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Officiating Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ram Prasad Bhandari has urged the media to disseminate election-related news and information based on official sources in view of the upcoming House of Representatives elections.

Addressing an orientation on the “Code of Conduct for the Election to the House of Representatives-2082 BS” organized by Public Service Broadcasting Nepal (PSB) here today, he advised media houses to refrain from disseminating false or misleading content during the election period.

He said citizens need fact-based and credible information during elections, and the media bears the responsibility of fulfilling this need. 

Bhandari also stressed the need for a strict implementation of the election code of conduct by the media houses as well.

Expressing concern over the spread of AI-assisted and manipulated content on digital platforms that could harm individuals’ reputations, Bhandari said the Election Commission (EC) was signing agreements with social media platforms such as Meta and TikTok to manage such issues.

EC Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said it is the responsibility of the media to encourage the implementation of the election code of conduct. He particularly urged State-run media to play a more responsible role in disseminating official and credible news to the public.

Likewise, Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Laxmi Kumari Basnet, wanted the media to demonstrate their effective role in providing credible information to the citizens to help ensure a successful election.

PSB Chair Dr Mahendra Bista said journalists should adhere to both the election code of conduct, and the journalistic code of conduct during the elections. “Self-censorship is needed in this regard,” he said, calling for the practice of independent journalism.

Twelve former ministers are in the race for the elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5 in Sudurpaschim Province.

Major political parties have fielded the former ministers as the candidates in the province which have 16 constituencies. 

Twelve candidates of the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party (NCP), who already served as ministers in federal and provincial governments, are contesting the elections.

NC picked Narayan Prasad Saud as the candidate in Kanchanpur constituency-2. Saud was the federal minister for multiple times. Except Saud, all candidates from the NC in Sudurpaschim are new, said NC Sudurpaschim Province Joint General-Secretary, Chinta Mani Bhatta.  

Similarly, former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the NCP, Bhim Bahadur Rawal, is in the race from Achham constituency-1. 

Similarly, former federal ministers Prem Ale and Bina Magar are the candidates from the same party in Kailali constituency-5 and Kanchanpur constituency-1 respectively. 

Trilochan Bhatta, also the former Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province government, filed his candidacy from Doti, while former minister Prakash Bahadur Shah from Bajura and former minister in province Man Bahadur Rai from Kanchanpur constituency-3. 

Likewise, UML candidate from Darchula, Ganesh Singh Thagunna from Baitadi, Damodar Bhandari, are also the former federal ministers.   

Former Minister and UML's Deputy General Secretary Lekh Raj Bhatta, former federal minister Gauri Shankar Chaudhary are competing from Kailali constituency-4 and Kailali constituency-3 respectively.

Jhapat Bahadur Bohara, who has filed his candidacy from Achham constituency-1, is former minister in Sudurpaschim Province.

It is estimated that there would be a tough competition among the candidates of the NC, UML, NCP and Rastriya Swatantra Party in Sudurpaschim Province. 

The Province has a total 1.71 million voters and 206 candidates for 16 constituencies, according to the Province Election Office, Dhangadhi.

Mahottari has fielded seven former ministers in the elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5. 

Girajraj Mani Pokhrel, former Minister for Health and Population, is contesting from Mahottari-1 on behalf of the Nepali Communist Party.  He faces competition with former lawmaker of CPN-UML, Laxmi Mahato, and Nepali Congress' candidate Mukesh Kafle in the constituency.

From Mahottari-2, the Janata Samajbadi Party has picked former Minister for Labour, Employment, and Transport Sharad Singh Bhandari as its official candidate. 

He is competing against Nepali Congress' former lawmaker Kiran Yadav and UML’s Kasim Nadaf.

Mahottari-3 has two former ministers in the fray: former Agriculture Minister Hari Narayan Yadav, and former Minister of State for Home Affairs Mohammad Rizwan. Yadav has registered his independent candidacy after the Janata Samajbadi Party declined to grant him the party ticket, while Rizwan is contesting on behalf of the Federal Socialist Party Nepal. 

Other candidates in the constituency include independent Ramadhar Kapar, Nepali Congress’ Bajrang Nepal, JSP Nepal’s Minakshi Thakur, Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Ujjwal Kumar Jha, and UML’s Manoj Kumar Singh.

In Mahottari-4, former Agriculture Minister Mahendra Kumar Raya, former Minister of State for Health Dr Surendra Yadav, and former Province Home Minister Bharat Prasad Shah are in the electoral race. 

Raya is representing the Nepali Congress, Dr Yadav is from JSP Nepal, and Shah is contesting from the NCP, alongside UML candidate Nilam Adhikari, drawing attention to the constituency, as the election approaches.

