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The monsoon wind has its influence throughout the country at present with the monsoon low pressure trough to its average position, the Meteorological Forecasting Division said.

According to the Division, there are chances of heavy rainfall in one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces today. 

As the weather remains partly to generally cloudy throughout the country, light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and the hilly regions of the country, according to the Division.  

The weather is predicted to remain partly to generally cloudy throughout the country tonight. 

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain at some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and the hilly mountainous regions of the country tonight. 

The Division has forecast that there are chances of heavy rainfall at one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces tonight.

In view of the risk of floods, landslides, and debris flow, the residents in the concerned areas have been urged to apply precautions and safety measures. 

The Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal and Project Implementing Agencies of Government of Nepal today signed Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) for undertaking five High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) in Nepal under the grant assistance of Government of India in education and health sectors at a total estimated cost of Rs 390 million.

These five projects—Construction of Shree Jan Shakti Secondary School Building, Bateshwor-3 Bateshwor Rural Municipality, Dhanusha, Construction of Shree Mahobani Padam Secondary School, Pokhariya Municipality, Parsa, Construction of Shree Basuki Secondary School, Mellekh Rural Municipality, Achham, Construction of School Building, Hostel and Library of Benga Sah Secondary School, Prasauni Rural Municipality-2, Bara and Construction of five Bed Hospital Building, Nashon Rural Municipality -5, Manang   in Nepal shall be implemented through local authorities and institutions of the Government of Nepal including municipalities and rural municipalities.

The construction of these facilities will help provide better education and health facilities to the people in Nepal, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Since 2003, the Government of India has taken up 579 High Impact Development Projects (HICDPs) in Nepal, including the five projects whose MoUs have been signed today. 

Out of these, 496 projects have been completed in the areas of health, education, drinking water, connectivity, sanitation and creation of public utilities across all seven provinces of Nepal at the grassroot level. The remaining  projects are ongoing at various stages. 

As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide- ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. 

The implementation of HICDPs reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in empowerment of its people by augmenting infrastructure in priority sectors.

CPN-UML Chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged Central Committee members to strengthen the party's internal unity.

Speaking at the ninth Central Committee meeting of the party that began today, Chair Oli stressed that the entire party line should be united as there was no ideological and policy-level dispute in the party.  

The party membership has increased by 139,000 (28 percent) in the recent period, thereby making the party organization stronger, he informed. 

Chair Oli called on party's central members to transform the party as a decisive force of the country, shared UML Central Publicity Department Chief, Rajendra Gautam. 

"There is no confrontation among us but we should be aware of possible efforts of some elements intending to create dispute and division," Chair Oli reminded. The Central Committee members were asked to put forth their views in the meeting. 

According to him, the opponents could not compete with UML ideology and performance.  

Leader Gautam shared that the discussion would also be held about the meeting between Chair Oli and former President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday.

Vice-Chairperson Bishnu Prasad Paudel would present a statute amendment proposal while General Secretary an organizational report in the two-day meeting. 

Similarly, the meeting would discuss the managerial preparation of the upcoming Statute Convention.

A worker at the under-construction 900-megawatt Arun-III Hydropower Project died of electric shock in Sankhuwasabha on Monday.

The District Police Office, Sankhuwasabha, identified the deceased as Karan Dhar Paudel (40) of Ghodaghodi Municipality-2 in Kailali. 

The incident occurred inside a tunnel under the project at Chichila Rural Municipality-3.

Severely injured in the incident, Paudel died during the course of treatment at the District Hospital, Sankhuwasabha, said Police Inspector Ram Kumar Lamichhane.

Over 300 workers, also from India, have been hired under the project.

Arrival of foreign tourists has been increasing every year in Manang district. 

According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project Area Office, as many as 37,733 foreign tourists visited Manang district in the fiscal year 2024/25.

As per the data of Dharapani Tourist Check Point under the Annapurna Conservation Area Project Office, Manang, total 2,554 tourists from SAARC countries and 35,178 tourists from other countries visited Manang in the last fiscal year.

Office Chief Dhak Bahadur Bhujel shared that tourists from 134 countries had the footfall in Manang district and the highest number of tourists were from Israel, which stands at 4,358, followed by 3,616 from France and 2,842 from Germany. 

Similarly, the number of those visiting Manang from abroad was 22,371 from 124 countries in fiscal year 2023/24. The French stood first in number. 

Locals here are dependent on agriculture and tourism business and the increasing arrival of foreign tourists has helped in economic growth of the district, thereby improving the nation's economy. 

Tourists have been found attracted to visit Manang as Annapurna trekking route, which is ranked as the 10th most dangerous trekking route in the world, lies in Manang. 

Manang has been the choice of the tourists as it has immense natural heritages and beauty. 

Conservation Education Assistant at ACAP, Bhupendra Gurung, mentioned that the number of domestic tourists visiting Manang is remarkable in the  recent period.

However, the erratic weather events coupled with climate change impact in the upper hilly and mountainous district, Manang, in recent years, is unleashing fear among local entrepreneurs whether they could retain the rise of foreign footfall in the district.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 31. 78 points to close at 2,902. 74 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 6. 60 points to close at 504. 64 points.

A total of 35,649,211-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 16. 32 billion.

Meanwhile, Three Star Hydropower Limited (TSHL) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. Likewise, Green Development Bank Ltd. (GRDBL) and Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd (SAPDBL) were the top losers as their price fell by 10. 00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 1. 64 trillion.

China's Premier Li Qiang announced construction had begun on what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, on the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau, at an estimated cost of at least $170 billion, the official Xinhua news agency said, Reuters reported.

Commencement of the hydropower project, China's most ambitious since the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, was seized by Chinese markets as proof of economic stimulus, sending stock prices and bond yields higher on Monday.

Made up of five cascade hydropower stations with the capacity to produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equal to the amount of electricity consumed by Britain last year, the dam will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo. A section of the river tumbles 2,000 metres (6,561 feet) in a span of 50km (31 miles), offering huge hydropower potential, according to Reuters.

Russia launched a fresh wave of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine in an overnight attack on Monday, killing one person, wounding seven others and causing multiple fires in Kyiv, city officials said, Reuters reported.

Explosions lit up the night sky as the high-pitched whine of drone engines echoed off the walls of the capital's high-rise buildings.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said rescuers and medics were working on sites across four districts of the capital. A subway station in central Kyiv, commercial property, shops, houses and a kindergarten were damaged, city officials said, according to Reuters.