October 23, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 23 — In this section, we present the key headlines of the day. If you have been busy and missed the news, we have got you covered. Here are the highlights.

Opposition urge President Paudel to reject party split ordinance

Opposition parties in Parliament met with President Ramchandra Paudel to draw attention to the ordinance related to party split that the government is about to introduce.

Key leaders, including the leader of the main opposition party, Prachanda, visited the President's residence, Shital Niwas, on Wednesday afternoon to raise these concerns.

The opposition parties also briefed the President on the 13-point memorandum they had previously submitted to Prime Minister KP Oli.

Shakti Basnet, a member of the task force and Deputy General Secretary of the Maoist Center, informed that they highlighted issues such as the government's negligence in disaster management and its focus on party division at a time when both the ruling and opposition parties should be working together to resolve national issues.

New initiatives to streamline public administration: PM Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that new initiatives and measures were put in place to put an end to red tapism in public administration.     

In his address to the nation to highlight the achievements of the government in its 100 days in office today, PM Oli shared various measures and provisions introduced to enhance efficiency in public service delivery.     

One of initiatives is provision for the service-seekers to obtain driving license from the 'Citizen App' once they pass the driving trial. This will relieve the service-seekers from the hassle and need of visiting the transport offices in person, he expressed.     

The government has simplified the process of paying fines for traffic rules violation, Oli informed, explaining that the violators now could digitally settle the fines directly from the location of violation. 

SC registers writ against land acquisition for UML new office building

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the acquisition of land in Kirtipur by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, for the construction of a new party office.

The land in question is claimed to have been donated by Min Bahadur Gurung, the proprietor of the Bhatbhateni Department Store. The petition, submitted by advocate Gyan Bahadur Basnet, asserts that accepting this land and establishing a party office therein constitutes an act of corruption.

Initially, the Supreme Court rejected the registration of the writ, thereby dismissing the petition. However, the bench presided over by Justice Til Prasad Shrestha subsequently overturned this decision on Tuesday, directing the court administration to proceed with the registration of the writ.

Prachanda criticizes government's first hundred days as focused on protecting corruption

Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), has remarked that the government's first hundred days have been solely focused on protecting corrupt practices.

Prachanda made these comments during a meeting with officials from the party-affiliated Nepal Intellectual Organization on Wednesday morning.

"The government has reached its hundred-day mark, and what we suspected at the time of its formation has been confirmed within this period," Prachanda stated while analyzing the government's performance.

 "Not only the opposition parties, but also leaders from civil society and even those within the ruling party have expressed dissatisfaction. This clearly indicates that the government has failed to focus on necessary tasks and is instead concentrated on improper actions."

Interrogation sequence in cooperative fraud : Chhabi first, Rabi next

As Rabi Lamichhane provides his statements in Pokhara, it appears that he is not exempt from scrutiny. The process of transporting Chhabilal Joshi to Butwal for further questioning suggests that Lamichhane will also have to undergo similar procedures.

Joshi was taken to the Rupandehi District Government Attorney's Office on October 21 to provide a statement regarding the misappropriation of funds from Supreme Cooperative.

A loan was taken in Joshi's name from this cooperative, involving approximately NPR 150 million being transferred to Gorkha Media. This indicates that both Lamichhane and Joshi are intertwined in the investigations.

The Rupandehi District Attorney's Office confirmed that Joshi's statement has been completed and has been sent back for potential re-calling if necessary.

Discussions are ongoing about when Lamichhane will be brought in for questioning—either on Thursday or Friday, based on consultations between the Kaski and Rupandehi police.

Grandfather and granddaughter killed in Jhapa vehicular collision

A vehicular accident this evening on the East-West Highway in Kerkha, Kamal Municipality-4, has resulted in the tragic deaths of two individuals at the scene.

According to Arjun Prasad Sodari, information officer at the District Traffic Police Office, the deceased are 60-year-old Tek Bahadur Limbu from Kamal Rural Municipality-3 and his 11-year-old granddaughter, Kripa Limbu.

The incident occurred around 5:30 PM when a passenger night bus, numbered Pr 1-01-001 Kha 4331, which was traveling from Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu, collided with an electric bicycle that was crossing the road. Both the grandfather and granddaughter riding the bicycle were pronounced dead at the scene.

Gold prices reach new record high

The price of gold in the Nepali market has reached a new record high on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the price of hallmark gold increased by 800 rupees per tola compared to Tuesday.

As a result, the price of hallmark gold in the local market now stands at 166,700 rupees per tola, marking the highest price recorded to date. Previously, on Tuesday, the price was set at 165,900 rupees per tola.

Nepal sees decline in both imports and exports in first quarter of fiscal year

Both imports and exports have decreased during the first three months of the current fiscal year 2081/82. According to the Department of Customs, imports have declined by 4.17% and exports by 6.11% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.

During this three-month period, Nepal has engaged in foreign trade amounting to NPR 4 trillion 29 billion 130 million.

This has resulted in a trade deficit of NPR 3 trillion 52 billion 370 million. The reduction in both imports and exports has led to a 3.96% decrease in the trade deficit compared to the same period last year.

NEPSE index declines by 20.41 points

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index experienced a decline on the fourth trading day of the week today (Wednesday). The index fell by 20.41 points, settling at 2,645.39. On this day, the market recorded a trading volume equivalent to NPR 6.27 billion.

