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The commercial charter flight has been operated from Pokhara International Airport to Chengdu in Sichuan Province of China for the first time.

Two years after the inauguration of the airport, the first commercial charter flight took place from Pokhara to Chengdu on Tuesday.

The first-ever Pokhara-Chengdu commercial flight was operated under the leadership of Pokhara Tourism Council in collaboration with Pokhara Metropolitan City, Chinese Embassy in Nepal, Sichuan Airlines and Chinese Association in Nepal.

It may be noted that it was materialized after continuous efforts from different fronts, including the private sector for international flights from the Pokhara International Airport.

Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Pokhara Tourism Council Chair Taranath Pahari, Nepal Tourism Board Gandaki Province Chief Maniraj Lamichhane, Pokhara Visit Year-2025 Performance Committee Coordinator Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai and a 126-member team of tourism entrepreneurs and media persons have come to Chengdu to promote tourism.

Nepali Consul General to China Suresh Raut, high-ranking officials of Sichuan Province and representatives of Sichuan Airlines, among others, welcomed the Pokharel team at Chengdu Airport.

On the occasion, Mayor Acharya said that the first commercial charter flight has been made with the continuous efforts of the Metropolitan City, Pokhara Tourism Council at a time when international flights could not be operated from Pokhara International Airport. The Chinese Embassy also held discussions on 'B2B' between tourism entrepreneurs of the two countries regarding tourism development of Pokhara.

The Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023. 

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba held a bilateral meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in New Delhi today on the sidelines of the 10th edition of the Raisina Dialogue 2025 organized by the Ministry of External Affairs, India.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways for further strengthening Nepal-Ukraine relations and promoting cooperation, according to Minister Rana's Private Secretariat.

Minister Rana urged Ukraine to facilitate the release and repatriation of seven Nepali citizens held as Prisoners of War by Ukrainian soldiers.

According to her, although Nepal has no policy to allow its citizens to join the Russian army, it was later learned that Nepalis were recruited in the Russian army through human traffickers.

In response, Sybiha expressed his commitment to release the Nepali prisoners of war after completing the necessary legal process.

Similarly, Foreign Minister Rana sought the Ukrainian government's support in Nepal's candidacy for membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2027 to 2029.

Meanwhile, both nations signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports.

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has not been included in Argentina's squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, BBC reported.

The 37-year-old returned to Miami's starting line-up for their Major League Soccer win over Atlanta United but picked up an injury during Sunday's game.

Inter later confirmed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has a "low-grade" injury to his adductor muscle.

Messi was rested for three Miami games before coming off the bench and scoring in last week's Concacaf Champions Cup win at Jamaican side Cavalier.

Messi said in a story on Instagram that it was a "shame to miss two such such special qualification games".

"I wanted to be there as always but at the last minute, a minor injury forced me to take a break before playing again," he said.

"But I'll be supporting and cheering from here like a fan."

Argentina can secure qualification for next year's World Cup in this round of games as the holders visit Uruguay and host Brazil, according to BBC.

They lead South America's 10-team qualifying group by five points from Uruguay with six games remaining, with Brazil seven points adrift in fifth.

The top six qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup while the seventh-placed team goes into a play-off.

After 12 rounds, Messi is the top scorer with six goals, taking his overall tally to 112 from 191 international appearances.

Argentina will also be without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Gonzalo Montiel.

Brazil will be without Messi's former Barcelona team-mate Neymar as a thigh injury has denied the Santos forward, 33, a return to the national team.

The person, who was arrested with over Rs 250 million from Tokha on Tuesday, has been made public amidst a press conference in Kathmandu this afternoon.

He has been identified as Kusang Lama (43) of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-1, Sindhupalchowk.

A team of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Teku nabbed Lama with Rs 251. 60 million from the Jhor area of Tokha Municipality-1 this morning.

Police apprehended him while he was heading towards Kerung from Kathmandu in a truck. He had created a false bottom beside the driver’s seat to conceal the money.

According to a preliminary investigation of police, he was just a driver and working as a carrier.

The identity of the person with whom he was working is yet to be established.

Police said that they arrested Lama acting on a tip off.

He had already served seven years in jail on a gold smuggling case.

While recording the statement with the police, Lama said that he has been working as a  carrier.

SSP Ramesh Basnet of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office said that Lama has been sent to the Customs Department in Harihar Bhawan for investigation.

The National Examinations Board, Office of the Controller of Examinations has completed all preparation for the Secondary Education Examination. Controller of Examinations at the Office of the Controller of Examinations, Grade 10 Nandalal Paudel, shared that all preparations have been completed for the SEE examination kicking off simultaneously across the country from March 20.  

All necessary materials, including question papers, symbol numbers and answer sheets have reached every district for the examination, according to the Board. Examination Controller Paudel said, “A total of 464,785 students had appeared in the SEE examination last year. Number of students in this year’s examination has increased by 49,286 to 5,14,071. The office has set up 2,079 examination centers across the country for this year’s SEE examination.”    

