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The price of gold has reached an all-time high in the domestic market on Monday, setting a new historical record.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Traders, the price of gold has increased by Rs 400 per tola to reach Rs 191, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola on Tuesday.

The price of silver, however, remained stable and is being traded at Rs 1, 960 per tola.

Nepali media personality and model Bibhusha Basnet has been appointed the brand ambassador of Nepal Kabaddi for a year, as the country prepares to host its first-ever Women’s Kabaddi Test Series. Taking on the role with pride, Basnet expressed her commitment to promoting the sport: “I hope to play a meaningful role in the development and promotion of kabaddi in Nepal. This is an exciting opportunity to support a sport that is rapidly growing and achieving great things.”

The All Nepal Kabaddi Association (ANKA) announced a five-day bilateral test series between Nepal and Bangladesh will take place from April 20 to 26 at the Taekwondo Covered Hall in Satdobato, Lalitpur. This marks the first time Nepal’s national women’s team will compete in an international kabaddi test series.

At a press conference in Kathmandu, ANKA General Secretary Arvind Kumar Jha highlighted that the event is part of a broader collaboration with the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation, under which the two nations will host three test series annually. “This initiative aims to bring test-format kabaddi to the international stage,” Jha said, adding that Bangladesh’s women’s team is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Nepal’s women’s kabaddi team, currently ranked third in the world, is also gearing up for the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup to be held in India from June 1 to 13. The team won a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and has been in closed training at Mulpani for the past two years, alongside the men’s team.

Singers Shirish Devkota and Samikshya Adhikari have come together for a new folk duet titled Goli Baruda, which was officially released Saturday. The song’s music video premiered on Devkota’s official YouTube channel. With lyrics and music composed by Devkota himself, the song is arranged by Sunil Pariyar. Recording was handled by Suman and Khuman Rana, while Kumar Rana took care of the mixing and mastering.

The music video stars Shirish Devkota alongside Geeta Dhungana in lead roles, with direction and choreography by Jerry Bhandari.

Following the enforcement of the National Education System in 1971, education gained immense importance in Nepali society. Higher education became a marker of success, and parents began prioritizing their children’s schooling, viewing it as a means to “kindle light in the darkness.” However, the rise of educated unemployment, the migration of skilled youth abroad, and the declining value of degrees have raised serious concerns about Nepal’s education quality.

As Chaitanya Mishra highlights in his article ‘Education Institutions and Educational Politics’, Nepali education remains rigidly formal, disconnected from individual lives and societal needs. When education is reduced to mere certificates, it fails to unlock human potential or empower people to live meaningful lives.

There are countless examples of individuals without formal education outperforming their degreed peers financially. This begs the question: Does formal education truly matter? Nepal’s education system often neglects practicality, focusing on academic credentials rather than life skills essential for career success.

Education is the state’s most crucial responsibility toward its citizens. While Nepal’s Constitution guarantees free primary education, over 75 percent of families still pay (directly or indirectly), widening the gap between private and public institutions. Accessibility alone is not enough—education must also be practical, adaptable, and high-quality.

The curriculum is designed as if students must master everything at once, leaving no room for exploration beyond textbooks. There’s also a misconception that educated individuals must hold “high-level” jobs, when education should instead cultivate better attitudes and understanding. This mindset restricts career freedom. Politicization and privatization further plague the system. Student and teacher unions should advocate for better education quality, but instead, they’ve become tools for political power struggles. Meanwhile, privatization has commercialized education, turning it into a certificate race rather than a means of real learning. Unsurprisingly, the value of the SEE (Secondary Education Examination) has plummeted over the past decade.

Manish Lamichhane

BA LLB, 8th Semester

Nepal Law Campus

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital technologies meaningfully, which includes accessing, evaluating, and navigating online information. According to one scholar, being digitally literate means knowing how to use technology responsibly.

Today’s interconnected world allows us to communicate with anyone, anywhere, using digital devices. Individuals can access vast amounts of information from the comfort of their homes in seconds. This connectivity and ease of access have also contributed to career advancement.

Despite its undeniable advantages, digital literacy comes with pitfalls. For instance, not all the information we consume daily is accurate—fake news and dis/misinformation have become major global challenges. Cybersecurity and data privacy risks are also growing concerns.

One prevalent example is social media. Researchers have found that excessive social media use among young people can hinder their holistic development. From early morning until late at night, many spend most of their time on their phones. In a study conducted at St. Xavier’s College, a lecturer asked students to track their digital usage. The results revealed that some students spent up to nine or ten hours daily on digital tools, with some admitting to gaming until 3 AM and sleeping only four hours or less—a clear sign of lacking digital awareness.

Similarly, a World Health Organization study found that over one in ten adolescents (11 percent) exhibit problematic social media behavior. Surprisingly, girls were more affected (13 percent) than boys (nine percent).

