Woman charged with attempted murder after shooting at Rihanna's home
A 35-year-old woman from Orlando, Florida has been charged with attempted murder following a shooting at the home of pop superstar Rihanna, prosecutors said, BBC reported.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz is accused of firing a semiautomatic rifle at the singer's Los Angeles mansion at 13:15 local time (21:15 GMT) on Sunday.
No one was injured in the shooting. Ortiz is being held on bail set at $1.875m (£1.395m), facing a possible life sentence, according to BBC.
China and North Korea to reopen passenger train service after pandemic halt
Passenger trains between China and North Korea will resume service on Thursday, reviving a transport link that was shuttered for six years due to the pandemic, China's rail operator said, BBC reported.
Trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will operate four times a week, while the service between the Chinese border city of Dandong and the North Korean capital will run daily, China Railway said in a notice late Tuesday.
The train services are "a moving link that strengthens the friendship between China and North Korea," China Railway said, according to BBC.
Rabi Lamichhane discloses election expense details
Rabi Lamichhane, a candidate for the House of Representatives (HoR) Member election from Chitwan- 2 representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has disclosed his election expenditure details.
He also serves as the party president.
According to the information provided to the Election Commission, Lamichhane's total election expenditure amounts to Rs 989,987.
The submitted letter outlined that the nomination registration cost was Rs 10,000, sample ballot printing expenses were Rs 68,161, transportation and fuel costs totaled Rs 295,000, voter training and snacks costs were Rs 14,200, ward-level publicity expenses were Rs 46,000, and flags and badges for promotional activities cost Rs 112,000.
Additionally, it was noted that the expenses for purchasing banners and stickers for publicity reached Rs 55,000, food and food rations cost Rs 196,000, air travel expenses were Rs 13,626 and seminar and gathering costs amounted to Rs 180,000.
The expense details were submitted to the Election Commission on Tuesday by Sita Gyawali, the chairperson of Chitwan Metropolitan City from the same party.
HoR polls: Proportional representation vote counting concludes
The counting of votes under the proportional representation system for the House of Representatives (HoR) election, which took place on March 5, has been finalized.
With the recent completion of vote counting in Gorkha 1 and Ilam 1, the overall counting for proportional representation has also concluded, said Kul Bahadur GC, Assistant Spokesperson of the Election Commission.
He noted that the process of gathering details from the relevant election officer's office to the commission is still in progress following the completion of the counting.
Now that the vote counting for proportional representation is done, the commission has initiated the groundwork to determine the allocation of seats for political parties under this system.
Reports indicate that this process is expected to wrap up in a few days.
In the meantime, the Election Commission has reported that by 11 am today, a total of 10,739,115 votes have been counted for the proportional election. Among these votes, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is leading with 5,139,235 votes.
The Nepali Congress has garnered 1,749,583 votes, while the CPN-UML has received 1,448,854 votes. The Nepali Communist Party has 805,773 votes, the Shram Sanskriti Party has 378,649 votes, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has 329,472 votes.
Other parties have not managed to meet the required threshold of three percent of the total valid votes cast under the PR system as per the prevailing law.
Gold price increases by Rs 2, 000 per tola on Wednesday
The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.
According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 319, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 317, 000 per tola on Tuesday.
Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 5, 720 per tola today.
World Bank supports Nepal’s Clean Air Project
The World Bank has extended support to Nepal’s Clean Air and Prosperity Project to reduce air pollution from industries and strengthen air quality management.
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved Rs 7.7 billion credit for the project.
The project will help reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions, particularly from industrial and commercial boilers and furnaces, while strengthening national systems for air quality management.
“Air pollution is not only a public health crisis but also a significant economic burden in Nepal, costing the country more than six percent of GDP each year through health costs and lost labour productivity,” said David Sislen, Division Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
This project aims to protect millions of people from harmful pollution by helping Nepali enterprises adopt cleaner and more efficient technologies that at the same time also lower operating costs, improve competitiveness, and support sustainable industrial growth, he added.
Tiger count begins in Shuklaphanta National Park
The counting of tigers in the Shuklaphanta National Park began on Tuesday. The tigers in the Park and its vicinity are being counted for the fifth time.
A conservation officer at the Park, Purushottam Wagle, informed that the big cats would be enumerated with camera trapping methods. The tigers are counted every four years. This is the fifth time the count is going on.
A survey will be conducted in the Park and its vicinity where a total 520 automated cameras have been installed by identifying the tigers' trail.
A 77-member technical team has been mobilized for this task. Even the elephants would be used for easing the count. The workforce carries out its duty through 11 camps.
The last survey held in 2022 had recorded 36 tigers in the Park which covers 305 square kilometer area. The number of big cats is expected to have increased since then.
African swine flu kills 46 pigs in Parbat
The African swine flu has taken a huge toll on pig farming in Parbat district.
As many as 46 pigs have died of flu, spreading alarm among the commercial pig farmers.
A test was conducted in the livestock for swine flu in the surrounding areas of district headquarters, Kushma. After the test found the spread of African swine flu, the farmers have been asked to maintain alertness.
The Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service, Parbat informed it conducted tests after some pigs in Kushma Municipality showed the symptoms such as fever, thumping, huddling, nasal and ocular discharge and loss of appetite. The rapid kit test resulted in a positive, according to Suresh Kumar Shrestha, Chief of Office.
Then the Office conducted monitoring in the areas suspected of disease and urged the farmers to keep pig sties clean, use bleaching powder and formalin to disinfect the sty, and keep separate the infected pigs. They are also asked to conduct the test in case of suspicion, bury the dead pigs and keep away the domestic cattle from wild boars.
There are over 40 commercial pig farms in Parbat district. The farmers in the related areas have been asked to maintain adequate preparedness.







