October 9, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 9 — 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.

Third World War looming? Prachanda sounds alarm on global geopolitics

Approximately three months after being unexpectedly ousted from power, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), shared his analysis of national and international political events on Wednesday.

Prachanda initially noted that global geopolitics is moving towards new polarization, indicating a looming Third World War. He stated that competition is ongoing between the United States and China for economic and global power, while Russia is also keen to maintain its superpower status.

According to Prachanda, some argue that the Third World War has already begun, while others claim we are on the brink of it.

He commented on the long-standing political instability in South Asian countries due to the effects of global geopolitics. Citing examples from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, he analyzed that government changes in Nepal have thus far been due to internal factors, but future international interventions and pressures are expected to increase.

He expressed that China and India have become both opportunities and challenges for Nepal, and that geopolitical challenges are now emerging. This is why he believes there is a risk of Nepal becoming the epicenter of a new Cold War.

Former king Gyanendra expresses concern over 'unfulfilled aspirations of Nepali people'

Former King Gyanendra Shah has expressed increased unease due to the unfulfilled aspirations of the Nepali people to live happily in their homeland.

In a message of goodwill issued on the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, he stated that it is natural for him to feel sad when the desire for all Nepalis to experience joy and happiness every day remains unfulfilled.

In his message, Shah noted, "It is painful that our wish for all Nepalis to find joy and happiness throughout the year has not been realized, forcing us to wait for Dashain to celebrate and enjoy. Following the tradition of the Shah dynasty, we had left Narayanhiti Palace, ready to make any sacrifice to bring positive change to the lives of the people. However, as two decades near completion, our unease has grown because the aspirations of the Nepali people to live happily in their homeland remain unfulfilled."

Mayor Balen Shah accuses police of failing to assist KMC

Mayor Balen Shah of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has accused the police of not providing assistance. He claimed that although the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) entrusted the responsibility of the Pashupati Dharmshala to the metropolitan city, the police are instead supporting the Marwadi Sewa Samiti.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Shah stated, “The Marwadi Sewa Samiti has unlawfully taken control of 9 ropanis, 9 annas, and 2 paisa of land under the name of the Gaushala Dharmshala, having paid only a few thousand rupees over the years. The court has ruled that their claim is invalid, so the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has to take responsibility. Now, when the metropolitan city tries to manage the Dharmshala to provide free meals and medical treatment to the needy, the Nepal Police intervenes to protect that committee. It seems the country is run by such committees.”

Monsoon gradually weakening

The monsoon winds are affecting the eastern parts of Madhes and Bagmati provinces including Koshi province, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said. 

Similarly, the westerly wind is affecting the western parts of Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim, Madhes and Bagmati provinces. 

At present, the weather is partly to generally cloudy in Koshi province and mainly fair in the rest of the country. 

Light rain is taking place at one or two places of Koshi province, according to the Meteorological Bulletin issued by the Department at 6:00 am today. 

The Department shared the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of the country including Koshi and Madhes provinces and fair in the rest of the country this afternoon. 

People swinging and flying kites in Kathmandu

With the start of Dashain, people are busy on swings and flying kites. In the hills around Kathmandu, people are enjoying the swings.

According to the belief that one must leave the earth during Dashain, people often climb the hills in Kathmandu to play on swings.

Similarly, it is a tradition to fly kites to pay homage to Indra, the rain god, as monsoon comes to an end and rain stops with the beginning of Dashain.

Mother and son die from electric shock in Rautahat

A mother and son have died from electric shock in Rautahat. Lalita Devi Sah, 35, and her 18-year-old son Arjit Sah, residents of Narakatiya in Paroha Municipality-7, were both electrocuted.

According to District Police Spokesperson DSP Deepak Kumar Rai, the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon while they were washing clothes using a motor connected to a water source.

Both individuals were taken to the provincial hospital in Gaur, where doctors declared them dead last night, as stated by Spokesperson Rai. The police have indicated that further investigation is underway regarding the incident.

15 injured in Gulmi jeep accident

A jeep heading to Gulmi from Butwal met with an accident, leaving 15 people injured. According to the police, the vehicle, with the license plate Lu 1 Ja 2088, lost control and overturned in Kudali, Satyawati Rural Municipality 1 in Gulmi.

The district police office in Gulmi confirmed that all 15 passengers in the jeep were injured. Among the injured, one person is in serious condition, 11 are in moderate condition, and three have minor injuries.

The condition of 40-year-old Khadka Bahadur Kshetri from Bareng Rural Municipality 3 in Baglung is reported to be critical. All the injured have been sent to Palpa Medical College in Prabhas for further treatment.

Energy Ministry seeks clarification from NEA Executive Director Ghising

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has sought clarification from Kulman Ghising, the Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The ministry has requested details regarding all work, agreements, employee information, and financial records from the NEA over the past four years.

Energy Minister Deepak Khadka has sent a letter to Executive Director Ghising, demanding answers to the questions raised within 15 days. On Tuesday, the ministry informed Ghising to provide a written response by that deadline

State saved 1.5 billion for not issuing new banknotes

As Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) did not print fresh banknotes this year targeting Dashain and Tihar festivals, the act of the people exchanging currencies has decreased sharply.     

Last year, the Central Bank issued Rs 14 billion worth of new currency notes in Kathmandu Valley alone and Rs 29 billion across the country for exchange.     

This year the rate of exchange of currency notes is limited to around four billion rupees, which is almost 25 billion less in comparison to the previous year. According to Basudev Bhattarai, Director of Rastra Bank Currency Management Department, this year, it is estimated that around 2 billion notes have been issued by NRB's subordinate offices and the same amount from other banks for exchange. 

