Submit your Article

A total of 175 candidates have withdrawn their names from the closed list of the proportional representation under the House of Representatives (HoR) member elections to be held on March 5. 

According to the list published by the Election Commission (EC), candidates with 17 election symbols (including single) withdrew their names. The candidates were given until January 12 (Monday) to withdraw their names, if needed. 

Assistant Spokesperson of the EC Kul Bahadur GC informed that a total of 175 candidates of 17 election symbols have withdrawn their names during the period. Among those withdrawing their names also include candidates from the political parties submitting their names in the closed list from a single election symbol. 

Assistant Spokesperson GC stated that the highest number of candidates withdrawing their names include 110 from the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP). It has been reported that this party has withdrawn the names of 110 candidates from the closed list as it has forged an election alliance with other parties. 

Similarly, the Election Commission stated that 20 candidates from Janamat Party, 12 from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), six from Janadesh Party Nepal, and five from CPN (UML) have withdrawn their names. 

Four candidates each from Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) and Rashtranirman Dal Nepal have also withdrawn their names. 

Likewise, two candidates each from Nepali Congress, Unnat Loktantrik Party, Nepali Communist Party and Rastriya Swatantra Party have withdrawn their candidacy. 

One candidate each from the United Democratic National Forum, United Citizens Party, Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal and Janata Samajwadi Party under the single election symbol 'Janto (grinder)' have withdrawn their names from the closed list. Similarly, one candidate each from Gatishil Loktantrik Party, Nepal Janata Party, and Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party have withdrawn their names. 

The political parties had submitted their names in the closed list towards the proportional electoral system on December 28-29. 

The general elections will elect 165 members through the direct election system and 110 members through the proportional election system in the total 275-member House of Representatives.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Iranians to keep protesting and remember the names of those abusing them, saying help is on the way, as Iran's clerical establishment pressed its crackdown against the biggest demonstrations in years, Reuters reported. 

Iran in turn accused Trump of encouraging political destabilization and inciting violence.

"Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!... HELP IS ON ITS WAY," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without saying what that help might be, according to Reuters. 

2025 was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, according to the United Nations (UN), BBC reported. 

Conflict-related violence killed at least 2,514 civilians last year, the UN's Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said, compared with 2,088 in 2024 and 1,974 in 2023. The number of injured civilians also increased sharply each year.

The year's deadliest attack killed at least 38 civilians in the western city of Ternopil in November, it reported, including eight children, according to BBC. 

Prosecutors have asked for South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol to be handed a death sentence if he is found guilty over his botched attempt to impose martial law, BBC reported. 

A court in Seoul heard closing arguments in Yoon's trial, in which he was accused of being the "ringleader of an insurrection". 

The charge stems from Yoon's attempt in December 2024 to impose military rule in South Korea - an act that lasted just hours but plunged the country into political turmoil. He was later impeached by parliament and detained to face trial, according to BBC. 

More than 2,000 people have been killed during the violent crackdown by security forces on protests in Iran, a human rights group has said, as President Trump promised Iranians that help was "on its way", BBC reported. 

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that it had so far confirmed the killing of 1,850 protesters, 135 people affiliated with the government and nine uninvolved civilians as well as nine children over the last 17 days despite an internet blackout.

An Iranian official also told Reuters that 2,000 people had been killed but that "terrorists" were to blame, according to BBC. 

Former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that the Gen Z protests that led to the ouster of Nepal’s government in September 2025 were unusual and organized in a planned way. 

In an interview with RT, a Russian Media Outlet,  the former PM said Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had warned that the protests that happened in these countries could happen in Nepal as well.

“That was not a simple and usual thing. That was unusual, and it couldn’t have taken place all of a sudden. It was organized in a planned way, it seems even at that time and later on,” Oli said in an exclusive interview on Monday.

“Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were telling us… Leaders were talking that such things would happen, and things happened. It was an attack on our democracy to send back them to poverty,” Oli said.

The Special General Convention of the Nepali Congress (NC), which kicked off at Bhrikutimandap on Sunday, has decided to conduct elections in accordance with the party’s existing Statute.

An election committee formed by the Convention shared this information at a press meet today. 

As per the party’s Statute, one president, two vice-presidents, two general secretaries, eight joint general secretaries, and 121 members will be elected, said Election Committee Coordinator and senior advocate Sitaram KC.

According to the work procedure drafted and endorsed by the Special General Convention, KC is coordinating a five-member election committee.

The event is being attended by factions within the NC that support the Special General Convention organised by the Party Publicity Committee.

The 14th General Convention had a total of 4,743 voters. The number has now been reduced to 4,635 after excluding those who have passed away and those who have joined other political parties.

As per the election schedule, the voter list was published at 12:30pm, and claims, objections, and verification of the voter list were scheduled until 1:30 pm. 

Likewise, the final list was published at 2pm, candidate nomination registration was carried out from 2pm to 3pm, and the publication of the list of candidates is set for 4:30 pm.

Similarly, the notice mentions that the objection to candidacy will be from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm, the investigation of objections to candidacy will be from 5 pm and to 5:30 pm, the withdrawal of candidacy from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and the final publication of the list of candidates has been scheduled for 8:45 pm.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney departs for China on Tuesday, where he will discuss trade and international security at a time when Canada faces uncertain relations with the US due to a trade war and annexation threats from President Donald Trump, Reuters reported. 

It is the first visit to Beijing by a Canadian prime minister since 2017 and could mark a critical shift in ties between the two countries as Canada seeks new trade and security partnerships.

Carney agreed to visit China last October when he and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea. It was an encounter that offered no breakthroughs but suggested potential for deeper ties after a fractious relationship under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which had soured after Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Chinese firm Huawei in 2018, according to Reuters.