October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit.…
October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit.…
Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus…
October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal are observing the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) today as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival.…
October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic…
The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat…
October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about 500 megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily…
October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu…
October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride…
October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son…
October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was…
October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment.…
October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival.…
World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous…
October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today…
October 24: Today is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the…
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud greeted the UN Secretary-General at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Sunday. Others present on the occasion were high ranking officials of the Government of Nepal and representatives of the UN Office in Nepal. The Nepalese Army offered a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres' visit to Nepal took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President and PM Dahal at the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The secretary-general will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Following the meetings, he will observe the Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honour of Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In course of his visit, the Secretary-General will travel to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres, who is scheduled to visit Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN secretary-general in 2017, will discuss the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level visit of the UN secretary-general after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19069', 'image' => '20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 09:52:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Baglung Farmers Likely to Incur Heavy Loss Due to Fungus in Lemon Plants', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">October 29: Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Over the past two months, thousands of lemon plants cultivated by hundreds of farmers have begun to wither away, causing considerable concern among the local farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">If left unchecked, this outbreak could result in substantial financial losses for the affected farmers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Kumar Pun Magar, the information officer for the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung, said that the fungus is the root cause behind the widespread deterioration of lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The telltale sign of this affliction is the drying and eventual death of the tips of lemon plant leaves. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">To mitigate the damage, Magar suggests that farmers should promptly remove and discard the affected, dried-up plants to salvage the remaining healthy ones. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He emphasizes that seeking technical advice is crucial to prevent the fungus from taking hold, as it primarily targets lemon plants.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Magar elaborates, "The fungus leads to the demise of lemon branches, and farmers need to remain vigilant to combat this issue. Timely pruning of the drying branches is essential. This problem has primarily affected the Nisikhola area and its surroundings within the district."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Nar Bahadur Budha Magar, who has planted a total of 60 lemon plants in Nisikhola, is among those grappling with the fungus infestation. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He's already lost 34 of his lemon plants, causing ripe lemon fruits to fall prematurely during the harvest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Even the lemon plants he had nurtured for a year succumbed to the disease. Budha Magar had ventured into commercial lemon cultivation two years ago and anticipates a substantial loss of around Rs 200,000 due to the damage to his lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He recounts, "There were lemon trees planted six to seven years ago in the garden. Initially, the branches of those trees began to die, and later the problem spread to other smaller plants. If this continues, my substantial investment will be in jeopardy."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Purna Bahadur Chhetri, another local farmer, is also grappling with the spreading disease. Out of the 90 lemon plants he had cultivated, 70 are now affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Chhetri has been proactive in cutting the dried branches as soon as they show signs of infestation. This issue did not arise in his lemon plants the previous year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung reports that of the 45 hectares of land allocated for lemon cultivation in the district, only 22 hectares are currently yielding production. (RSS)</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19068', 'image' => '20231029063152_collage (3).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 06:29:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kojagrat Purnima being Observed ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal are observing the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) today as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal observed the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) on Saturday as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. People worship and pay homage to Mahalaxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, on this day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Bada Dashain festival formally ends with the marking of the Kojagrat Purnima--devotees offering worship to Mahalaxmi at their homes in the evening, and keeping vigil the whole night. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a belief that the goddess Mahalaxmi takes a trip around the world on the night of Kojagrat Purnima 'to check as to who is observing the vigil on this particular night'. As per this belief, the goddess of wealth blesses the people who are found observing the overnight vigil, according to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Since the ritual of giving and receiving Tika and Jamara of the Dashain festival also concludes on this day, the Jamara that is sprouted and anointed at the Dashainghar on the day of Ghatasthapana is disposed of as per the religious tradition today. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People also perform worship at the Swoyambhu Chaitya and observe the night vigil by lighting the lamps.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Also today, a partial lunar eclipse will occur tonight. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19067', 'image' => '20231028103710_kojag.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:36:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kathmandu Valley Witnesses 103 Incidents during Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Although there were sporadic incidents since Fulpati (the seventh day of Dashain on October 21) until October 27, there have not been any major criminal activities and incidents of thefts, robberies and road accidents, said Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. In terms of peace and security, this year's Dashain has concluded more amicably than in previous years. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the festival, the police had carried out monitoring by forming a special security plan and police in civil dress were deployed in the potential risky areas. Surveillance took place in all three districts using trained dogs and drones, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"No efforts were spared in the security arrangements. Police were mobilised in civil dress and even drones and dogs were used for surveillance. Dashain became peaceful as surveillance has been done by mobilising additional workforce. Now, there is a plan to continue surveillance until Chhath," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, sporadic incidents took place. A total of 103 incidents took place between October 21 and 27. Two people were killed and 118 others were injured in the incidents, said Mainali. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Among those incidents, 51 were related to road accidents killing one and injuring 73. According to the police, one person died and 13 others were injured in 13 incidents of fighting. Similarly, 10 incidents of theft took place and there were two incidents relating to the use of sharp weapons that left three people injured. Three gambling-related incidents took place and a total of 22 gamblers were arrested (seven from Kathmandu, 13 from Lalitpur and two from Bhaktapur). Around Rs 500,000 was confiscated from them, said the police. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19066', 'image' => '20231028102632_Kathmandu Valley.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:25:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Motorboat Service Resumes in Narayani River After Four-Month Closure', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 27: The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Typically, the monsoon forced a three-month closure from mid-June to mid-September (Asar to Bhadau). However, this year, the closure was extended due to a delayed monsoon, said Ashesh Malla, the chair of the Narayani Motorboat Entrepreneurs Association.