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The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 800 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 179, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 177, 900 per tola on Monday.

Similarly, the silver traded at Rs 2, 035 per tola today.

Nepal’s financial oversight system recorded a 24 percent surge in suspicious transaction reports (STRs) and suspicious activity reports (SARs) last fiscal year, with cases climbing from 5,935 to 7,338, according to a recent report by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).

This escalation, tracked through the government’s anti-money laundering (goAML) platform, reflects intensified monitoring as Nepal faces global pressure to bolster its anti-money laundering (AML) framework.

The goAML system, now connecting 1,639 investigative and regulatory agencies, has seen a significant rise in both reporting and analysis of STR/SARs over the past eight fiscal years. In fiscal year 2023/24, while 7,338 STR/SARs were received—a steep jump from the previous year—only 1,635 were analyzed, highlighting a bottleneck in processing capacity.

Of those, 889 were forwarded to law enforcement agencies (LEAs), regulators and supervisors, while 746 were dropped due to insufficient evidence or gravity.

In 2023/24, the FIU forwarded details of 60 suspicious transactions to the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, 615 to Nepal Police and 197 to the Department of Revenue Investigation.

Likewise, 19 were forwarded to anti-graft body the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, while 38 and 30 cases, respectively, forwarded to Inland Revenue Department and Payment Systems Department of the central bank. Though these figures mark progress from previous years, the gap between reporting and analysis points to strained resources, underscoring the need for enhanced analytical capabilities.

Nepal’s efforts in combating money laundering come under the shadow of its Feb 2025 placement on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘gray list’ after a plenary in Paris. Criticized for weak enforcement and oversight in sectors like cooperatives, the country faces a two-year deadline to exit “increased monitoring” or risk blacklisting, which could disrupt trade and investment. The greylisting, which is the second after 2008-2014, could result in higher transaction costs and erode investor trust, observers say.

The FIU report reveals persistent hawala and trade-based laundering alongside rising digital crimes—cyber fraud, cryptocurrency misuse and illegal online gambling. Likewise, tax evasion tied to cross-border flows remains prevalent in Nepal, according to the report.

Although large cash transactions dipped to 1.69m, the STR/SAR surge suggests either growing illicit activity or sharper detection by authorities. Experts attribute the reporting spike to improved bank compliance and evolving criminal tactics. The IFU said in its report that it has adopted risk-based prioritization in goAML and plans to integrate AI and advanced techniques to boost efficiency.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has prorogued the current session of both Houses of the Federal Parliament from Tuesday night.

The Head of the State prorogued the current session of both Houses of Parliament on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers as per Article 93 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Monday had decided to recommend to the President to prorogate the current session of both houses of Parliament to be effective from midnight today.

More than 2,000 people in Myanmar have been killed following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that affected areas as far as Thailand and China.

Myanmar's military government has proclaimed a week of national mourning, with a minute of silence scheduled for later on Tuesday at 12:51 local, the exact time the tremor struck on Friday, BBC reported.

 In neighboring Thailand, 20 people have perished, and many have been evacuated from Bangkok's shattered buildings. Rescuers in both nations are still continuing their hunt for survivors, though hopes are diminishing since the vital window—the first 72 hours following a quake—has passed.

The UN believes the earthquake has exacerbated "an already dire crisis" in Myanmar, which is in the midst of a four-year civil conflict, according to BBC.

Despite the wreckage, reports indicate that the country's military officials are still conducting air attacks against pro-democracy rebel forces.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has pledged to take action against the then king, Gyanendra Shah, for his involvement in “criminal activities”.

He said this while speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday. The pro-monarchy protesters committed criminal acts on March 28, PM Oli said in reference to violent incidents at Tinkune, and pledged to not spare the former King. “Those involved in the criminal activities, including the former king, will not be exempted from punishment,” PM Oli reiterated. “Shouldn't those who say they will become the King again and destroy the system make their views public on all these incidents?” he questioned, referring to the former king.

PM Oli said the administration granted separate groups the permission to organize two political programs in Kathmandu in a peaceful manner on May 28.  “The Socialist Front under the leadership of the political parties, which have a significant presence in the Parliament, held a demonstration in a grand manner. They put forth their views, warned the government and expressed their commitment to the system and the Constitution,” he said, adding:  I thank the organizers for a peaceful demonstration. I believe that this is the way to strengthen our federal democratic republic.

