October 27, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, October 27 — 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.

SAAF Women's Championship: Nepal into final, beats arch-rival India in tiebreaker

Nepal has reached the finals of the SAFF Women’s Championship.

Nepal triumphed over India in the tiebreaker to secure their place in the finals of SAAF Women's Championship.

After a 1–1 draw at the end of regular time, the match went to a tiebreaker which Nepal won by 4-2.

PM Oli responds to Prachanda's disarmament remarks

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli responded to CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Prachanda regarding the issue of disarmament. 

Addressing the annual general meeting of Non-Resident Nepalis on Sunday, Prime Minister Oli directed his remarks at Prachanda's statements.

"Yesterday, someone was giving a dramatic speech, saying they had disarmed but not forgotten how to use the weapons," the Prime Minister stated, emphasizing that such a situation should not arise.

He accused the Maoists of continuing to thrive on intimidation and asserted that he knows how to manage the disarming process.

"We know how to disarm again. We may not use the weapons, but we know how to manage the disarming process," Prime Minister Oli remarked.

Khukuri chaos: Tensions flare at UML party office!

Tension arose at the ruling party CPN (UML) office in Chyasal after a party worker arrived with a khukuri (a curved short sword with a broad blade). A video of the confrontation between two groups, involving the khukuri, has been released.

The incident occurred before a secretariat meeting called by the UML-affiliated Democratic Federation of Indigenous Nationalities on Saturday, when a worker brought a khukuri in a bag, leading to a commotion and a struggle over the weapon.

There has been ongoing conflict between the federation's president, Pasang Sherpa, and the general secretary, Pemba Bhote. Recently, the Sherpa faction had taken action against Bhote, stripping him of his responsibilities, which angered Bhote’s supporters.

According to sources, the Bhote faction was prepared to attend the meeting on Saturday. Upon realizing that the Bhote group was entering, the Sherpa faction allegedly brought the khukuri.

Lamichhane taken for further questioning by government attorney

Rabi Lamichhane has been taken to the office of the government attorney for further questioning.

The president of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) faces allegations of embezzling cooperative funds and transferring them to Gorkha Media. He is under investigation by the police for organized crime, money laundering, and cooperative fraud.

Lamichhane's detention has been extended for an additional seven days. He was arrested in Kathmandu on October 18, and the investigation period now extends until October 30.

Due to the upcoming Tihar holiday, during which the court will be closed, he will only be presented in court on November 5.

China visit rumors emerge as PM Oli faces invitation drought

It has been over three months since KP Sharma Oli, the chairman of the CPN (UML), was appointed as Prime Minister, yet he has not made any official visits to other countries.

Some view this as a natural occurrence, while others portray it as a failure on his part. Experts suggest that his inability to visit any country during this extended period confirms the state of his relations with various nations.

Although no country has formally invited Prime Minister Oli for a visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly preparing for his foreign trips. A ministry official stated, "Even though we have not received an official invitation from anywhere, we are making necessary preparations. We are working on the Prime Minister's visit, but it is not yet clear which country he will go to first."

Prime Minister Oli has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Nepal on two occasions, but India has not yet formally invited him.

Recently, there has been discussion about Prime Minister Oli's potential visit to China.

SC issues show-cause order against illegal license and blue book seizures

The Supreme Court has issued a show-cause order in response to a writ filed against the traffic police for illegally seizing driving licenses and blue books. 

Advocate Bibek Chaudhary filed the writ, and during the first hearing, the Supreme Court ordered that a written response be submitted within 15 days. The writ was submitted on October 23, alleging that the traffic police had unlawfully taken control of the driving licenses and vehicle ownership certificates (blue books).

Judge Nahakul Subedi's bench requested a written response along with the show-cause order on October 24. According to current laws, the Traffic Police are only authorized to impose fines under the Transport Management Act, 1993 and its regulations from 1998. They do not have the authority to seize driving licenses or ownership certificates, yet such practices have been occurring, prompting the writ to seek an injunction against this action.

Minister Paudel announces free cancer treatment for children under 14

Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel has decided to provide free cancer treatment for children under 14 years of age.

In a ministerial decision on Sunday, he announced that this service will be offered free of charge at government hospitals including Kanti Children's Hospital in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Bhaktapur, and BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur, Chitwan.

According to Minister Paudel's secretariat, arrangements have been made for free treatment starting from November 16. The ministry's policy is to provide free cancer treatment based on the state’s capacity, which involves significant expenses.

Under this initiative, Minister Paudel had started efforts to make cancer treatment for children free as soon as he took office. The ministry has stated that this arrangement will begin with children.

SP and CDO found responsible for Jhyaple Khola tragedy

Chief District Officer (CDO) Rajendra Dev Pandey and Superintendent of Police (SP) Gautam KC have been found responsible for an accident that claimed the lives of 35 people in the Jhyaple Khola of Dhading. On September 27 and 28, heavy rainfall caused landslides in Jhyaple Khola, burying two microbuses and one bus, resulting in the fatalities.