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In recent times, the availability of motorboat services on the river has attracted a growing number of domestic tourists.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Approximately 2,000 people visit the riverbanks daily to enjoy a motorboat ride, with a higher number of visitors during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The motorboat service on the river was initiated in the year 2076 BS (2019-20) with only one motorboat. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At present, there are 32 registered motorboat companies, both large and small, with 19 of them already serving visitors.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service offers various packages and covers routes from the Narayani Bridge to Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park, Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park to Radha Krishna Temple in Gaidakot, Majuwa Tapu to Parijat Park, and from the Narayani Bridge to Devghat.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large motorboats can accommodate 18 to 25 passengers at once, while small motorboats can carry up to 12 passengers for shorter distances. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service charges are Rs 250 per person for the short route and Rs 1,500 for the long route.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bharatpur Metropolitan City imposes a 15% tax on the revenue generated from this service. (RSS) </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19065', 'image' => '20231027070932_collage (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 07:07:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '500 Megawatts of Electricity is being Wasted Every Day during Dashain', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about 500 megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the industries and factories that consume more electricity are shutdown during this time, the demand for electricity has decreased internally. Another reason is that the winter is yet to begin and the summer heat has ended in the Terai and there is not much use of electrical appliances at this period of year. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, electricity generation in the country is taking place without any hindrance as the flow of water in the rivers and stream is sufficient at the moment since the dry season has not yet started. The NEA, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects have been producing electricity at optimal condition.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2,200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity are currently being produced by the authority, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects. Out of that, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW is being consumed within the country, while about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">650</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity is being exported to India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Kulman Ghising, executive director of the NEA, said that since the electricity generated could not be consumed within the country and the NEA could not get approval from India for further export, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“Due to the festival of Dashain, domestic demand for electricity has decreased. Taking this situation into account, we had sent a proposal to the Central Electricity Authority of India seeking approval for exporting about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of surplus electricity. However, since we are yet to get the approval, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis since the day before Phulpati,” said Ghising, adding, “We are losing millions of rupees daily due to this. But, we are confident that we will get approval for exporting more electricity soon."</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA has been exporting surplus electricity to India during the rainy season. The NEA has been selling around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity to the Indian company NTPC Vidyut Vyar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) through competitive bids in the day-ahead market of IEX and under the medium-term power agreement. NVVN is selling the electricity purchased from Nepal in the state of Haryana.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority has received approval for the export of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">632</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW to India including </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">522</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity in the competitive market of India and </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW</span></span> <span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">to NVVN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA exported electricity worth Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">11.80</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> billion to India from mid-May to mid-October.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => 'electricity, wastage, Dashain, festival, Nepal, India, surplus', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19064', 'image' => '20231027064215_20231026111327_elec.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:41:18', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Commercial Paragliding Begins at Chandragiri', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Babu Adventures, the company owned by pilot Sanobabu Sunuwar, Nepal's first instructor of high altitude paragliding, has launched paragliding service at Chandragiri.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar is also the winner of the 'Adventures of Year-</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2012</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">' award from National Geography. He has flown all the way to the sea from the peak of Mount Everest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar says that the paragliding flight are being conducted from a spot </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">20</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes’ walk west from Bhaleshwar temple in Chandragiri. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The flight from Chandragiri (</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters) lands outside the valley at Chitlang, which is </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters above the sea level, while offering a wonderful view of beautiful scenery.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During the paragliding flight, one can observe the 'aerial view' of Bhaleshwar temple as well as most of the terrain of Kathmandu valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“From the flight, you can also see the terrain of Rasuwa and Dhading, and you can also have an attractive view of the man-made Indrasarovar Lake as well as Tistung, Palung of Makwanpur. When the weather is clear, the wide range of snow-capped mountains visible to the north will fascinate anyone,” says Sunuwar.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed New Business Age that his company can operate </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> paragliders at a time, as per the approval from the government. He added that up to a hundred people can be served per day.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar, who is running a paragliding school in Syangja, says that adventure tourism is possible all over Nepal and that they have invested in Chandragiri to give the valley dwellers the taste of flying in Kathmandu.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“There is a campaign to spread paragliding across Nepal. As the population density is high in Kathmandu, I am hopeful that its message can be spread quickly and effectively,” he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How much is the fee?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The company has fixed a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">8,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for paragliding at Chandragiri. It covers paragliding flight of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">15</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">25</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes, photos and videos as well as transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment is managed by the company itself. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed that foreign nationals have to pay a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for the same package.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepali tourists who do not wish to take the facility of traveling in the company's vehicle will be able to enjoy the paragliding flight by paying Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">7</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">,</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What should you be careful about?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is advisable to use a windproof jacket and dark sun glasses while going on a paragliding flight. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Also, it is better to wear shoes than sandals as you have to run during the take off.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19063', 'image' => '20231027064037_1698315264.