Submit your Article

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 184, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 186, 000 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 945 per tola today.

The disgruntled teachers are to boycott Grade 12 exams and halt new admission procedures.

The teachers, who have been staging protests in the Bijulibazaar area for the past 13 days under the leadership of Nepal Teachers’ Federation, have said that they would boycott the Grade 12 exams if their demands are not addressed.

As per the previous announcement, the Grade 12 exams will be conducted from April 24.

Meanwhile, the new academic session of schools has also begun.

General Secretary of the Federation Tula Bahadur Thapa said that no teachers or staff will take part in the Grade 12 exams until their demands are met.

He informed that the Federation’s meeting held recently has decided to boycott the Grade 12 exams and halt the new admission procedures.

According to Thapa, an appeal will also be made to stop the exams conducted by CTVT.

“We have heard that CTVT has been conducting the exams, we will urge them to stop the exams by issuing a press release,” Thapa said, adding, “We have heard that some institutional and community schools have also been opened, we will appeal them to close the schools at the earliest by issuing a statement. The decision was made earlier too.”

The teachers have been staging the protests demanding immediate enactment of the School Education Act.

Trump has stated that both Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Putin share responsibility for the "millions of people dead" in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

His remarks came during a meeting with the President of El Salvador at the White House, where he responded to reporters' inquiries.

"When you start a war, you have to know you can win," he said, also blaming President Joe Biden for the conflict, according to BBC.

Trump's remarks came in response to a recent horrific Russian missile strike on people in the northeastern city of Sumy, which has been described as one of the bloodiest attacks this year. He tweeted, "Millions of people dead because of three people: Putin at number one, Biden who had no idea what he was doing at number two, and Zelensky."

Tensions between Trump and the Ukrainian leader have been high ever since their heated confrontation at the White House in February, BBC reported.

The European Union has announced a €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) aid package to support the Palestinian Authority and fund projects in the the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

European Commissioner Dubravka Šuica stated that the Palestinian Authority will get more than two-thirds of the two-year investment to improve financial stability, governance, and private sector growth, Reuters reported.

The aid will be contingent on PA alterations, as part of broader measures to boost resilience and post-war recovery amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza.

A landmark antitrust trial against Meta began on Monday, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that the company unlawfully stifled competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp.

The FTC claims Meta chose to eliminate rivals instead of competing, noting that the company overpaid for Instagram in 2012 ($1 billion) and WhatsApp in 2014 ($19 billion), Reuters reported.

Meta defended its position by claiming that the FTC had already authorized these purchases and that YouTube and TikTok are competitors.

A decision in the FTC's favor would cause Meta to disband, which might compel CEO Mark Zuckerberg to sell up Instagram and WhatsApp. The trial will probably last for a few weeks, and both Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg are anticipated to testify.

Hamas is reviewing a new Israeli ceasefire proposal and will respond soon, though it firmly rejects any suggestion of disarmament, according to spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri. 

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza, killing at least 15 Palestinians on Monday, with attacks targeting tent shelters, Al Jazeera reported. 

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 50,983 deaths and 116,274 injuries since the war began, while the Government Media Office estimates the death toll has exceeded 61,700, including those missing under rubble.

The war was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people and saw over 200 taken captive.

Hungary's parliament has passed a controversial amendment bill that puts restrictions on LGBTQ plus community this has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups and members of the community. 

While parliament was voting on the amendment, several demonstrators attempted to break into the parliament building in disobedience. The new modifications to Hungary's constitution will provide legal support to the rule prohibiting public displays of homosexuality and pride parades, according to BBC.

As a result of the vote, the Fundamental Law now stipulates that a person can only identify as either male or female. The law comes three months after U.S. President Donald Trump, an ally of Orban, issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes. 

With the exception of the right to life, the Hungarian bill asserts that children's right to a healthy physical, mental, and moral development overrules all other fundamental rights, including the freedom to assemble, BBC reported.

Additionally, if a Hungarian is judged to be a threat to public order, public security, or national security, the amendment permits them to have their dual citizenship in a non-European Economic Area country suspended for a maximum of ten years.

Donald Trump claims that Chinese-made cellphones and other devices would not be spared from tariffs, stating that they are just going into a separate "bucket" of levies. 

As stated by BBC, European stock markets rose on Monday morning following Friday's official declaration that some of these products would be exempt from levies of up to 145%. 

China has urged Donald Trump to "completely cancel" his tariffs regime and "return to the right path of mutual respect". 

However, US sources stated on Sunday that products would be subject to a "semiconductor tariff", with Trump set to announce further information later, BBC reported.