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Japan recorded a trade deficit in its March-April fiscal year but racked up a surplus with the US, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.

Japan’s global trade deficit totaled 5.2 tn yen (USD 37 bn) for the fiscal year through March, for the fourth straight year of deficits, according to the provisional statistics. The surplus with the US ballooned to 9 tn yen (USD 63 bn), Firstpost reported.

Exports to the United States are a contentious issue for US President Trump, and Japanese negotiators are in Washington to press their case against increased US tariffs.

Japan is a long-standing US ally and major investor in the US, employing hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and top diplomat Marco Rubio will hold talks with European counterparts in Paris later on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

The talks are the most significant transatlantic dialogue on the war since February and involve UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to BBC.

The US Secretary of State will attend conversations with Lammy, his French and German counterparts, and European national security advisers.The top priority is finding a way to end the war in Ukraine and understanding the consequences of Witkoff's discussions with Moscow.

European leaders are also urging the US to be more aggressive towards Russia, urging for a ceasefire without conditions, BBC reported.

These meetings are seen as significant for their message of renewed diplomatic cooperation between the US and its European allies.

More than 10 houses have been swept away by the floods triggered by incessant rains in Humla on Thursday.  

DSP Shankar Pokharel of the District Police Office, Humla confirmed that more than 10 houses were washed away by the floods.

Similarly, twenty-six goats have perished after mudslide triggered by heavy rain buried a goat shed at Adanchuli Rural Municipality-3 in Humla district today.

Of the 70 goats inside the shed of Aite Budha of Adanchuli-3, 26 were buried by flood and landslide. Budha said that 26 goats were killed as the goat shed collapsed due to the mudslide.

He said that 29 goats inside the shed were rescued with the help of locals. The remaining goats are missing and a search is on for the missing goats.

The torrential rain this morning has wreaked havoc at various places of the Adanchuli Rural Municipality.

Officials from the Trump administration could face criminal contempt charges for ignoring the orders of the judges to stop the deportation of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang, the judge said on Wednesday.

In a written ruling, US District Judge James Boasberg said there is "probable cause" to punish the officers. He accused them of demonstrating a "willful disregard" for his March 15 order that banned the deportations to El Salvador under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act., according to BBC.

Lawyers and family members of the deported migrants has pleaded that they are not gang members and were never given a chance to challenge the US government’s claims.

The Justice Department is appealing the decision to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Boasberg stated that the administration can still avoid contempt by executing his order—specifically, by giving the migrants the opportunity to contest their deportation in court.

He gave the administration until April 23 to explain its next steps or name the officials responsible for ignoring the order, who could then face prosecution, BBC reported.

The price of gold has set a new record in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of precious yellow metal has increased by Rs 3, 600 per tola and is being traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola. It was traded at Rs 187, 000 per tola on Wednesday.

Likewise, the price of silver has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1, 955 per tola.

Shri Krishna Pranami Nijananda Sampradaya – Ohio, USA is organizing a seven-day religious event marking the beginning of the first Sri Krishna Pranami Temple in Columbus.

This week-long program will not enrich devotees spiritually but also provide a historic opportunity to raise funds for the temple’s construction, the organizer said.

According to the program schedule, the event will start on May 20, Tuesday.  The program will begin with Kalash Yatra at 8 am.

Similarly, on may 21, Shri Mad Brahmavani will be held followed by      Satsang Sagar Discussion on May 22,      Shri mad Bhagwat Mahapurana Katha on May 23,      Speeches, Bhajans on May 24 and      Dance And Cultural Program on May 25. The program will start at 8 am and end at 8 pm everyday.

On May 26, the final day of the program, Purnahuti and concluding ceremony will be held from 8 am to 2 pm.

This event aims to promote spiritual knowledge and raise funds for the proposed Shri Krishna Pranami Temple in Columbus.

 Shri Krishna Pranami Nijananda Sampradaya – Ohio, USA, is a branch of the international Shri Krishna Pranami mission, established in 2015. The organization’s purpose is to globalize the benevolent and noble principles of the Shri Krishna Pranami faith.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is heading to the US to meet Donald Trump – a visit that will see her walk a tightrope between representing the interests of the EU and remaining in the US president's good books.

Meloni, the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump imposed - then suspended - 20% tariffs on the EU earlier in April, will be seeking to persuade him of the benefits of a "zero-for-zero" tariffs agreement for the entire EU, BBC reported.

Italy is especially sensitive to any changes in US trade policy. Around 10% of its exports, worth approximately €67 bn (£57 bn; $76 bn), go to the United States, Italy's third largest non-EU trading partner, and the tariffs proposed by Trump earlier this month led Rome to cut its growth projection.

Nora Aunor, one of the Philippines' most celebrated film stars, has died at the age of 71.

Aunor's death on Wednesday was announced by her children on social media, but no further details were provided about her cause of death, according to BBC.

"Her unrivaled talent, grace, and dedication for the trade inspired generations. Her voice, personality, and craftsmanship forged a legacy that will endure," her daughter and actor Lotlot de Leon wrote on Instagram.

Ms Aunor was born into a poor family in Iriga and has spent seven decades working in television, music, and movies, BBC reported.

In 2022, she was appointed a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, the Philippines' highest artistic honour.