Egypt’s Parliament is preparing to regulate children’s use of social media to address what lawmakers describe as “digital chaos.” The House of Representatives said it will draft legislation aimed at limiting risks posed by online platforms, AP reported.

AP wrote that the move follows calls from President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who urged restrictions on children’s social media use. He said limits should apply until children reach an age where they can handle such platforms responsibly. The president pointed to Western countries considering similar measures.

Around half of Egyptian children under 18 use social media, exposing them to harmful content and cyberbullying, according to a 2024 study. Australia has already banned social media for children under 16, while the UK and France are weighing restrictions. These developments have fueled debate in Egypt over child safety, privacy, and digital wellbeing.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 3. 07 points to close at 2, 769. 09 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 64 points to close at 471. 83 points.

A total of 36,264,873-unit shares of 332 companies were traded for Rs 1. 58 billion.

Meanwhile, SY Panel Nepal Limited (SYPNL), Him Star Urja Company Limited (HIMSTAR), Sanvi Energy Limited (SANVI), Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd (SAPDBL) and Mountain Hydro Nepal Limited (MHNL) were the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, National Hydro Power Company Limited (NHPC) was the top loser as its price fell by 3. 12 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 64 trillion.

An explosion and fire tore through a cookie factory in central Greece, killing at least four workers and leaving one person missing, AP reported. The blast struck the Violanta biscuit plant near Trikala during the night shift. The fire that followed severely damaged the factory.

Seven people, including a firefighter, were taken to hospital with injuries. Authorities said none of those hospitalized were in serious condition. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours before recovering four bodies from the wreckage.

AP wrote, police believe the explosion may have started near the factory’s ovens, which run nonstop. All the victims recovered were women. Investigators and emergency crews remain at the site as the cause of the blast is examined

During the first six months of the current fiscal year 2026/27, there has been an increase in the export of cardamom, churpi and other goods from the eastern border point Kakadbhitta. The Mechi Customs Office has stated that 3.461bn kg of cardamom worth Rs 7.199bn were exported in the six months from July to December.

The office’s information officer Ishwar Kumar Humagain said that the export of cardamom in the current fiscal year has increased by 58 percent compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. Cardamom worth Rs 4.557bn was exported from the eastern border point from the same six months of the previous fiscal year. The export of churpi, which is being exported to third countries as dog and cat food, has increased by 66.2 percent during the first six months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year.

The export progress of tea and plywood has been negative compared to the previous fiscal year. In the six months of the current fiscal year 2026/27, veneer sheets worth Rs 534.96m and lentils worth Rs 91.287m were exported.

Compared to the previous fiscal year, lentils have increased by 481 percent and veneer sheets by 109 percent. According to the Mechi Customs, tea exports have decreased by 26.4 percent and plywood exports by 44.5 percent in the half-year period. Tea worth Rs 2.178.75bn and plywood worth Rs 1.974m were exported in the six months of the current fiscal year. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, tea worth Rs 2.95bn and plywood worth Rs 1.97bn were exported.

Similarly, in the half-year period up to December of the current fiscal year 2026/27, Rs 338m worth of amliso, Rs 501m worth of ginger and dried fruits, Rs 113m worth of cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli, and Rs 574m worth of herbs were exported, informed Customs Information Officer Humagain.

Increased cold following a snowfall in Jumla has disrupted normal life. 

The temperature in the district, part of Karnali Province, has dropped to minus 0.71 degrees Celsius.

As water froze with extreme cold, the water pipes started cracking.

The disruption of water supplies has added woes to the local residents. “It is biting cold, paralyzing daily life in Jumla,” said Sunita Budha of Chandannath Municipality. Along with Jumla, cold waves have gripped Mugu, Humla, and Dolpa districts of the upper Karnali.

According to Asham Pura Karki, Chief of the Jumla Office of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the cold has increased significantly following the recent snowfall. The temperature dropped below zero, wreaking hostility to daily life particularly during mornings and evenings/nights.

Irrespective of the adversity, farmers have warmly welcomed the snowfall that occurred after a drought for months. 

It is the first snowfall of the season. Local resident Lanka Budha of Tila Rural Municipality–1 said the snowfall was beneficial for winter crops: it helps retain soil moisture and supports plant growth. Jumla’s hills are now blanketed with snow.

The Agriculture Development Office, Jumla also stated that the snowfall is essential for winter crops like wheat, barley and potatoes to thrive.

 Meanwhile, air services that had been disrupted due to snowfall resumed on Sunday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Office, Jumla.