November 8, 2024: Snapshot of today's main news

Kathmandu, November 8 — 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.

Five killed in bus-electric HiAce collision in Chitwan

Five people were killed in a collision between a bus and an electric HiAce this morning at Satro Kilo of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan.

The electric HiAce, with registration number Ba. Pra. 06-001 Ja. 0298, was traveling from Mugling to Narayangadh, while the bus, with registration number Ba. Pra. 03-001 Kha. 2812, was headed in the opposite direction from Narayangadh to Mugling.

The collision resulted in the deaths of five individuals, as confirmed by Chitwan police spokesperson DSP Bheshraj Rijal.

The victims in the microbus included 42-year-old Rajbahadur Gurung from Arughat Rural Municipality-1 in Gorkha, the driver, 40-year-old female (identity not disclosed), and two male passengers aged 32 and 35, all of whom died at the scene.Surkhet accident update: Death toll climbs to four

Four killed in Surkhet accident

Four people were killed and 30 others injured in a tragic accident at Ratanangla, on the Dailkeh–Surkhet border, at 2:20 PM on Friday. The incident occurred when a bus (number 0200 Kha 0998) traveling from Dailkeh to Surkhet crashed near Ratanangla, Ward 14 of Birendranagar Municipality.

According to Surkhet Police, the deceased include an unidentified man estimated to be around 40 years old, another unidentified man around 32–33 years old, a woman around 17–18 years old, and another woman around 22–23 years old. Their identities have not been revealed yet.

The doctors at the Provincial Hospital in Surkhet declared the victims dead.

PHC unanimously endorses two proposed Supreme Court judges

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has unanimously approved two proposed Supreme Court judges.

During a meeting on Friday, the committee decided to approve proposed judges Nripadhwaj Niraula and Nityananda Pandey after conducting their hearings, as confirmed by Committee Chairperson and senior member Pashupati Shamsher Rana.

There were two complaints filed against Niraula.

During the hearing, members of parliament raised questions on those complaints as well as issues related to judicial reform, good governance, and delays in case verdicts.

SC orders notification in writ petition against Prachanda and Baburam

The Supreme Court has ordered the Office of the Attorney General to inform the parties about the upcoming hearing in a writ petition filed by former Maoist combatant, with Maoist Centre Chairman Prachanda and former Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai named as the respondents.

The writ petition, filed by former child soldier Lenin Bista, includes two separate applications, which were scheduled for a hearing today.

The hearing was set before a bench comprising Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Tek Prasad Dhungana.

Govt seeks to vacate Supreme Court's National ID halt

The government has filed a motion to vacate the interim order issued by the Supreme Court regarding the distribution of national identity cards, arguing that the order has made it difficult for the government to proceed with its work. The motion was submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday by the Department of National Id and Civil Registration on behalf of the government.

The government’s motion comes nearly two months after the Supreme Court issued its interim order. On August 23, the Court had directed that the national identity card not be implemented in all sectors.

The Supreme Court had issued the interim order, halting the implementation of the national identity card for social security and public services. The bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Til Prasad Shrestha had ruled that national identity cards should not be required in cases where citizens already have citizenship certificates.

Following this order, the Supreme Court directed that national identity cards should not be mandatory for receiving social security benefits or public services. Initially, the government remained silent after the order to halt implementation was issued, but it later filed the motion for vacating the order.

Deepak Manange denies reports of being unreachable after SC conviction

Gandaki Provincial Assembly Member and former Minister Rajeev Gurung alias Deepak Manange has denied reports claiming that he is unreachable. In a statement issued on Friday, Manange expressed his objection to the news that he has out of reach.

Recently, following the Supreme Court's conviction of Manange, news surfaced claiming that he had become unreachable.

However, Manange acknowledged that due to continuous calls from media outlets after the Supreme Court's decision, he had temporarily turned off his mobile phone. He said, "I have received misleading reports in various media outlets regarding this issue. I object to these claims."

Couple found dead in Baglung

A husband and wife have been found dead in Badigad, Baglung.

The couple, 22-year-old Jeevan Pariyar and his 19-year-old wife Sandhya Pariyar, from Nigalpani in Badigad Rural Municipality-10, were found dead at their home.

The tragic death of the couple, who had eaten dinner together and gone to bed on Thursday evening, has cast a shadow of mourning over the entire village.

After being informed by villagers, the police removed the bodies and sent them for examination to the Burtibang Primary Health Center, according to Police Inspector Keshav Thapa of the District Police Office, Baglung.