Mental health issues, educational distractions, and physical health concerns are other rising problems linked to digital overuse. Therefore, digital literacy is essential—it empowers individuals to use technology consciously and effectively, protecting them from misuse or overuse. This is a call for digital awareness: it’s not just about having digital skills but recognizing the urgent need to use them wisely.

Shelina Bal 

St Xavier’s College, Maitighar

Why do I lose the ones I love? 

Why do the things I cherish the most slip away? 

Every time I find them, they feel like home, 

Yet, in my grasp, they slowly fade  

No matter how tight I hold, they drift beyond my reach. 

Is it fate, or just a cruel coincidence? 

Or perhaps a silent whisper of God’s plans? 

I tremble, afraid to embrace what comes close, 

For loss has carved its name deep in my soul. 

They say time replaces all that is lost, 

Yet the first warmth of love, the first touch of joy 

Can never be replaced, can never be relived. 

I wish I were lucky, I wish I were lucky.

If only I had magic, I’d weave time backwards, 

Bringing back all that once made me whole. 

But all I have left are memories, 

Flickering like fireflies in the dark. 

The ones I love visit me in dreams, 

Yet never stay long enough, making me believe 

That I was ever meant to keep them. 

Supriya Paudel  

BBM, Vth Semester  

United College

Two persons died and 14 others were injured in a microbus-scooter collision at Kalimati in Bhanu Municipality-10, Damauli along the Dumre-Besisahar road section on Sunday.

One male and one female died in the accident, said DSP Ashok Thapa of the District Police Office. The female was traveling on the scooter and the man was a passenger of the microbus, it has been said.  

The microbus (Ba 2 Kha 4022) en route to Lamjung from Dumre collided head-on with the scooter (Ga 2 6 Pa 4058) this afternoon.  

The scooter rider who was severely injured in the accident was rushed to the Chitwan Medical College for treatment.

Police have arrested microbus driver Man Bahadur Ghale of Sindhupalchowk for the investigation.

A verdant green garden is everyone’s dream but not everyone is able to achieve this for a simple reason: most of us don’t know the basics of gardening and try random things which don’t always yield the result we want. It’s important to arm yourself with some basic understanding of what plants want and how to get them to grow before you start working on your garden. Else, you will just be wasting valuable time and money. ApEx visited a nursery in Khumaltar, Lalitpur, to find out what are some important things to consider to create a perfect green space in your home.

Understand your space

Not every plant has the same light requirements so the first thing to do is to survey your space and see if it gets a lot of light or if there is limited exposure. Most outdoor plants thrive under direct sunlight while others benefit from indirect brightness. Depending on your space, you have to choose plants that can grow there. People often make the mistake of getting the wrong plants for their space and they can never grow to their full height or bear flowers as they are supposed to. Understanding your space and the plants’ needs can help you maximize yields ensuring you have a visually appealing garden.

Till the soil

Most soil is too hard for the plants’ roots to take proper hold, especially if you have moved into a new space and there are construction materials mixed with the soil. While adding a few fresh layers of new top soil can fix this, it’s often expensive and really not necessary either if you are willing to put in some time and effort. Water the soil or wait till it rains and then till the soil using simple plowing tools that you can get at your local nursery. Mix in some organic fertilizer and plow a few more times, letting the mix sit for a few days each. This should make your soil soft and fertile over time and thus ready for plants.

Space them out

When you start planting trees and shrubs, consider how tall or wide they will grow in a few months’ or years’ time. Since we get new plants mostly as saplings, it’s quite easy to underestimate how much space they will need later on. Make sure there is at least two feet distance between small plants and at least five feet if between two trees. A common mistake is not keeping enough space between two large plants that will result in stunted growth for both or one overcrowding the other. Proper spacing allows for good air circulation and light penetration as well. It’s okay for the branches to slightly overlap when they grow to their full size as this allows for healthy competition for nutrients, water, and sunlight.

Provide timely nutrients

Though less is always more when it comes to fertilizer, especially synthetic ones, you have to give the soil in your garden a nutritional boost time and again. It’s best if this is usually done through organic fertilizers or compost. Since it’s the soil’s environment that usually determines whether a plant will die, stagnate, or thrive, it’s a good idea to ensure it’s the right quality and has the required nutrients. Ensure the soil is wet before you add fertilizer to it. Over fertilizing can do more harm than good so it’s best to be cautious and dilute your fertilizers before using them. Water soluble fertilizers are fast acting but must be used more frequently than others. Also, make sure the fertilizers don’t get on the plant leaves to avoid burns and discoloration.

Educate yourself

Gardening is part art and part science and while it might seem like some people are born with natural green thumbs, it’s a skill that can be honed. There are lots of good books and even resources available online that you can use to learn more about plants and gardening. Over time, you will come to understand plant behavior and their needs and be able to tell what is wrong by just looking at them. Even learning one small thing every day will help you maintain a pristine garden in the future.