The market had seen significant drops on Sunday and Monday, with a slight rebound on Tuesday; however, it resumed its downward correction on Wednesday.

Despite the declining trend, trading volumes have remained robust. While the market increased previously, Wednesday's trading amount was limited to NPR 4.07 billion, representing an increase of nearly 54% compared to the previous day.

Musk v Ambani: Billionaires battle over India's satellite internet

The race between two of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani, is intensifying as they prepare to face off in India’s satellite broadband market.

After India's government announced last week that satellite spectrum for broadband would be allocated administratively rather than through auction, this battle has only heated up.

Mr Musk had previously criticised the auction model supported by Mr Ambani.

Satellite broadband provides internet access anywhere within the satellite’s coverage.

This makes it a reliable option for remote or rural areas where traditional services like DSL - a connection that uses telephone lines to transmit data - or cable are unavailable. It also helps to bridge the hard-to-reach digital divide.

India's telecom regulator has yet to announce spectrum pricing, and commercial satellite internet services are still to begin.

Boeing-made satellite breaks up in space

A communications satellite designed and built by embattled aerospace giant Boeing has broken up in orbit.

The satellite's operator, Intelsat, has confirmed the "total loss" of iS-33e, which has affected customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

Intelsat also says it has taken steps to complete "a comprehensive analysis" of the incident.

Boeing has been facing crises on multiple fronts, with a strike at its commercial plane business and issues with its Starliner spacecraft.

"We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyse data and observations," Intelsat said.

Trump accuses UK's Labour Party of 'foreign interference'

Donald Trump's campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the UK's Labour Party, accusing it of "blatant foreign interference" in the US election in aid of the Harris-Walz campaign.

The complaint cites media reports about contact between Labour and the Harris campaign as well as apparent volunteering efforts, arguing that this amounts to illegal "contributions".

The BBC understands that Labour activists campaigning in the US presidential election are doing so in a personal capacity.

The Labour Party has not issued an official response.

Putin aims for BRICS unity to challenge Western 'hegemony'

Two dozen world leaders  gathered in Russia on Tuesday for the opening of a three-day summit of the BRICS group, an alliance of emerging economies that the Kremlin hopes will challenge Western "hegemony".

With the summit, the biggest such meeting in Russia since it ordered troops into Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin is seeking to show Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the two-and-a-half-year offensive have failed.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – all key partners for Russia – are scheduled to join the gathering, hosted in the western city of Kazan from October 22 to 24.

Putin, Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have already arrived in Kazan, Russian media reported, while Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi had landed.

Hashem Safieddine, presumed successor of Nasrallah killed in Israeli strike

Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending up large clouds of black smoke, while Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the militant group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike.

The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes.

Hezbollah meanwhile fired another barrage of rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. A cloud of smoke could be seen in the sky from the hotel where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was staying on his latest visit to the region to try to renew cease-fire talks.

The group confirmed that Hashem Safieddine had been killed in an announcement Wednesday, one day after Israel said it had killed him in a strike earlier this month in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Vinicius Jr scores hat-trick in stunning Real comeback win

Vinicius Jr scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid produced a stunning second-half comeback from 2-0 down to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2.

Goals from Donyell Malen and Englishman Jamie Gittens gave Dortmund a comfortable lead at half-time in a repeat of last year's final which Real won 2-0.

Antonio Rudiger pulled a goal back for the Spanish champions with a towering header in the 60th minute before Vinicius Jr levelled two minutes later.

Captain Lucas Vazquez made it 3-2 to the hosts with a driven finish from a tight angle in the 83rd minute.

Vinicius Jr then scored two late goals to take the game out of Dortmund's reach, with both strikes coming after impressive solo runs.

LeBron James and son Bronny make NBA history

LeBron James and his son Bronny made history after they became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game during the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The much-anticipated moment came with four minutes left of the first half of the Lakers' 110-103 victory when the duo were introduced by coach JJ Redick.

The sold-out crowd at the Crypto.com Arena let out a huge roar when the pair stepped on to the court with the Lakers 51-35 ahead at the time.

The pair also played together earlier this month during the Lakers' pre-season game against the Phoenix Suns.

"It's always been family over everything," LeBron said alongside Bronny after the game.

Mehidy 87*, Jaker 58 help Bangladesh fight back on truncated third day

Bangladesh 106 and 283 for 7 (Mehidy 87*, Jaker 58, Rabada 4-35) lead South Africa 308 by 81 runs

Bad light forced the third day's play of the Dhaka Test to be called off at 4pm local time, an hour before the scheduled end of the day. Bangladesh fought back in the game and now lead by 81 runs, with South Africa still short of three wickets. The hosts ended the day on 283 for 7, thanks mainly to half-centuries from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and the debutant Jaker Ali.

Play was stopped at 3.17pm after 17 minutes of play under floodlights at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. There was earlier a 78-minute stoppage due to rain from 1.42pm onwards. This is unseasonal rain in Bangladesh due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, which is forecast to turn into a cyclone on Wednesday.

AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Nepal set to play Japan tonight

Nepal's U-17 men's team is set to face Japan in their opening group-stage match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers tonight (October 23). The match will be played at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha at 22:30 NST.

This encounter will mark the commencement of the Nepali youngsters' campaign in the tournament, which also includes upcoming matches against host nation Qatar and Mongolia.

The AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers feature a total of 43 teams, organized into 10 groups—seven comprising four teams each and three consisting of five. Nepal finds itself in Group F.