KATHMANDU: Stay updated with Nepal News’ evening briefing, bringing you the day’s most important developments from Nepal and across the globe. From politics and economy to sports, entertainment, and culture, we deliver a concise roundup of the top news you need to know.

Cabinet Decisions: Organizational Structure and Vacancy for Police and Auditor General Approved

The interim government has approved the organizational structure and new positions for the Nepal Police and Office of the Auditor General and its subordinate bodies. Announcing the major decisions of the Council of Ministers meeting of January 5, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel here today said the government amended the Schedule of the Nepal Administration Service (Formation, Group and Class Division and appointment) Regulation-2050 BS. Also Spokesperson of the government, Minister Kharel, mentioned that the government would provide one-time financial assistance worth USD 10,000 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Resilience Fund as a gesture of solidarity. Furthermore, the Minister informed that a decision was made to mandate Ministry of Finance to make necessary arrangements for the enforcement of the report prepared on maintaining uniformity in the remuneration and facilities to the office-bearers in the state-owned institutions, Boards, Committees and public corporations among others. Likewise, he added that the government has approved the participation of various Nepali authorities to take part in several events abroad including Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)’s Commissioner Dr Hari Poudel for training on good-governance and anti-corruption to be held in January 22-27 in Thailand.

Koshi Province Cabinet Reshuffled; Newly-Appointed Ministers Sworn-in

Koshi Province Chief Parshuram Khapung, on recommendation of Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki, has reshuffled the Province Council of Ministers, and also administered the oath of office to the newly-appointed ministers this evening. Province Chief Khapung, in accordance with Article 168 (9) of the Constitution, administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed ministers in the current cabinet. On the same occasion, Chief Minister Karki administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed State Ministers. Among the new ministers, Pradeep Kumar Sunuwar has been appointed Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development, Bhim Parajuli Minister for Tourism, Forests and Environment, Tilchan Pathak Minister for Water Supply, Irrigation and Energy, Indramani Parajuli Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Bidur Kumar Lingthep Minister for Finance and Planning, Ram Prasad Mahato Minister for Social Development, Man Bahadur Limbu Minister for Health, and Israil Mansuri Minister for Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives. Likewise, Shobha Chemjong has been appointed Minister of State for Physical Infrastructure Development and Umakant Gautam as Minister of State for Internal Affairs and Law, according to the Office of the Province Chief.

UML Forms Committee to Draft Election Mmanifesto

The CPN UML has formed a committee to draft an election manifesto. With the House of Representatives election approaching soon, the secretariat meeting of UML formed manifesto drafting committee under the coordination of party Chair KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday, according to Deputy General Secretary, Lekhraj Bhatta. The members of the committee are Vice Chairs Ram BahadurThapa and Bishnu Prasad Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, and leaders Ishwor Pokharel, Pradeep Gyawali and Bishnu Rimal. Similarly, Ram BahadurThapa will be coordinating the election mobilization committee. The meeting also decided to assign Sher Dhan Rai in Koshi Province to coordinate mobilization of election, while Leelanath Shrestha to coordinate in Madhes Province, Mahesh Basnet to coordinate in Bagmati Province, Dr Rajan Bhattarai to coordinate in the federal capital, Khagaraj Adhikari to coordinate in Gandaki Province, Padma Aryal to coordinate in Lumbini Province, Yamlal Kandel to coordinate in Karnali Province and Ganesh Thagunna to coordinate in Sudurpaschim Province. Bhanubhakta Dhakal has been assigned as coordinator of organization department. Bishnu Rimal has been nominated as chair of party’s policy and research academy.

Curfew Lifted in Birgunj After All-Party Meeting Settles Dispute

An all-party and all-sides meeting here has agreed to halt the ongoing protest demonstrations taking place in Birgunj since the last some days. Following the consensus reached at the all-party and all-sides meeting held here today under the leadership of the District Administration Office of Parsa, the curfew imposed from Monday has also been lifted from 3:30 pm today. Chief District Officer of Parsa, Bhola Dahal, said that the curfew has been lifted following the commitment not to hold demonstrations or protests in Birgunj regarding incidents that occurred in other countries or places. “We have decided to lift the curfew as consensus reached between the two communities has improved the situation here and the state of law and order is stabilising. Now, the daily life of the people here is moving towards normalcy,” he said. The meeting has decided that the protesting party should submit a memorandum to the Chief District Officer with prior permission before carrying out any demonstration, and only thereafter proceed with the programme of the movement.

