Author: space4knews

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has received 97 proposals aimed at revising the number and boundaries of local levels. The Nepal Association of Municipalities highlighted boundary and jurisdictional issues in 83 wards and recommended immediate resolution. The association also proposed the establishment of Butwal Metropolitan City and the implementation of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City concept. April 21, Kathmandu.

Approximately 100 proposals concerning the amendment of the number and boundaries of local levels have been submitted to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. Some of these proposals relate to ward boundary management, while others suggest merging rural municipalities to establish new municipalities. After reviewing the submissions, the Nepal Association of Municipalities submitted a separate report to the Ministry two months ago.

Kalanidhi Devkota, Executive Director of the Nepal Association of Municipalities and coordinator of the report preparation team, confirmed that the report they prepared has been submitted to the ministry, but no further updates on the process have been received. He stated, ‘We have fundamentally studied rural municipalities and municipalities that meet the basic criteria to become municipalities or to be upgraded.’

The Nepal Association of Municipalities proposed forming Butwal Metropolitan City by incorporating Butwal and surrounding appropriate areas. Although Butwal was the temporary capital of Lumbini Province, the capital was later moved to the Rapti Valley in Dang. The association noted that further research is necessary to explore the possibility of developing Butwal into a metropolitan city by including adjacent suitable areas.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the ceasefire period with Iran will be extended until negotiations conclude. Trump stated that the maritime blockade on Iran will continue until Tehran submits a proposed offer. The two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire this Wednesday, with uncertainty surrounding the second phase of talks. Vice President Mike Pence, who was scheduled to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday for discussions, remains in Washington. The White House has confirmed that Pence will not be traveling to Pakistan. Officials from the White House have indicated to CBS that they are preparing to provide direct updates about the talks.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has stated that Iran has not made a decision to send a team for potential talks with the United States. The United Nations has welcomed the decision to extend the ceasefire. Secretary-General António Guterres praised Trump’s announcement and urged all parties to respect the ceasefire and engage constructively in negotiations. Guterres also expressed support for Pakistan’s role and hoped for a long-term resolution.

Before extending the previous ceasefire, the U.S. had sought to maintain economic pressure on Iran. On Monday, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against 14 individuals and entities involved in transactions with Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. claims these individuals and organizations are engaged in arms procurement and transportation on behalf of the Iranian government.

Harichandra Giri of the Nepalese Army set his seventh Guinness World Record on January 4, 2026, by descending 100 stairs in 4.71 seconds in Yunyang, Chongqing, China. Between 2021 and 2023, Giri has established seven different Guinness World Records in various categories. He stated that all his efforts were initiated and funded by himself and has appealed for financial support. Kathmandu, 23 April.

Giri achieved the feat by descending 100 stairs in just 4.71 seconds using only his hands for support. Many congratulated him upon setting this Guinness World Record. Giri traveled to the event at his own expense. Last year, while auditioning for “Britain’s Got Talent” in London, he set a Guinness World Record by drinking half a liter (500 ml) of lemon juice in 24 seconds using only one hand while descending stairs backwards.

He established this record at the Guinness World Records headquarters in London on September 10, 2025. Lance Corporal Giri from the Physical Training and Sports Center of the Nepalese Army achieved his sixth Guinness World Record by performing 120 skips in one minute on a moving upright tire, earning the record for “Most Skips on an Upright Tire.”

Giri joined the Nepalese Army 13 years ago and despite holding seven Guinness World Records, he has expressed frustration over widespread neglect. He said, “No matter what skills and talents I present, all my efforts have been on my own initiative, labor, and expense. Perhaps the government has its priorities, but I have yet to receive any support.” He appealed for financial aid, saying he would be able to attend the “Britain’s Got Talent” audition if assisted.