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:38:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19333', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Locals Bearing Brunt of Dilapidated Condition of Mid-Hill Highway ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px">October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. <br /> Although the Baglung-Ghodabandhe section along the Mid-Hill Highway was opened two and a half decades ago, the road has yet to be blacktopped forcing locals to deal with the dusty road. <br /> The highway office had awarded the contract to two contractor companies to blacktop the 25-km section stretching from Upallochaur to Ghodabandhe. The project completion duration was set for two years. But seven years on, the project has yet to be completed. <br /> India-Siddhisai JV won the contract to blacktop the 13-km track from Upallochaur while Surya Construction Company was contracted for blacktopping the remaining 12-km from Bihun to Ghodabandhe. As of now, only seven kilometers of the 13 km track has been completed though the deadline was extended four times. Similarly, only six kilometers of the 12-km road section has been blacktopped despite the deadline being extended five times. <br /> The locals have been forced to face dusty road conditions for years due to the dillydallying in completing the project, complained Kedar Kandel, a local.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">“It has been years since the project started. But nothing has changed. Now, there is bulky dust on the road and the road is muddy during the rainy season,” he said. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19062', 'image' => '20231027063834_map.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:36:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'DSP Tiwari Injured in a Scuffle with Kidnapper ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Mentally retarded Kushal Thapa held the police officer’s son hostage in his house and threatened his family members to kill the newborn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The family members reported the incident to the police. In the process to rescue the child, Tiwari, who is the head of the Area Police Office, was injured when Thapa attacked him with a knife. DSP Tiwari has sustained cuts in his right elbow, said spokesperson for the District Police Office, Narayan Dangi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The incident took place at around 11 pm on Thursday night. Right after being informed, a team from the Area Police Office reached the incident site and started the rescue operation. In the process, Tiwari tried to make Thapa understand about the situation from outside the locked room, but in vain. Later, the police team broke open the room and rescued the newborn. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19061', 'image' => '20231027010150_nepal police.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 13:00:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19330', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Everest Bank’s Chairman BK Shrestha Passes Away', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha died while undergoing treatment at Medicity Hospital on Tuesday evening.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha had been the chairman of the bank since 2054 BS. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19057', 'image' => '20231026104953_1698317186.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 22:49:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19328', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manang Air's Pilot Dies during Treatment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. He was being treated at the National Burn Centre in Mumbai, India. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Manang Air's manager Raju Neupane said Sedhain died on October 25 in course of treatment at the National Burn Centre, Mumbai. He was taken to Mumbai for advanced treatment as he could not be treated in Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the centre, Sedhain sustained 45 to 50 percent burn injuries to his body, including his face and limbs. The Manang Air chopper with the call sign 9N-ANJ had crashed at Lobuche of Solukhumbu during a rescue operation. There was no one except the pilot on board the ill-fated helicopter. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19056', 'image' => '20231026103638_20230716022140_20230711121204_Manang-Air-27-1024x683.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19327', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manakamana Cable Car Back into Regular Operation ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cable car service, which was closed on October 23, 24 and 25 for the Dashain festival holiday, has been resumed from October 26, said Ujjwal Sherchan, deputy manager of Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the cable car service. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Manakamana Cable Car service was established in 2055 BS. The cable car service is operated from Kurintar at Ichhakamana-4, Chitwan to the Manakamana Temple, a famous pilgrimage site at Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorakha. The journey, which earlier used to take hours if not days, has been reduced to a 10-minute ride after the operation of the cable car. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19055', 'image' => '20231026102820_20211223031728_manakamana-Cablecar.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:27:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19326', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Israel-Hamas War A Blow to Global Economy: WB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 26: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you're seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza. At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious," he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"I think we're at a very dangerous juncture," he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He said that geopolitical tensions pose the biggest threat to the world economy. He, however, said economic risks "tend to move around" fast and shouldn't be ignored.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He used an example from the United States to illustrate his point.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"The US 10-year Treasury (yield) just crossed 5% briefly yesterday, these are areas we haven't seen. So yes, that is right there lurking in the shadows," Banga said in Riyadh.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 7, Hamas terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed 1400 people, including women and children. They have been holding 222 people hostage.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In retaliatory air strikes, over 5000 Palestinians have died. (Agencies)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19054', 'image' => '20231026074948_collage.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 07:47:15', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19325', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Continue Visiting Relatives to Receive Tika and Blessings on the Second Day of Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This trend continues until the day of Kojagrat Purnima, the fifth day from the day of Bijaya Dashami. This year, the Kojagrat Purnima falls on October 28 as per the lunar calendar. People observed the Bijaya Dashami on Tuesday. On the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, people receive tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their parents and elders in their family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tike is a mixture of red vermillion powder, curd and rice grains that the seniors put on the forehead of the junior members of the family. Jamara is the barley or maize shoots that are germinated on the day of Ghatasthapana of the 10-day Dashain festivities while prasad includes the fruits, sweets, dry fruits, cookies and other delicacies that are offered to the Goddess Nawa Durga. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tika symbolizes victory and good omen, jamara is considered auspicious and prasad is taken as the sanctified edibles gifted by the goddess. The people eat the prasad after receiving the tika and jamara along with blessings from the elders in the family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People who could not make it on the first day of Bada Dashain visit the homes of their senior relatives until the Kojagrat Purnima. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The federal capital saw very little movement of people and activities for some days during the Dashain festival as many people left for their ancestral homes. The valley will see somewhat increased movement of people from today onwards. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-25', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19053', 'image' => '20231025014439_395233515_2668785109986585_3076487206744841317_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-25 13:44:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19324', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepalese Celebrate Bijaya Dashami ', 'sub_title' => 'The Auspicious Time for Receiving ‘Tika’ and Blessings this Year is 11: 02 AM ', 'summary' => 'October 24: Today is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">October 24: Today (October 24) is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">People from far and away return home to celebrate this festival which spans over 15 days on the bright half of the lunar calendar in the Nepali month of Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). This year, however, the festival was delayed by a few weeks as per the lunar calendar. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On this day, devotees worship Goddess Bhavani Siddhi Datri, who is considered the embodiment of victory. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">This day is celebrated as the day of victory of good over the evil.