- Saturday, 9 August 2025
Kathmandu, Aug 7: There is a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces today. Likewise, moderate rainfall is likely to take place at some places in the hilly and tarai areas of Koshi and Lumbini Provinces and at a few places in the hilly and tarai areas of the rest of the provinces, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
The weather will be generally cloudy in the hilly areas of the country including Koshi Province and Lumbini Provinces and partly cloudy in the rest of the country today.
Later tonight, the weather will remain generally cloudy throughout the country. There is possibility of moderate rainfall at some places in the hilly and tarai areas of Koshi and Lumbini Provinces including Madhesh and at a few places in the hilly and tarai areas of the rest of the provinces. There is also possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi Province.
Although the monsoon is influencing the country, the effect of the water vapor-rich air has been somewhat weaker as of today, adds the Department.
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Sixth session of Karnali Provincial Assembly prorogued
Karnali, Aug 7: The sixth session of Karnali Provincial Assembly has been prorogued.
As per the recommendation of the Karnali Provincial Government Council of Ministers, Karnali Provincial Chief Yagya Raj Joshi prorogued the ongoing sixth session of the second term of the Karnali Provincial Assembly from last midnight.
The session was ended as per Article 183 ( 2) of the Constitution, said Speaker Nanda Gurung.
A total of 34 meetings were held in the sixth session. On Wednesday, the Bill designed to make arrangements regarding the management of pesticides in Karnali Province was passed in the 34th meeting of the sixth session of the second term of the Provincial Assembly.
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03- Entitlements worth 5.5 million rupees recovered
Galkot (Baglung), Aug 7: Chet Bahadur Thapa, a resident of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-7 here, died during foreign employment in Saudi Arabia in 2015. However, his dependent family did not receive any compensation or relief support for 10 years.
But thanks to the Migration Resource Center, Thapa’s family finally received some relief money 10 years after losing their loved one in course of foreign employment.
Accordingly, the Center has been working to providing necessary support for treatment, retrieval of bodies, compensation and psychological counseling to the families of those who have gone for foreign employment.
The Center has resolved 58 complaints out of 128 foreign employment-related complaints registered before it in the past one year, said Ganga Sharma, the Center’s information officer and counsellor. In the process, entitlement worth Rs. 5.515 million was recovered and provided to the concerned migrant worker or family.
Similarly, in a year, the bodies of 10 migrant workers who died during work abroad have been brought back to their families. The families have received Rs 6.7 million in relief money, Sharma said.
Migrant Resource Center Baglung Chief Min Upadhyay said that as the number of people going for foreign employment is increasing the number of incidents such as fraud, dismemberment, death, and imprisonment has also increased. He said that out of the 15 complaints registered, including work, salary, company difference, and passport confiscation, 10 problems have been resolved.
Another Rs 2.13 million received from the Consular Services Department at the initiative of the District Administration Office has been handed over to victims related to foreign employment.
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04- Crane operator dies in accident
Nijgadh (Bara), Aug 7: A crane operator has died in an accident that took place last night at Narayani Spark Pvt. Ltd. in Jitpur Simara Sub-metropolitan City-9.
The deceased has been identified as Ram Bhavan Yadav, 53, of Nanaura, Uttar Pradesh, India. He died after being hit by an iron rod that he was using his crane to lift and shit it from one location to another.
Seriously injured after being hit by the iron rod on his head, Yadav died during treatment at Narayani Hospital in Birgunj, said Police Inspector Khem Nepal of the District Police Office.
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05- Three including founding chair of Karnali bank in judicial custody
Nepalgunj, Aug 7: The Tulsipur Nepalgunj bench of the High Court has remanded three people including the founding chairman Karnali Bikas Bank scam case into judicial custody.
The bench issued an order to remand the founding chairpersopn of the bank, Rajendra Bir Raya, former chair Pashupati Dayal Mishra, and the head of the bank’s finance department, Bed Prakash Singh Thakuri, to be sent to pre-trial detention.
The Court’s bench of Justices Chandra Bahadur Saru and Punam Singh Chand handed down the order on Wednesday after hearing the money laundering case against four defendants, including the former chairs of the bank.
