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Former British Gurkha soldiers have demanded that the Nepali citizenship obtained on the basis of descent should be retained.

In today's meeting of the State Affairs Committee under the House of Representatives, the representative of the former British Gurkha soldiers expressed that they want the continuation of the existing citizenship provided to them and not a new one.

On that occasion, British Gurkha veteran Krishna Kumar Rai said that the issue of citizenship has raised concerns whether the recruitment of Nepali youths in the British army will be stopped or if Nepali citizenship will be continued.

Stating that Nepal receives an annual amount of approximately 210 million pound as pay for the contribution of the former Gurkha soldiers to the British Army, he expressed the view that the issue of citizenship not being granted to the youth enlisted in the British Army as per the agreement between Nepal and the UK contradicts the core values of human rights.

The meeting was informed that currently around 3,500 Nepali youths are working as Gurkha soldiers in the British Army and there are about 22 thousand retired British Gurkha soldiers.

Rai said, "It is necessary to rectify the situation where the Gurkha soldiers serving in the British Army when he dies in war is counted as a British citizen, and when he returns alive is taken to be a Nepali citizen. Dialogue between Nepal and Britain is essential regarding this."

For 210 years since 1814 the British Gurkha soldiers have acted as a bridge of friendship between Britain and Nepal, and according to Hom Kirati Sunuwar, a former British Gurkha, it is not a matter of their desire to acquire the British passport and residency right but a compulsion.

Another former British Gurkha soldier, Himal Rai, emphasized the continuity of citizenship for descendants, pointing out that Nepal has been consistently receiving large sums of pound sterling, thanks to the contributions of talented young manpower of Gurkha descent in the British Army without any distinct financial investment.

Today, the Committee discussed and sought opinions regarding the issues raised by the ex-British Gurkha soldiers concerning the bill proposed to amend the Citizenship Act of Nepal 2063.

Meanwhile, earlier the House of Representatives, International Relations and Tourism Committee had instructed the government to take necessary initiatives to address the demands related to justice and equality raised by the ex-British Gurkha servicemen.

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel, Reuters reported.

The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.

However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control, according to Reuters.

"The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X.

Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd, Associated Press reported.

Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days. Police declared an unlawful assembly, and by early evening many people had left.

But protesters who remained grabbed chairs from a nearby public park to form a makeshift barrier, throwing objects at police on the other side. Others standing above the closed southbound 101 Freeway threw chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles that were parked on the highway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover, according to Associated Press.

It was the third day of demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown.

House of Representatives Devraj Speaker Ghimire said that the Parliament meeting will commence from 2 pm today.

The Speaker said so after observing the photo exhibition entitled 'Mountain Tourism: Our Pride, Our Identity' organized by Rastriya Samachar Samiti, the National News Agency to commemorate the 18th Republic Day, today.

"The House does not necessarily have to be obstructed, but it is. The meeting of the House of Representatives will be held from 2 pm today. Generally, meetings used to be scheduled for 11 am and 1 am, but today the meeting has been set for 2 pm. I hope that the Parliament will start from 2 pm," he said on the occasion.

Speaker Ghimire said that the House meeting was disrupted just when it was about to hold discussions on important agendas of the budget. "Now, it is necessary to reduce the number of lawmakers taking part in the deliberations and to conduct the discussions according to the procedure," the Speaker said, adding that the House obstruction has already caused the damage and the agenda for now should be set accordingly, and the discussion on the budget should be concluded according to the procedure.

Speaker Ghimire asserted that the meeting agenda would now be set in order to conclude the deliberations on the budget within the fixed timeline.