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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to Indians to revive working from home, buy less gold and limit foreign travel to deal with a surge in global energy ​prices because of the continuing crisis in the Middle East, BBC reported. 

Modi said the austerity measures, reminiscent of the Covid era, would reduce India's fuel use and help save foreign exchange.

India imports 90% of its oil and its crude bill has seen a multi-billion dollar spike since the US and Israel's war on Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow Gulf chokepoint, shut for more than two-and-a-half months now.

The counting of the rare one-horned rhinoceros, which was stopped last year due to lack of budget, will not be held this year as well. 

The rhino census, which takes place every four years, is being halted this year too due to budget constraints. 

The rhino count is done by employing genetic method. It will be conducted only next year as the authorities have forwarded the process to carry out the tiger census this year.

The census is conducted by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. 

A meeting of the technical committee related to the survey of wildlife has decided to formulate the necessary 'protocol' to count rhinos by genetic method.

Haribhadra Acharya, coordinator of the committee and the Department's senior ecologist said  that discussions have already started to prepare the protocol for the purpose. 

When counting by genetic method, the enumerators are mobilized to collect rhino dung (manure) and identify the number and sex through DNA testing in the laboratory. 

The genetic structure of one rhino and another's dung is different. 

According to Acharya, after identifying those places, dung is collected again and again by installing CCTV cameras.

He said that the protocol will be mentioned on how to do all these things. 

Primarily, rhinoceros are counted by this method in Chitwan National Park. Since it is a large area, the protocol will determine how much dung will be collected from the area. 

The habitat of the rhinoceros consists of riparian forest areas, river banks, grasslands, and swamps. 

Rhinoceros are found in four parks of Nepal. 

This method will be used only in Chitwan National Park as counting can be done by looking directly at Bardiya, Shukla and Parsa. 

In Nepal, only snow leopards are being counted by this method. 

It is less expensive and safer than previous methods. 

In the past, a direct calculation method was used by separating blocks. This method is costly and risky. According to Acharya, about Rs 30 million was spent on the rhino census in 2021.

In 2021, 752 rhinos were counted in national parks and conservation areas across the country. 

In the 1960s, the rhino population dropped to around 100. 

There were an estimated 800 rhinos in Nepal in the 1950s. 

The number of rhinos in Chitwan National Park alone had increased to 694, in Bardiya National Park from 29 to 38, and in Shuklaphanta to 18 in 2021.

The Beatles are turning the building where they played their last ever gig into an exhibition space, where fans can experience seven floors of memorabilia and never-before-seen archive material, BBC reported.

A Grade II listed mansion, 3 Savile Row served as the band's headquarters between 1968 and 1972 - and they recorded their final album, Let It Be, in the basement.

Sir Paul McCartney said that he wanted fans to have an official Beatles destination in London.

The Lebanese Health Ministry says Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours have killed 51 people, including two medical workers, Aljazeera reported. 

“The Israeli enemy continues to violate international laws and humanitarian norms, adding more crimes against paramedics, as it directly targeted two points of the Health Authority in Qalawiya and Tibnin, Bint Jbeil district, in two raids,” the ministry said on Sunday.

A ceasefire, brokered by the United States, is into its third week.

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from a prison in Bangkok after spending eight months of a one-year sentence there over a corruption-related charge, Aljazeera reported. 

Hundreds of people, including the 76-year-old billionaire’s family and political allies, greeted him on Monday, chanting, “We love Thakisn” as he left the Klong Prem Central Prison.

Thaksin remade ⁠and dominated Thai politics for a quarter-century, but his influence has waned of late following his jailing and his once formidable Pheu Thai Party’s worst election performance on record ⁠earlier this year, according to Aljazeera. 

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Monday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 298, 500 per tola today.   It was traded at Rs 298, 900 per tola on Sunday. 

The price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 40 per tola and is being traded at Rs 5, 340 per tola.

A Cabinet meeting held in Singha Durbar on Monday endorsed the government’s policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year. 

According to government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel, the meeting also approved the address to be delivered by the President Ram Chandra Paudel during a joint meeting of both houses of the Federal Parliament.

President Paudel is scheduled to present the policies and programs at a joint session of the Federal Parliament at 4 pm  today in accordance with Article 95 of the Constitution of Nepal.

A Cabinet meeting is currently underway at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar, according to Minister for Education, Science and Technology and government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel.

The meeting  is expected to endorse the government's policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year.

President Ram Chandra Paudel is scheduled to present the policy and programs at a joint meeting of the Federal Parliament at 4 pm  today.