April 20, Butwal – A 29-year-old woman from Palpa lost her life after visiting four different health facilities to undergo an abortion. Gita Pandey, from Bagnaskali Rural Municipality-2 in Palpa, died during the process of seeking abortion services. She had been informed that her approximately 12-week-old fetus was unhealthy and had visited Khatri Nursing Home in Butwal’s Intabatti area with her husband on April 17. She was initially brought to Khatri Nursing Home on March 13 for tests. Dr. DB Khatri there had diagnosed an abnormal pregnancy and scheduled her for a follow-up on April 16.

On April 17, Gita returned to Khatri Nursing Home, which referred her with location details to the Zonal Pharmacy Clinic located on Butwal Hospital Line. According to her husband, Prakash Pandey, the pharmacy informed them that the abortion procedure would cost NPR 16,000 and took a NPR 2,000 advance before providing two types of medication. From there, they were directed to Indu Lekha Clinic for the abortion procedure, where Dr. Satish Rupakheti conducted the examination.

Prakash explained, “The Zonal Pharmacy gave two types of medicine. According to instructions, she took one pill in the evening and one in the morning. The next day, at the appointed time, we returned to the Zonal Pharmacy, where she was given another medication.” He added, “No consent forms were signed. They instructed us to rest at the pharmacy for two hours. After two hours, however, they took her via a back route to Indu Lekha Clinic. I was kept outside, so I don’t know what procedures were done inside.”

Prakash also said he did not see the aborted fetus. After Gita lost consciousness, she was taken without his knowledge to Lumbini City Hospital’s emergency department, where doctors declared her dead. Prakash accused the medical facilities of causing his wife’s death through gross negligence and profit-driven malpractice under the guise of treatment. He also accused the Zonal Pharmacy of hiding location cards and other medical reports.

“For financial gain, they colluded to perform an unauthorized abortion through a criminal conspiracy involving serious negligence. I demand justice,” Prakash said. “Since this death occurred due to medical negligence, I have filed a criminal complaint.”

He named Dr. DB Khatri and Dr. Satish Rupakheti as the primary accused and demanded their arrest and legal action. In addition, he filed complaints against Sandhya Basnet (operator of Zonal Pharmacy/Clinic), Nilam Gharti Magar (Zonal Pharmacy), and Khagendra Prasad Pandey (operator of Indu Lekha Health Clinic). Following the complaint, police arrested three individuals and have begun necessary investigations, said DSP Nishant Srivastava, head of the Butwal Police Station.

The arrested individuals include Sandhya Basnet, Nilam Gharti Magar, and Khagendra Pandey, all of whom are undergoing legal proceedings. Relatives of the deceased have shut down Khatri Nursing Home, Zonal Pharmacy, and Indu Lekha Clinic in protest. The deceased, Gita, was an employee at the Blood Transfusion Service Center in Bhairahawa.

In the border market of Rupaidih, adjoining India, petrol is available at 97 Indian rupees, equivalent to 155.20 Nepali rupees per liter. Across the border in Nepalgunj, located in Rupaidih of Uttar Pradesh, the petrol price stands at 216.50 Nepali rupees per liter. This means that after traveling roughly six kilometers from Nepal, petrol can be purchased in India at 61 rupees cheaper than in Nepal. Due to petrol prices being 50 to 60 rupees cheaper in Indian border markets compared to Nepali markets, many Nepali vehicles have started crowding Indian fuel stations in the border regions to refuel.

However, despite the lower price, experienced individuals report that refueling at Indian petrol stations is not as straightforward as in Nepal. Some Nepalis, tempted by the prospect of cheaper fuel amid fuel shortages in India, have faced hours-long queues, and some have even returned empty-handed, as recounted by those affected.

At several petrol pumps in the Rupaidih market across Nepalgunj, notices state there is no availability of diesel or petrol. At pumps where fuel is being distributed, there are long queues of cars and motorcycles. CL Chaudhary, encountered at a petrol station connected to Jamunaha checkpoint in Nepalgunj, shared that he waited one and a half hours in line to buy petrol worth 1,000 Indian rupees. He said, “Initially, people in the line said Nepal-registered motorcycles would not be served petrol, but I directly asked the attendant, and after he confirmed it was allowed, I patiently waited about one and a half hours under the sun in Tantolapur.”

