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The price of gold has dropped by Rs 300 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 116, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 116, 300 per tola on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 115, 450 per tola. It was traded at Rs 115, 750 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,400 per tola today.

The selling and consumption of tobacco products have been banned in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) from today.

KMC, Health Department Chief Ram Prasad Poudel, said a complete ban has been imposed on the sale of tobacco products in all the 32 wards of the metropolis.

According to him, the selling, storage and consumption of tobacco products packed in plastics have been completely prohibited within KMC from today.

The banned tobacco products include raw tobacco, chewing tobacco, bidi, tambakhu, sulpha, gutkha, panparag, packaged in plastic pouches.

The KMC had on November 28 issued a public notice about this ban.

The KMC Police will seize such products if found selling them. "We are on a campaign of making Kathmandu a healthy city. We have decided to ban the storage, selling and consumption of tobacco products harmful to people's health and the environment, coinciding with the 29th KMC Day," said the KMC Health Department Chief Poudel.

He said this provision is included in Clause 42 of the Public Health Act the KMC issued in 2080 BS. The provision in the Act is being strictly implemented in a bid to reduce the adverse effects the use of tobacco products is having on individual health.

Tobacco control is the first condition for improving the public health and environment in the city. 

It has been learnt that the KMC is preparing to implement a program to control hukka in the second phase.

House of Representatives Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey has been appointed as the acting General Secretary of the Federal Parliament.

Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire gave the responsibility of the General Secretary to Pandey after President Ram Chandra Paudel put on hold the recommendation to appoint him to the post.

Ghimire in consultation with National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina entrusted Pandey with the responsibility of General Secretary of the Parliament, the Speaker’s Secretariat said.

Speaker Ghimire decided to appoint Pandey as the General Secretary of the Parliament after some of the work to be done in connection with the Federal Parliament Day were affected due to the lack of leadership, the Secretariat further said.

According to the Secretariat, Speaker Ghimire decided to give the responsibility of the General Secretary of the Parliament to Pandey after he could not contact the President to discuss the reasons for delaying to appoint him to the position.

Speaker Ghimire and National Assembly Chairman Timilsina recommended Pandey for the post following the resignation of General Secretary Dr Bharat Raj Gautam on Tuesday.

Gautam, who was appointed as the General Secretary in May 2020, still had 10 months for retirement.

Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Jhapa Chairman Pandav Lal Chaudhary has been arrested on the charge of pelting stones at the vehicle of Koshi Province Chief Minister Kedar Karki.

He was apprehended from his Arjundhara Municipality-8-based house on Tuesday night.

DSP Khagendra Prasad Rijal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Jhapa, said that Chaudhary was detained after he was found involved in showing black flags to Chief Minister Karki and hurling stones at his vehicle.

He said that they are also searching for others involved in the incident.

Chaudhary said that police nabbed him by breaking the gate and door of his house.

He has been taken to the Area Police Office, Damak.

It has been learnt that Chaudhary along with others pelted stones at the vehicle of the Chief Minister who had arrived in Damak to take part in a program on Monday afternoon.

The window of the vehicle was smashed from the pelting of stones.

The political parties have been urged to be more sensitive regarding the issues of the sexual and gender minority community.

Speakers at a program organized by the Blue Diamond Society here on Tuesday complained that the LGBTIQ people have been deprived of their fundamental rights due to the delay in making the laws.

Lawmaker and Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Sobita Gautam called on all the political parties to be sensitive for providing the civil rights stipulated in the constitution. She said there should not be politicization in the Parliament, the law-making body, on the issue of endorsing the bill related to gender inclusion.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Lily Thapa stressed on ending all forms of discrimination for ensuring social justice, equality and human rights in society.

Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Ramhari Gaire informed the program that the Ministry has recognized its responsibility for making laws and was working to that end by formulating the annual action plan.

Society president Pinky Gurung complained that the state was not serious regarding implementation of laws drafted for the identity and rights of the LGBTIQ community.

Center for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF) organized a round table discussion on Nepal-China Bilateral Relations, reflecting on the Prime Minister’s visit to India from September 23-30, 2023.

The discourse was held at Basera Boutique Hotel on December 12, 2023 and brought together distinguished parliamentarians, experts, journalists, former bureaucrats and diplomats.

Raj Kishor Yadav, Chairperson of the International Relations and Tourism Committee at the House of Representative, was the chief guest speaker of the program, reads a statement issued by Center for Social Inclusion & Federalism.

