November 7, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, November 7 — 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.

Chhath festival: Devotees offer arghya to setting sun 

On Thursday, the main day of the Chhath festival, devotees offered arghya (ritual offerings) to the setting sun.

The Chhath festival, dedicated to the worship and reverence of the Sun God, is observed from the 4th to the 7th day of the lunar month of Kartik.

On the main day of the festival, devotees offer arghya to the setting sun.

On Thursday, fasting devotees offered arghya to the setting sun and stayed awake through the night at the Chhath ghats (riverbanks or designated worship sites).

The Chhath ritual will conclude on Friday morning, after devotees offer arghya to the rising sun on the occasion of Kartik Shukla Saptami, marking the end of the four-day festival.

UML’s double standards: Party pressures Deputy Speaker over letter, silent on Adhikari’s misconduct

Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar faced sharp political criticism after a letter she wrote to the US Embassy for interviews was made public a few months ago. The controversy escalated to the point where political parties were preparing to file an impeachment motion against her unless she resigned from her post.

The ruling parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) [CPN-UML], were at the forefront of the efforts to pressure Rana into resigning.

Meanwhile, a more serious issue has emerged within the CPN-UML, involving Lilaballabh Adhikari, the former Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of the Koshi Province. Adhikari, who resigned from his ministerial post, is now facing allegations of misusing his position for illegal activities, specifically for human trafficking.

Though police have detained the three individuals who traveled with Adhikari, he has not been arrested yet. Even with such serious allegations, the CPN-UML has remained silent on the matter, which has drawn criticism within the party itself.

Supreme Court faces severe judge shortage, over 26,000 cases pending

It has been one month since Prakashman Singh Raut took the oath as the 32nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Raut as Chief Justice and administered the oath on October 6.

Before his appointment, during the parliamentary hearing, Raut had pledged to immediately fill the vacancies in the judiciary. However, due to a delay in fulfilling this promise, the Supreme Court is currently functioning with only 15 judges.

At present, there are more than 26,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court. On Wednesday alone, 144 cases were scheduled for hearing, of which 13 were decided, and 12 received orders.

Sudurpashchim ministries without official websites, rely on notice boards

Most ministries of the Sudurpashchim Province government have limited their information to notice boards and minute registers within their offices. Despite the world going digital, the ministries in Sudurpashchim have reverted to using traditional notice boards and minute registers.

With the closure of provincial government websites, the general public has struggled to access necessary information. Without functioning ministry websites, the public has become disconnected from updates on government activities.

The Chief Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Economic Affairs have updated their old websites. The Provincial Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives, as well as the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, have created new websites.

However, the official websites of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, Ministry of Social Development, and Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests, and Environment are still unavailable.

Complaint filed against proposed Supreme Court judge Niraula

Parliamentary hearing for the proposed Supreme Court judges, Nityananda Pandey and Nripadhwaj Niraula, is scheduled for Friday. The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has received one complaint against one of the proposed judges, while no complaints have been registered against the other.

The sources confirmed that two complaints had been filed, but both were against Niraula. One of the complaints was sent via email, while the other came from an individual currently residing in Lalitpur, originally from Kavre.

One complaint alleges that Niraula was involved in irregularities in the construction of the Supreme Court building in collusion with former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana. The other complaint questions Niraula’s qualifications, claiming he was recommended for the post despite not meeting the required criteria.

Air pollution in Nepal surges with onset of cold weather

With the onset of the cold season every year, the problem of air pollution begins to surface across Nepal. As the cold increases, people resort to burning not only wood and firewood but also plastic and tires to stay warm. The smoke produced from burning such materials contributes to the rising levels of air pollution.

According to air quality expert Dr. Bhupendra Das, sources of air pollution include vehicles, industries, and construction activities. "Delhi in India and Lahore in Pakistan are among the cities with the highest levels of air pollution in the world," he said. "Nepal is also beginning to face this problem. The burning of crop residues, including straw and garbage, increases pollution."

Sitapaila-Dharke road to be closed for 15 days starting tomorrow

The road connecting Sitapaila in Kathmandu to Dharke in Dhading will be closed again for 15 days.

The Dhading District Administration Office announced that the road will be closed from Friday for blacktopping work.

As per the announcement, from November 8, the road section will be closed for all vehicles except ambulances and security personnel’s light vehicles for 15 days.

During this period, the administration has requested the public to use alternative routes, including the Nagdhunga-Naubise route, and the path through Dharke, Tokha Chhaharé, Bidur, and Galchhi.

