October 8, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 8 — In this section, we present the key headlines of the day. If you've been busy and missed the news, we’ve got you covered. Here are the highlights.

Five Russian climbers die on Dhaulagiri expedition

 Five Russian climbers have died while attempting to summit the Dhaulagiri Mountain. Their bodies were found on Tuesday after they lost contact from the high camp since Sunday.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Bharat Shrestha at the district police office, the deceased are Alexander Dusheko, Oleg Kurgalov, Vladimir Chistikov, Mikhail Noseenko, and Dmitry Shalilevich.

The climbers had been out of contact since 11 AM on Sunday, prompting a search by helicopter. Preparations are underway to bring their bodies back. One member of the climbing group has been rescued and sent to Kathmandu.

Maoists opt for coalition policy in local level by-elections!

The main opposition party, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), has adopted a strategy of forging electoral alliances for the upcoming local level by-elections. Although the party is claiming to contest the by-elections scheduled for December 1 independently, it has left the door open for collaboration.

To clarify this, the Maoist Centre has sent a circular to its subordinate committees. According to one party leader, a 'special notice' regarding the local level by-elections was issued from the central office on Monday.

The circular indicates that the party will prepare to contest the elections independently but will continue to pursue collaboration with other parties. However, the Maoist Centre has decided not to collaborate with ruling parties, including the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML.

Cabinet decision: Government opens 57 new mountains for climbing

The government has opened 57 previously inaccessible mountains for climbing. The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Government spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, announced that additional mountains would now be available for expeditions.

Additionally, the government has decided to send Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, to participate in the World Urban Forum conference scheduled to be held in Cairo, Egypt from November 4 to 9, 2024.

CPN (Unified Socialist) leaders face backlash over broken promises

The leaders of the CPN (Unified Socialist), including Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal, respected leader Jhalanath Khanal, and General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal, have caused significant disappointment and division within the party by violating their commitments.

The activities conducted in the aftermath of the convention regarding the election of office bearers and the Politburo have drawn lines of extreme disappointment and division within the party, violating the promises made during the general convention held in July.

They have warned Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal that if mistakes are not corrected immediately, party unity will not be sustainable.

Over a hundred leaders, including Dr. Bijay Poudel, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Hari Parajuli, Dev Singh Mahat, and Sagar Nepal, submitted a memorandum to Chairman Madhav Nepal, Vice Chairpersons Pramesh Hamal, Ghanendra Basnet, and General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal on Monday, demanding an immediate central committee meeting to address the issues and to dissolve the office bearers and Politburo committee.

Above-average rainfall predicted for October to December

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has released its weather forecast for the period from October to December, 2024.

According to the forecast published by the department on Monday, it is expected that there will be above-average rainfall in the southeastern regions of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki provinces, and the eastern part of Lumbini province. In contrast, below-average rainfall is expected in the central and northern parts of Karnali province and the northern part of Sudurpashchim province, while the rest of the country may experience average rainfall.

The department's information officer and meteorologist, Bibhuti Pokharel, stated that maximum temperatures are likely to be above average across most areas of the country, and minimum temperatures are also expected to exceed the average nationwide.

Melamchi water distribution resumes

Water distribution from the Melamchi project has begun in the Kathmandu Valley. Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav inaugurated the distribution from the Melamchi water treatment center.

According to Ratna Prasad Lamichhane, Executive Director of the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee, the water will be distributed through various branches of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khane Pani Limited (KUKL) once it is released from the treatment center in Sundarijal.

Lamichhane stated, "After successful discussions between the Minister and the Melamchi Struggle Committee on the water supply, we have transferred water from Sundarijal. It has now been sent to various KUKL distribution branches."

Dengue death toll reaches 8, cases surge to 17,602

The number of deaths from dengue in Nepal has recently reached 8. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), this data covers the period from January 1 to October 7.

During this period, a total of 17,602 cases of dengue infection have been confirmed. The disease has affected 76 districts across the country.

Among the affected districts, Kaski has the highest number of confirmed cases, with 2,709 infections. Following Kaski, Kathmandu reported 2,567 cases, Tanahun 1,954, Parbat 1,421, and Chitwan 907 confirmed cases of dengue.

Rafting business in Nepal plummets by 90%

Under normal circumstances, there would be a line of rafting boats along rivers like Bhote Koshi and Trishuli, with crowds of people wearing life jackets in the area.

On these rivers, as many as 5,000 to 6,000 people would typically go rafting daily. However, this year the area is deserted, and businesses report a 90 percent drop in activity.

The floods caused by continuous rainfall last Friday and Saturday swept away many resorts along the Bhote Koshi.

At Sindhu Beach Resort of Mulkot, one foreign tourist and a Nepal Army personnel lost their lives. In this adverse situation, the desire of customers to enjoy adventurous trips has diminished, and the need to “accelerate” the struggling business has been swept away along with the resorts.

NEPSE index falls by 27.39 points

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index has decreased by 27.39 points. On the third trading day of the week, the index fell to 2,663.32 points. Today's trading volume amounted to NPR 4.59 billion.

A total of 244 companies traded shares today, with 207 companies experiencing a decline in their stock prices. Meanwhile, 35 companies saw an increase, and 2 companies maintained stable prices.

