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Morocco were declared Africa Cup of Nations champions and ​Senegal were stripped of the title after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday, Reuters reported. 

Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the game in the Moroccan capital Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them.

They returned after 14 minutes to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time. CAF's Appeal Board on Tuesday replaced that result with ​a 3-0 victory for Morocco, according to Reuters. 

A drone attack targeted ​the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and an explosion was heard in the area, security sources ​said early on Wednesday, ​a day after a series of ⁠strikes, Reuters reported. 

Security sources had said ​on Tuesday that rocket and ​drone attacks had targeted the embassy, triggering sirens with an explosion heard ​near the diplomatic compound.

At ​least three explosive drones also targeted ‌a ⁠U.S. diplomatic facility near Baghdad International Airport, activating C-RAM air defence systems, the sources ​said on ​Tuesday, according to Reuters. 

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO ​allies that they did not want to get involved with the ‌country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake."

But Trump gave no indication that he plans to punish NATO allies for their stances, as he took ​questions from reporters in the Oval Office during the St. Patrick's ​Day visit of Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Reuters reported. 

Trump said NATO ⁠countries were supportive of the joint U.S.-Israeli war, which has now entered its ​third week, even as they did not want to get involved.

The Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection has fined three firms in the Kathmandu Valley for violating consumers' rights and trade ethics.

Ekatagram Store at Changathali of Mahalaxmi municipality-7, Lalitpur was fined Rs 20,000,  while Kirana Ghar Trade and Suppliers, and Ganapati Trade Suppliers of Babarmahal, Kathmandu were fined Rs 5,000 each. 

They were taken action during the market monitoring the Department conducted recently. 

The authority made it clear that it took action as per Consumers' Protection Act, 2075. 

Nineteen other firms were directed for correction in their business practice.

The Department has intensified market monitoring in a bid to curb illegal trade and promote fair business.

The annual traditional festival of Ghode Jatra, which is also known as Horse Racing Day, is being celebrated in the country's cultural hub of Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday.

The festival is being celebrated annually as per mythology which relates the genesis of the festival after the death of a demon named Tundi.

Public belief has it that the demon who lived on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel, used to unleash terror among the Kathmandu denizens, particularly children. After his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body by riding horses. There is also a belief that the parade of horses at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s spirit away.

The faster the horses run, the better Tundi’s spirit is dispelled. As per another legend, the Ghode Jatra is held to mark the start of New Year. The festival is celebrated on the day of Krishna Aunsi, as per the lunar calendar, which is a day before the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and this day is taken as the start of the New Year.

The horse parade, known religiously known as Aswa Yatra, is organized to welcome the New Year. The day before Ghode Jatra is also known as Pichas Chaturdarshi, as per lunar calendar. On the day, the Nepali Army cavalry team performs different artistic stunts riding on their horses. The Jatra is also being marked in Lalitpur today.

The government has declared public holiday to celebrate the festival. 

A top security official in U.S. President Donald Trump's ​administration resigned over the war in Iran on Tuesday, saying the country had posed no imminent threat to the United States, Reuters reported. 

Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism Center, is the first senior official in Trump's administration to resign over the conflict, now in its third week.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear ​that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby," Kent wrote in a letter posted ​to social media, according to Reuters. 

The Israeli air strike which killed Iran's security chief, Ali Larijani, has removed one of the Islamic Republic's most experienced and influential policy makers at a critical moment, BBC reported. 

Larijani was not a military commander, but he was a central figure in shaping Iran's strategic decisions.

As secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, he sat at the heart of decision-making on war, diplomacy, and national security.

His voice carried weight across the system, particularly in managing Iran's confrontation with the United States and Israel, according to BBC. 

The size of public debt in the first eight months of the current fiscal year has increased by over Rs 204 billion, reaching Rs 2,878.29 billion.

According to the Public Debt Management Office, at the beginning of the current fiscal year 2082–83 BS (2025–26), which commenced in mid-July, public debt stood at Rs 2,674.04 billion.

During this period, the government owes Rs 1,348.11 billion in domestic borrowing and Rs 1,530.18 billion in external debt. 

Of the total public debt by the end of Fagun, the share of external debt is 53.16 percent, while domestic debt accounts for 46.84 percent.

So far, the total public debt amounts to 47.13 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the current fiscal year, the government aims to mobilize Rs 559 billion in public debt. 

By the end of Fagun (mid-March), Rs 295.19 billion had been raised, which is 50.44 percent of the total target.

Of the domestic borrowing target of Rs 362 billion, Rs 243.66 billion has been collected, accounting for 67.31 percent of the target.

Similarly, of the external borrowing target of Rs 233.66 billion, Rs 56.89 billion has been raised, which is only 24.31 percent of the target.

In the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 411 billion for the repayment of principal and interest on public debt. By mid-March, payments had reached Rs 242.26 billion, which is 58.94 percent of the annual allocation.

The office stated that, based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total debt servicing cost up to the end of Magh (mid-February) stands at 3.97 percent.