Heartbreak for Newcastle as Yamal's late penalty rescues draw for Barca

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal struck from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game to salvage a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday, cancelling out a late strike from Harvey Barnes, Reuters reported. 

Newcastle appeared set to take a slender advantage into the second leg after Barnes scored in the 86th minute when he volleyed home Jacob Murphy's cross.

But elation for the home fans turned to heartbreak when Malick Thiaw brought Dani Olmo down in the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The 18-year-old Yamal, who had been quiet all night, fired the penalty into the bottom corner as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale dove the wrong way, according to Reuters. 

Ruthless Atletico punish Tottenham errors in Champions League rout

Atletico Madrid took a big step toward the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday with a 5-2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Metropolitano Stadium, Xinhua reported. 

Tottenham coach Igor Tudor said before the match that he was prioritizing Premier League survival over European progress, and his side made a disastrous start as Atletico led 4-0 after 22 minutes.

Tudor started with Antonin Kinsky in goal, even though the 22-year-old had not played a minute in either the Champions League or the Premier League this season. A mistake from Kinsky gifted Atletico the lead in the sixth minute when he slipped while trying to play the ball out from the back, allowing Marcos Llorente a simple finish, according to Xinhua. 

Bayern hit Atalanta for six in Bergamo masterclass

Bayern Munich crushed hosts Atalanta 6-1 in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday with a devastating display that left the Italian side shell-shocked before the interval, Reuters reported. 

The German giants seized control from the outset and never looked back, racing to a three-goal lead within 25 minutes as their aggressive attacking play overwhelmed their opponents who never managed to gain a foothold in the match.

While the result was emphatic, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany refused to get carried away ahead of next Wednesday's return leg at the Allianz Arena, according to Reuters. 

SAARC, Japan sign memorandum on SAARC–Japan Special Fund

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat and the government of Japan on Monday signed an addendum to the renewed memorandum on the guidelines for the SAARC–Japan Special Fund to implement the JENESYS 2025 Phase II program.

The memorandum was signed by Secretary-General of SAARC, Md Golam Sarwar, and Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, Maeda Toru, at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu.

According to a press release issued by the SAARC Secretariat, Japan has decided to contribute 13 million Japanese yen to support the implementation of the program under the SAARC–Japan Special Fund.

The JENESYS program aims to promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and SAARC member states. Under the JENESYS 2025 Phase II programme, around 20 participants from SAARC countries are expected to visit Japan to gain insights into the country’s development experience, culture, society and technological advancement.

The initiative is expected to strengthen cooperation and friendship between Japan and the SAARC region, the statement added.

 

UN General Assembly adopts Nepal-proposed resolution on Int'l Wellness Day

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution titled “International Wellness Day” proposed by Nepal, designating April 15 each year as the International Wellness Day.

According to the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, the resolution underscores that health goes beyond the mere absence of illness and embraces physical, mental, social, cultural, emotional and ecological well-being.

He said the resolution also promotes preventive healthcare, healthy lifestyles and inclusive health systems as key elements to build stronger and more resilient societies worldwide.

According to Ambassador Thapa, Nepal expressed sincere appreciation to the co-sponsoring countries and fellow member states for their support and cooperation throughout the process leading to the adoption of the resolution by the United Nations.

 

 

HoR election result: Over 10.7 million votes counted under proportional representation

The Election Commission has said  that over 10.7 million votes (total 10720,567) have been counted so far under proportional category of the House of Representatives elections.

The vote count updated at 3:30 am today showed the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) at top with over 5.1 million votes.

The RSP is followed by the Nepali Congress with over 1.7 million votes, while the UML is third in the race with over 1.4 million votes. The Nepali Communist Party stands fourth in the tally with over 800 thousand votes, which is trailed by the Shram Sanskriti Party with 378 thousand votes.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party has so far collected 329,197 votes in the proportional category. It is followed by the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal with 174, 305 votes, the Rastriya Paribartan Party with 171,444 votes and the Janamat Party with 78,927, according to the EC.

 

Bangladeshi envoy congratulates Nepal on peaceful elections

Bangladeshi Ambassador to Nepal Shafiqur Rahman congratulated the people of Nepal on the peaceful and successful elections, describing it as an important milestone in the country’s democratic journey. 

He made the remarks while welcoming the guests at an iftar-dinner hosted in honour of the Heads of Mission and members of the diplomatic corps in Kathmandu on Tuesday, reads a statement issued by the Bangladeshi Embassy in Kathmandu. 

During the event, the Bangladeshi envoy expressed willingness to work with the new government of Nepal to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. 

Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, and other distinguished guests were present in the program. 

On the occasion, the ambassador conveyed Ramadan greetings and touched on the spirit and teaching of the holy month of Ramadan. 

He underscored the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and Nepal, and reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to further strengthening this partnership.

Referring to Bangladesh’s journey towards democracy and reforms, the ambassador noted that the new government in Bangladesh is committed to advancing democratic reforms and building a discrimination-free, corruption-free and prosperous Bangladesh under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

 

Around 140 US service members wounded in Iran war, Pentagon says

The United States has confirmed that around 140 of its service members have been wounded since the start of the war against Iran on February 28, Aljazeera reported. 

The Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday that most of the injuries were minor.

“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.