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Progress is stalling at talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, with the sides divided over the extent of Israeli forces' withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations in Doha said on Saturday, Reuters reported.

The indirect talks over a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire continued throughout Saturday, an Israeli official told Reuters, seven days since talks began. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he hoped for a breakthrough soon based on a new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.

In Gaza, medics said 17 people trying to get food aid were killed on Saturday when Israeli troops opened fire, the latest mass shooting around a U.S.-backed aid distribution system that the U.N. says has resulted in 800 people killed in six weeks.

Witnesses who spoke to Reuters described people being shot in the head and torso. Reuters saw several bodies of victims wrapped in white shrouds as family members wept at Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots, but that its review of the incident had found no evidence of anyone hurt by its soldiers' fire.

A preliminary report depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before an Air India jetliner crashed and killed 260 people last month, after the plane's engine fuel cutoff switchesflipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel, Reuters reported.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world's deadliest aviation accidentin a decade released on Saturday by Indian accident investigators.

The report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the June 12 crash raises fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches.

Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines, according to Reuters.

The 212th birth anniversary of the pioneer poet of Nepali literature, Bhanubhakta Acharya, is being celebrated today by organizing a variety of programs across the country and abroad.

Among many noble creations, Bhanubhakta is revered for his Nepali translation of the Ramayana, a Hindu scripture originally written in Sanskrit language. 

He is also recognized as having unified modern Nepal through language, literature and culture, after King Prithvi Narayan Shah united the country geographically. Born on 29 Asar 1871 BS in the village of Chundiramgha in Tanahun,                                                                                                                                                              Bhanubhakta has many other creations including 'Badhushikshya', 'Prashnottar', 'Bhaktamala', 'Ramgeeta' etc. 

Critics and well-wishers alike gather in various events today to offer respect to Bhanubhakta and hold discussions and review on his ideas and creations.

The statue of national icon Bhanubhakta in front of Ranipokhari in Kathmandu will be garlanded after an early morning procession today.

Bhanu Jayanti is also celebrated by reciting the Ramayana, which was translated into Nepali by Adikabi Acharya.

Tribhuvan University Associate Professor Gyannishtha Gyawali, who is studying and researching Bhanubhakta, says that it is fair to call Bhanubhakta Adikabi or pioneer poet as he made a significant contribution to linguistic unity by translating a text like Ramayana into Nepali language. 

Poet Acharya passed away in Asoj 1925 BS. Bhanubhakta's birth anniversary is also celebrated in countries and places where there are many Nepali speakers including Bhutan, Myanmar, Darjeeling, Sikkim and other parts of India.

Meanwhile, in a message on the occasion, President Ram Chandra Paudel has said that we should all reflect on the historical fact that Bhanubhakta helped establish linguistic unity among Nepali speakers around the world.

“Bhanubhakta has made an incomparable contribution to the promotion of Nepali language, literature and culture by making Nepali language the language of the people and making it more advanced,” the President said.

The President has mentioned that Bhanubhakta's Ramayana is a work that promotes the Nepali script and helps in using religion, duty, loyalty, service, etc. in human life.

He has also called for developing the birthplace of Bhanubhakta as a historical and cultural site, while wishing that the day would inspire all of us to love, respect and protect language and culture, deepen the feeling of mutual trust, love and unity among all Nepalis.

There is a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces today. 

Light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning is likely at some places in all provinces, according to the Meteorological Weather Forecasting Division. 

Due to monsoon winds affecting across the country, there is also a possibility of light to moderate rainfall and snowfall at a few places in the high-hills and mountainous regions of the country.

Tonight, the weather will remain generally cloudy throughout the country. There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces and at a few places in the remaining provinces. There is also a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi and Gandaki Provinces.

Furthermore, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall and snowfall at a few places in the high-hills and mountainous regions of the country.

Three promising Under-19 cricketers from Nepal Naren Bhatta, Sahil Patel, and Puja Mahato are to undergo a month-long professional training program at the LB Shastri Cricket Shaala in Bhopal, India from July 15 to August 14 as part of the Ambassador’s Cricket Fellowship for Nepali Youth announced by the Indian Embassy, Kathmandu.

The initiative aims to support the development of young Nepali cricket talent while strengthening people-to-people ties between India and Nepal through a shared passion for cricket. 

This professional exposure is expected to significantly enhance the players’ skills and contribute to Nepal's cricketing aspirations, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy, Kathmandu.

Indian Ambassador to  Nepal Naveen Srivastava met and interacted with the players in the presence of President of the Cricket Association of Nepal Chatur Bahadur Chand, today and conveyed best wishes for their training programme, according to the statement.

The interaction underscored the importance of sports cooperation in fostering deeper people to people ties between India and Nepal.

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has issued the monetary policy for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 (2025-26).

Unveiling the monetary policy, the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Biswo Nath Poudel, stated that a flexible policy has been adopted cautiously.

The monetary policy mentions approving and implementing the second financial sector strategy.

The bank rate, which serves as the upper limit of the interest rate corridor, has been set at six per cent, and the policy rate at four and a half per cent. Previously, the bank rate was 6.5 per cent and the policy rate was 5 per cent.

According to the monetary policy, the limit for loans issued for the construction and purchase of private residential houses has been increased from Rs 20 million to Rs 30 million. 

When constructing or purchasing the first house, a loan-to-value ratio of up to 80 per cent can be maintained, while for others, a maximum of 70 per cent can be established.

The limit for personal share collateral loans has been increased from Rs 150 million to Rs 250 million.The limit for the amount Nepalese traveling abroad can carry has been increased from two thousand five hundred US dollars to three thousand US dollars.

The monetary policy has set a target to increase the private sector loan disbursement by 12 per cent in the upcoming fiscal year.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli cautioned that human existence could be at risk if the population growth does not take place equally alongside development and prosperity.

He said so at a program organized by the Ministry of Health and Population today to mark the World Population Day-2025 and to introduce the National Population Policy-2082 BS.

Emphasizing the need for development to align with population growth/demographic dividend, Oli stated that everyone should view childbearing as a responsibility towards the Earth.

"Every country has a meaning because of humans. As humans, we give meaning to the earth as well. If there were no population, there would not be a country either," the PM asserted, calling for suitable policies and timely action to protect the prosperous existence of the human race. 

He argued that the human race is the most valuable source for creation and thus urged people to stop killing people for personal gain. 

Hitting out at irony, he said, "Holding seminars on population while continuing to kill people by making weapons of mass destruction will endanger the existence of humankind."

Canadian singer Justin Bieber has surprised fans by releasing a new album titled Swag, BBC reported.

The record features 20 songs with track names including Dadz Love, Devotion and Therapy Session and follows online concern for the singer's mental health after a confrontation with paparazzi.

Promotional pictures shared by the singer feature his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son - at points being held over his head.

Fellow artists and fans have reacted with glee to the new music, which comes four years after Bieber's last album, Purpose, according to BBC.