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The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 136, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 134, 500 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 135, 850 per tola. It was traded at Rs 133, 850 per tola.

Meanwhile, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,645 per tola today.

The Supreme Court Administration has raised a contempt of court proceedings against the news portal, sidhakura.com, and its YouTube channel.

The court administration has sought legal action against the publisher sidhakura.com, Yuvaraj Kandel, for publishing a fake news report, accusing a sitting Supreme Court justice, various senior advocates, and the publishers of two prominent media houses, among others, of trying to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. 

The case of contempt will be presented on Monday, said Govind Prasad Ghimire, deputy registrar of the Supreme Court.

Kandel’s news portal has accused Supreme Court Justice Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Chairman of the Annapurna Media Network Rameshwar Thapa, Managing Director of the Kantipur Media Group Kailash Sirohiya, special correspondent of Annapurna Post Surendra Kafle, and senior advocates Hari Upreti and Kishor Vishwakarma, of being part of a clandestine meeting to influence the verdict of more than 400 corruption cases. 

The matter has sparked intense opposition from the media fraternity and judicial community.

 The apex court has sought action against everyone involved in the publication of the content, including Kandel and executive editor Navin Dhungana.

Taking into account the impact on the dignity and prestige of the judiciary, and considering the seriousness of the matter, a full-court meeting of all justices of the Supreme Court was held on Sunday. The case was filed based on the decision of the meeting.

The fake news, which has tarnished the reputation of the senior justice, legal professionals, communication professionals, and journalists, has been criticized by the Nepal Media Society, Nepal Bar Association, and Supreme Bar Association, among others.

On Friday, the Press Council of Nepal had issued strict directives to sidhakura.com to remove misleading content, citing serious violations of the code of conduct and extreme misuse of press freedom. The news portal has not only refused to take down the content, but has defended its position with a special editorial and the interview of the person who carried out the so-called sting operation. 

The press regulatory body on Sunday renewed its directive to remove the misleading contents. It has also summoned the editor and presenter of the program to its office at 3 pm Monday to furnish clarification and justify their claims with proper evidence. 

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Malaysia-based National Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed bilateral agreements aimed at exploring trade and investment promotion.

The signing ceremony took place after the opening session of the Third Investment Summit today.

The FNCCI President, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, and the President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM), Tan Sri Dato’ Soh Thian Lai, signed the documents on behalf of their respective sides.

Similarly, two business entities from Nepal and India have entered into a cooperation agreement for the establishment and operation of a data center.

BLC Group Nepal and Yotta Data Services Private Limited of India have reached an agreement in this regard.

The Managing Director of BLC Group, Megha Chaudhary, and Yotta's Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Gupta, affixed their signatures to the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

Press Council Nepal has directed sidhakura.com to remove a fake news published on April 26, 2024, claiming that the leadership of Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Publications were part of a meeting involving sitting and former Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. The news portal has named Capt. Rameshwar Thapa, chairman of Annapurna Media Network (AMN), and Kailash Sirohiya, chairman of Kantipur Publications, as key members of the so-called high profile secret meeting.

The Press Council has instructed the news portal to take down the news and furnish clarification for publishing such malicious and fabricated content. The made-up report advertised to readers as ‘exclusive’ is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Supreme Court as well as the media houses, the press body said in a statement. It is in serious violation of Journalistic Code of Conduct, it added. The fabricated news has seriously undermined the constitutional court and has made serious allegations against justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai.

Earlier, on the same day, Thapa filed a case at Press Council Nepal. AMN Chairman Thapa said the so-called news was published with an ill intention to assassinate his character and to defame the media institutions associated with him.

“These are baseless and misleading rumours to manipulate the people and to serve some interest groups," he said. "The questionable content published under the garb of ‘exclusive sting operation’ was created with extreme prejudice and filled with illusionary characters. It was a desperate act to go viral.” 

Thapa further said that sidhakura.com  has crossed the ethical and moral boundaries of journalism by trying to discredit the media institutions that have always stood for democracy. It has also besmirched the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he added, demanding legal action against the news portal. AMN management has said that it is consultation with lawyers to seek legal remedies for the reputational damage through fabricated news.

