified that they will not back down from implementing the decision.

According to Executive Director Bhatta, it may take one to one and a half years for the program to be fully implemented. He said preparations are underway as standards for ethanol quality need to be established.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Shivaram Pokharel, said that the Council of Ministers had decided last December on the policy to blend 10 percent ethanol in petrol, stating that so far there has been no commercial production of ethanol in Nepal.

He added that however this order has opened the way for production. He informed the interaction that the government would soon recommend the minimum price of ethanol, set quality standards, and initiate the process of inviting bids for production. 

According to him, after the ethanol blending order is published in the Gazette, a pricing committee will be formed and companies will be selected based on production capacity.

 “Since this is a new subject, it takes time to implement, but we have moved forward by studying the practices of various countries,” he said.

Private sector call for favourable environment

Representatives of the private sector have said that while there is enough raw materials to produce ethanol, a favourable environment is needed to establish the ethanol industry.

Chairman of Kian Chemical Industries Limited, Bed Prasad Kharel, emphasized the need to strengthen government mechanisms, noting that investors have to face administrative hassles.

Shashikanta Agrawal, the President of Nepal Sugar Manufacturers' Association, said that although about 240 thousand metric tonnes of sugar is consumed annually in Nepal, only about 200 thousand metric tonnes is produced domestically.

He stated that there is a possibility of becoming self-reliant within two years and that even though there is a decision on ethanol blending, the procedure and implementation plan are not clear.

Consumer rights activist Madhav Timalsina emphasized that when implementing the ethanol blending programme, price, quality and market regulation should be clear.

"We need to assess what we require and whether the existing mechanisms can handle it or not," he said.

He stated that clear arrangements for ethanol price fluctuations, regulation and supervision are necessary. 

"Without quality production and effective market regulation, the goal of import substitution will not be achieved," Timalsina said and stressed on clear policies related to the price, quality and measurement of ethanol.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 27. 59 points to close at 2, 614. 55 points on Sunday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 27 points to close at 449. 39 points.

A total of 15,989,430-unit shares of 324 companies were traded for Rs 1. 49 billion.

Meanwhile, Salapa Bikas Bank Limited (SABBL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise,  Buddha Bhumi Nepal Hydropower Company Limited (BNHC) was the top loser as their price fell by 8. 92 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 39 trillion.

IDFC First Bank said it is investigating a suspected fraud of $65m involving accounts linked to local government entities. The bank said it has alerted the police and launched an internal probe. The matter was disclosed in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange late on Saturday.

According to Reuters, the Mumbai-based lender reported discrepancies of Rs 5.9bn in accounts related to some entities of the Government of Haryana. The issue surfaced when the entities requested closure of their accounts and the claimed balances did not match the bank’s records.

The bank has suspended four employees from its Chandigarh branch pending investigation. It described the case as involving “unauthorized and fraudulent activities”, Reuters reported. IDFC First said it will appoint an independent agency to conduct a detailed inquiry and has filed a police complaint.

The Haryana state government and police have not yet responded publicly. IDFC First Bank, which counts investors such as Warburg Pincus and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, reported a quarterly profit of $55.46m in its latest earnings.

Taylor Swift has been named 2025’s best-selling artist of the year for the sixth time, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced. The award recognises worldwide sales across streaming, downloads and physical formats over the calendar year.

According to Reuters, the honour follows the success of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl. According to Billboard, the album sold more copies in its first week than any other release in the modern era, citing data from Luminate. Swift also saw strong global engagement from her tour documentary, The End of an Era.

Swift was first named IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year in 2014, then again in 2019, and consecutively from 2022 to 2024. Reuters reported, with the 2025 title, she has now won the award as many times as all other artists combined over the past decade.

IFPI said the achievement reflects her creative consistency and strong global release strategy. The award considers an artist’s entire body of work and measures performance across all music consumption formats worldwide.

The government has instructed all health institutions (hospitals) to provide details of those injured during the Gen-Z movement last September. 

Dr Prakash Budhathoki, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), shared that all health institutions involved in treating those injured during the protest have been instructed to provide complete details to the Ministry by February 27.

According to Spokesperson Dr Budhathoki, the instruction was issued in line with a coordination committee formed to make treatment and relief efforts of injured ones more effective.

The MoHA asked all the health institutions to submit the details by February 27 for timely completion of listing, classification and reclassification of the injured ones. 

Dr Budhathoki informed that the applications received by February 27 will be reviewed after which the final list of the injured persons will be published. 

So far, classification details of 200 injured persons have been received, it was shared.  

The Ministry observed that although many people were hurt during the protests, some individuals with minor injuries may not have come forward as they are not entitled to any benefits.

The government has decided to provide a monthly financial assistance of Rs 9,000 to those classified as critically injured and seriously injured and Rs 4,000 to those with moderate injuries.

According to the Ministry’s data, a total of 2,599 people had sustained injuries during the Gen-Z movement that took place on September 8 and 9 in 2025.