Author: space4knews

March 31, Kathmandu – The CPN-UML parliamentary party meeting will be held today at 11 AM at the party’s central office in Chyasal. The meeting will focus on discussions regarding the selection of the parliamentary party leader, chief whip, and whips. With the House of Representatives session scheduled for March 31, the UML is preparing to complete the process of appointing its parliamentary leadership ahead of time. Additionally, a party leader has revealed that the meeting will also cover the role of UML lawmakers in Parliament.

Following the arrest last Saturday of former Prime Minister and party chairman KP Sharma Oli and then Minister of Home Affairs and Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak on charges related to suppressing the Janajati Janadhikar Andolan (Janji) movement, the UML has mobilized street protests and is now preparing to raise opposition within the House of Representatives as well.

Kathmandu, March 31 – Scientists have made a groundbreaking advancement by developing an ultra-precise ‘phonon laser’ powered by sound vibrations instead of light. This innovation, created by researchers from the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology, promises revolutionary contributions in quantum physics, gravitational studies, and the future development of a ‘quantum compass.’

According to a study published in the Nature Communications journal, Professor Nick Vamivakas and his team successfully managed to control phonons—individual particles of sound—using a laser-like approach. While conventional lasers invented in the 1960s manipulate photons (particles of light), this novel laser controls the mechanical motions or vibrations of materials.

Previously, achieving high precision with such lasers was challenging due to noise interference. However, the scientists employed light assistance to constrain these vibrations and significantly reduce thermal noise. This breakthrough enables gravitational and acceleration measurements with unprecedented accuracy. One of the most notable applications of this technology is its use in navigation systems that operate without satellites—an approach impervious to interference by any method.

The Czech Republic has secured a ticket to the FIFA World Cup after 20 years. They qualified by defeating Denmark 3-1 in a penalty shootout. The match ended 1-1 in regular time and 2-2 after extra time, with the winner decided by penalties. Kathmandu, 18 Chaitra.

The European nation earned their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday night by beating Denmark in the European playoff. Previously, the Czech Republic last participated in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, marking this as their first re-entry into the tournament in two decades.

During the penalty shootout, three of the Czech players scored out of four attempts, while three Danish players missed their shots. For the Czech team, Tomáš Chorý, Tomáš Souček, and Michael Sadílek converted their penalties, whereas Ladislav Krejčí missed his. For Denmark, only Christian Eriksen scored, while Rasmus Højlund, Andreas Dreyer, and Matthias Jensen failed to find the net.

At the start of the match, the Czech Republic took the lead twice, but Denmark equalized each time. Pelé Suls opened the scoring in the third minute, giving the Czech side an early lead. Joachim Andersen leveled the score in the 72nd minute. After regular time ended, 30 minutes of extra time was added. Ladislav Krejčí scored in the 100th minute to put the Czechs ahead again, but Kasper Høgh equalized for Denmark in the 111th minute, making it 2-2. With no further goals, the game was decided by penalties.

Going forward, the Czech Republic will compete in Group A of the World Cup 2026 against co-host Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.

The first meeting of the House of Representatives will be held on Chaitra 19 (March 31), and the election process for the Speaker will commence on the same day. According to the rules, the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be completed within 15 days after the first meeting. Although the rules stipulate that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be from different parties and different genders, there is a possibility that both positions could be filled by members of the same party if there is a single candidate.

Chaitra 17 (March 30), Kathmandu – Preparations are underway to advance the Speaker election process from the first meeting of the House of Representatives, which is scheduled for Chaitra 19. According to Ekram Giri, Deputy Secretary and Spokesperson of the Federal Parliament Secretariat, the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be completed within 15 days following the first meeting. Discussions are ongoing on moving forward with the Speaker election process.

Rule 7 of the House of Representatives Rules of Procedure outlines provisions related to the Speaker’s election. According to this rule, the election of the Speaker after the House election will be conducted on the date and time set by the senior-most member. Notification regarding this will be published by the General Secretary or, in their absence, the Secretary. A member must propose another member for the post of Speaker. If there is only one candidate, that person will be declared Speaker unopposed after endorsement by three supporting members. However, if there are multiple candidates, proposals and support must be submitted according to the registration process, followed by a brief discussion before the Chair submits the matter for a formal decision. The candidate who obtains majority approval will be declared Speaker.

The Rashtriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa) holds 182 seats in the House of Representatives. The Nepali Congress has 38 seats, CPN-UML 25, Nepali Communist Party 17, Labour Culture Party 7, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) 5, and there is one independent MP. Based on this parliamentary composition, Raswapa is positioned to secure the Speaker post. Within Raswapa, there is discussion about nominating Deputy Speaker Dipak Prasad Aryal as the Speaker candidate.

Following the Speaker’s election, the Deputy Speaker will be elected on a date and time designated by the Speaker. Spokesperson Ekram Giri noted there is a provision that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must come from different parties and different genders. “The Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be from different parties and different genders,” he said, “but if there is a single candidate, they may be from the same party.” According to Raswapa leaders, no concrete discussion regarding the Deputy Speaker has taken place yet. The House includes six parties including Raswapa.

After the election, the Speaker will take the oath of office and secrecy before the President, while the Deputy Speaker will take the oath before the Speaker in the presence of the President. Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are members of the Constitutional Council, which gives special significance to the party representing the Deputy Speaker position. According to Article 284 of the Constitution of Nepal, the Constitutional Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, operates to recommend qualified candidates for appointments to chief justice, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Election Commission, and other constitutional bodies. Appointments to these positions follow parliamentary hearing committee approval after recommendation by the Constitutional Council.

Security officials have reported that a total of 933 cases, including 379 in the Kathmandu Valley, have been registered nationwide concerning various offenses related to the destruction that occurred on Bhadra 24 during the Gen Z movement. As of Chaitra 15, 963 suspects connected to various criminal incidents have been arrested; among them, 191 remain in custody for further investigation. The remaining 474 have been released on bail. Approximately 700 of those arrested have been charged with criminal disturbance, while 20 individuals face charges of culpable homicide, according to a spokesperson for the Nepal Police.

Following the inquiry commission led by former Justice Gauribahadur Karki, which recommended action over the events of Bhadra 23, former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested Saturday morning, shortly after the formation of the government headed by Walendra Shah. The commission had suggested a separate investigation into the destruction, arson, and vandalism on Bhadra 24; however, the government has yet to finalize the mechanism for this inquiry.

According to the police, cases have been filed against 963 individuals under 13 different types of charges related to the Bhadra 24 incident. A total of 802 cases have been registered under criminal disturbance. There are four cases under culpable homicide, involving 20 suspects who have been arrested. In the Kathmandu Valley alone, 379 cases have been registered, and police records indicate that 420 people have been arrested across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur.

Nepal Police spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle stated, “Once the inquiry commissions submit their reports, charges in the culpable homicide cases may be filed at any time. Based on all complaints received regarding offenses under the Criminal Code such as arson and vandalism, 933 cases have so far been registered.” The government has decided to establish a high-level committee within a week to investigate the incidents of Bhadra 24.

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that the process to withdraw American troops from Iran will begin soon. Iran’s Defense Minister Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed Tehran’s readiness to end the conflict. In the last week of February, the U.S. and Israel jointly launched attacks in Iran, and tensions in the Middle Eastern region have escalated following the death of Ali Khamenei. Kathmandu, March 31.

Trump has shown initiative towards ending the ongoing conflict with Iran. He announced that the United States will soon start the process of bringing its troops home from Iran. According to Trump, the U.S. military will be prepared to leave Iran within the next two to three weeks. He shared this information from the Oval Office.

However, he did not indicate any prior agreement or deal before the war concludes. Iran’s Defense Minister Masoud Pezeshkian also clarified that Tehran is ready to end the war. He stated that Iran is eager to bring the conflict to a close if assurances are given that hostilities will not recur.

Israel’s perspective, however, remains different. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not set any deadline for ending the conflict. He mentioned that it is not possible to provide a definitive ‘deadline’ for when tensions with Iran will cease. In the last week of February, the U.S. and Israel conducted joint attacks in Iran. This sequence of events has heightened insecurity across Gulf countries as well.

Summary: The Rastriya Swatantra Party has initiated internal discussions regarding the nomination of Indira Ranamagar as the Deputy Leader of its parliamentary faction. Preparations are underway for appointing the party Vice Chairperson DP Aryal as Speaker, while Kavindra Burlakoti is being considered for the position of Chief Whip. Priority will be given to former MPs for selecting chairpersons of parliamentary committees, and the chairperson of the Women and Social Affairs Committee will be chosen from among female parliamentarians.

