Gold price drops by Rs 1, 700 per tola on Tuesday

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 700 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 193, 500 per tola today.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by 10 and is being traded at Rs 2, 160 per tola today.

Ruling parties' meeting underway in Baluwatar

The meeting of the ruling parties is underway in Baluwatar.

Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman Oli, Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, UML's Senior Vice Chairman Ishwor Pokharel, NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal Chairman Mahantha Thakur, Nagarik Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjit Shrestha, Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut and Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Ashok Kumar Rai, among others are present in the meeting.

The meeting called by Prime Minister Oli will discuss contemporary political issues, it has been learnt.

Iranian missile strikes kill 4 in southern Israel as ceasefire deadline is reached

Iranian state television reported Tuesday that a ceasefire had begun in its war with Israel, even as Israel warned the public of a new missile barrage launched from Iran, The Washington Post reported.

The launches came after 4 a.m. local time in Tehran, the time Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel ended their airstrikes.

At least four people were killed in the early morning barrages, but there was no immediate word of further attacks. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said at least eight more people were injured in the early morning barrage, according to The Washington Post.

External loan target: Less than 50 percent achieved

The federal government has received Rs 99.2bn in external loans during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, which is less than half of its target of Rs 217bn. According to a report from the Public Debt Management Office, the foreign loans received as of mid-June amount to just 45.72 percent of the target. In contrast, internal debt mobilization is on track to meet its goal, with 95.45 percent (around Rs 315bn) of the Rs 330bn target already achieved.

Most of the foreign loans have been categorized under capital expenditure, serving as a source for funding development projects. However, the slowdown in development activities has hindered the inflow of these external loans, according to the office. “Donor agencies largely provide financial assistance to Nepal in the form of project-based loans rather than direct budgetary support. As a result, the delayed or poor implementation of projects significantly impacts the receipt of funds. Overall, weak development expenditure has led to a decline in external loan inflows.”

According to the Office of the Auditor General, as of Saturday evening, the annual capital expenditure has only reached about 42 percent of its target.

Meanwhile, the Public Debt Management Office stated that the total debt that the government has yet to repay is Rs 2,654bn. At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the total public debt was
Rs 2434.9bn, and by the end of last May, an additional Rs 220.58bn of government debt was added. As of the end of last May, the total public debt is 43.47 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product. Furthermore, the share of foreign debt in the remaining debt that the government has to repay is 52 percent, while the share of domestic debt is 47.94 percent.

According to the data as of mid-June the internal debt is Rs 1272.53bn and the external debt is
Rs 1382.12bn. The government had set a target to mobilize Rs. 5.47bn in public debt for the current fiscal year. As of the end of last mid-June, Rs 414bn has been collected in debt. As of June 14, the total public debt is 43.47 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product. The government has yet to receive a total loan of 52 percent in foreign debt, while the share of domestic debt stands at 47.94 percent.

The government had set a target to mobilize public debt of Rs 547bn through active means. As of mid-June, the government has raised a loan of Rs 14.19bn. The total public debt collection as a percentage of the annual target is 75.72 percent. For the payment of the principal and interest on government debt, Rs 329.6bn has been spent in the last 11 months, it is stated.

'Spy cameras' installed around CNP to control poaching

The Chitwan National Park (CNP) has installed 'spy cameras' for checking possible poaching of wildlife.

The surveillance cameras have been sporadically placed in the security sensitive areas of the national park.

Information Officer at CNP, Abinas Thapa Magar shared that the cameras have been put up in different areas as it is tough to keep security physically present in every area of the park.

Surveillance has been carried out through spy cameras considering potential poaching points, it is informed.

Elephants are increasingly being used for patrolling in and around the national park areas.

A total of 30 spy cameras have been secretly installed in sensitive areas of the park.

The cameras will take snapshots of people's mobility in the areas. The poaching prone zones also have witnessed intensified patrolling by the Nepal Army.

A contingent comprising 90 Army men from various battalions has been mobilized here to assist the regular team taking into consideration the security situation.

He said the contingent has been deployed in areas that are not accessible to park staff and regular security teams.

The contingent that will remain here for three months is extending support for wildlife conservation efforts as well, the Information Officer noted.

There is an increased risk of wildlife poaching when the local people living around the park are engaged in agricultural activities during the monsoon season.

As the campaign for poaching control is less effective during the monsoon, it increases challenges to the security and conservation efforts at CNP.

Monsoon effects prevail across the country

The monsoon winds have effects across the country.

Its effect will result in partially to generally cloudy weather across the country this afternoon.

According to the weather bulletin released today by the Meteorological Forecasting Division, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some places of the hilly regions and a few places of the remaining areas.

Heavy rainfall is likely to take place in one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces.

There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall in some places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country, the bulletin stated.

There will be partially to generally cloudy weather across the country tonight. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpashchim Provinces and a few places of other provinces.

In one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, there is also a possibility of heavy rain and extremely heavy rain in some places.

There is a possibility of light rain and snowfall in some places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country, the weather forecast bulletin mentioned.

Day after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, Pak condemns US' Iran bombing

 A day after recommending President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his "decisive diplomatic intervention" during last month's India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan on Sunday "condemned" the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, NDTV reported.

"We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement, hours after the American warplanes and submarines bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran, officially joining Israel's war against the country.

Pakistan, which shares a 900-kilometre border with Iran, also reiterated that these attacks violate "all norms of international law and that Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter,” according to NDTV.

Israeli forces recover bodies of three hostages from Gaza

Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages which had been held in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' 2023 attack, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The hostages were identified as civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson. All were killed on the day of the attack, on October 7, 2023, the military said.

With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The abduction of Samerano, 21 at the time of his death, by a man later identified by Israeli officials as a worker at the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, was caught on CCTV.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities, according to Reuters.