He went on to say that the venue at Tinkune was given to another group for their protest. “But there was some suspicion and confusion about the organizers of the protest. There were grounds for suspicion about the objectives of the program as some of the leaders of the parties represented in the Parliament were among the organizers.”

“While protesting, the organizers went against their promise to hold a peaceful demonstration. A mob started shouting slogans against the government and when the administration tried to control it, the mobsters assaulted police personnel, snatched their weapons and even robbed a department store,” PM Oli added.

Two persons—Suresh Rajak, a photojournalist at Avenues Television, and Sabin Maharjan (29) of Kirtipur—died during the demonstration at Tinkune. The protesters vandalized two media houses—the Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Television—and set afire the office of the daily Annapurna Post. They not only caused damage to the media houses and private properties but also tried to set fire at the airport nearby and attacked police vans and a fire engine that had rushed to the scene to douse the flames, Oli said. “All of these acts are condemnable. Stern action will be taken against those involved in such incidents regardless of who they are,” PM Oli said, adding that the former King was responsible for all the incidents of May 28.

PM Oli accused the then king of violating the agreement reached with him after the Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a republic in 2008. At the time of the declaration of the republic, it was agreed that the former King Shah would be allowed to live a peaceful life as a citizen, conduct business activities by exercising the legal and constitutional rights of the citizen, and provide adequate security, PM Oli said. The Nagarjuna Palace was allotted to him, apart from granting his mother the permission to continue using a building within the Narayanhiti Palace complex as her residence. Furthermore, he said his government has already started an investigation into the Tinkune mayhem with the objective of identifying the guilty and bringing them to justice.

Meanwhile, while addressing the Parliament, he warned lawmakers from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party to desist from destroying the Constitution, pointing out that they were oath-bound to protect the charter.  Stresing that now is the time to protect the Constitution, safeguard the rights of the people achieved through a  huge struggle and sacrifice and its successful implementation, PM Oli said that the entire House should unite for the cause.

Lawmaker Deepak Bohara passed away on Tuesday.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party senior leader and former minister breathed his last during the course of treatment at the Chabahil-based Om Hospital at 9 am today, family sources said.

He had been unwell for a long time due to post-Covid problems.

Bohara was elected as member of the House of Representatives from Rupandehi constituency 3.

He had defeated Nepali Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has briefed the Parliament about his impending official visit to Thailand and his participation in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit.

On the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, PM Oli will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other counterparts from the member-states.

Earlier, two leaders met in New York in September last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Addressing a meeting of the House of Representatives today, he said that Nepal’s prime minister is making an official visit to Thailand for the first time after 65 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. PM Oli is paying an official visit to Thailand from Tuesday.

Prime Minister Oli said this visit would be significant in the context of no official visit having taken place to Bangkok, which is the ‘gateway’ for Nepalis to countries other than the immediate neighbouring countries.

During the visit, PM Oli will hold meetings with the King of Thailand and his Thai counterpart. Eight MoUs will be signed—six between the non-governmental sectors of the two countries and two related to tourism and culture—in the presence of the two PMs.

PM Oli said he would hold discussions with eminent businesspeople of Thailand and address a program to be organized at the Asian Institute of Technology.

Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the BIMSTEC Summit on April 4. PM Oli informed that he will also hold sideline talks with the leaders of the member-states attending the summit.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has briefed the Parliament about his impending official visit to Thailand and his participation in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit.

Addressing a meeting of the House of Representatives today, he said that Nepal's prime minister is making an official visit to Thailand for the first time after 65 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

PM Oli is paying an official visit to Thailand from tomorrow, Tuesday.

Prime Minister Oli said that this visit would be significant in the context of no official visit having taken place to Bangkok, which is the 'gateway' for Nepalis to countries other than the immediate neighbouring countries.

During the visit, PM Oli will hold meetings with the King of Thailand and his Thai counterpart. Two MoUs related to tourism and culture will be signed during the visit.

Similarly, six MoUs will be signed between the non-governmental sectors in the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

On the occasion, PM Oli said that he would hold discussions with eminent businessmen of Thailand and address a programme to be organized at the Asian Institute of Technology.

Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the BIMSTEC Summit on April 4. Similarly, according to PM Oli, he will hold sideline talks with the leaders of the member countries coming to participate in the Summit as far as possible.