On March 27, India decided to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel by 10 Indian rupees. According to the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, the Indian government is selling petrol at a loss of 26 Indian rupees per liter and diesel at a loss of 81.90 Indian rupees per liter. Manojkumar Thakur, spokesperson for Nepal Oil Corporation, explained that fuel in India is cheaper due to these losses borne by the government alongside tax exemptions. Meanwhile, in Nepal, the high cost of fuel has prompted protests and demands for subsidies from various student organizations and political parties, urging the government to provide relief.

9 Baisakh, Kathmandu. Amidst ongoing splits and challenges, Nepal’s Communist parties commemorate their founding anniversary today. Seventy-seven years ago, on this very day in Kolkata, India, the Nepal Communist Party was established. The founding General Secretary was Pushpalal Shrestha, with other founding leaders including Niranjan Govinda Vaidya, Narbahadur Karmacharya, Narayanvilas Joshi, and Motidevi Shrestha. Additionally, leaders such as Manmohan Adhikari, Tulsi Lal Amatya, and Keshar Jung Rayamajhi were involved in the party’s establishment.

The Nepal Communist Party was formed underground during the Rana autocratic regime with the goal of liberating the Nepalese people and nation from feudalism, comprador-bureaucratic capitalism, and imperialism. Manmohan Adhikari served as the party’s second General Secretary and Tulsi Lal Amatya as the third. In 1954, the Congress-led government imposed a ban on the Nepal Communist Party. In the first general election of 1959, the party won four seats. However, after King Mahendra dissolved the popularly elected government and introduced the Panchayat system, the Nepal Communist Party was again banned. During this period, the faction led by Keshar Jung Rayamajhi supported the Panchayat system, leading to a split within the party.

Amidst division, the then revolutionary activists in Jhapa launched the “class enemy extermination” campaign, known as the Jhapa revolution, which evolved into the CPN (Marxist–Leninist) and eventually the current CPN-UML. The factions led by Pushpalal and Manmohan reunited under the UML banner after 1990. Various groups led by Mohan Bikram Singh and Nirmal Lama, including CPN Chaum, CPN Mota Mashal, CPN Patalo Mashal, and CPN Ekta Kendra, later transformed into the Maoist faction. However, Mohan Bikram Singh still leads the Patalo Mashal group.

The Nepal Communist Party, which won four seats during its first election in 1959, split into different factions during the Panchayat era. After the 1990 People’s Movement, the then CPN (Marxist–Leninist) and Maoists united to form the UML, which became a strong opposition with 69 seats in parliament, while the then Janamorecha and today’s Maoists became the third largest party with 9 seats. The Maoists abandoned parliamentary politics in 1995 after launching the People’s War. When the Maoists boycotted the 1994 general election, the UML secured 88 seats, becoming the first communist single-party government in South Asia. After the UML split in 1997, it returned as the second largest party with 70 seats in the 1999 general election.

In the historic 2008 Constituent Assembly election, the CPN-Maoist emerged as the largest party with a direct-vote majority. In the 2013 Constituent Assembly election, UML became the second-largest party while the Maoists fell to third. During this period, the Nepal Communist Party saw several leaders serve as Prime Ministers, including Manmohan Adhikari, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ Jhala Nath Khanal, Baburam Bhattarai, and KP Sharma Oli.

In the 2017 House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly elections, the two communist parties, UML and Maoist, formed an electoral alliance that won nearly two-thirds of the seats — the greatest success in almost 70 years of Nepal Communist Party history. Following this alliance, UML and Maoist merged on May 16, 2018, to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). However, amid internal conflicts that escalated to the Supreme Court, the party’s unification was annulled, causing UML and Maoist to revert to their previous statuses. The ruling NCP UML experienced division, with Madhav Kumar Nepal breaking off to form the CPN Unified Socialist under his leadership. He registered the Unified Socialist Party with the Election Commission on August 18, 2021, including 28 central members.

