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Nepal Teachers’ Federation Chairman Laxmi Kishor Subedi said that they would continue their protests until the endorsement of the School Education Bill.

He said so while addressing the teachers’ protest organized in Baneshwor this afternoon.

Subedi directed the teachers not to participate in the Grade 12 exams.

“The National Examination Board has said that it will conduct the exams by deploying civil servants and security personnel. None of us will participate in the exams,” he said.

Earlier, this morning, the NEB had decided to hold the Grade 12 exams as scheduled.

Amid growing uncertainty over whether the Grade 12 exams will be held on time owing to the teachers' protest, a meeting of the National Examination Board held this morning had decided to hold the Grade 12 exams on time.   

On Monday, Education Minister Bidhya Bhattarai resigned from her post amid demonstrations of the teachers demanding immediate enactment of the School Education Bill.

The exams of 550, 000 students will be uncertain if the exams are affected by the protests of teachers.

The protests have even delayed the results of Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and affected the new admission process.

Indian Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar has arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day official visit to Nepal on Tuesday.

High-ranking officials of the Foreign Ministry and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava welcomed him at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

During his India visit on February 12, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka extended an invitation for Minister Khattar to visit Nepal.

Minister Khadka and Indian Power Minister Khattar are scheduled to inaugurate the 220kv Inaruwa–Basantpur–Baneshwar–Tumlingtar transmission line and substations in Tumlingtar, Baneshwar and Basantpur this afternoon.

Minister Khattar will inspect the powerhouse and dam site of the Arun III hydropower project constructed by India today itself.

Similarly, an agreement will be signed on the formation of a joint company for a new cross-border transmission line.

The Indian minister is scheduled to visit Muktinath Temple in Mustang on Wednesday.

The same day, he will pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh.

Minister Khattar will return home after offering prayers at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.

Russian President Putin has signalled he is open to bilateral talks with Ukrainian leader Zelensky for the first time since the early stages of the war.

As reported by BBC, Putin told Russian state television on Monday that Russia has "always looked positively on any peace initiatives." We hope Kyiv regime representatives feel the same way".

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, claimed Putin's words indicated a willingness to engage in direct negotiations with Ukraine about not attacking civilian targets.

Zelensky did not answer directly to Putin's comments, but said Ukraine was "ready for any conversation" to safeguard the safety of citizens, BBC reported.

There have been no direct talks between the two sides since February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Vietnam's trade ministry has ordered stronger import controls to prevent illegal transshipment, in an attempt to avoid US tariffs that might harm the country's export-driven economy.

Effective April 15, the directive warns that rising trade tensions may fuel fraud, undermining attempts to avoid foreign sanctions. Though no country was mentioned, China accounts for about 40 percent of Vietnam's imports, and Washington accuses Beijing of using Vietnam to avoid tariffs, Reuters reported.

Vietnam is at risk of a 46 percent tariff from the United States, which has been postponed until July and might harm GDP and foreign investment.

According to Reuters, the decision comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit and pledged to collaborate to check goods' provenance. Earlier this week, Beijing also cautioned countries against signing trade deals with the United States at its expense.