Kathmandu, 31 March: Following the completion of the government formation process, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the largest party in the House of Representatives, has begun internal consultations about assigning responsibilities within its parliamentary faction.

The RSP has already appointed senior leader Balendra Shah as the Parliamentary Party Leader, who has since become Prime Minister. Discussions are now ongoing about who should assume the role of Deputy Leader of the parliamentary faction.

According to a top party leader, internal talks are focused on appointing Indira Ranamagar as Deputy Leader, though no final decision has been made. Ranamagar was also considered for ministerial and Speaker positions; however, ministerial appointments have been finalized while DP Aryal, the party’s Vice Chairperson, is expected to become Speaker, leading to her nomination as Deputy Leader for the parliamentary faction.

Indira Ranamagar, elected from Jhapa-2, previously served as Deputy Speaker and was a proportional representation MP in the last parliament when she also held the Deputy Speaker post for RSP.

As one senior leader stated, “Indira Ranamagar’s name has been discussed within the party for the Deputy Leader position of the parliamentary faction.” Previously, Birajbhakta Shrestha served as the Deputy Leader of the parliamentary faction for RSP. The Deputy Leader is elected by the parliamentary party leader and authorized to assist the leader and preside over meetings in their absence.

According to the party’s statutes, the federal parliament leadership includes positions such as parliamentary party leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip, Whip, and Treasurer. The Treasurer post is rarely appointed; in the previous parliament, the Janamat Party held this position.

Discussions on assigning parliamentary responsibilities are ongoing following government formation. Reliable sources indicate that Vice Chairperson DP Aryal will almost certainly become Speaker. Aryal, a founding Vice Chairperson of RSP, previously served as acting Speaker, is a former Labor Minister, served as a proportional representation MP in the last session, and this time was elected from Kathmandu-9.

Kavindra Burlakoti, founding co-General Secretary of the party who won this time from Gorkha-2 after previously losing, is being considered for Chief Whip. Party sources also suggest Nisha Dangi is likely to be appointed Whip; she was a proportional representative MP and member of the Infrastructure Development Committee, now elected from Jhapa-1.

Within RSP, talks are ongoing regarding the selection of parliamentary committee chairpersons. There are currently 10 parliamentary committees in the House of Representatives, with the possibility of adjustment in their number during the rules formulation process. Holding nearly a two-thirds majority, RSP can reduce or increase committees as it desires. It is customary for the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee to come from opposition parties, although in the previous parliament, the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (UML) refused to appoint opposition members to that post.

According to an RSP leader, priority will be given to MPs from the previous parliament for committee chairperson roles. He mentioned that Manish Jha, Ganesh Parajuli, and Hari Dhakal – all Secretariat members and with Jha also serving as party spokesperson – are likely to be appointed as committee chairs. The chairperson for the Women and Social Affairs Committee will also be a female MP.

RSP MPs have been requested to express their preferences for committees they wish to join, encouraging consideration of their expertise and interests.

March 31, Kathmandu: The Central Disciplinary Committee of the Nepali Congress is scheduled to meet today. This meeting was convened after the faction led by former party chair Sher Bahadur Deuba and Shekhar Koirala initiated parallel activities. Krishna Prasad Dulal, the party’s acting general secretary, informed that the meeting will take place at 1 PM at the party’s central office in Sanepa.
Last Saturday, former Home Minister and Congress leader Ramesh Lalhak was arrested, after which Purna Bahadur Khadka issued a statement as acting chairperson. The Congress party has taken this matter seriously. Despite the special general convention having already elected Gagan Thapa as party chair and the Election Commission recognizing this, the Deuba faction’s Khadka statement raised issues regarding the renewal of active memberships. On Tuesday, Khadka convened a Central Working Committee meeting elected by the 14th general convention. He organized programs involving Shekhar Koirala and Shashank Koirala, which angered the Congress leadership. Additionally, Khadka has called a district chairpersons’ gathering for Chaitra 19 (April 1). Considering these actions, the disciplinary committee is set to discuss these matters in today’s meeting, according to a party leader.