Following the events of the ‘Janajati’ movement on September 8-9, 2025, Nepal’s communist parties have seen both unity and polarization. On November 4, 2025, the Prachanda-led CPN Maoist and Madhav Nepal-led Unified Socialist, along with eight other communist factions, unified to form the ‘Nepali Communist Party.’ Prachanda was coordinator and Madhav Kumar Nepal co-coordinator. Approximately a dozen small groups later merged into this party. Nevertheless, in the House of Representatives election of March 5, 2026, the new party Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 182 seats alone, while Nepali Communist Party secured only 17 seats (8 constituency and 9 proportional) and UML obtained 25 seats (9 constituency and 16 proportional).

Shortly after the election, the newly formed government led by Balen arrested former Prime Minister and UML chairman KP Sharma Oli over accusations of suppressing the Janajati movement. Top leaders including Prachanda are currently under investigation for asset verification and other matters. Declining electoral support and controversies surrounding key leaders have placed communist parties under severe existential challenges.

On the occasion of the 77th founding anniversary of the Communist Party, Nepali Communist Party coordinator Prachanda issued a message emphasizing the need for a complete reorganization of the communist movement in Nepal and called for unity. While internal disputes have fragmented the communist parties and efforts at unification have failed, both leaders and workers are feeling disheartened. Furthermore, lapses in communist conduct and behavior among leaders have increased public disenchantment toward them.

April 22, Kathmandu – The Nepali Congress is organizing an election review program today in Biratnagar, Koshi Province. Party Chairman Gagan Kumar Thapa, along with other leaders, will attend the event. According to the party’s joint general secretary Dr. Dila Sangraula, Chairman Thapa is scheduled to arrive at Biratnagar airport at 9:50 a.m., with the review program set to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Dr. Sangraula stated that the program aims to strengthen the party’s provincial-level organization, review election results, and formulate future strategies. The meeting will also prioritize discussions on leadership management and organizational reinforcement within Koshi Province’s Congress leadership.

The program will be attended by central officials from Koshi Province, central committee members, provincial working committee members, federal and provincial parliamentarians, district chairpersons, regional chairpersons, as well as direct and proportional candidates from the previous election. The Congress has recently conducted similar election review programs across several provinces, with prior meetings held in Gandaki, Lumbini, Bagmati, and Madhesh provinces.

Through this review process, the party leadership intends to gather direct feedback on the state of the organization at the local and provincial levels, election outcomes, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Discussions will also focus on upcoming political strategies, organizational expansion, active membership drives, preparations for the 15th general convention, and increasing activist engagement. The Congress has emphasized that the provincial-level review programs are not just about analyzing electoral wins and losses but are being advanced as part of a broader organizational revitalization campaign.

News Summary
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has removed former Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah from his ministerial position following allegations that he appointed his wife to the Health Insurance Board. Meanwhile, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung faces legal scrutiny for failing to disclose founder shares worth Rs 50 lakh in two microinsurance companies in his asset declaration. The Central Committee of the Rastriya Samajbadi Party (Raswapa) did not discuss the matter concerning Home Minister Gurung and has not issued an official response. Kathmandu, 8 Baisakh.

Questions arose against then Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah after accusations surfaced that he had appointed his wife as a member of the Health Insurance Board. Prime Minister Balendra Shah conducted an internal inquiry on the issue but provided Sah with only informal questioning and did not offer any formal opportunity to clarify. Instead, he quickly decided to recall Sah, removing him from his ministerial post. Sah’s tenure ended within just 13 days. Many viewed the Prime Minister’s decisive action as a courageous move toward good governance.