Similarly, Tsering Lhamu Lama (Tamang) and Sishir Khanal, both members of the International Relations and Tourism Committee, Dr Minendra Rijal, former Defense Minister of Nepal and Central Working Committee member of the Nepali Congress and Ambassador Madhu Raman Acharya, former Foreign Secretary of Nepal and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, New York, were the prominent speakers.

The Executive Chair of CESIF, Ambassador Vijay Kant Karna reflected in his opening remarks that the Prime Minister’s visit was an important event but had limitations. Although a 12-point agreement was announced in the joint statement of both prime ministers, earlier agreements are yet to be followed up by both countries. “The visit was unsuccessful in attracting significant Chinese investments in infrastructure development,” Ambassador Karna said.

The dialogue brought together diverse views from the parliamentarians and participants.

Raj Kishor Yadav expressed the necessity to maintain a balanced relationship between China and other world and regional powers.

He further noted that our foreign policy must avoid “fear psychosis” when dealing with foreign countries.

Similarly, Tsering Lhamu Lama (Tamang) expressed the importance of opening border points between Nepal and China. Lama representing Karnali Province, reminded that five of the border points are in Karnali, which can hugely benefit the economy of the province. Lama concluded that the visit was successful as it was also able to secure the agreement with China to build a road to Man Sarovar from Nepal, according to the statement.

Likewise, Sishir Khanal noted that the Prime Minister’s visit was not clear enough in its objectives. He further said that the visit did not make any significant contributions towards the relationship between Nepal and China, including the BRI agreement and the border points. He raised a concern as Nepal formally accepted the “One China Principle,” moving on from the “One China Policy”.

Dr Minendra Rijal said that the joint communique has a language that is rather imposing on Nepal. He expressed concerns about debts Nepal is taking from China, including the amount for the Pokhara International Airport.

Moreover, Ambassador Madhu Raman Acharya pointed out that there was no substance in the agreement except the transmission line between Kerung and Rashuwagadhi. He said that among the seventy agreements since the former PM KP Sharma Oli visit to China, only a few are being implemented. He also expressed concerns about the joint communique’s language against Taiwan’s independence.

Overall, the participants were united in expressing that the agreements signed during this and previous visits have not been successfully implemented. There was also a concern that official agreements to implement BRI in Nepal are not yet public, which is allowing China to shift goalposts.

The participants opined that Nepal needs to understand China's strategic concerns better and express Nepalese interests specifically with China.

Nepal Oil Corporation Executive Director Umesh Prasad Thani resigned from his post on Tuesday.

He submitted his resignation to Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Umesh Rijal.

Thani was appointed as the Executive Director of the state owned-monopoly on March 10, 2022.

He is the outgoing chairman of the Center for Democratic Engineers (CEDEN). CEDEN is the organization of engineers close to the Nepali Congress.

Thani, who was appointed for three years, put in his papers before completing his tenure.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal  today said the Buddhist philosophy would remain alive until human existence.

Wishing for world peace, which he said is required, today at a programme organised at the Ramagrama Stupa in West Nawalparasi district, the PM said we achieved the feat of spreading the message of peace across the globe.

Lord Gautam Buddha's teaching is confirmed as more necessary and relevant in the present time, he mentioned. The Prime Minister also pledged to implement the master plan for the development of the stupa while saying that far sighting work would be carried out for its restoration, conservation and development.

Stating that the programme would spread the message of global peace, he mentioned that the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and himself pledged for world peace. 

"This programme is expected to not only spread a new message in the globe, but will also help play an important role in the religious, cultural and touristic development of the Ramagrama Stupa and the entire Lumbini area", underscored PM Dahal.

Saying that the international community has been appealed for the conservation and development of the Buddha-era heritages, he expressed his commitment to play an important role in the development of the Buddha-time heritages. He said that he is inspired by the philosophy, thoughts and teachings of Buddha.

Similarly, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati informed that the government had carried forward a comprehensive plan for the development of Tilaurakot, Lumbini and Ramagrama Stupa.

"Although Nepal is multi-lingual and multi-ethnic, people of all religions and communities follow the Buddhist philosophy; this is religious tolerance, this is a message of unity," stressed the Prime Minister.

The event was attended by representatives of various foreign countries and Buddhist followers from various countries.