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Holy texts mention that Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world, invoked Goddess Siddhi Datri on this day and acquired the form of the all-powerful Ardha-nareshwar, which means half male and half female.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It is also said that Lord Vishnu, during his incarnation as Lord Ram, worshipped various forms of Goddess Bhavani during the nine nights of Dashain to obtain blessings to defeat the demon king Ravan.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The goddesses which are invoked during the first nine days of the festival are bade farewell on the tenth day. With the end of worshipping begins merrymaking. People celebrate the festival for the next five days until the full moon day. They visit their near and dear ones to pay respect.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Elderly people give blessings of longevity to the younger members of the family.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, the auspicious time for receiving ‘tika’ and blessings this year is 11: 02 am. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">One of the special features of the Dashain festival is the swing. People, especially children, play swing during this festival. There is a belief that one must leave the ground at least once in a year and therefor the Hindus of Nepal opt to play swing as per this belief.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Children also fly kite during the Dashain festival. Culture experts interpret it as a symbolic message to Lord Indra, the God of rain and good harvest, to stop rainfall.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-24', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19052', 'image' => '20231024091156_20231015111340_20220918023227_maxresdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-24 09:10:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN Secretary-General Guterres Arrives in Kathmandu ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud greeted the UN Secretary-General at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Sunday. Others present on the occasion were high ranking officials of the Government of Nepal and representatives of the UN Office in Nepal. The Nepalese Army offered a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres' visit to Nepal took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President and PM Dahal at the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The secretary-general will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Following the meetings, he will observe the Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honour of Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In course of his visit, the Secretary-General will travel to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres, who is scheduled to visit Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN secretary-general in 2017, will discuss the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level visit of the UN secretary-general after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19069', 'image' => '20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 09:52:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Baglung Farmers Likely to Incur Heavy Loss Due to Fungus in Lemon Plants', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">October 29: Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Over the past two months, thousands of lemon plants cultivated by hundreds of farmers have begun to wither away, causing considerable concern among the local farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">If left unchecked, this outbreak could result in substantial financial losses for the affected farmers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Kumar Pun Magar, the information officer for the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung, said that the fungus is the root cause behind the widespread deterioration of lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The telltale sign of this affliction is the drying and eventual death of the tips of lemon plant leaves. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">To mitigate the damage, Magar suggests that farmers should promptly remove and discard the affected, dried-up plants to salvage the remaining healthy ones. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He emphasizes that seeking technical advice is crucial to prevent the fungus from taking hold, as it primarily targets lemon plants.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Magar elaborates, "The fungus leads to the demise of lemon branches, and farmers need to remain vigilant to combat this issue. Timely pruning of the drying branches is essential. This problem has primarily affected the Nisikhola area and its surroundings within the district."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Nar Bahadur Budha Magar, who has planted a total of 60 lemon plants in Nisikhola, is among those grappling with the fungus infestation. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He's already lost 34 of his lemon plants, causing ripe lemon fruits to fall prematurely during the harvest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Even the lemon plants he had nurtured for a year succumbed to the disease. Budha Magar had ventured into commercial lemon cultivation two years ago and anticipates a substantial loss of around Rs 200,000 due to the damage to his lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He recounts, "There were lemon trees planted six to seven years ago in the garden. Initially, the branches of those trees began to die, and later the problem spread to other smaller plants. If this continues, my substantial investment will be in jeopardy."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Purna Bahadur Chhetri, another local farmer, is also grappling with the spreading disease. Out of the 90 lemon plants he had cultivated, 70 are now affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Chhetri has been proactive in cutting the dried branches as soon as they show signs of infestation. This issue did not arise in his lemon plants the previous year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung reports that of the 45 hectares of land allocated for lemon cultivation in the district, only 22 hectares are currently yielding production. (RSS)</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19068', 'image' => '20231029063152_collage (3).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 06:29:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kojagrat Purnima being Observed ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal are observing the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) today as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal observed the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) on Saturday as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. People worship and pay homage to Mahalaxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, on this day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Bada Dashain festival formally ends with the marking of the Kojagrat Purnima--devotees offering worship to Mahalaxmi at their homes in the evening, and keeping vigil the whole night. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a belief that the goddess Mahalaxmi takes a trip around the world on the night of Kojagrat Purnima 'to check as to who is observing the vigil on this particular night'. As per this belief, the goddess of wealth blesses the people who are found observing the overnight vigil, according to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Since the ritual of giving and receiving Tika and Jamara of the Dashain festival also concludes on this day, the Jamara that is sprouted and anointed at the Dashainghar on the day of Ghatasthapana is disposed of as per the religious tradition today. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People also perform worship at the Swoyambhu Chaitya and observe the night vigil by lighting the lamps.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Also today, a partial lunar eclipse will occur tonight. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19067', 'image' => '20231028103710_kojag.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:36:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kathmandu Valley Witnesses 103 Incidents during Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Although there were sporadic incidents since Fulpati (the seventh day of Dashain on October 21) until October 27, there have not been any major criminal activities and incidents of thefts, robberies and road accidents, said Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. In terms of peace and security, this year's Dashain has concluded more amicably than in previous years. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the festival, the police had carried out monitoring by forming a special security plan and police in civil dress were deployed in the potential risky areas. Surveillance took place in all three districts using trained dogs and drones, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"No efforts were spared in the security arrangements. Police were mobilised in civil dress and even drones and dogs were used for surveillance. Dashain became peaceful as surveillance has been done by mobilising additional workforce. Now, there is a plan to continue surveillance until Chhath," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, sporadic incidents took place. A total of 103 incidents took place between October 21 and 27. Two people were killed and 118 others were injured in the incidents, said Mainali. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Among those incidents, 51 were related to road accidents killing one and injuring 73. According to the police, one person died and 13 others were injured in 13 incidents of fighting. Similarly, 10 incidents of theft took place and there were two incidents relating to the use of sharp weapons that left three people injured. Three gambling-related incidents took place and a total of 22 gamblers were arrested (seven from Kathmandu, 13 from Lalitpur and two from Bhaktapur). Around Rs 500,000 was confiscated from them, said the police. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19066', 'image' => '20231028102632_Kathmandu Valley.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:25:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Motorboat Service Resumes in Narayani River After Four-Month Closure', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 27: The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Typically, the monsoon forced a three-month closure from mid-June to mid-September (Asar to Bhadau). However, this year, the closure was extended due to a delayed monsoon, said Ashesh Malla, the chair of the Narayani Motorboat Entrepreneurs Association.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In recent times, the availability of motorboat services on the river has attracted a growing number of domestic tourists.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Approximately 2,000 people visit the riverbanks daily to enjoy a motorboat ride, with a higher number of visitors during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The motorboat service on the river was initiated in the year 2076 BS (2019-20) with only one motorboat. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At present, there are 32 registered motorboat companies, both large and small, with 19 of them already serving visitors.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service offers various packages and covers routes from the Narayani Bridge to Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park, Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park to Radha Krishna Temple in Gaidakot, Majuwa Tapu to Parijat Park, and from the Narayani Bridge to Devghat.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large motorboats can accommodate 18 to 25 passengers at once, while small motorboats can carry up to 12 passengers for shorter distances. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service charges are Rs 250 per person for the short route and Rs 1,500 for the long route.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bharatpur Metropolitan City imposes a 15% tax on the revenue generated from this service. (RSS) </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19065', 'image' => '20231027070932_collage (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 07:07:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '500 Megawatts of Electricity is being Wasted Every Day during Dashain', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about 500 megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the industries and factories that consume more electricity are shutdown during this time, the demand for electricity has decreased internally. Another reason is that the winter is yet to begin and the summer heat has ended in the Terai and there is not much use of electrical appliances at this period of year. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, electricity generation in the country is taking place without any hindrance as the flow of water in the rivers and stream is sufficient at the moment since the dry season has not yet started. The NEA, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects have been producing electricity at optimal condition.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2,200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity are currently being produced by the authority, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects. Out of that, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW is being consumed within the country, while about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">650</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity is being exported to India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Kulman Ghising, executive director of the NEA, said that since the electricity generated could not be consumed within the country and the NEA could not get approval from India for further export, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“Due to the festival of Dashain, domestic demand for electricity has decreased. Taking this situation into account, we had sent a proposal to the Central Electricity Authority of India seeking approval for exporting about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of surplus electricity. However, since we are yet to get the approval, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis since the day before Phulpati,” said Ghising, adding, “We are losing millions of rupees daily due to this. But, we are confident that we will get approval for exporting more electricity soon."</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA has been exporting surplus electricity to India during the rainy season. The NEA has been selling around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity to the Indian company NTPC Vidyut Vyar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) through competitive bids in the day-ahead market of IEX and under the medium-term power agreement. NVVN is selling the electricity purchased from Nepal in the state of Haryana.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority has received approval for the export of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">632</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW to India including </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">522</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity in the competitive market of India and </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW</span></span> <span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">to NVVN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA exported electricity worth Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">11.80</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> billion to India from mid-May to mid-October.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => 'electricity, wastage, Dashain, festival, Nepal, India, surplus', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19064', 'image' => '20231027064215_20231026111327_elec.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:41:18', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Commercial Paragliding Begins at Chandragiri', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Babu Adventures, the company owned by pilot Sanobabu Sunuwar, Nepal's first instructor of high altitude paragliding, has launched paragliding service at Chandragiri.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar is also the winner of the 'Adventures of Year-</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2012</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">' award from National Geography. He has flown all the way to the sea from the peak of Mount Everest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar says that the paragliding flight are being conducted from a spot </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">20</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes’ walk west from Bhaleshwar temple in Chandragiri. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The flight from Chandragiri (</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters) lands outside the valley at Chitlang, which is </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters above the sea level, while offering a wonderful view of beautiful scenery.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During the paragliding flight, one can observe the 'aerial view' of Bhaleshwar temple as well as most of the terrain of Kathmandu valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“From the flight, you can also see the terrain of Rasuwa and Dhading, and you can also have an attractive view of the man-made Indrasarovar Lake as well as Tistung, Palung of Makwanpur. When the weather is clear, the wide range of snow-capped mountains visible to the north will fascinate anyone,” says Sunuwar.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed New Business Age that his company can operate </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> paragliders at a time, as per the approval from the government. He added that up to a hundred people can be served per day.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar, who is running a paragliding school in Syangja, says that adventure tourism is possible all over Nepal and that they have invested in Chandragiri to give the valley dwellers the taste of flying in Kathmandu.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“There is a campaign to spread paragliding across Nepal. As the population density is high in Kathmandu, I am hopeful that its message can be spread quickly and effectively,” he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How much is the fee?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The company has fixed a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">8,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for paragliding at Chandragiri. It covers paragliding flight of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">15</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">25</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes, photos and videos as well as transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment is managed by the company itself. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed that foreign nationals have to pay a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for the same package.