NC Special General Convention Should be Called Through Consensus: Leader Koirala

Nepali Congress leader Dr Shekhar Koirala has stressed the need that the central committee should convene the party’s Special General Convention on the basis of consensus. During the meeting with party leaders today, leader Koirala mentioned that it would be appropriate to call the special general convention after January 20 by holding discussion with the side in favour of the special general convention. It would be acceptable to all if the central committee called the special general convention addressing the sentiments of all, he argued, adding he is active for this purpose. The NC leader opined that the NC should not make alliance in upcoming election to the House of Representatives. Leaders—Chinkaji Shrestha, Dila Sangraula, Ram Janam Chaudhary, Uday Shumsher Rana, Arjun Joshi, among other central committee members had reached the contact office of leader Koirala.

Files of Over 10,000 Cases Burnt at SC Recovered

Files of more than 10,000 cases that were burnt at Supreme Court during Gen Z movement have been recovered. Out of 24,000 case files at SC, 20,000 case files were burnt in the arson attack took place during the Gen Z movement on September 8 and 9, 2025. SC Spokesperson Nirajan Pandey said files of 10,340 cases have been recovered till January 5. The SC had urged the Office of the Attorney General, Nepal Bar Association and with the parties to concerned cases to provide files of the cases which were destroyed. Activities are underway to collect the files of those cases from the Office of the Attorney General, Nepal Bar Association and with the parties to concerned cases, accordingly.

80 Percent Start-Ups in Koshi province Are in Profit, Despite Bracing all Odds

A study has shown that 80 percent of start-up enterprises in Koshi Province are earning profits, despite facing challenges such as inadequate capital, a shortage of skilled human resources, limited market access, and insufficient government facilities. According to a special report on the status of start-up businesses in Koshi Province released by Nepal Rastra Bank on Monday, four out of five start-ups in the province are operating profitably. The study covers 160 start-up enterprises that applied for loans at the Industrial Enterprises Development Institute and were shortlisted for the same. These enterprises are categorized into five sectors: agriculture and forestry, production-based, service-oriented, tourism, and information technology. Of the total, 41.3 percent are engaged in agriculture and forestry, 18.1 percent in production-based industries, 17.5 percent in service-based businesses, 13.8 percent in tourism, and 9.4 percent in the IT sector. Regarding commercial potential, 43.1 percent of respondents identified agriculture and forest-based industries as the most promising sector, followed by tourism (21.3 percent), manufacturing (13.8 percent), services (10 percent), information technology (8.1 percent), and energy and construction sectors (1.9 percent each). Among the start-ups, 54 percent have adopted innovative ideas in products and services, 41 percent in production processes, and 5 percent in distribution processes.

Call for Amending Nepal Health Professional Council Act

Five health professionals’ organisations have submitted a memorandum today demanding the amendment of the Nepal Health Professional Council Act. They are the Nepal Dental Science Hygienist Association, Nepal Public Health Association, Medical Laboratory Association of Nepal, Nepal CMA Association and Health Assistants Association. These organisations have expressed concern that for 27 years since the Council was established, the Act has not been amended, there has been no representation of professional associations as per sub-clause 2 of clause 4 of the Council Act, the committee has been led by outsiders instead of subject experts, a single member has handled more than five committees, and the writ of mandamus issued by the High Court to hold elections within three months has not been implemented. The office-bearers of all five organisations have submitted a memorandum to the Council Chairman Subodh Kumar Sharma and Registrar Lilanath Bhandari.

FDB Should be Made Effective for Cinema Certification: Communications Minister Kharel

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel has emphasised that the Film Development Board (FDB) needs to be made more effective for film certification. During the clause-wise discussions on the Film Bill in the Parliamentary Committee on Legislative Management of the National Assembly today, he said, “The majority of the Board members are experts who have come from outside, and if they say the film is fine, it is not right for the Board chairperson to use a veto on it.” He clarified that the Board’s duties should be prioritised, emphasising that film certification should not be taken in an overly complicated manner. However, the Minister mentioned that a ‘check and balance’ is necessary to organise the working style of the Board. The committee chairperson Tulasa Kumari Dahal said that detailed discussions on the Film Bill are ongoing and the committee is actively working to finalise it as soon as possible.

US Operation in Venezuela Undermined International Law: UN

The United Nations voiced deep concern Tuesday over the dramatic US operation in Venezuela, warning that it clearly “undermined a fundamental principle of international law”. “States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva. Her comments came after Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were forcibly taken by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday amid airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment. Shamdasani dismissed US justifications of the Venezuelan government’s “longstanding and appalling human rights violations” for the raid. “Accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law,” she insisted. She highlighted that the UN rights office had for a decade consistently reported on “the continued deterioration of the situation in Venezuela”. “We fear that the current instability and further militarisation in the country resulting from the US intervention will only make the situation worse.”

At Least 35 People Have Been Killed and 1,200 Detained in Iran’s Economic Protests

The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday, as the country’s theocracy acknowledged the unrest in one western province where security forces reportedly raided a hospital. The figure came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces. The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported late Monday that some 250 police officers and 45 members of the Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force have been hurt in the demonstrations. However, Iran’s government has offered no overall statistics or information about the unrest.