A total of 109 people have been named as defendants in the Rs 3.2 billion embezzlement case of the bank, with headquarters in Nepalgunj.
The case was filed after Nepal Police CIB recommended that a case be filed against 109 people, including the bank’s founding Raya, claiming a compensation of Rs 3.2 billion rupees. According to the court’s information officer Bal Bahadur Bista, among the four defendants, a claim for damages and fines worth Rs 2.63 billion has been made against Raya.
Likewise, a claim for damages and fines worth Rs 108.9 million has been made against Bhuwan Basnet, a former employee of the Nepal Rastra Bank. Basnet was however ordered to be released on a bail of Rs. 200,000.
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06- Use of AI in fine arts is useful, say artists
Kathmandu, Aug 7: Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Naradamani Hartamchhali, has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) should be carried out as per the demand of the time.
At an interaction on ‘AI in Fine Arts’ organized by the NAFA here on Wednesday, he said that AI can be given recognized in fine arts by preparing a standard to identify ‘AI generated’ art. He also stressed that the timely use of AI in fine arts is inevitable.
Likewise, Member-Secretary of the Academy, Devendra Kumar Kafle ‘Thumkeli’ said that if technology including AI is used appropriately it will give positive results. The development of technology should be adopted in accordance with the need of the house, as it will further help creative artists.
On the occasion, writer and journalist Ajay Sharma made a presentation on the background, development, use and impact of AI in fine arts.
Commenting on Sharma’s presentation President of the Society of Fine Arts Journalists (SOFAJ), Keshav Raj Khanal that it is necessary to be aware of the challenges that may arise in the future due to the widespread use of AI, while stressing on the need to classify AI-generated art.
Head of the NAFA Department of Multidimensional and Other Creative Arts, Sauraganga Darshandhari, said that the use of AI will not be meaningful without proper guidance and detailed knowledge on the technology.
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Province govt directs local levels to implement budget effectively
Kankrebihar (Surkhet), Aug 7: The Economic Affairs and Planning Ministry of Karnali Province government has issued a 27-point directive to 70 local levels for the effective implementation of budget.
Minister Raj Bikram Shah said the local levels were issued direction in a bid to make them frugal and disciplined so that they would make wise use of budget. The direction contains the points like revenue sharing, implementation of project and programmes, accounting and auditing reports and fiscal discipline, according to ministry secretary Rabi Lal Sharma. The province will transfer budget to the local levels in four installments, he added.
The budget for the projects at local levels would be released on a condition of progress of project implementation. It has created a pressure on the local levels for project implementation, according to Sharma.
As per directive, the province government will even stop grants if the local levels fail to submit adequate report on project review- financial spending and physical progress.
The local level is asked to allocate budget only under the assigned headings. “Such direction came after the local levels spent budgets own their own,” he made it clear.
The local levels are directed to deposit 40 percent of the amount generated from advertisement tax, recreation tax, tourism fee and revenue collected from the use of natural resources in the reserve fund of province government every month.
The ministry further warned that if the local levels ignore direction, their equalization grants would be cut from the amount.
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08- 2,438 households at risk of landslide, flood
Dhorpatan (Baglung), Aug 7: As many as 2,438 households from Nisikhola rural municipality in the district are in imminent threat of landslide and floods.
The households settled near river and streams, roads and sloppy lands are facing the disaster risks.
Ward no 1 out of seven wards at Nishikhola has the highest number of houses facing the threat. There are 920 households in the villages like Huldi, Lebang Kiteni and Swar, according to rural municipality chair Surya Bahadur Ghartimagar.
The locals said they were facing the recurring landslides since 2074BS. The data managed by the rural municipality said ward 2 has 207 such households while ward no 3 has 140, ward no 4 has 400, ward no 5 has 170, ward no 6 has 31, and ward no 7 has 570.
Entire village has developed huge long cracks, but they were forced to stay there for not having any alternatives, said Hum Kumari Malla from Huldi. A huge landslide occurred a decade back in the middle of village which still panics people because the landslips are continuously. The landslide that took a huge toll initially has resulted into multiple fissures and depressions in the villages.
Malla shared the plight, “All three tiers of government are informed about such problems, but our plight went unheard.”