Annapurna and Kantipur news outlets have been reporting news on Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from a financial cooperative.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai said that he was surprised and shocked to see his name in the news published by sidhakura.

He said that his 43 years of judiciary journey is like an open book.

“The verdict of the case has already proved that I was not involved in the case,” reads a statement issued by Justice Bhattarai on Friday.

“I would also like to make it clear that when the  constitutional bench had issued the verdict on the case, I was not the member of the constitutional bench,” he said.

It is baseless that I had met someone or attended any meeting in the aforementioned issue.

I strongly condemned the news published with an ill intention to spread rumours and manipulate the people.

The then Deputy Director at the National Information Technology Center Sunil Paudel has been found guilty in the National Payment Gateway case.

A joint bench of Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and member Murari Bahadur Shrestha, however, has given cleanchit to eight others.

The sentence against him will be determined on May 7.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority had filed a graft case of Rs 230 million at the Special Court for irregularities in the National Payment Gateway.

The anti-graft watchdog had filed the case against Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Madhu Kumar Marasini, the then Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology and National Information Technology Center Chairman Sanjay Sharma, the then Executive Director of the National Information Technology Center Pranita Upadhyay, Managing Director of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority Sunil Paudel, the then Director at the National Information Technology Center  Safal Shrestha, the then Assistant Director at the National Information Technology Center Ramesh Pokharel, the then Account Officer at the National Information Technology Center Ram Bahadur Buda and Computer Engineer at the National Information Technology Center Ram Sharan Gayak. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting in Singha Durbar on Thursday.

Oli had reached Singha Durbar to discuss the problems seen in the coalition in recent days.

There was a dispute in the coalition regarding the appointment of the chief minister in the Sudurpaschim Province.

Leaders have said that the dispute  started following a meeting between the CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

According to a source, they discussed the problems seen in the provinces and the issues of government operation.

Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has pointed out the need to strengthen the federal democratic republic in practice.

On the occasion of the ninth memorial day of former Prime Minister and member of the Constituent Assembly, Surya Bahadur Thapa, in a programme organized by the Surya Bahadur Thapa Foundation here today, he said that the current system should be made more acceptable adding that there was no chances of restoration of monarchy.

Former Prime Minister Deuba also clarified that it is impossible to restore the monarchy in the current situation. He said, 'Now Nepal has adopted federal democratic republican governance system.

However, some people have said that the king should be returned, but now it is impossible to restore the king. Therefore, the current system should be strengthened more in practice. 'There is room to improve the deficiencies in the constitution' Deuba said. He recalled the role of Surya Bahadur Thapa in bringing the current political system in the country.

Addressing the program, Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader, Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohoni, said that late Thapa was a skilled politician and a multifaceted personality. He also opined that all political forces should unite to give the country the right direction in the present situation. Central member of Nepali Congress Arjun Narsingh KC said that late Thapa has made a significant contribution in the political and administrative field in the country.

Central member of Nepali Congress, Sunil Bahadur Thapa said that late Thapa himself has made an important contribution in bringing the current political system and stressed that he should move forward by imbibing the example he adopted. Janata Samajwadi Party leader Pradeep Yadav recalled that Thapa, a politician with a simple life and high thoughts, repeatedly raised his voice for the rights of Madhesh and Madheshi people.

Former ambassador Surya Prasad Shrestha, senior advocate Krishna Prasad Bhandari, Prof. Lokraj Baral, registrar of Kathmandu University Prof. Dr. AchyutWagle and others discussed that late Thapa was a skilled politician.

Nepali Embassy in Israel has urged Nepalis living there to follow security protocols.

The Embassy issued a public notice after Iran launched a drone attack on Israel's Capital Tel Aviv among other regions this morning.

The Embassy also urged the Nepalis not to leave houses except in emergency cases and stay in the places where there are facilities of safe shelter.

Nepalis living there are worried after Iran launched a drone attack.

Most of Israel's schools, universities, malls and other commercial centers are closed.

Khem Kattel, who is working in Tel Aviv, said that the situation is not normal and the Nepali government should be ready to rescue Nepalis if need be.

According to him, various foreign embassies have already issued a public notice for their citizens to contact them immediately if they want to leave  Israel.

There are around 9, 000 people working in Israel.