However, the controversy surrounding Home Minister Sudhan Gurung is considered more serious and has elicited silence from both the Prime Minister and his party, Raswapa. Meanwhile, there have been meetings between party chairman Ravi Lamichhane and Prime Minister Balendra Shah. Home Minister Gurung also met with chairman Lamichhane on Tuesday. Despite this, neither the government nor the party has publicly released any formal stance on the matter. A Raswapa meeting held on Monday, during which widespread questions about Gurung gained attention, reportedly did not address the issue.

Home Minister Gurung failed to disclose shares he acquired in two microinsurance companies in his asset report. Questions have been raised about the source of his share purchases and his connection to controversial individuals. Although he issued clarifications via social media, the party has yet to hold discussions regarding the matter. While some Raswapa leaders spoke openly about the issue in previous days, they have since maintained silence, and press inquiries have gone unanswered.

April 20, Kathmandu – The Nepali Congress has decided to establish the ‘Congress Leadership Academy’ aimed at strengthening leadership development within the party and in the public sphere. Formed under the party’s Central Policy Research and Training Institute, this academy is defined as a ‘training institute’ by the Congress party. It will provide training to active party members on the history, ideals, ideology, economic policy, development policy, and social policy of the Congress.

The party plans to provide regular refresher training to members renewing their active membership, covering the party’s policies, programs, priorities, and the latest policy issues. The academy will also run training programs for elected local, provincial, and federal representatives from the party. For party workers aspiring to become representatives in upcoming elections, specialized classes on fundamental and subject-specific knowledge, skills, and leadership development will be organized. “Our goal is to equip aspiring leaders with knowledge, skills, managerial capability, and overall competence,” stated Congress spokesperson Devaraj Chalise.

General Secretary Pradeep Paudel described the academy as a significant step to empower party workers regarding the state’s system. He noted, “This training institution is being launched to provide information about the state system, constitutional arrangements, the responsibilities of governments at various levels, and administrative capacity.” According to Paudel, anyone intending to take on public responsibility must complete a mandatory “Public Policy” course at least three months prior to elections. Completion of the prescribed course at the academy will directly influence candidate selection and assignment of other responsibilities within the party.

Spokesperson Chalise referred to the academy as a ‘school.’ He explained, “The academy has its own curriculum and the course lasts three months.” He emphasized that party workers who do not fully complete the course will not be considered valid candidates. “Candidates who have not completed the course will not be recognized,” he said, “Our aim is to establish political transparency and meritocracy.” The Congress regards the academy as a crucial foundation for the party’s long-term capacity development.

Arrest warrants were issued on March 7 against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Dr. Arju Rana Deuba. However, despite the issuance of the warrants, an Interpol red notice has not yet been issued against them. The Deuba couple is currently abroad and has yet to return to Nepal. Reported from Kathmandu, April 21.

Though the arrest warrants have been released, preparations are underway to initiate the process of bringing the Deuba couple back to Nepal. However, even two weeks after the warrants were issued, a red notice has not been issued. The Police Headquarters has not made any formal statement regarding this matter. Avin Narayan Kafle, Central Spokesperson and DIG of Nepal Police, has declined to comment, stating the issue is under investigation.

According to informed sources, until now, the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Kathmandu has not formally communicated with Interpol to request a red notice against the Deuba couple. “An arrest warrant alone is not sufficient to initiate correspondence for a red notice. Concrete grounds and proper documentation are necessary, and since this process is still pending, no correspondence has been made,” the source explained.

At the time the arrest warrants were issued, the Deuba couple was abroad. They had traveled to Singapore for medical treatment on February 27 before the elections and subsequently arrived in Hong Kong on March 20. The National Central Bureau at Police Headquarters will proceed with the process to issue a red notice through Interpol. Once issued, the red notice will enable Interpol’s 196 member countries to detain the Deuba couple if found within their jurisdictions.