With the significant decline in the index, 12 out of 13 sub-indices fell today. The mutual fund subgroup remained stable. The most significant drop was observed in the finance company subgroup, which decreased by 2.76%. All sub-indices, except for banking and microfinance, fell by more than 1%.

NRB increases daily transaction limit for digital wallets

Nepal Rastra Bank has increased the number of transactions allowed per day via digital wallets. This adjustment has been made to facilitate transactions and the exchange of gifts during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.

The Payment Systems Department of Nepal Rastra Bank has arranged for wallet users to conduct up to 30 transactions in a single day during a ten-day period for Dashain and a seven-day period for Tihar. Normally, users could only perform a maximum of 10 transactions per day.

This amendment will be effective from October 7 to October 17 for Dashain, and from October 31 to November 7 for Tihar, as informed by Binodraj Acharya, the acting executive director of the department.

Currently, there are 27 payment service provider companies operating wallet services in the market, with popular options including Esewa, Khaltī, and IME Pay.

Modi's BJP ahead in Haryana election but trails in Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is leading in the northern state of Haryana but is set to fall short in Indian-administered Kashmir as votes continue to be counted in two major elections.

An opposition alliance formed by the Congress and regional party National Conference (NC) is ahead in Jammu and Kashmir.

These were the first assembly polls to be held in India since the general election, which returned the BJP to power in June with a reduced majority.

A third straight win in Haryana would be a big boost for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of other state elections due in the next few weeks.

The Congress had expressed confidence of a victory in Haryana ahead of the results but analysts now say complacency, infighting and a consolidation against the powerful Jat community may have affected its chances.

A keenly watched seat in Haryana - Julana - gave some relief to the Congress as top wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her first election.

Tunisia’s Kais Saied wins landslide reelection

President Kais Saied won a landslide victory in Tunisia’s election Monday, keeping his grip on power after a first term in which opponents were imprisoned and the country’s institutions overhauled to give him more authority.

The North African country’s Independent High Authority for Elections said Saied received 90.7% of the vote, a day after exit polls showed him with an insurmountable lead in the country known as the birthplace of the Arab Spring more than a decade ago.

Nobel Prize in Physics awarded for AI-enabling discoveries

Two pioneers of artificial intelligence – John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton – won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way we work and live but also creates new threats to humanity, one of the winners said.

Hinton, who is known as the Godfather of artificial intelligence, is a citizen of Canada and Britain who works at the University of Toronto and Hopfield is an American working at Princeton.

“This year’s two Nobel Laureates in physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning,” the Nobel committee said in a press release.

US judge orders Google to open app store to rivals

A US federal judge has ruled that Google must allow Android apps made by rival technology firms onto its Google Play app store for three years starting next month.

The change was among several remedies ordered by Judge James Donato in a case brought against Google by Epic Games, the maker of the hit video game Fortnite.

Google says it will appeal against the decision and ask for a pause to the proposed remedies.

In December, a jury sided with Epic, which says Google stifled competitors by controlling the distribution of apps and payments on Android phones.

"The changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices," Google said in a statement.

Spain and Barcelona great Iniesta announces retirement

Andrés Iniesta, who scored Spain’s World Cup-winning goal in 2010 and was one of the key players who made Barcelona’s tiki-taka thrive for so long, announced his retirement from soccer on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old Iniesta ended a 22-year career that also included two European Championship titles and four Champions League trophies.

“I never expected that this day would come, I never imagined it,” an emotional Iniesta said in a ceremony near the Barcelona port. “But all the tears from the last few days are tears of emotion, or pride, they are not tears of sadness. They are tears of this kid who had the dream of being a soccer player and who succeeded after a lot of hard work, effort and sacrifice.”

Since leaving Barcelona in 2018, he had been playing with Vissel Kobe in Japan, and for the last year with club Emirates in the UAE Pro League.

Iniesta made his first-team debut with Barcelona in 2002, and appeared 674 times.

Nepal beats Maldives in CAVA U-20 Volleyball Championship

Nepal celebrated its second victory in the CAVA U-20 Volleyball Championship, defeating the Maldives in a commanding 3-0 win on Tuesday.

The match showcased Nepal’s dominance, with set scores of 25-5, 25-12, and 25-20.

Previously, Nepal had secured a convincing 3-0 win against Sri Lanka, highlighting their strong performance in the tournament.

However, the team faced a setback in their second match, losing to Uzbekistan with a score of 3-1.

Looking ahead, Nepal will compete against Kyrgyzstan in their fourth game on Thursday, followed by a match against Turkmenistan on Friday.

Crawley leads England reply after Salman hundred sets up Pakistan

England 96 for 1 (Crawley 64*, Root 32*) trail Pakistan 556 (Masood 151, Salman 104*, Shafique 102, Shakeel 82, Leach 3-160) by 460 runs

Salman Agha became Pakistan's third centurion to cement their dominant position in Multan, before a chaotic interlude in which England lost Ben Duckett to injury and their captain, Ollie Pope, for a golden duck left the touring side scrabbling for a foothold in the first match of the series.

Crawley brought up England's 50 in the 11th, hauling Abrar through the leg side, and he continued to go after Pakistan's legspinner, who claimed 11 wickets as a debutant on the same ground against England two years ago. Two more fours down the ground left Abrar with opening figures of 4-0-31-0, before a ninth boundary, clipped through midwicket off Naseem, took Crawley to a 55-ball half-century.