Another Padam Bahadur BK from Nisikhola-2 said they were desperate to leave the village for safer locations but had no option. When it rains heavily, they are compelled to leave homes with chattels. He also complained why the government was indifferent to their gross state.
Financial constraint has barred him from migrating to Tarai region, according to him.
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09- Wood decays in forest for lack of policy
Rajendra Prasad Paneru/RSS
Kanchanpur, Aug 7: Irrespective of the termination of the Scientific Forest Management Work Procedure five years back, there is no new provision to manage logged wood and forest produce. It has created problems before a dozen of community forests users’ groups in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts.
Woods worth hundreds of thousand rupees are left to decay in forest, as the users’ groups are not allowed to collect. The forest users’ groups also began facing financial problems because their rights were not established on use of the wood including logged trees.
Community forest coordination committee’s secretary Bir Bahadur Rajbanshi informed that with the cancellation of scientific forest management work procedure in 2077BS, the community forests work plan failed to get implemented in the two districts. “It has resulted into double problems- threat to forest conservation, and hindrance to collection of woods.”
The legal bottleneck has caused a decay of logged trees which cost millions of rupees, he argued, adding that a new work procedure is imperative to manage forest well.
Bahadur Singh Mahara, chair of Baijanath Community Forest Users’ Group, also echoed same concern why the government did not pay heed to this problem, while forest management is related to people’s livelihood and social activities.
Meanwhile, Dirgha Narayan Koirala, secretary at Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, received a 23-point memorandum by a delegation led by Pushkal Bahadur Bam to this regard. The delegation expressed worry why sustainable forest management was grossly ignored by the government.
The delegation argued forest management was hindered because province government did not bring a work procedure on sustainable forest management. They also demanded reform in tax system.
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10- Finance Minister directs secretaries for effective implementation of budget
Kathmandu, Aug 7: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has directed the secretaries to prepare an action plan and implement the annual budget accordingly.
During a meeting at the Finance Ministry today, the Finance Minister reminded the secretaries to ensure results with proper enforcement of the budget. The ministry would extend support from its side for this, he pledged.
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11- Landslide disrupts Mid Hill Highway
Madhyanepal (Lamjung), Aug 7: A dry landslide that occurred at Bimire Bhanjyang in Madhyanepal Municipality-10 along the Mid Hill Highway this morning has completely disrupted the road.
Police said that there is no situation right now to remove the debris with the landslide continuing.
Vehicles to and from Pokhara are being operated via the alternative routes of Kaure, Bangre and Chautara of Thansing Danda after the road disruption.
Police Inspector at the Area Police Office, Bhorletar, Yam Narayan Aryal informed that it may take time to clear the landslide debris.
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12- AIIB Chair Liqun pays courtesy call on PM Oli
Turkmenistan, Aug 7: Chairperson of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Jin Liqun has paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday.
They held a meeting on the sidelines of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) underway in Awaza of Turkmenistan.
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13- Elderly woman critically wounded in cylinder gas triggered fire
Surunga (Jhapa), Aug 7: An elderly woman aged around 81 sustained injuries in a fire incident that was triggered by cylinder gas leakage in Surunga, Jhapa today.
Police Sub-Inspector Khagend Bahadur Khadka at the District Police Office, Jhapa, informed that octogenarian Batulimaya Dahal was injured in the fire occurred at the house of Dhruba Shrestha in Kanakai Municipality-3, Surunga.
The fire broke out after leakage of gas cylinder while she was preparing meal.
Police have reported that various parts of her body were found burnt. Local residents and a police team from the Surunga Area Police Office immediately rescued her and took her to Kanakai Municipal Hospital for treatment.
The critically injured elderly was referred for further treatment to B & C Medical College in Birtamod as treatment was not possible there, police informed.
The fire destroyed food grains, clothes, and other belongings inside the room.
A police team deployed under the command of Assistant Sub-Inspector Subhas Dhungana from the Surunga Area Police Office, and local residents managed to control the fire with support from and fire brigade.
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14- Non-communicable diseases on rise in Nepal
Kathmandu, Aug 7: Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular, chronic respiratory complications and cancers are found increasing in Nepal.
