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Veteran economist Keshav Acharya died at the age of 72 on Sunday.

He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the Annapurna Neuro Hospital following a stroke, according to family.

The body will be cremated tomorrow.

He was survived by a wife, a son and a daughter.

Police have taken action against 175 drivers of various ride-sharing services for violating traffic rules in different parts of Kathmandu Valley. 

Ride sharing platforms are increasing rapidly and instances of operating the service without authorization, carrying passengers without meeting required standards, and ignoring traffic rules are also on the rise, said Naresh Raj Subedi, spokesperson of the Kathmandu Traffic Police Office.

He said that the team had conducted a special checking campaign at various places in the Valley to curb such violations. 

At least 175 ride-sharing drivers have been booked in the campaign as they were operating the service offline without the permission of the platforms.

During the campaign, unauthorized pick-ups and drop-offs, poor condition of vehicles, missing required documents and violating traffic rules were also found, said spokesperson Subedi.

The expansion of the six-lane expressway from Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur district to Dhulikhel in Kavre has gained nearly 67 percent of the physical progress, the project officials said.

Started three years ago, the project is expected to complete in the given deadline of mid-December, 2026. The 16 kilometers stretch of the Araniko Highway is being expanded into six lanes in two packages.

The first section from Suryabinayak to Sanga has achieved 65 percent completion and the route from Sanga to Dhulikhel recorded 55 percent progress. 

The Suryabinayak-Sanga is being constructed at a cost of Rs 3.88 billion. 

Information Officer of the Project, Anju Pariyar, said that a bridge over Mahadev river is being constructed in this stretch out of the total three bridges to be built.   

Pariyar shared that designs of two other bridges have been completed and the construction will be initiated soon.     

Likewise, the Lama Construction Pvt Ltd is carrying out the construction works of the Sanga-Dhulikhel section at the cost of Rs 4.5 billion. 

The construction works along the Sanga to Dhulikhel section has advanced smoothly recently though it was stalled for some period citing some local issues. 

Project Engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal shared that currently the construction works have been intensified in Janagal, Basghari-Budol, Saga-Bhainsepati and Banepa sites.

The World Meteorological Day 2026 is being observed across the world today celebrating the 76th anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

The theme of this year is "Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow". 

The themes chosen for World Meteorological Day reflect topical weather, climate or water-related issues, according to the WMO.

It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world. 

In Nepal, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology is also organizing an interaction program on awareness raising on weather, the importance of weather forecast and the measures for the climate change risk reduction, according to the Department's Meteorologist Sujan Subedi.

"The immense and often invisible observing and prediction system coordinated by WMO is the backbone of our economies. It is the central nervous system for early warnings, which have saved many millions of lives," the WMO stated. 

This World Meteorological Day therefore celebrates the work of the WMO community in observing our Earth to protect communities today and build resilience for tomorrow, it said.