Submit your Article

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 600 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 184, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 184, 800 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the silver being traded at Rs 1,945 per tola today.

The Bagmati Province Government has spent only 38.91 percent of its budget in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2081/82.

The provincial government has spent 35.01 percent of the budget on capital expenditure and 46.79 percent on current expenditure during the current fiscal year from Shrawan to Baisakh, said Information Officer at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Planning, Indraraj Sanjyal.

The provincial government has spent Rs 13.27 billion on capital expenditure and Rs 12.87 billion on current expenditure totaling Rs 25.1147 billion. He said that out of the budget of Rs 64.54 billion brought by the provincial government for the current fiscal year, the capital expenditure is less than the current expenditure.

The provincial chief attorney's office spent the most of the allocated budget at 68.92 percent while the lowest was spent by the culture and tourism ministry at 16.48 percent.

Similarly, in the current fiscal year 2081/82 the provincial government has received only Rs 3.73877 billion out of the estimated Rs 4.538 billion to be collected from internal sources.

Information Officer Sanjyal said that the provincial government's revenue collection has been affected due to the decline in real estate and new vehicle purchase and sale transactions owing to economic liquidity.

At least 21 people are reported to have died and dozens others injured after tornadoes tore through parts of two US states, BBC reported.

Officials in Kentucky said there had been 14 deaths due to severe weather while seven people were killed in Missouri, including five in the city of St Louis.

The Kentucky tornado struck in Laurel County, in the south-east of the state, in the early hours of Saturday. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise.

Missouri officials said 5,000 buildings were damaged, roofs destroyed and power lines knocked downed as a tornado struck on Friday, according to BBC.

The US National Weather Service said tornadoes also hit neighbouring Illinois, with more severe weather conditions stretching eastwards to the Atlantic coast. On Saturday, it warned of few tornadoes that could hit northern Texas over the weekend as a result of strong to severe storms in the area.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported a 6.1-magnitude earthquake in central Peru at 10:22:06 GMT on Saturday.

The earthquake's epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers, around 14.67°S latitude and 74.04°W longitude, as reported by Xinhua.

China’s LandSpace successfully launched its methane-powered Zhuque-2E Y2 rocket on Saturday, deploying six satellites into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

This marks the fifth flight of the Zhuque-2 series. LandSpace, the first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in 2023, is focusing on methane for its cost efficiency, lower emissions, and suitability for reusable rockets, Xinhua reported.

The payload, developed mainly by Spacety, included a radar satellite, two multispectral satellites, and three for scientific experiments, weighing 20 to 300 kilograms.

At least fourteen people lost their lives and several others were injured following lightning strikes across Odisha on Friday, according to Xinhua.

The severe weather, which included heavy rain and thunderstorms, impacted several districts, including Koraput, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, and Gajapati.

The India Meteorological Department has issued an advisory for prolonged bad weather, warning of further rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in the area, Xinhua reported.

Lightning-related fatalities are a recurring tragedy during India’s monsoon season, claiming hundreds of lives annually.

European leaders have agreed to strengthen joint measures against Russia after ceasefire talks with Ukraine failed to yield progress, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday.

Following the meeting in Istanbul, where the sides held their first direct talks in over three years, Starmer and leaders from France, Germany, and Poland spoke with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as reported by Reuters.

Although the talks led to a major prisoner exchange, no breakthrough was made on a ceasefire. “The Russian position remains unacceptable,” Starmer said from the European summit in Albania. “We are now closely aligning our responses.”

French President Emmanuel Macron added that if Russia continues to reject a ceasefire, sanctions will be escalated and are currently being revised, Reuters reported.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 13 Palestinians since dawn, including three from the same family. The Red Crescent has urged Israel to reopen crossings for humanitarian aid, warning that Gaza is facing starvation and suffering, according to Al Jazeera.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports at least 53,119 Palestinians killed and over 120,000 injured. The Government Media Office says the death toll may exceed 61,700, with many still missing under rubble.

The war followed Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,139 people and saw over 200 taken hostage, Al Jazeera reported.