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepali tourists who do not wish to take the facility of traveling in the company's vehicle will be able to enjoy the paragliding flight by paying Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">7</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">,</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What should you be careful about?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is advisable to use a windproof jacket and dark sun glasses while going on a paragliding flight. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Also, it is better to wear shoes than sandals as you have to run during the take off.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19063', 'image' => '20231027064037_1698315264.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:38:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19333', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Locals Bearing Brunt of Dilapidated Condition of Mid-Hill Highway ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px">October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. <br /> Although the Baglung-Ghodabandhe section along the Mid-Hill Highway was opened two and a half decades ago, the road has yet to be blacktopped forcing locals to deal with the dusty road. <br /> The highway office had awarded the contract to two contractor companies to blacktop the 25-km section stretching from Upallochaur to Ghodabandhe. The project completion duration was set for two years. But seven years on, the project has yet to be completed. <br /> India-Siddhisai JV won the contract to blacktop the 13-km track from Upallochaur while Surya Construction Company was contracted for blacktopping the remaining 12-km from Bihun to Ghodabandhe. As of now, only seven kilometers of the 13 km track has been completed though the deadline was extended four times. Similarly, only six kilometers of the 12-km road section has been blacktopped despite the deadline being extended five times. <br /> The locals have been forced to face dusty road conditions for years due to the dillydallying in completing the project, complained Kedar Kandel, a local.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">“It has been years since the project started. But nothing has changed. Now, there is bulky dust on the road and the road is muddy during the rainy season,” he said. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19062', 'image' => '20231027063834_map.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:36:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'DSP Tiwari Injured in a Scuffle with Kidnapper ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Mentally retarded Kushal Thapa held the police officer’s son hostage in his house and threatened his family members to kill the newborn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The family members reported the incident to the police. In the process to rescue the child, Tiwari, who is the head of the Area Police Office, was injured when Thapa attacked him with a knife. DSP Tiwari has sustained cuts in his right elbow, said spokesperson for the District Police Office, Narayan Dangi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The incident took place at around 11 pm on Thursday night. Right after being informed, a team from the Area Police Office reached the incident site and started the rescue operation. In the process, Tiwari tried to make Thapa understand about the situation from outside the locked room, but in vain. Later, the police team broke open the room and rescued the newborn. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19061', 'image' => '20231027010150_nepal police.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 13:00:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19330', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Everest Bank’s Chairman BK Shrestha Passes Away', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha died while undergoing treatment at Medicity Hospital on Tuesday evening.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha had been the chairman of the bank since 2054 BS. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19057', 'image' => '20231026104953_1698317186.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 22:49:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19328', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manang Air's Pilot Dies during Treatment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. He was being treated at the National Burn Centre in Mumbai, India. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Manang Air's manager Raju Neupane said Sedhain died on October 25 in course of treatment at the National Burn Centre, Mumbai. He was taken to Mumbai for advanced treatment as he could not be treated in Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the centre, Sedhain sustained 45 to 50 percent burn injuries to his body, including his face and limbs. The Manang Air chopper with the call sign 9N-ANJ had crashed at Lobuche of Solukhumbu during a rescue operation. There was no one except the pilot on board the ill-fated helicopter. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19056', 'image' => '20231026103638_20230716022140_20230711121204_Manang-Air-27-1024x683.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19327', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manakamana Cable Car Back into Regular Operation ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cable car service, which was closed on October 23, 24 and 25 for the Dashain festival holiday, has been resumed from October 26, said Ujjwal Sherchan, deputy manager of Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the cable car service. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Manakamana Cable Car service was established in 2055 BS. The cable car service is operated from Kurintar at Ichhakamana-4, Chitwan to the Manakamana Temple, a famous pilgrimage site at Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorakha. The journey, which earlier used to take hours if not days, has been reduced to a 10-minute ride after the operation of the cable car. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19055', 'image' => '20231026102820_20211223031728_manakamana-Cablecar.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:27:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19326', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Israel-Hamas War A Blow to Global Economy: WB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 26: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you're seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza. At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious," he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"I think we're at a very dangerous juncture," he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He said that geopolitical tensions pose the biggest threat to the world economy. He, however, said economic risks "tend to move around" fast and shouldn't be ignored.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He used an example from the United States to illustrate his point.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"The US 10-year Treasury (yield) just crossed 5% briefly yesterday, these are areas we haven't seen. So yes, that is right there lurking in the shadows," Banga said in Riyadh.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 7, Hamas terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed 1400 people, including women and children. They have been holding 222 people hostage.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In retaliatory air strikes, over 5000 Palestinians have died. (Agencies)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19054', 'image' => '20231026074948_collage.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 07:47:15', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19325', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Continue Visiting Relatives to Receive Tika and Blessings on the Second Day of Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This trend continues until the day of Kojagrat Purnima, the fifth day from the day of Bijaya Dashami. This year, the Kojagrat Purnima falls on October 28 as per the lunar calendar. People observed the Bijaya Dashami on Tuesday. On the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, people receive tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their parents and elders in their family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tike is a mixture of red vermillion powder, curd and rice grains that the seniors put on the forehead of the junior members of the family. Jamara is the barley or maize shoots that are germinated on the day of Ghatasthapana of the 10-day Dashain festivities while prasad includes the fruits, sweets, dry fruits, cookies and other delicacies that are offered to the Goddess Nawa Durga. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tika symbolizes victory and good omen, jamara is considered auspicious and prasad is taken as the sanctified edibles gifted by the goddess. The people eat the prasad after receiving the tika and jamara along with blessings from the elders in the family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People who could not make it on the first day of Bada Dashain visit the homes of their senior relatives until the Kojagrat Purnima. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The federal capital saw very little movement of people and activities for some days during the Dashain festival as many people left for their ancestral homes. The valley will see somewhat increased movement of people from today onwards. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-25', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19053', 'image' => '20231025014439_395233515_2668785109986585_3076487206744841317_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-25 13:44:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19324', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepalese Celebrate Bijaya Dashami ', 'sub_title' => 'The Auspicious Time for Receiving ‘Tika’ and Blessings this Year is 11: 02 AM ', 'summary' => 'October 24: Today is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">October 24: Today (October 24) is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">People from far and away return home to celebrate this festival which spans over 15 days on the bright half of the lunar calendar in the Nepali month of Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). This year, however, the festival was delayed by a few weeks as per the lunar calendar. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On this day, devotees worship Goddess Bhavani Siddhi Datri, who is considered the embodiment of victory. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">This day is celebrated as the day of victory of good over the evil.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Holy texts mention that Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world, invoked Goddess Siddhi Datri on this day and acquired the form of the all-powerful Ardha-nareshwar, which means half male and half female.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It is also said that Lord Vishnu, during his incarnation as Lord Ram, worshipped various forms of Goddess Bhavani during the nine nights of Dashain to obtain blessings to defeat the demon king Ravan.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The goddesses which are invoked during the first nine days of the festival are bade farewell on the tenth day. With the end of worshipping begins merrymaking. People celebrate the festival for the next five days until the full moon day. They visit their near and dear ones to pay respect.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Elderly people give blessings of longevity to the younger members of the family.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, the auspicious time for receiving ‘tika’ and blessings this year is 11: 02 am. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">One of the special features of the Dashain festival is the swing. People, especially children, play swing during this festival. There is a belief that one must leave the ground at least once in a year and therefor the Hindus of Nepal opt to play swing as per this belief.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Children also fly kite during the Dashain festival. Culture experts interpret it as a symbolic message to Lord Indra, the God of rain and good harvest, to stop rainfall.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-24', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19052', 'image' => '20231024091156_20231015111340_20220918023227_maxresdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-24 09:10:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19341', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN Secretary-General Guterres Arrives in Kathmandu ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud greeted the UN Secretary-General at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Sunday. Others present on the occasion were high ranking officials of the Government of Nepal and representatives of the UN Office in Nepal. The Nepalese Army offered a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres' visit to Nepal took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President and PM Dahal at the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The secretary-general will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Following the meetings, he will observe the Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honour of Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In course of his visit, the Secretary-General will travel to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres, who is scheduled to visit Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN secretary-general in 2017, will discuss the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level visit of the UN secretary-general after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19069', 'image' => '20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 09:52:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Baglung Farmers Likely to Incur Heavy Loss Due to Fungus in Lemon Plants', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">October 29: Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Over the past two months, thousands of lemon plants cultivated by hundreds of farmers have begun to wither away, causing considerable concern among the local farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">If left unchecked, this outbreak could result in substantial financial losses for the affected farmers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Kumar Pun Magar, the information officer for the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung, said that the fungus is the root cause behind the widespread deterioration of lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The telltale sign of this affliction is the drying and eventual death of the tips of lemon plant leaves. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">To mitigate the damage, Magar suggests that farmers should promptly remove and discard the affected, dried-up plants to salvage the remaining healthy ones. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He emphasizes that seeking technical advice is crucial to prevent the fungus from taking hold, as it primarily targets lemon plants.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Magar elaborates, "The fungus leads to the demise of lemon branches, and farmers need to remain vigilant to combat this issue. Timely pruning of the drying branches is essential. This problem has primarily affected the Nisikhola area and its surroundings within the district."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Nar Bahadur Budha Magar, who has planted a total of 60 lemon plants in Nisikhola, is among those grappling with the fungus infestation. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He's already lost 34 of his lemon plants, causing ripe lemon fruits to fall prematurely during the harvest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Even the lemon plants he had nurtured for a year succumbed to the disease. Budha Magar had ventured into commercial lemon cultivation two years ago and anticipates a substantial loss of around Rs 200,000 due to the damage to his lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He recounts, "There were lemon trees planted six to seven years ago in the garden. Initially, the branches of those trees began to die, and later the problem spread to other smaller plants. If this continues, my substantial investment will be in jeopardy."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Purna Bahadur Chhetri, another local farmer, is also grappling with the spreading disease. Out of the 90 lemon plants he had cultivated, 70 are now affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Chhetri has been proactive in cutting the dried branches as soon as they show signs of infestation. This issue did not arise in his lemon plants the previous year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung reports that of the 45 hectares of land allocated for lemon cultivation in the district, only 22 hectares are currently yielding production. (RSS)</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19068', 'image' => '20231029063152_collage (3).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 06:29:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kojagrat Purnima being Observed ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal are observing the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) today as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal observed the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) on Saturday as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. People worship and pay homage to Mahalaxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, on this day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Bada Dashain festival formally ends with the marking of the Kojagrat Purnima--devotees offering worship to Mahalaxmi at their homes in the evening, and keeping vigil the whole night. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a belief that the goddess Mahalaxmi takes a trip around the world on the night of Kojagrat Purnima 'to check as to who is observing the vigil on this particular night'. As per this belief, the goddess of wealth blesses the people who are found observing the overnight vigil, according to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Since the ritual of giving and receiving Tika and Jamara of the Dashain festival also concludes on this day, the Jamara that is sprouted and anointed at the Dashainghar on the day of Ghatasthapana is disposed of as per the religious tradition today. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People also perform worship at the Swoyambhu Chaitya and observe the night vigil by lighting the lamps.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Also today, a partial lunar eclipse will occur tonight. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19067', 'image' => '20231028103710_kojag.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:36:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kathmandu Valley Witnesses 103 Incidents during Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Although there were sporadic incidents since Fulpati (the seventh day of Dashain on October 21) until October 27, there have not been any major criminal activities and incidents of thefts, robberies and road accidents, said Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. In terms of peace and security, this year's Dashain has concluded more amicably than in previous years. