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The CPN (Maoist Center) has urged the government to immediately issue the School Education Act based on the agreement reached with the Nepal Teachers' Federation in the past.

Issuing a press release today, CPN (Maoist Center) Vice Chair and Spokesperson Agni Prasad Sapkota urged the government to create an environment by issuing the Act through a special session of Parliament or other means so as to facilitate the agitating teachers to fulfill their teaching responsibilities.

Pointing out that qualitative reforms in the education sector are the need of the hour, the Maoist Center has said that the job security of teachers working at the school level for long is an essential condition by creating a motivational environment for them.

Although the Constitution guarantees the right of the common man to receive education, the educational sector cannot be restructured in accordance with the spirit of federalism until a necessary legal and policy framework is put in place.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has drawn the attention of the government to issue the Acts related to the civil service, education, health and police and to emphasize on their implementation.

Stating that the government led by the CPN (Maoist Center) had formulated the School Education Bill and registered it in the Parliament amid various difficulties, the Maoist Center has accused the government of playing with the profession and future of teachers and students by not passing the Bill as soon as possible.

Spokesperson Sapkota said, "It is contradictory to ignore the legitimate demands of the agitating teachers for 10 months after the formation of the government and to argue that the bill will be passed in the budget session after the teachers' agitation intensified."

Expressing solidarity with the demands of the teachers, the Maoist Center has called upon the general public to stand by the teachers.

US President Donald Trump and his advisers have defended sweeping tariffs on imports and vowed to stay the course, despite market turmoil and calls to avoid a trade war, BBC reported.

In a series of television interviews, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent played down recent stock market falls and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, insisted reciprocal tariffs would be implemented as planned.

Bessent said there was "no reason" to expect a recession as a result of the turmoil. "This is an adjustment process," he said.

Meanwhile, another top adviser, Kevin Hassett, said more than 50 countries have contacted Trump to try to negotiate a deal, according to BBC.

The state-owned health institutions in Madhes Province have faced a shortage of medicines as the Health Supplies Centre failed to proceed with procurement on time.

It is said that frequent changes in the Director at the Health Supplies Centre under the Ministry of Health and Population of the Madhes Province and the subsequent disputes resulted in the delay in drug purchase.     

Officials have shared that patients from economically poor backgrounds have suffered for lack of drugs. 

Currently, the provincial hospitals in the districts of Madhes Province have provided services to patients by purchasing drugs from the hospitals' internal resources. However, the hospital authorities have shared that they have not been able to provide the drugs for free as promised by the government. 

Likewise, the laboratories established in 136 local levels by the Province Public Health Laboratory have faced challenges in running their services as they are running out of testing kits.

The Chief Minister of Madhes Province, Satish Kumar Singh, said that processes have been forwarded for the supplies of drugs and hoped that supplies will be ensured sooner. 

The government has promised to provide 98 types of drugs for free but currently, only half of the drugs are being given to the patients currently.

Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel arrived in New York to take part in the 58th session of the Commission on Population and Development in the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.

Nepal's Chief of the UN Mission in New York, Lok Bahadur Thapa, and other diplomats from the Mission welcomed Minister Paudel on his arrival in New York.

Minister Paudel is attending the high-level meeting of the Commission on Population and Development (DPD) to take place on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the UN, the event is being held in New York from April 7 to 11 with focus on 'Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages," aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 3.

The National Potato Festival kicked off on Sunday in Hemja of Pokhara Metropolitan City-25, a pocket area for potato production in the district of Kaski. 

The organizer stated that the festival will conclude on April 16.   

Chairman of the organizing Bishnu Paduka Club, Basanta Shrestha, mentioned that the festival was organized to promote the production and publicity of potatoes and other vegetables grown here in the area, as well as to establish Hemja as a popular commercial agricultural tourist destination. 

Potatoes grown in Hemja are well-known in Pokhara and the surrounding areas, thanks to their good taste and minimal use of pesticides. 

For getting massive attention, locals have created a massive pile of 50,000 kilograms of potatoes, the potato collection and agriculture mobilization sub-committee coordinator Jayraj Timilsina said. 

Out of the total 13,500 hectares of land in Hemja, potato farming is done on 550 hectares of land and some 2,000 households rely on agriculture here. 

During the inaugural session of the festival, Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City Dhanraj Acharya expressed that the city would provide the best possible support to the local community for the development of agriculture and other sectors.  

Mayor Acharya urged local farmers to take benefit from the Agriculture Ambulance introduced by the Pokhara Metropolitan City for the sale and distribution of agricultural products.

Crowds of protesters have amassed in cities across the US to denounce President Trump, in the largest nationwide show of opposition since the president took office in January, BBC reported.

The "Hands Off" protest planners aimed to hold rallies in 1,200 locations, including in all 50 US states. Thousands of people turned out in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC, among other cities, on Saturday. 

Protesters cited grievances with Trump's agenda ranging from social to economic issues. 

Coming days after Trump's announcement that the US would impose import tariffs on most countries around the world, gatherings were also held outside the US, including in London, Paris and Berlin, according to BBC.

The US began collecting a 10% "baseline" tariff on all imports on Saturday as President Donald Trump urged Americans to "hang tough" after market turmoil, BBC reported.

The UK and France are among hundreds of countries impacted and its leaders have said nothing is off the table. While China, which has been hit the hardest by President Trump's tariffs, announced a significant retaliatory response.

All three major stock indexes in the US plunged more than 5% on Friday, with the S&P 500 dropping almost 6%, capping the worst week for the US stock market since 2020.

In Washington DC, New York and other cities thousands gathered to protest against a range of Trump's policies - from the economy to government cuts, according to BBC.

Two people died and two others were injured in a road accident in Malarani, Arghakhanchi.

The accident took place early this morning when a jeep (Lu 2 Cha 2990) heading towards Khandaha from Lutipokhari lost control and fell some 200 meters down  the road in Malarani Rural Municipality-3.

The deceased have been identified as the driver of the jeep Dilip Khanal (22) and Balkrishna Rijal ( 21) of Malarani-4, according to Chief of the District Police Office, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chakra Bahadur Malla.

The injured are 17-year-old Bhuwan Pokharel and Basanta Pokharel (17) both of Malarani-4. They are undergoing treatment at Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Butwal. 

An investigation into the incident is underway, said District Police Office Chief Malla.