October 12, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 12 — 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.

President Paudel offers tika to PM Oli, FM Paudel

President Ram Chandra Paudel has offered tika to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Prime Minister Oli visited Sheetal Niwas to receive tika from the President.

Along with the Prime Minister, President Paudel also offered tika to Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel. On Saturday morning, President Paudel received tika and jamara at the auspicious time of 11:36 AM for this year’s Dashain.

Kathmandu bustles as people rush to receive Tika

People in Kathmandu were seen rushing today to receive tika from their elders and respected figures. It is customary to receive tika from older relatives and respected figures during Dashain.

Tika is offered and received from the day of Bada Dashain until Kojagrat Purnima.

Today, after receiveing tika at their homes at the auspicious moment of 11:36 AM, people were going to their elders' homes to receive tika. Although public transportation was limited, people were seen using taxis and other private vehicles to reach their destinations.

Two girls die from electric shock in Hetauda

 Two girls have died due to electric shock in Makwanpur. The incident occurred while they were walking in ward number 16 of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City.

The deceased are a 9-year-old girl from Nijgadh Municipality-1, Bara and a 7-year-old girl from Hetauda-16, according to police.

According to the District Police Office in Makwanpur, the girls were electrocuted around 1:00 PM on October 12, near a covered hall located 200 meters southwest of Chisapani in Hetauda-16.

The electric shock was caused by a broken 11 kV pin insulator that shorted out on a nearby iron pole, resulting in electric current flowing into the water accumulated at the base of the pole.

Monsoon fully retreats from Nepal

This year's monsoon has completely exited as of today. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the monsoon began to withdraw on October 8 and has now fully retreated.

 In an announcement made this afternoon, the department confirmed that the monsoon has also exited from the remaining areas of Bagmati, Madhesh, and Koshi provinces.

Previously, on October 8, the monsoon had fully exited from parts of Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Lumbini, and on October 10, it completely withdrew from Karnali, Lumbini, Gandaki, and the Kathmandu Valley, while partially exiting from Bagmati and Madhesh provinces.

Traffic resumes along Katari-Ghurmi roadway

The blocked Siddhicharan Highway's Katari-Ghurmi road in Udayapur has reopened following landslides. The road, which was obstructed by landslides in Bhadaure, located in Katari Municipality-14, has resumed operation from today.

Kamal Bajgain, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at the Katari Area Police Office, confirmed the road's reopening. "After relentless efforts until last night, the road has been cleared," he said. "We coordinated with the road office in Harkapur, Okhaldhunga, and brought in a large loader to clear the road."

Despite removing some landslides, debris continued to fall from above, delaying the road's reopening. "As of this morning, landslides were still occurring from above, but through continuous efforts, the road is now operational," DSP Bajgain added.

"My visit to Bhutan was purely personal," says former King Shah

Former King Gyanendra Shah has clarified that his visit to Bhutan was purely personal. He made this statement while speaking with journalists on Saturday.

He noted that the respect he received in Bhutan reflects the honor of Nepal and the Nepali people.

He stated, “My visit to Bhutan was a private one. The welcome and respect shown by the royal family and the Bhutanese people is something I consider as an honor for Nepal and the Nepali people. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the royal family and the people of Bhutan.”

National Assembly Chair Dahal leaves for Geneva

A nine-member Nepali parliamentary delegation, led by National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal, has left here for Geneva, Switzerland today to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s 149th Assembly.

The Chairman of the upper house of the Federal Parliament is scheduled to make a statement in the IPU Assembly on the theme of 'Harnessing science, technology, and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future', on behalf of Nepal, the Federal Parliament Secretariat stated.

The NA Chair is scheduled to hold meetings with the delegations from various countries and with officials of the IPU and the IPU Secretariat on the sidelines of the Assembly.

Boeing to axe a tenth of its workers as strike continues

Boeing will axe its workforce by a tenth - cutting 17,000 jobs - and delay production as the aeroplane maker deals with issues across its business.

Chief executive Kelly Ortberg said in an email to staff that "executives, managers, and employees'" jobs are all at risk.

The business also warned of losses in its weapons and military equipment manufacturing arm, and pushed back the delivery date of its 777X plane.

The news comes as the business grapples with staff striking and mounting concerns around the quality of its planes.

Ortberg said in the email that the company will reduce its headcount "over the coming months".

Fifth peacekeeper wounded in southern Lebanon, UN says

 A UN peacekeeper has been wounded in southern Lebanon after being hit by gunfire, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has said, the fifth member of the multinational force to be injured in recent days.

In a statement on Saturday, Unifil said the peacekeeper was injured at its headquarters in the southern city of Naquora on Friday night amid "ongoing military activity nearby", though added that it did not know the origin of the fire.

"He underwent surgery at our Naqoura hospital to remove the bullet and is currently stable," it said.

Elsewhere, around 20 people were killed by an Israeli strike in Jabalia in Gaza on Friday night, according to the Reuters news agency, citing medics.

CAVA U-20 Men's Volleyball Championship: Nepal loses to Uzbekistan in final

Nepal has been defeated by Uzbekistan in the final of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) U-20 Men's Volleyball Championship.

The final, held today in Colombo, Sri Lanka, ended with a score of 3-1 in favor of Uzbekistan. Nepal won a thrilling first set 27-25 but then lost the next three sets consecutively. The scores for those sets were 25-10, 25-16, and 25-20, respectively.

In the final group stage match, Nepal secured their place in the final by defeating Turkmenistan. Throughout the group stage, Nepal also won against Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, and the Maldives, but lost to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Djokovic overcomes 'issues' to set up Sinner final

World number four Novak Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday as he bids to win his 100th ATP title.

The Serb overcame issues with his hip to beat USA's Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in China to set up a final with Italian Sinner, who secured the year-end world number one ranking by beating Tomas Machac 6-4 7-5 in the other semi-final.

Djokovic, 37, breezed through the first set, displaying some of his best tennis of the season.

But the 24-time Grand Slam champion's dominance slowed in the second set as he struggled with a hip problem.

Fritz saved three break points in the fifth game of the second set, giving him a 3-2 lead.

Djokovic, who had to withdraw from this year's French Open with a knee injury, was growing increasingly irate with the hip issue and called a medical timeout with Fritz 6-5 up.