The race for the vice-presidency in Nepal seems to be more intense and competitive than that for the presidency, which already has a clear winner in Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress.

Commercial banks of Nepal on Thursday decided to reduce their premium interest rates on loans by one percentage point effective from March 15. The decision was made by the Nepal Bankers' Association (NBA), who opted to lower the premium rate to a maximum of 5% from the current 6%.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report last week indicating that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2022 were the highest since 1900. The primary source of these emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels, which are responsible for the rising temperatures on Earth.

The presidential election scheduled for Thursday marks yet another significant moment in Nepal's political history. Two candidates, namely Ram Chandra Poudel of Nepali Congress and Subash Chandra Nembang of CPN-UML, are vying for the post of the country’s head of the state. The president is elected by an electoral college composed of the members of the federal parliament and the provincial assemblies. It consists of 884 members, including 275 members of the House of Representatives (Lower House), 59 members of the National Assembly (Upper House), and 550 members of seven provincial assemblies. The weight of each vote varies according to the Federal law, with a member of the federal parliament's vote carrying 79 votes, and a member of the provincial assembly's vote carrying 48 votes. Together, there will be a total of 52,707 votes up for grabs. Since the Election Commission (EC) has announced that the final results of the voting will be made public within hours after the election is over, we can expect to have the country’s third president elected by late evening on Thursday.

The rapidly growing public debt in Nepal is a cause for concern, and officials’ assurances that the country can handle public debt up to 53 percent of the country’s GDP should not be taken lightly. The government has been relying on loans to meet the regular expenditure of the country, which is not a good sign, and if not addressed, could lead to economic doom for Nepal.

The recent order by the Supreme Court (SC) to register two petitions that seek to hold Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in his capacity as head of the former rebel party, CPN (Maoist), responsible for the loss of life, damage, and destruction during the Maoist insurgency has sent ripples across Nepali politics.

Nepal has taken a giant leap towards women empowerment. In a groundbreaking event, two female pilots, Captain Bhawana Pant and Co-pilot Srijana Raut, took the helm of an Airbus 320 for an international flight, a first not only for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) but also for the entire country's aviation industry.

The recent dismissal of Major General Prem Shahi from the Nepalese Army (NA) following his 59-day detention raises serious concerns about the army's commitment to upholding constitutional supremacy and the rule of law. This all began after the NA Headquarters issued Shahi a letter of "premature" retirement leave on the grounds of an error in his academic certificate.

The economic outlook for the country appears grim, with a forecast that is anything but optimistic. However, despite political instability and a sluggish economy, the government reports that Nepali citizens are experiencing an increase in annual income!

The recent increase in foreign tourist arrivals to Nepal is a promising sign for the country's tourism industry, which has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The arrival of over 73,000 tourists in February 2023, compared to just over 9,000 in the same month the previous year, shows that the country’s ailing tourism industry is gradually on the path of recovery.