- Thursday, 25 June 2026
Chitwan, June 24: More than 400 candidates have filed their nominations for 99 Central Committee positions of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), according to party officials.
According to Bhuvan KC, Chief of the Central Election Commission, nominations continued until late Tuesday night and preparations are underway to publish the first list of candidates today.
KC said, “We are finalizing the exact number, but more than 400 nominations have been received. The list will be published at 9:00 am today.”
While Rabi Lamichhane was elected unopposed as the party President on Tuesday night, he said that election process would continue today with the selection of 99 members in the first phase, followed by the election of officer bearers in the second phase.
Around 4,000 representatives are expected to participate in the voting process.
The party is using 80 electronic voting machines for the election, while members residing abroad will be able to cast their votes through a mobile app, it was stated.
The four-year-old party, founded in 2022, is holding its first-ever general convention in Chitwan since June 21, with 3,849 representatives participating in the gathering.
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05- Two cultural antiquities returned to Nepal from US
Kathmandu, June 24: Nepal has received two cultural antiquities repatriated from the United States following their recovery by the American authorities.
At a special handover ceremony held at the Consulate General of Nepal in New York recently, the New York County District Attorney’s Office formally transferred ownership of a 13th-century bronze statue of Padma Pani and a 16th-century wooden statue of Nrityadevi (Goddess of Dance) to the government of Nepal.
The transfer was formalized through the signing of the Minutes of Concurrence by Consul General of Nepal in New York, Dadhiram Bhandari, and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, according to the Consulate General of Nepal in New York.
During the ceremony, Consul General Bhandari said the Padma Pani statue originally belonged to Tham-Bahil (Vikramashila Mahavihara, Bhagwan Bahal) in Kathmandu and is believed to have been smuggled into the US at an unknown date between 1971 and 1987.
Similarly, the Nrityadevi statue, originally from I-Baha Bahi in Patan, Lalitpur, was reportedly smuggled between 1969 and 1983. It was later seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he said.
The artifacts were recovered through coordinated efforts involving the New York County District Attorney’s Office, US Homeland Security Investigations and partner institutions.
The antiquities are scheduled to arrive in Nepal on June 25 and will be handed over to the Department of Archaeology for conservation and eventual restoration to their original sites.
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06- Weather forecast: Heatwave likely in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim, hotter days expected in Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces
Kathmandu, June 24: The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has forecast heatwave conditions in some Tarai areas of Lumbini and Sudurpashchim Provinces, while temperatures are also likely to rise in parts of Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces.
According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, monsoon winds are currently affecting all areas of Koshi, Madhesh and Bagmati Provinces, some parts of Gandaki Province and parts of the eastern Tarai of Lumbini Province.
The weather service informed that the western and local winds are continuing to exert partial influence over the remaining parts of the country.
At present, weather conditions remain generally cloudy in Koshi Province, while hilly and mountainous areas of Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces are witnessing partly cloudy conditions. Light to moderate rainfall is occurring at some places in Koshi Province and at one or two locations in Bagmati Province.
The Division has forecast moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning at some places in the hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, with isolated rainfall also likely in other hilly areas.
The Division has urged people in areas likely to be affected by lightning, heatwave and rising temperatures to observe necessary precautions and stay updated with official weather advisories.
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07- 10,845 EVs worth Rs 25.55 billion imported in 11 months of current FY
Kathmandu, June 24: Ten thousand eight hundred and forty-five electric vehicles worth Rs 25.55 billion have been imported in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year.
The Department of Customs stated that various types of EVs with capacities ranging from 50 kW to 201 kW have been imported during this period.
During that period, 3,680 electric vehicles with a capacity of 50 kilowatts, worth Rs 5.65 billion, were imported.
Similarly, 6,357 electric vehicles ranging from 51 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts, worth Rs 16 billion 497 million and 946 thousand, have been imported during the same period, the Department stated.
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08- RSP general convention: 80 e-voting machines being used
Chitwan, June 24: Eighty electronic voting machines would be used to cast vote in today’s election under the first general convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
Chief of Central Election Commission, Bhuwan KC, shared that vote would be cast by incorporating names and photos of candidates in the machines after the publication of final list of the candidates.
Stating that they have been carrying out activities with a target of conducting first-phase voting from this afternoon, he mentioned that five electronic voting machines would be used for sample voting.
More than 400 candidates are in election fray. It would take additional time in voting as candidacies have been filed in different clusters.
KC added that the results would be published within two hours after the completion of voting process. In the first-phase, voting would take place for 99 central committee members.
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09- Gold, silver prices go down
Kathmandu, June 24: The price of gold has decreased in the domestic market today. The price of the yellow metal has fallen by Rs 3,600 per tola (11.66 grammes) and silver by Rs 105.
The Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association has fixed the price of gold at Rs 283,500 per tola today against 287,100 on Tuesday.
Similarly, silver is being traded at Rs 4,485 per tola today. It was Rs 4,590 per tola on Tuesday.
Likewise, gold is being traded at 4064 US dollar per ounce and silver at 61 US dollar per ounce in the international market today.
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10- International Day of Women in Diplomacy: Call for equal participation for global peace and inclusive governance
Kathmandu, June 24: The International Day of Women in Diplomacy is being observed across the world today, including in Nepal, organizing various programmes and highlighting the need for women’s equal participation to advance global peace and inclusive governance.
The Day has been observed annually on June 24 since 2022 following a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the United Nations, women in diplomacy are not merely participants in international affairs but also peace builders, advocates of equality and leaders shaping the future of global cooperation.
“Their voices, perspectives and leadership are essential to addressing complex global challenges and building more inclusive, just and sustainable societies,” the 193-member global intergovernmental body noted.
Furthermore, the UN emphasized that ensuring women’s full, equal and meaningful participation at all levels of decision-making is not only a matter of equality but also a fundamental requirement for effective global governance.
It also acknowledged that such participation is vital to fulfilling commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Although women and girls represent half of the world’s population, their representation in diplomatic corps worldwide remains low.
Despite their limited representation, women have made significant diplomatic contributions as leaders in global politics and continue to play important roles across diplomatic missions, multilateral institutions and international negotiations through dialogue, consensus-building, conflict resolution and international cooperation, the UN said.
Despite progress in recent decades, women remain underrepresented in diplomacy and international decision-making processes, particularly in senior diplomatic positions and within the UN system.
Structural, institutional and cultural barriers continue to limit women’s advancement into leadership roles.
Against this backdrop, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed stressed that effective global governance cannot be achieved without women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in diplomacy.
She also called for greater inclusion of women in decision-making processes.
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11- PM Shah leaves for Kathmandu
Chitwan, June 24: Prime Minister and Senior Leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Balendra Shah, has returned to Kathmandu. He had arrived here on June 21 to participate in the First General Convention of the party.
According to Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal, the Prime Minister left for Kathmandu today at 11:31 am.
Prime Minister Shah had addressed the opening session of the party’s general convention on Sunday and attended the closed-door session on Tuesday. Shah was elected senior leader of the party at the convention.
While here, PM Shah visited the Elephant Breeding Centre in Sauraha and the Chitwan National Park.
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12- Pauwadungma to sterilize monkeys
Bhojpur, June 24: The Pauwadungma Rural Municipality of Bhojpur is planning to sterilise monkeys to control the monkey menace.
While the federal government is preparing guidelines for monkey control, the rural municipality is going to sterilise the local monkeys in coordination with the federal government.
The rural municipality chairperson Kiran Rai informed that the rural municipality’s 19th municipal assembly, which started on Tuesday, included plans to carry out study, research and sterilisation programmes for monkey control in its budget and programmes for the fiscal year 2083/84.
“Monkeys have become an intractable problem for farmers. We are preparing to run a sterilisation programme to control monkeys. Our goal is to implement the programme in coordination with the federal government,” Rai said.
According to the rural municipality, the aim is to control the monkey population through sterilisation and find a long-term solution. Technical staff will be deployed, necessary equipment provided, and cooperation with relevant bodies will be ensured for this purpose.
The rural municipality has stated that this will help reduce human-monkey conflict. As monkeys started causing irreparable damage to crops, the vice-chairperson of the rural municipality, Jyotsna Rai, said they are going to sterilise monkeys to control their population.
Recently, the number of monkeys has been increasing rapidly in various wards of the rural municipality. The monkeys have been causing damage especially to maize, millet and potato crops. The rural municipality has allocated a budget of Rs 500 thousand in the first phase for carrying out study and research for monkey control measures.
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13- Mercury continuously rising in Tarai region
Kathmandu, June 24: The Tarai region has been experiencing hotter days continuously for the past few days. The temperature continues to rise in Tarai, the southern plain region of the country.
The Meteorological Forecasting Division has urged the people of Tarai region to adopt precautions and to be protected from heat wave.
Spokesperson at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Bibhuti Pokharel, said heat wave might take place in Tarai areas of Sudurpaschim and Lumbini Provinces for next three days.
She also requested to adopt precautions as there is possibility of rise in mercury in Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.
The Department has forecast that the maximum temperature of Dhangadhi would reach to 40 degrees Celsius and 41 degree Celsius in Nepalgunj and Bhairahawa in next three days.
Similarly, temperature in Birendranagar and Ghorahi would also increase, she added.
Spokesperson Pokharel urged the people of these areas to stay inside the house in afternoon except for essential works and to drink adequate water to protect from heat.
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