Stock market sees modest gains ahead of Dashain

The stock market experienced a slight increase on Wednesday. On the last trading day before Dashain, the market index rose by 4.85 points, reaching 2,668.17. Today, shares worth 3.76 billion Nepali Rupees were bought and sold, totaling 831,200 shares.

Among the shares traded today, the prices of 130 companies increased, while 102 companies saw a decline and 11 companies' prices remained stable.

In today’s market, out of 13 sub-indices, declines were noted in the development bank, investment, life insurance, and trading sectors, while improvements were observed in the remaining 9 sub-groups. The production and processing sector saw the highest increase of 1.05%. All fluctuating indices experienced less than 1% volatility.

Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud: UML leader Pahari accused of embezzlement

Rajiv Pahari, a leader of the CPN UML, has been implicated in the embezzlement of funds from the Surya Darshan Cooperative in Pokhara, linked to Rashtriya Swotantra Party president Rabi Lamichhane. Reports indicate that Pahari has taken loans from the cooperative at various times, and currently, there is an amount of 1.5 million Nepali Rupees in his name.

The investigation committee formed by the Pokhara Metropolitan City reports that UML leader Rajiv Pahari has taken a loan of 1.5 million from the Surya Darshan Cooperative. The report notes that Pahari, a former chairman of the Yuwa Sangh, youth wing of the ruling CPN UML, withdrew funds from the cooperative on March 26, 2018.

Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to 3 scientists for work on proteins

The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to three scientists for their breakthrough work predicting and even designing the structure of proteins, the building blocks of life.

The prize was awarded to David Baker, who works at the University of Washington in Seattle, and to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, who both work at Google DeepMind, a British-American artificial intelligence research laboratory based in London.

Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said the award honored research that made connections between amino acid sequence and protein structure.

“That was actually called a grand challenge in chemistry, and in particular in biochemistry, for decades. So, it’s that breakthrough that gets awarded today,” he said.

Baker designed a new protein in 2003 and his research group has since produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors, the Nobel committee said.

Netanyahu warns Lebanon of 'destruction like Gaza'

 Israel's prime minister has urged the Lebanese people to throw out Hezbollah and avoid "destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza".

Benjamin Netanyahu's appeal on Tuesday came as Israel expanded its invasion against Hezbollah by sending thousands more troops into a new zone in south-west Lebanon. Its military said 50 Hezbollah members were killed in air strikes on Monday.

The Lebanese health ministry said 36 people were killed and 150 injured in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours.

North Korea says it will cut off all roads to the South

North Korea will sever road and railway access to South Korea from Wednesday in a bid to “completely separate” the two countries.

Its military said the North would “permanently shut off and block the southern border” and fortify areas on its side.

The Korean People’s Army (KPA) described the move as “a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war”, claiming it was in response to war exercises in South Korea and the frequent presence of American nuclear assets in the region.

It marks an escalation of hostility at a time when tensions between the Koreas are at their highest point in years.

“The acute military situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula requires the armed forces of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to take a more resolute and stronger measure in order to more creditably defend the national security,” the KPA said in a report published by state media outlet KCNA.

England dig in with record-breaking Root and Brook

Stumps England 492 for 3 (Root 176*, Brook 141*, Duckett 84, Crawley 78, Jamal 1-78) trail Pakistan 556 by 64 runs

Responding to Pakistan's mammoth first-innings score of 556 after the best part of two days in the dirt was always going to require something special from England. Not only did they respond emphatically to end day three of this first Test on 492 for 3, trailing by just 64, but they did so in historic fashion.

Joe Root became England's leading Test run-scorer, passing Sir Alastair Cook's record of 12,473 runs on his way to a 35th Test hundred. It was typical Root, unassuming and busy with just 12 fours, set against Harry Brook's boisterous 141* from 173 deliveries, picking up where he left off from a Player-of-the-Series performance on the 2022 tour of Pakistan, with his fourth century against them in as many matches.

As it happens, this is Root's first on these shores. And it has come after spending all day at the crease - he was the last England batter to achieve that feat, against Sri Lanka in Galle three years ago - meaning he has been absent for just eight deliveries of the 250 overs of this match so far.

Mahmudullah to retire from T20Is after series against India

Mahmudullah will retire from T20Is at the end of Bangladesh's ongoing bilateral series in India. He made the announcement on Tuesday, at a press conference on the eve of the second game in Delhi. Mahmudullah, 38, said that he had informed the relevant people in Bangladesh cricket about his decision, and will continue playing ODIs.

"I am retiring from T20I cricket after the last game of this series. I was pre-decided before coming here," Mahmudullah said. "I had a chat with my family. I spoke to the coach [Chandika Hathurusinghe], captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto], chief selector [Gazi Ashraf Hossain] and the board president [Faruque Ahmed] as well. I think it is the right time to move on from this format for me and the team. Especially with the World Cup coming up in less than two years. I will concentrate on the one-day game."

Nations League: Tchouaméni to lead France against Israel in Mbappé's absence

Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will captain France in its Nations League game against Israel in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer federation said on Wednesday.

Tchouaméni has played 36 matches with France and will bring his experience to a team lacking its biggest star.

Mbappé, France’s usual captain, is nursing a minor thigh injury in Madrid. France is also without vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, who surprisingly announced the end of his international career last month. Together they led France to the 2018 World Cup title and were coach Didier Deschamps’ most influential players in recent years.

Italy has a three-point lead over France and Belgium in their Nations League group after two rounds. France plays Israel on Thursday and travels to Belgium four days later.