One dies of electric shock, two injured

A Nepali Army (NA) person mobilized in the road construction taskforce of NA died of electric shock at Dovan in Bhimphedi rural municipality-8 of Makwanpur district on Thursday.

Two others were injured in the incident.     

DSP at District Police Office, Makwanpur, Shyamu Aryal, informed that 29-year-old Padam Bahadur Diyal hailing from Ganyadhura rural municipality of Dadeldhura district died on the spot as he accidently touched the high tension line while installing a communication device.  

Nepal Airlines adjusts international flight schedule

Nepal Airlines has changed its flight schedule for international destinations. The schedule change comes after the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) announced a reduction in operating hours for maintenance, starting tomorrow, November 8. From tomorrow, TIA will be closed for maintenance from 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM.

As a result, Nepal Airlines has adjusted its flight times. The Kathmandu–Narita flight, originally scheduled for 11:50 PM, has been moved to 9:15 PM. Similarly, the Kathmandu–Doha flight, initially set for 11:00 PM, will now depart at 9:30 PM.

Additionally, the Kathmandu–Dubai flight, originally at 11:15 PM, has been rescheduled to 9:35 PM. These changes have also affected the arrival times for international flights into Kathmandu. 

Double the demand for NRB's 100 billion rupees deposit instruments

The Nepal Rastra Bank has received double the demand for its deposit instruments issued for NPR 100 billion. In the open market operation held on Wednesday, banks and financial institutions submitted applications amounting to NPR 207 billion. A total of 25 financial institutions participated, submitting 66 bids for the deposit instruments.

The bank has stated that, for the deposits collected on Wednesday, the interest rate offered in the bidding process ranged up to 2.95%. The banks that successfully purchased the deposit instruments had agreed to a minimum interest rate of 2.7225%. On average, the interest rate settled at 2.8671%, according to Nepal Rastra Bank.

Australia plans social media ban for under-16s

Australia's government says it will introduce "world-leading" legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, to be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at mitigating the "harm" social media was inflicting on Australian children.

"This one is for the mums and dads... They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back," he said.

While many of the details are yet to be debated, the government said the ban will not apply to young people already on social media.

2024 on track to be world's warmest year on record

It is now "virtually certain" that 2024 - a year punctuated by intense heatwaves and deadly storms - will be the world's warmest on record, according to projections by the European climate service.

Global average temperatures across the year are on track to end up more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which would make 2024 the first calendar year to breach this symbolic mark.

These high temperatures are mainly down to human-caused climate change, with smaller contributions from natural factors such as the El Niño weather pattern.

Israeli strikes kill at least 40 in east Lebanon

At least 40 people were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

An Israeli official said the strikes, in the governorates of Baalbek and Bekaa, targeted operatives of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Lebanon's culture minister said one of the strikes also seriously damaged an Ottoman-era building in the vicinity of the Roman ruins in the city of Baalbek, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.

When does Trump become US president again?

Trump will be sworn in at the presidential inauguration on Monday, 20 January 2025, at which point he legally assumes the power and responsibilities of the presidency.

After winning the 2016 election. Trump was sworn in as president in January 2017 and served until 2021.

Once every valid vote has been included in the final results, a process known as the electoral college confirms the election result.

In each state a varying number of electoral college votes are up for grabs. It is securing these – and not the backing of voters themselves – that ultimately wins the presidency.

Generally, states award all of their electoral college votes to whoever wins the popular vote, and this is confirmed after meetings on 17 December.

The new US Congress then meets on 6 January to count the electoral college votes and confirm the new president. As the outgoing vice-president, Kamala Harris will preside over this process.

U-19 Women’s T20 WC Asia Qualifiers: Nepal defeats Kuwait by 108 runs

Nepal secured a dominating 108-run victory over Kuwait in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 Asia Qualifiers.

Nepal posted a total of 131 runs in their 20 overs, losing 8 wickets. Captain Puja Mahato was the top scorer for Nepal, making 34 runs.

In response, Kuwait was bowled out for just 22 runs in 13 overs.

Nepal’s bowlers, Rachana Chaudhary and Seema KC, were outstanding, each taking two wickets to help bowl Kuwait out for a low total. 

Mbappe left out of France squad as 'one-off

France manager Didier Deschamps says his decision to leave captain Kylian Mbappe out of the squad for this month's Nations League double-header is a "one-off".

The Real Madrid forward was not selected for upcoming matches against Israel and Italy.

Mbappe, 25, was left out of France's squad in October for two Nations League matches as a precaution given he had just returned from injury and had been expected to return for selection this month.

"I've had discussions with him, it is a decision that I took for this block of matches only," Deschamps said at a news conference on Thursday. "Kylian wanted to come."