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South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said on Monday that upcoming trade talks with the United States are expected to be the start of meaningful cooperation, though the negotiations may prove difficult.

As stated by Reuters, South Korean Finance and Industry Ministers are scheduled to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on April 24.

Han emphasized that the government would make an “all-out effort” to secure a mutually beneficial agreement, stressing the importance of calmly and seriously consulting with the U.S. while prioritizing national interests, Reuters reported.

The meeting comes at a critical time for Seoul as it seeks to strengthen economic ties with Washington while safeguarding its own industries amid growing global trade tensions.

Cake, gifts and a low-key family celebration may be how many senior citizens picture their 70th birthday.

But NASA's oldest serving astronaut Don Pettit became a septuagenarian while hurtling towards the Earth in a spacecraft to wrap up a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), AFP reported.

A Soyuz capsule carrying the American and two Russian cosmonauts landed in Kazakhstan on Sunday, the day of Pettit's milestone birthday.

Spending 220 days in space, Pettit and his crewmates Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner orbited the Earth 3,520 times and completed a journey of 93.3 million miles over the course of their mission, accordign to AFP.

It was the fourth spaceflight for Pettit, who has logged more than 18 months in orbit throughout his 29-year career.

Prof Dr Sanjib Kumar Sharma has been appointed as the officiating Vice Chancellor of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS).

As per the decision of the Prime Minister and the BPKIHS Vice Chancellor, Sharma has been given the responsibility of carrying out the day-to-day administrative, educational and financial works of the Institute.

BPKIHS spokesperson Prof Dr Anju Pradhan said that the responsibility of officiating Vice Chancellor has been given to Prof Sharma till the new Vice Chancellor is recommended and appointed.

Sharma had served as the officiating Vice Chancellor earlier also.

Dr Gyanendra Giri's tenure as Vice Chancellor had ended on April 8.

A few days ago, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) had announced plans to breach the restricted zone near the federal parliament, calling for a protest on Sunday to demand the reinstatement of the monarchy and the release of its detained leaders.

However, the protest failed to gather significant mass support. While the turnout on the streets was minimal, RPP lawmakers managed to stage a symbolic protest inside Singhadurbar, the federal government’s administrative complex. After a meeting at the party’s Parliamentary Party Office, they displayed handwritten pamphlets bearing various slogans.

Police detained RPP Chairperson Rajendra Lingden, Vice-chairperson Buddhiman Tamang, and Chief Whip Gyanendra Shahi from inside Singhadurbar. All three were released later in the evening.

Anticipating unrest following the party’s announcement to enter restricted areas, authorities had tightened security in Kathmandu. A large number of security personnel were deployed around designated restricted zones, including the area surrounding New Baneshwar.

Traffic in Kathmandu was severely disrupted after police barred vehicle movement in and around New Baneshwar. However, once the protest failed to gain traction, normal traffic resumed. The ongoing teachers’ protest, now in its second week, further exacerbated the traffic chaos.

Last week, during an executive committee meeting, Party Chair Lingden accused the government of curbing citizens’ fundamental rights by arbitrarily declaring areas as off-limits. “We are being pushed into a corner. That’s why we’ve decided to protest in restricted zones,” he said.

The RPP has also vowed to launch both legal and political campaigns demanding the unconditional release of party leaders Rabindra Mishra and Dhawal Shumsher Rana, who were arrested for allegedly inciting deadly violence on March 28. That incident claimed two lives and left over 100 injured, as arson and vandalism broke out in different parts of the capital.

In response to RPP’s threat to breach restricted areas, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a stern warning on Saturday night. “Legal action will be taken against anyone violating the law or inciting public disorder,” the ministry stated, adding that any activity promoting anarchy or undermining the constitution would not be tolerated. The ministry also urged the public to refrain from any “anarchic, provocative or illegal acts” that could lead to violence.

The government has declared the area surrounding the federal parliament in New Baneshwar—and several other locations across Kathmandu—as restricted zones.

Earlier, on April 8, RPP staged a protest assembly in Balkhu, a site designated by the government, reiterating its demand for a constitutional monarchy and the declaration of Nepal as a Hindu state.

The Nepal Teachers' Federation continued its protest in Kathmandu on Monday also demanding immediate enactment of the School Education Bill.

The teachers under the leadership of the Federation staged a demonstration in the Maitighar-Baneshwor area demanding the endorsement of the School Education Bill pronto.

As a result, traffic went haywire in various places of Kathmandu including Baneshwor, Thapagaun and Anamnagar, causing inconveniences to school, college students and office workers who commute daily.

The teachers said that they would continue the protests until their demands are met.  

Due to the teachers’ protest, teaching and learning activities across the country have been affected.

They have been staging protests in Kathmandu for the past 20 days.

Israeli forces kill 31 people in Gaza and two others in Lebanon, as US forces bomb a popular market in Yemen, killing at least 12 people.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) rejects the findings of an Israeli military investigation into the deaths of 15 emergency workers last month, calling for an independent UN inquiry, Al Jazeera reported.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 51,201 Palestinians and injured 116,869 others since it began 18 months ago.

The Gaza Government Media Office raised the death toll to nearly 61,700, stating thousands of individuals missing under the rubble are assumed dead. At least 1,139 individuals were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led strikes on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.

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.