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Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has called for collective efforts to launch a campaign addressing drug abuse, suicidal tendencies, and road accidents.

During his address to a sports festival organized by the National Private and Boarding Schools Association of Nepal (N-PABSAN) Kanchanpur in Mahendrangar today, the minister said drug abuse, suicides, and road fatalities remain significant concerns in society and require collaborative efforts to mitigate.

He emphasized that adolescents are especially vulnerable to drug abuse, underscoring the importance of a school-level campaign to raise awareness about its consequences and help keep them away from it.

The minister also reminded stakeholders of the constitutional provisions for free and basic education, urging everyone to ensure the effective implementation of these provisions and to work toward improving the quality of education.

Regarding the federal bill on school education, Minister Lekhak informed that discussions are underway in Parliament.

He added the government will focus on making quality education more accessible and is committed to creating an environment that will facilitate the swift endorsement of the bill.

The Kaski District Court on Thursday granted bail to seven people including Rabi Lamichhane, the President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who have been accused of misappropriating funds of Suryadarshan Cooperatives in Pokhara, on bail.

A single bench of Judge Nitij Rai today issued an order saying that Lamichhane be release on a bail of Rs 6.5 million.

Other people who are granted bail as per the court's order include Chhabilal Joshi (Rs. 8.8 million), Leela Pachhai (Rs. 3.7 million), Mina Gurung (Rs. 500,000), Ram Bahadur Khanal (Rs. 1.5 million), Arati Guring (Rs. 500,000), and Krishna Bahadur Gurung (Rs. 100,000), according to court's registrar, Rajan Khanal. The order followed a 10-day hearing on whether to extend the remand for further investigation.

On December 22, the District Attorney Office in Kaski had filed charge sheets against 44 people, including Lamichhane, the former Home Minister, in connection with the misappropriation of cooperative funds.

To date, 63 individuals are facing charges in the case.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 800 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 153, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 152, 200 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 10 and is being traded at Rs 1, 840 per tola today.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 500 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 152, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 152, 000 per tola on Tuesday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 830 per tola today.

The Birgunj Metropolitan City has decided to halt classes of schools here for three days with immoderate fall in temperature.

In recent days, the district has seen thick fog. The metropolis has decided to grant a three-day winter holiday from January 8-10. Issuing a public notice, BMC Education Officer Hari Raut shared the decision to give three days winter holiday to both public and private schools.

"In view of adverse impact on students' health due to the rising cold, the metropolis instructed all the concerned schools to halt classroom-based teaching and learning in the schools".

However, the metropolis asked the schools to assign students so that they can continue their study at home. The administrative work of the school would be continued during the holidays, he clarified.

Similarly, Parsagadhi Municipality has also issued a public notice on January 5 and decided to grant winter holiday to public and private schools from January 6 to January 14, said Education Section chief Dev Kumar Giri. 

At least 95 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck a remote region of Tibet on Tuesday morning, with tremors felt across the Himalayas in neighboring Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India, CNN reported.

The 7.1-magnitude quake struck at 9:05 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and was followed by multiple aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The energy unleashed by the tectonic movement toppled houses in remote Himalayan villages, rocked a nearby Tibetan holy city and rattled visitors to a Mount Everest base camp.

Its epicenter, located in Tingri county high on the Tibetan plateau, was close to the border with Nepal, around 50 miles north of the world’s highest mountain.

At least 130 people were injured in the quake, local authorities said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. More than 1,000 houses were damaged in Tingri county, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The tremors were felt as far as Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. “It was very strong. People came running out of their houses. You could see the wires from poles shaken loose,” said Bishal Nath Upreti from the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, a non-government organization in Kathmandu, according to CNN.

The region close to the epicenter is sparsely populated but small villages are nestled in isolated and often hard to access Himalayan valleys. About 6,900 people are estimated to live in 27 villages within a 20-km (12-miles) radius of the epicenter, according to Xinhua.

Chinese social media videos geolocated by CNN showed damaged roofs, shop fronts and debris piling on the streets of Lhatse county, some 86 kilometers (53 miles) from the epicenter. Some cars and motorcycles parked along the road were also damaged, the footage showed.

The nearest major city to the epicenter is the holy city of Shigatse, which lies some 180 km (111 miles) away. The city is home to about 800,000 people and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, second only to the Dalai Lama.

Surveillance camera footage at a supermarket in Shigatse shared by Xinhua captured the moment the quake struck, with customers running outside as goods fell from quivering shelves. There were no immediate reports of widespread damage in the city, CNN reported.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives and properties in the earthquake that struck Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China this morning.

Extending heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family members through the social platform X today, President Paudel prayed for the early recovery of those injured in the disaster.

He stated that Nepal stands firmly by the Government and the people of the People's Republic of China at this moment of profound grief.

A mild tremor hit several places of  Kathmandu Valley and adjoining districts at 6: 59 am Tuesday, shaking up houses for a few seconds and waking up the people.

It was also felt in Dhading, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre and Makwanpur among other districts.