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Ukraine's capital Kyiv is again under a massive overnight Russian drone attack, local officials say, with at least 10 people reported injured and fires burning across the city, BBC reported.

Authorities in Kyiv say drone wreckage has hit the roof of a residential building in the central Shevchenkivskyi district.

Footage on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, shows explosions in the night sky, as air defence units begin repelling the attack. Ukraine's military has also warned of a threat of a ballistic missile attack.

Last night, Ukraine reported the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia, after 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles struck cities around the country in multiple waves, according to BBC.

The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, an outspoken critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, BBC reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the move to her support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), some of whose judges have already been sanctioned by the US.

Rubio said the US was sanctioning Albanese for directly engaging with the ICC in its efforts to prosecute American or Israeli nationals, accusing her of being unfit for service as a UN Special Rapporteur. 

The sanctions are likely to prevent Albanese from travelling to the US and would block any assets she has in the country, according to BBC.

US President Donald Trump said he was planning to impose a 50% tax on goods made in Brazil, escalating his fight with the South American country, BBC reported.

He announced the plan in his latest tariff letter, which was shared on social media. 

In it, Trump accuses Brazil of "attacks" on US tech companies and of conducting a "witch hunt" against former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his alleged role in a plot to overturn the 2022 election.

Responding in a social media post, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said an increase in tariffs on Brazil would be reciprocated, and he warned against any interference in the nation's judicial system, according to BBC.

French Ambassador to Nepal Virginie Corteval paid a courtesy call on Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav today.

During the meeting held at the Vice President’s Office, the two discussed the matters relating to Nepal-France relations, various dimensions of partnership, and potential areas for future cooperation.

Recalling the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1949, the Vice President stated, "Our relations are founded on mutual respect and cooperation."

Praising France for its adherence to the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, the Vice President said that these principles had served as an inspiration for Nepal’s political struggles and transformations.

Acknowledging the support Nepal has received from France, particularly through the European Union (EU) in the area of infrastructure development, Vice President  Yadav expressed hope that people-to-people ties between the two countries would further strengthen in the days to come.

On the occasion of the upcoming National Day of France, the Vice President extended his best wishes to the French President and the citizens of France, wishing them peace, happiness, and prosperity.

In response, Ambassador Corteval said that France-Nepal relations are rooted in fraternal love, shared goals, and mutual understanding. “During my tenure, I will continue to work towards taking our bilateral friendship to new heights,” she said.

The Special Court has been granted the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification in recognition of the court’s ability in advancing accountability, sustainability, and administrative reform within the judiciary. 

According to Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar, the Court is effortful to ensure an impartial justice delivery based on openness, transparency, professional training, technology and well-documented judicial procedures. 

The Court officially unveiled the ISO 9001:2015 certificate it obtained amidst a program at the Court itself today. 

On the occasion, Chairman Kunwar said that the Court has succeeded in achieving the certificate due to its continuous efforts in maintaining the highest level of integrity, accountability, and public trust in judicial and administrative procedures. 

"The Special Court is the first Court in the country to obtain ISO certification," he said, adding that the Court is required to re-justify its position in coming years.

Newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the Tribhuvan University Prof Dr Deepak Aryal took oath of office and secrecy before Prime Minister and TU Chancellor KP Sharma Oli today.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Aryal took the oath of office and secrecy amidst a program organized at the official residence of the Prime Minister in Baluwatar.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Panta among others were present on the occasion. 

Chancellor Oli had appointed Dr Aryal to the post today. 

The Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE), a Kathmandu-based foreign policy think-tank on Wednesday organized a high-level seminar on “Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges to Regional Peace and Security” in Kathmandu. 

Sunil Bahadur Thapa, advisor to the President of Nepal and former Minister of Industry, said that that Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are UN-designated terrorist organizations, have historical ties to Al-Qaida and operate in Pakistan, posing risks to India and potentially using Nepal as a transit point.

Minendra Rijal, Former Defense Minister of Nepal, stressed that a terrorist attack on India will have spillover effects on Nepal. He called for global unity—similar to the solidarity seen after the September 11 attacks in the United States—to combat terrorism effectively.

Chanda Chaudhary, Member of Parliament and former Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, highlighted the importance of curbing money laundering as a means to prevent cross-border terrorism.

Dinesh Bhattarai, former Diplomat and Advisor to Former Prime of Nepal shared Pahalgam attack was the deadliest attack in recent years, because the victims were brutally killed after asked them to disclose their religion and shot in their head. 

NP Saud, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Irrigation, stated that Nepal and regional powers should develop a clear mechanism to control terrorism, warning that terrorism affects everyone indiscriminately. 

On the occasion, Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE and Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director at NIICE spoke about the wide-range of issues related to terrorism.

Merchandise exports surged by an impressive 77.8 percent over the first eleven months of the fiscal year 2024-25, reaching Rs. 247.57bn, the latest macroeconomic situation update from the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows. The growth marks a sharp rebound from the three percent decline recorded during the same period last year.

While exports to India, Nepal’s largest trading partner, went up by a whopping 112.6 percent, exports to China and other countries saw modest increases of three and 4.4 percent, respectively. The export of soybean oil, polyester yarn and thread, jute goods, tea and rosin increased during the period. However, exports of palm oil, zinc sheets, juice, readymade garments and cardamom declined.

Meanwhile, merchandise imports went up by 13.1 percent to Rs. 1,644.80bn in the review period, compared to a 1.8 percent decline in the same period last year. Imports from India, China and other countries rose by 7.6 percent, 15.3 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively. Items like crude soybean oil, rice and paddy, vehicles and spare parts, edible oil and sponge iron contributed to import growth. However, imports of petroleum products, gold, electrical equipment, fertilizers and coal suffered.

Although exports have posted a remarkable growth, the low export volume meant Nepal’s deficit widened by 6.3 percent to Rs 1,397.23bn over the 11-month period. However, the export-import ratio improved to 15.1 percent, up from 9.6 percent, indicating relatively better export performance.

In the service sector, the net service income remained negative at Rs 97.33bn, with travel payments, including Rs 124.8bn for education alone, outpacing travel income. Remittances, however, increased by 15.5 percent to Rs 1,532.93bn over the first 11 months of 2024/25. In US dollar terms, remittances rose 12.7 percent to $11.25bn. The remittance growth was supported by a strong labor migration sector. A total of 452,000 Nepali workers received new approvals for foreign employment, while over 308,000 renewed their approvals.

The healthy growth in remittances helped the country post a current account surplus of Rs 307.31bn, up from a surplus of Rs 200.38bn in the same period of the previous fiscal year. The balance of payments (BoP) also recorded a surplus of Rs 491.44bn, up from Rs 425.67bn a year earlier. Foreign direct investment (equity only) climbed 34.7 percent to Rs 11.09bn, while net capital transfers amounted to Rs 8.96bn, according to the report.

Foreign exchange reserves also rose by 25.9 percent to Rs 2,569.38bn in mid-June 2025, up from
Rs 2,041.10bn in mid-June 2024. In US dollar terms, the reserves rose by 22.2 percent to $18.65bn from $15.27bn over the same period. Of the total reserves, those held by the central bank climbed 23 percent to Rs 2,274.47bn, while reserves held by banks and financial institutions soared by 53.2 percent to Rs 294.92bn.

The share of Indian currency in total reserves stood at 20.5 percent in mid-June 2025. The foreign exchange level is sufficient to cover 17.6 months of prospective merchandise imports and 14.7 months of merchandise and services imports, according to the report.