Dr Manita Pyakurel of Nepal Non-Communicable Disease Alliance said the cases of non-communicable disease are on the rise in Nepal. Among key non-communicable diseases, cardiac and chronic respiratory complications, and cancers are reportedly high, she shared.
Dr Pyakurel further informed that heart disease accounts for 30 percent, chronic respiratory diseases 10 percent and cancer nine percent.
Nearly 51 percent of total deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases in Nepal in 2010, some 15 years back, it is reported.
Number of mortalities had increased to 60 percent in 2014, and whopped to 66 percent in 2016. By 2019, around 71.1 percent of total deaths were attributed to non-communicable diseases according to the Global Burden of Disease report.
It has stated that the cost of treating non-communicable diseases is immoderately rising in Nepal.
Globally, non-communicable diseases are responsible for the mortality of 4.3 million people per annum.
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15- Draft of climate finance mobilization procedure prepared
Kathmandu, Aug 7: The government has proposed a new procedure to address the problems arising from climate change and effectively mobilize the assistance received from the international sector.
The Ministry of Finance has prepared the draft of the ‘Climate Finance Mobilization Procedure, 2082 (2025)’.
The draft procedure has been sent to the stakeholders seeking inputs and recommendations. It is expected to be a milestone to address the challenges stemming from climate change with the procedure coming into effect.
The international Economic Cooperation Coordination Division under the Ministry of Finance has prepared the draft of the procedure and sent to the public domain for necessary feedback and recommendation.
In the draft, key priorities have been placed on addressing loss and damage, climate adaptation, emission, mitigation and carbon trade.
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16- Sustainable infrastructures are essential pillars of growth: PM Oli
Prakash Silwal/RSS
Turkmenistan, Aug 7: Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said sustainable infrastructures, robust connectivity, and seamless transit are essential pillars of growth, resilience, and hope in the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). It is further reinforced by the Awaza Program of Action, he added.
PM Oli said it while addressing a High-Level Thematic Roundtable on ‘Building sustainable infrastructure, strengthening connectivity, and promoting the unfettered transit systems for landlocked developing countries’ in Awaza, Turkmenistan, today.
According to him, they are lifeline. Indeed, they form the backbone of economic transformation, and they are essential for our competitiveness, according to him.
“As we enter the next decade of action, let us renew our collective determination to connect LLDCs — physically, digitally and economically— to the global opportunities. Let us focus on infrastructure, connectivity, and transit as urgent imperatives for equity, inclusion, and shared progress,” the PM said.
The PM further viewed our progress continues to be hindered by a lack of sea access, remoteness from global markets, high trade costs, delayed transit, limited connectivity, and fragile infrastructure. This is the best forum to discuss these challenges and its innovative solutions, reiterated.
“To overcome these structural challenges and vulnerabilities, we must invest in integrated and climate-resilient infrastructure that connects regions. We must harness digital technologies to unlock new opportunities. We must create seamless transit systems that are reliable, efficient, and predictable. We need to simplify, harmonize and modernize customs procedures,” the PM explained.
According to him, it is time to deliver on the promise and build a future where no states are left behind.
Nepal’s priority on seamless transit
On the occasion, the Head of the government took time to share Nepal’s ambition of ‘Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali. In order to fulfill this aspiration, Nepal has prioritized sustainable infrastructure, improved connectivity, and seamless transit systems for durable and accelerated economic growth.
He informed the world that Nepal is actively expanding and reinforcing cross-border linkages to ensure smooth and uninterrupted transit and trade. Nepal is committed to deepening partnership with its neighboring countries and beyond in the spirit of economic cooperation, regional integration and shared progress.
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17- Republic Media to pay journalists regularly
Ratriya Samachar Samiti (RSS)
Kathmandu, Aug 7: The Republic Media has agreed to pay regularly to its working journalists.
The media house vowed it after signing a 4-point agreement with the Federation of Nepali Journalists today.
As per agreement, the Republic Media would adhere to the provision of the Working Journalists’ Act to respect journalists’ rights, according to FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal.
FNJ had held series of discussion with the media houses for the cause of rights of journalists working at Republic Media.
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