Scuffle between opponents and supporters of cable car in Taplejung

Six people, including a police officer, were injured in a scuffle over the construction of a cable car in the Pathibhara area of Taplejung on Friday.

The injured include 45-year-old Chandra Maden from Phungling Municipality-4, 40-year-old Damodar Adhikari from the same area, 26-year-old Kumar Sherpa from Meringden Rural Municipality-4, and 41-year-old Arjun Limbu from Phaktanglung Rural Municipality-5.

During the clash, Armed Police Force (APF) Inspector Digendra Oli and Head Constable Abhinash Majhi also sustained minor injuries. The injured were taken to local hospitals for treatment, with Maden receiving care at the Taplejung District Hospital, and Adhikari and Sherpa being treated at the Tamor Hospital.

Gold prices surge by 2,000 rupees

Gold prices have risen on the second day after Donald Trump was elected as the president in the United States.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of gold increased by 2,000 rupees today.

As per the new price set by the association, the price of hallmarked gold has reached 166,500 rupees per tola. The previous price for gold was 164,500 rupees per tola.

Nepali migrant workers hit hard by flight price hikes

Manpower owner Hari Thapa recently mentioned that he had sold flight tickets for Saudi Arabia from Kathmandu at a rate of 40,000 rupees per person. In the past, he had been able to secure tickets for workers going abroad at prices ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 rupees. However, he explained that the minimum price for a ticket to Saudi Arabia has now risen to 106,348 rupees.

Similarly, flight tickets to Malaysia, which were previously available for around 40,000 rupees, are now priced at a minimum of 74,000 rupees. Tickets from Kathmandu to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, now range from 74,541 to 182,295 rupees.

The airfare from Kathmandu to Dubai has also tripled in price. What used to cost between 30,000 to 40,000 rupees is now priced between 103,818 to 124,000 rupees.

In addition, the minimum airfare from Kathmandu to Doha, Qatar, has reached 105,000 rupees. For Japan, flight tickets range from 155,000 to 253,000 rupees.

Workers seeking foreign employment by taking out loans are facing significant difficulties due to the sharp rise in airfare prices. As the situation worsens, manpower agents have appealed to the government for intervention. The Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs Association recently met with the Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, to raise concerns about the issue.

Putin hails 'courageous' Trump after election win

Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory, calling him a "courageous man".

Speaking at an event in the Russian city of Sochi, the Russian president said that Trump was "hounded from all sides" during his first term in the White House.

Putin also said that Trump's claim that he can help end the war in Ukraine "deserves attention at least".

During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said he could end the war “in a day” but has never elaborated on how that could happen.

During Putin's address, which lasted several hours and covered a wide range of topics, he also spoke of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July, saying it "made an impression" on him.

Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead are women and children, UN says

The UN's Human Rights Office has condemned the high number of civilians killed in the war in Gaza, saying its analysis shows close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period were women and children.

The agency said the high number was largely due to Israel's use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas, although some deaths may have been the result of errant projectiles by Palestinian armed groups.

The report said it found "unprecedented" levels of international law violations, raising concerns about "war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes".

Israel has in the past said it targets Hamas and takes steps to mitigate risk to civilians by using precise munitions.

Rauf, Ayub hand Pakistan first ODI win in Australia since 2017

Pakistan 169 for 1 (Ayub 82, Shafique 64*, Zampa 1-44) beat Australia 163 (Smith 35, Rauf 5-29, Afridi 3-26) by nine wickets

Haris Rauf ripped through Australia's middle-order for second consecutive game, and this time it wasn't in vain as a sparkling innings from Saim Ayub led Pakistan's charge to a series-levelling nine-wicket victory at the Adelaide Oval with a mammoth 23.3 overs to spare.

This was a complete hammering of the ODI World Champions. After his hair-raising spell in Melbourne, Rauf ran through the hosts' batting - his delivery to remove Marnus Labuschagne was particularly superb - to finish with the second five-wicket haul of his ODI career.

What impact could Trump's return have on sport?

Sporting personalities featured prominently in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's re-election as the president of the United States, with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and UFC president Dana White making appearances on stage during his victory speech in Florida on Wednesday.

It was a reminder of the new president's sporting connections before a second term during which his country will host the football World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028 - with Trump set to be a highly visible presence at both.

So, what impact could some of his policies have on the sporting landscape?

To know more, open the link.