October 19, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 19 — 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.

Protest in Pokhara against arrest of Rabi Lamichhane

A protest was held in Pokhara against the arrest of Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rashtriya Swotantra Party (RSP) and former Home Minister. On Saturday, party activists and supporters protested at the Manab Adhikar Square.

The party mobilized workers from various districts as well as central leaders to demonstrate in Pokhara.

After the protest, a rally was held where party vice-president Swarnim Wagle, Dol Prasad Aryal, spokesperson Manish Jha, parliamentary party deputy leader Birajabhakta Shrestha, and several MPs, including Toshima Karki and Hari Dhakal, addressed the crowd.

During the event, leaders from the RSP made strong accusations against Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa.

Protesters chanted slogans like “Beware of the corrupt mafia,” “Take action against VAT evaders,” “Stop political revenge,” “Punish the corrupt,” “Justice for cooperative victims,” “Down with K.P. Oli,” and “Hail Rabi Dai.”

Unity among Maoist parties soon: Chair Prachanda

Chairperson of the CPN (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said the process to unite scattered Maoist parties would be concluded soon.     

At the people's cultural programme organized for the construction of disappeared warrior Dandapani Neupane Memorial Building in Bharatpur metropolis-13, Chair Prachanda stressed the need for Maoists belonging to the same schooling but divided now to stand united.     

Preparation for socialist revolution can be expedited with the integration of all Maoist forces, he claimed.

Speaker Ghimire informed of Lamichhane's arrest

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has been informed about the arrest of a Member of the House of Representatives, Rabi Lamichhane.     

District Police Office, Kaski furnished information to the Speaker in writing, according to the Director General at Federation Parliament Secretariat, Padma Prasad Pandey.     

Pande shared it in a notice today.     

Lamichhane, who was elected a HoR member from Chitwan constituency no 2, has been arrested for investigating the charge of criminal offence after receiving permission from the District Court, Kaski.     

Any official set to arrest any member of the federal parliament needs to share this information immediately with the House Speaker in accordance with Article 103 (6) of the constitution of Nepal.  

1,000 artists unite for spectacular Dhime dance

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, a cultural presentation has been organized in the Basantapur Durbar area. 

In collaboration with the Kathmandu Durbar Square Tourism Promotion Association and various local organizations, the Kathmandu Metropolitan Municipality hosted this cultural event.

As part of the festivities, it has been reported that 1,000 artists participated in a collective Dhime dance performance, alongside other diverse presentations.

Annapurna base camp filled with domestic tourists

The arrival of domestic tourists has increased in the base camp area of Annapurna I located in Narchang of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.    

More than 800 domestic tourists have reached the area in the five days following the day of Tika under Bada Dasain festival, said Tej Bahadur Gurung, the Maurice Herzog trekking route campaigner, Annapurna base camp can be reached after a two-day trek from Humkhola in Narchang.    

Sushant Poudel, a domestic tourist who came back after reaching the base camp, said that the base camp of Annapurna I and the trekking route leading to it were crowded with domestic tourists holidaying following the festival.    

Until a few years ago, the base camp area was usually deserted. But domestic trekkers' arrival has increased following the construction of various tourist infrastructures including the trekking trial and attractions like Panchkunda Lake, Futphute Lake, caves and waterfalls along the trekking route.   

Bus catches fire in Satdobato, no casualties reported

A bus fire has occurred in Satdobato, Lalitpur. According to police, the incident took place on Saturday afternoon involving a Mahanagar Yatayat bus with registration number BA 4 KHA 106.

As the bus was parked, there were no reported human casualties. However, the bus has been completely destroyed by the fire.

The fire broke out in a bus parked near the Satdobato Chowk in Lalitpur Metropolitan Municipality-15, as confirmed by District Police Office Lalitpur's information officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rabaratna Poudel.

Poudel stated that the bus, which was en route to Gwarko, caught fire suddenly after a wire short-circuited while it was parked in the 'bus pocket.'

Chinese scientists develop novel high-efficiency solar cell

An international team led by scientists with the Institute of Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new type of high-efficiency solar cell.

The perovskite-organic tandem solar cell can achieve a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 26.4 per cent, the highest efficiency for such solar cells to date, according to Li Yongfang, an academician and a researcher at the institute.

Perovskite solar cells and organic solar cells represent the next generation of solar cells. Compared to the currently widely used crystalline silicon solar cells, they offer advantages such as ease of preparation, lightweight and the ability to be fabricated into flexible devices.

Drone targets Israeli PM’s house, Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 50

The Israeli government said a drone targeted the prime minister’s house Saturday, though there were no casualties, as Iran’s supreme leader vowed Hamas would continue its fight following the killing of the mastermind of last year’s deadly Oct. 7 attack.

Sirens wailed in Israel warning of incoming fire from Lebanon. The military said dozens of projectiles were launched. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the drone targeted his house in the Mediterranean coastal town of Caesarea, though neither he nor his wife were home.

The barrage comes as Israel considers its expected response to an Iranian attack earlier this month and presses its offensives against Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In Gaza, Israeli forces fired at hospitals in the battered northern part of the Palestinian enclave, and strikes in the strip killed more than 50 people, including children, in less than 24 hours, according to hospital officials and an Associated Press reporter there.

Son Heung-min shines as Spurs rally to defeat West Ham 4-1

A spectacular second half-display saw Tottenham run out dominant Premier League winners over local rivals West Ham in north London.

Hammers winger Mohammed Kudus turned in the opening goal of the game from a Jarrod Bowen cross in the 18th minute having missed a similar chance moments earlier.

Midfielder Dejan Kulusevski got Spurs a deserved equaliser which squeezed in after hitting both posts in the 36th minute.

But with Spurs already dominant in the first half, they took their game to another level after the interval as James Maddison was substituted for Pape Matar Sarr.

India flex batting muscle before collapsing to set New Zealand 107

Stumps New Zealand 402 and 0 for 0 need 107 runs to beat India 46 and 462 (Sarfaraz 150, Pant 99, Kohli 70, Rohit 52, O'Rourke 3-92, Henry 3-102, Ajaz 2-100)

Test cricket showed off in all its glory as India, led by the impish Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant, threatened to pull off the unthinkable in an audacious manner.

But the second new ball claimed seven wickets for 62 runs to leave New Zealand 107 to win their first Test in India in 36 years. That, incidentally, is the lowest target successfully defended in India, but that was on a rank turner in Mumbai in 2004-05.

This was Test cricket shorn of all of its niceties. The bowlers were under extreme pressure from Sarfaraz and Pant, who added 177 in 35.1 overs, as India tried to become only the second team to win a Test from a sub-50 first innings.

This same approach resulted in a collapse when the second new ball started to nip around.

This was high-variance Test cricket. India lost 17 wickets for 108 runs to the first and the third new balls, but scored 400 for 3 in 80 overs in between.