Criticism has been widespread regarding the lack of a decision to halt passenger vehicle operations in the Jhyaple Khola area during the evening hours. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Basant Kunwar formed an investigation committee led by SSP Siddhi Bikram Shah at the police headquarters' Security Services Management Division.

An official from the police headquarters informed Ratopati that the investigation has reached its final stages. The preliminary investigation revealed that the accident occurred due to a lack of "coordination" between SP Gautam KC and CDO Rajendra Dev Pandey. The investigation committee is preparing to submit its report.

CAAN bans Thai AirAsia flights over unauthorized entry

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has imposed a ban on all flights operated by Thai AirAsia. This action was taken after the airline entered Nepalese airspace without proper authorization.

According to the CAAN's regulations, the winter season commenced on Sunday, October 27. Airlines flying into Nepal must obtain permission for each season. Gyanendra Bhul, CAAN's information officer, indicated that the enforcement of this ban was necessitated when the airline continued to operate flights on Sunday, despite only having received authorization up until Saturday. Unauthorized entry of foreign aircraft into another country’s airspace is regarded as a highly sensitive matter.

NEPSE index drops 9.19 points on first trading day of the week

On the first trading day of the week, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index has dropped by 9.19 points, settling at 2,618 points.

Today, 141 companies saw a decrease in their share prices, while 91 companies declined and 11 companies remained stable. On Sunday, a total of 1,113,400 shares were bought and sold, resulting in a transaction volume of NPR 4.7324 billion.

Irregularities at NEA: One group wins dozen contracts via agents

Last Monday, the Project Development Department of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) shortlisted two candidates for the detailed engineering design and tender document preparation of the Karnali Chisapani Multipurpose Project, which has a capacity of 10,800 megawatts. The shortlisted companies are the Swiss-Turkish joint venture Pini-Tamelsu and Turkish Dolasar Engineering Inc.

Proposals will be requested from these companies for the engineering design and tender document preparation for the project. According to project chief Nashibman Pradhan, the final intention letter will be based on the technical and financial proposals included. He mentioned that this process could take around 2-3 months. The cost for just creating the engineering design and tender document is estimated to exceed one billion Nepali Rupees, with the total project cost to be determined later.

Gold price hits record high at 167,400 per tola

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1,400 per tola on Sunday to hit a new record in the domestic market. This marks the highest price ever recorded in the domestic market.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the price of the gold has jumped to Rs 167,400 today as it was traded at Rs 166,000 on Friday.

Similarly, silver price has also seen a rise to Rs 2,085 per tola, increasing of Rs 15 from Friday's rate of Rs 2,070 per tola.

Death toll in Philippine storm rises to 100

Rescuers in the Philippines were diving into a lake and scouring isolated villages on Sunday to locate dozens of missing people as the death toll from Tropical Storm Trami hit 100. 

Trami, which rammed into the Philippines on October 24, was among the deadliest storms to hit the Southeast Asian country this year. 

According to the national disaster agency, it forced more than half a million people to flee their homes and at least 36 people remain missing. 

Police in the hardest-hit Bicol region have recorded 38 deaths, most due to drowning. 

Israeli strikes kills 22 in northern Gaza

Israeli strikes on northern Gaza have killed at least 22 people, Palestinian medical officials said.

The Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service said that 11 women and two children were among those killed in the strikes late Saturday on several homes and buildings in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. It said another 15 people were wounded and that the death toll could rise.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Real investigate racist abuse of Barcelona's Yamal

La Liga and Real Madrid have condemned racist abuse aimed at Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal during Saturday's El Clasico at the Bernabeu.

Videos on social media appear to show the 17-year-old Spaniard being taunted by a section of home fans as he celebrated his 77th-minute goal by pointing to his name on the back of his shirt.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Raphinha completed the scoring as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win to take them six points above their rivals at the top of La Liga.

A La Liga statement read: "La Liga will immediately report the racist insults and gestures received by Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade, as well as informing the Co-ordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination unit of the State Attorney General's office

SAFF Women's Championship Semifinal: Bangladesh Crushes Bhutan

Defending champions Bangladesh have reached the final of the SAFF Women's Championship. In the first semifinal match held on Sunday at Dasarath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Bangladesh achieved an easy 7-1 victory over Bhutan.

From the beginning, Bangladesh kept Bhutan under pressure. Tohura Khatun scored three goals for Bangladesh, netting them in the 15th, 35th, and 58th minutes. Sabina Khatun also contributed with two goals, scoring in the 26th and 37th minutes.

Additionally, Ritu Chakhma and Masura Parvin each scored one goal, with Ritu finding the net in the 7th minute and Masura in the 72nd minute. Bhutan's only goal came from Dekhi Lahjum in the 41st minute.