There will be one assistant superintendent in an examination center with up to 150 students while one invigilator equivalent to 20 students will be deployed in the examination. This time three out-of-school centers, including child improvement centers and prison, have been fixed for the SEE.  

Paudel further said arrangements have been made to give the examination to the students from two jails in Kathmandu and Dailekh and a child care home in Bhaktapur.  This year the SEE is scheduled to begin on March 20 and conclude on April 1. The exam will be held from 8 am to 11 am, the office of the examination controller informed. 

The Israeli military says it is carrying out "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting that at least 130 Palestinians have been killed, BBC reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was targeting what it called "terror targets" belonging to Hamas.

Mahmoud Abu Wafah, the deputy interior minister in Gaza and the highest-ranking Hamas security official in the territory, has reportedly been killed in a strike.

This is the largest wave of airstrikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement.

Many people were having their pre-dawn meal, due to it being the holy month of Ramadan, when explosions started in Gaza, witnesses say.

More than 20 Israeli war planes flew over, they said. The planes then began to hit targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the strikes on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the PM's office.

"This follows Hamas's repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators," it said. 

"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," it added.

The plan for the strikes "was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership", it said, according to BBC.

Hamas has responded furiously, accusing Israel of treachery for overturning the ceasefire agreement. It also says Israel is exposing the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza to "an unknown fate".

But Hamas has not yet declared that it is resuming the war, instead calling on mediators and the United Nations to intervene.

US President Donald Trump's administration was consulted by Israel prior to carrying out the strikes, a White House spokesperson told Fox News.

Negotiators have been trying to find a way forward after the first phase of the temporary truce ended on 1 March.

The US proposed extending the first phase until mid-April, including a further exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

But a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that Israel and Hamas disagreed over key aspects of the deal set out by Witkoff at the indirect talks.

The latest war between Israel and Hamas started on 7 October 2023, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, with 251 taken hostage.

The assault triggered an Israeli military offensive that has since killed more than 48,520 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which are used by the UN and others, BBC reported.

Most of Gaza's 2.1 million population has been displaced multiple times.

An estimated 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, healthcare, water, and sanitation systems have collapsed and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

A federal judge on Monday questioned whether the Trump administration ignored his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador, a possible violation of the decision he’d issued minutes before, Associated Press reported.

District Judge James E. Boasberg was incredulous over the administration’s contentions that his verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed, that it couldn’t apply to flights that had left the U.S. and that the administration could not answer his questions about the deportations due to national security issues.

“That’s one heck of a stretch, I think,” Boasberg replied, noting that the administration knew as the planes were departing that he was about to decide whether to briefly halt deportations being made under a rarely used 18th century law invoked by Trump about an hour earlier.

“I’m just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to a plane that has departed the U.S., even if it’s in international airspace,” Boasberg added at another point.

Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli contended that only Boasberg’s short written order, issued about 45 minutes after he made the verbal demand, counted. It did not contain any demands to reverse planes, and Kambli added that it was too late to redirect two planes that had left the U.S. by that time.

“These are sensitive, operational tasks of national security,” Kambli said.

The hearing over what Boasberg called the “possible defiance” of his court order marked the latest step in a high-stakes legal fight that began when President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 wartime law to remove immigrants over the weekend. It was also an escalation in the battle over whether the Trump administration is flouting court orders that have blocked some of his aggressive moves in the opening weeks of his second term, according to the Associated Press.

“There’s been a lot of talk about constitutional crisis, people throw that word around. I think we’re getting very close to it,” warned Lee Gelernt of the ACLU, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, during the Monday hearing. After the hearing, Gelernt said the ACLU would ask Boasberg to order all improperly deported people returned to the United States.

Boasberg said he’d record the proceedings and additional demands in writing. “I will memorialize this in a written order since apparently my oral orders don’t seem to carry much weight,” Boasberg said.

On Saturday night, Boasberg ordered the administration not to deport anyone in its custody through the newly-invoked Alien Enemies Act, which has only been used three times before in U.S. history, all during congressionally declared wars. Trump issued a proclamation that the law was newly in effect due to what he claimed was an invasion by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Associated Press reported.

Manjit Ram, a reporter with Radio Nepal from Mahottari district, was attacked on Monday.

Ram was assaulted at his residence in Sonama Rural Municipality-5.

A person from the same community Kunja Bihari Yadavi and his family members barged into journalist Ram's home and beat him up severely.

The incident has been condemned from various sides, including media houses and journalists' associations.

The central committee of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), FNJ province committee, FNJ district committee, Press Union district committee and Press Centre Nepal district committee issued separate press statements and condemned the incident, saying that journalist Ram was tortured, beaten up and injured.

In the statements, they said it was deplorable to assault the journalist. It violated press freedom and discouraged journalists and the media fraternity. Anyone involved in the attack must be booked and journalists ensured safety and justice.

They also wished speedy recovery to the journalist who has been receiving treatment at the Provincial Hospital, Jaleshwor.

Meanwhile, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Santulal Prasad Jaiswal, informed that after the health report of the injured journalist is issued, police will intensify investigation.

Search for those involved in the attack is on, he added.