51 people, including Indian, died in recent anti-government protest in Nepal: Police
Kathmandu (PTI): At least 51 people, including an Indian national, have died in the recent 'Gen Z' protest that erupted across Nepal against corruption and a ban on social media sites, police said on Friday.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ramesh Thapa, who is co-spokesperson for Nepal police, said the casualties include one Indian national, three policemen and other Nepali citizens, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
At least 36 bodies are at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, where post-mortems began on Friday, it said.
Police said 17 bodies were recovered from different parts of the country on Thursday and Friday.
At least 19, mostly students, were killed when police opened fire at the Parliament building in Kathmandu when the protests under the banner of Gen Z launched their agitation on Monday.
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quit on Tuesday shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation over the deaths during Monday’s protest. The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.
The violence continued even after Oli's resignation, with protesters setting fire to the Parliament, the President's Office, the PM's residence, government buildings, political parties' offices and homes of senior leaders.
Meanwhile, many of the bodies were cremated at Aryaghat of Pashupatinath Temple near the bank of Bagmatai river on Friday afternoon.
Nearly 1,700 people sustained injuries during the protests. Of them, around 1,000 have returned home after recovery, police said.
Nepal's police force is gradually resuming operations in the Kathmandu Valley, with police stations and posts that were vandalised or set ablaze slowly coming back into operation, officials said.
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Silver, gold script sharp comeback as US-Iran ceasefire calms global jitter
New Delhi (PTI): Silver prices surged Rs 11,000 to Rs 2.51 lakh per kilogram in the national capital on Wednesday, while gold advanced to Rs 1.56 lakh per 10 grams amid strong global cues after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
According to the All India Sarafa Association, the white metal zoomed by Rs 11,000, or nearly 5 per cent, to Rs 2,51,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) from Tuesday's closing level of Rs 2,40,000 per kg.
Gold of 99.9 per cent purity also appreciated by Rs 3,200, or 2.09 per cent, to Rs 1,56,400 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). It settled at Rs 1,53,200 per 10 grams in the previous market session.
Analysts said bullion prices strengthened as geopolitical tensions in West Asia eased, triggering a broader relief rally across global financial markets.
Gold maintained strong gains and approached a three-week high on Wednesday as improved global risk sentiment, along with a pullback in US dollar and crude oil prices, boosted demand for precious metals, Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst of Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.
The positive momentum came after an agreement reached just before a self-imposed deadline by US President Donald Trump, who confirmed a pause in military action, conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also signalled that safe passage through the Strait would be possible during the ceasefire period, further easing supply concerns.
In the overseas markets, spot gold gained USD 97.48, or 2.07 per cent, to USD 4,803.33 per ounce, while silver was trading 6 per cent higher at USD 77.33 per ounce.
"Spot gold in the international markets surged on Wednesday after the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in the Iran war," Praveen Singh, Head of Commodities at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said.
He added that commodities, bonds and equities rallied after crude oil prices crashed nearly 20 per cent on the ceasefire announcement, as a decline in energy rates will reduce interest rate hike chances by global central banks, including the US Federal Reserve.
Echoing similar sentiments, Kaynat Chainwala, AVP Commodity Research, Kotak Securities, said precious metal prices rose up to 7 per cent as the dollar slipped below 99 on US-Iran ceasefire relief, temporarily easing fears of prolonged energy supply shocks and the associated inflationary fallout.
The rally in bullion ran alongside a broader relief rally in global markets. Throughout the conflict, gold's traditional safe-haven appeal has been tempered by liquidity stress, as investors were compelled to liquidate bullion positions to cover losses elsewhere in their portfolios, she added.
"With the ceasefire conditional and compliance around the Strait of Hormuz still uncertain, any signs of a breach or collapse could quickly reverse sentiment and renew downside risk across precious metals," Chainwala said.
