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Air pollution that blanketed major cities including Kathmandu Valley for the past few days has started reducing gradually.

The air quality index had reached 178 till Thursday afternoon and it has decreased to 149 this afternoon.  Kathmandu was recorded as the second most polluted city in the world till Thursday afternoon. Now, it is ranked in 12th place this afternoon. 

Director General of the Department of Environment, Gyan Raj Subedi, said air pollution has reduced today due to rainfall that occurred on Thursday. 

"We have suggested to the bodies concerned to effectively implement the measures of sustainable and environment-friendly development," he mentioned.

Environment expert Bhushan Tuladhar suggested the need for timely preparedness, management of leaf litter, forest fire control and strict implementation of vehicle emission tests and standards.  

Similarly, Meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Sanjeev Adhikari, said the weather has improved from Thursday and rainfall occurred on Thursday also helped to reduce air pollution.  

Adhikari added that Weather and Hydrological Measuring Office located at Narayani Basin Field Office, Chitwan, of Bagmati Province recorded the highest 126.2 millimeter rainfall in last 24 hours, 102.2 millimeter rain at Lamjung Gharedhunga Centre of Gandaki Province and 90 millimeter rain at Barpak Centre of Gorkha. 

Likewise, 98.4 millimeter rain was recorded at Katari of Udayapur and 96.4 millimeter rain at Chandragadhi Airport Centre of Jhapa. 

An AQI value between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 as moderate, 101 and 150 as unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151 and 200 as unhealthy, 201 and 300 as very unhealthy and above 300 as hazardous.

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Nepal has signed agreements with four organizations to implement development initiatives under its Small Grant Development Project 2026, with total funding of EUR 86,330 aimed at supporting marginalized communities across Nepal..

Anurodh Nepal in Lahan Municipality will implement one of the projects, “Empowering Marginalized Women through Eco-Craft Skills and Cooperative Enterprise.”

The initiative seeks to empower marginalized Madhesi and Dalit women by providing training in bamboo and banana-fiber eco-craft production, entrepreneurship, and cooperative management, reads a statement issued by the Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu. 

The initiative will also promote women’s economic independence, reduce gender-based violence through awareness, and foster a sustainable, women-led cooperative for long-term livelihood generation. 

The embassy will contribute up to EUR 13,860 to the project.

In Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Nucleus for Empowerment through Skill Transfer (NEST) Pokhara will implement a program aimed at economically empowering women who serve as caretakers for persons with disabilities, mental illness, and other vulnerable family members in marginalized settlements of Wards 2 and 8. 

The project will establish cooperative-managed livelihood enterprises and provide skills training along with small-scale production equipment such as sewing machines and beekeeping kits. 

The embassy is supporting the initiative with up to EUR 24,300.

The project GreenRide to Prosperity by Lakshyadeep will focus on improving the livelihoods of marginalized households in Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City, Ward No. 15 (Padariya Tole), mostly from the Tharu, Risidev, Bishwakarma, Shah and other communities who struggle to meet basic needs. The project will train selected individuals in e-rickshaw driving, support them in obtaining driving licenses, and provide e-rickshaws to economically vulnerable families The German Embassy supports the project with up to EUR 24,270, according to the statement. 

Meanwhile, The Lutheran World Federation Nepal will implement a project to support newly arrived refugees by improving water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities while strengthening health services, psychosocial well-being, and livelihood resilience. The embassy is providing up to EUR 23,900 for this initiative.

“Germany and Nepal enjoy a strong partnership with many facets,” stated Ambassador Udo Eugen Volz. “These new small-scale grants are designed to complement our larger government-to-government collaborations by investing in smaller projects that are rooted in local communities and built for long-term impact. They specifically target support for marginalized groups across Nepal.”

The United States has temporarily waived sanctions on Russian oil stranded at sea as Trump administration officials attempt to reverse a surge in prices that is causing mounting apprehension about global supplies, The Guardian reported. 

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, announced a “temporary authorization” late on Thursday, allowing countries to buy the stranded Russian oil for 30 days. Trump is “working to keep prices low”, he said, after average US fuel prices rose by 65 cents per gallon in a month.

“This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, which derives the majority of its energy revenue from taxes assessed at the point of extraction,” Bessent claimed, according to The Guardian. 

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 2, 800 per tola in the domestic market on Friday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 314, 200 per tola today.  It was traded at Rs 317, 000 per tola on Thursday.  

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 20 per tola and is being traded at Rs 5, 495 per tola.

Under the aegis of the government, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has gradually brought back Nepalis stranded in various West Asian countries through rescue flights. 

According to the NAC spokesperson Devendra Pun, 272 Nepalis stranded at Dubai airport were brought back home through a special rescue flight on Thursday. 

The same aircraft had transported 260 passengers stranded at Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan International Airport to Dubai Airport. 

A Nepal Airlines flight will depart here for Dubai today with 267 passengers, from where 164 Nepalis will be brought back home, spokesperson Pun. 

The rescue flights began after the airspace over West Asia remained closed since February 28. 

Flights were suspended in West Asian countries after the United States and Israel jointly carried out an air strike in Iran. 

The Serie A title race enters a decisive phase this weekend as leaders Inter Milan host Atalanta on Saturday, seeking to steady their campaign after a derby defeat with injuries mounting ahead of the final run-in, Reuters reported. 

Cristian Chivu's Inter remain seven points clear at the top despite a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in Sunday's Derby della Madonnina, but the loss ended a strong run as the season enters its final stretch.

With 10 matches remaining, Inter could be without key forward duo Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, who have been sidelined by injury and illness respectively, while dynamic midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu remains a doubt with a muscle problem, according to Reuters. 

After a sobering week in Europe for English clubs, some bruised egos return to domestic issues this weekend with the Premier League title race and relegation battles both reaching potentially pivotal moments, Reuters reported. 

The Premier League's boast of being the best in Europe took a bit of a hammering over 48 hours this week with none of the six clubs in last-16 action winning.

Manchester City were one of the four teams to suffer defeat and they will need to dust themselves down quickly from a 3-0 defeat at Real Madrid when they face West Ham United away on Saturday evening, by which time they could find themselves 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit from two fewer games, according to Reuters. 

Rights groups have urged FIFA to ensure the 2026 World Cup upholds commitments to inclusivity and safety, warning that U.S. immigration policies and concerns over press freedom could undermine the tournament, Reuters reported. 

The Sport & Rights Alliance said the governing body had promised a "safe, welcoming and inclusive" competition under its Human Rights Framework but that rhetoric and immigration policies under U.S. President Donald Trump risked creating fear among fans, journalists and communities.

"Football brings the world together — but not if U.S. visa bans and mass deportation raids keep immigrants, workers, journalists, communities, and fans away," the coalition of rights groups wrote in a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino released on Thursday, according to Reuters.