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the festival, the police had carried out monitoring by forming a special security plan and police in civil dress were deployed in the potential risky areas. Surveillance took place in all three districts using trained dogs and drones, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"No efforts were spared in the security arrangements. Police were mobilised in civil dress and even drones and dogs were used for surveillance. Dashain became peaceful as surveillance has been done by mobilising additional workforce. Now, there is a plan to continue surveillance until Chhath," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, sporadic incidents took place. A total of 103 incidents took place between October 21 and 27. Two people were killed and 118 others were injured in the incidents, said Mainali. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Among those incidents, 51 were related to road accidents killing one and injuring 73. According to the police, one person died and 13 others were injured in 13 incidents of fighting. Similarly, 10 incidents of theft took place and there were two incidents relating to the use of sharp weapons that left three people injured. Three gambling-related incidents took place and a total of 22 gamblers were arrested (seven from Kathmandu, 13 from Lalitpur and two from Bhaktapur). Around Rs 500,000 was confiscated from them, said the police. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19066', 'image' => '20231028102632_Kathmandu Valley.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:25:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Motorboat Service Resumes in Narayani River After Four-Month Closure', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 27: The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Typically, the monsoon forced a three-month closure from mid-June to mid-September (Asar to Bhadau). However, this year, the closure was extended due to a delayed monsoon, said Ashesh Malla, the chair of the Narayani Motorboat Entrepreneurs Association.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In recent times, the availability of motorboat services on the river has attracted a growing number of domestic tourists.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Approximately 2,000 people visit the riverbanks daily to enjoy a motorboat ride, with a higher number of visitors during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The motorboat service on the river was initiated in the year 2076 BS (2019-20) with only one motorboat. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At present, there are 32 registered motorboat companies, both large and small, with 19 of them already serving visitors.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service offers various packages and covers routes from the Narayani Bridge to Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park, Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park to Radha Krishna Temple in Gaidakot, Majuwa Tapu to Parijat Park, and from the Narayani Bridge to Devghat.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large motorboats can accommodate 18 to 25 passengers at once, while small motorboats can carry up to 12 passengers for shorter distances. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service charges are Rs 250 per person for the short route and Rs 1,500 for the long route.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bharatpur Metropolitan City imposes a 15% tax on the revenue generated from this service. (RSS) </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19065', 'image' => '20231027070932_collage (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 07:07:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '500 Megawatts of Electricity is being Wasted Every Day during Dashain', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about 500 megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the industries and factories that consume more electricity are shutdown during this time, the demand for electricity has decreased internally. Another reason is that the winter is yet to begin and the summer heat has ended in the Terai and there is not much use of electrical appliances at this period of year. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, electricity generation in the country is taking place without any hindrance as the flow of water in the rivers and stream is sufficient at the moment since the dry season has not yet started. The NEA, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects have been producing electricity at optimal condition.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2,200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity are currently being produced by the authority, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects. Out of that, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW is being consumed within the country, while about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">650</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity is being exported to India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Kulman Ghising, executive director of the NEA, said that since the electricity generated could not be consumed within the country and the NEA could not get approval from India for further export, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“Due to the festival of Dashain, domestic demand for electricity has decreased. Taking this situation into account, we had sent a proposal to the Central Electricity Authority of India seeking approval for exporting about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of surplus electricity. However, since we are yet to get the approval, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis since the day before Phulpati,” said Ghising, adding, “We are losing millions of rupees daily due to this. But, we are confident that we will get approval for exporting more electricity soon."</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA has been exporting surplus electricity to India during the rainy season. The NEA has been selling around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity to the Indian company NTPC Vidyut Vyar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) through competitive bids in the day-ahead market of IEX and under the medium-term power agreement. NVVN is selling the electricity purchased from Nepal in the state of Haryana.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority has received approval for the export of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">632</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW to India including </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">522</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity in the competitive market of India and </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW</span></span> <span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">to NVVN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA exported electricity worth Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">11.80</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> billion to India from mid-May to mid-October.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => 'electricity, wastage, Dashain, festival, Nepal, India, surplus', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19064', 'image' => '20231027064215_20231026111327_elec.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:41:18', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Commercial Paragliding Begins at Chandragiri', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Babu Adventures, the company owned by pilot Sanobabu Sunuwar, Nepal's first instructor of high altitude paragliding, has launched paragliding service at Chandragiri.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar is also the winner of the 'Adventures of Year-</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2012</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">' award from National Geography. He has flown all the way to the sea from the peak of Mount Everest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar says that the paragliding flight are being conducted from a spot </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">20</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes’ walk west from Bhaleshwar temple in Chandragiri. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The flight from Chandragiri (</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters) lands outside the valley at Chitlang, which is </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters above the sea level, while offering a wonderful view of beautiful scenery.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During the paragliding flight, one can observe the 'aerial view' of Bhaleshwar temple as well as most of the terrain of Kathmandu valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“From the flight, you can also see the terrain of Rasuwa and Dhading, and you can also have an attractive view of the man-made Indrasarovar Lake as well as Tistung, Palung of Makwanpur. When the weather is clear, the wide range of snow-capped mountains visible to the north will fascinate anyone,” says Sunuwar.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed New Business Age that his company can operate </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> paragliders at a time, as per the approval from the government. He added that up to a hundred people can be served per day.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar, who is running a paragliding school in Syangja, says that adventure tourism is possible all over Nepal and that they have invested in Chandragiri to give the valley dwellers the taste of flying in Kathmandu.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“There is a campaign to spread paragliding across Nepal. As the population density is high in Kathmandu, I am hopeful that its message can be spread quickly and effectively,” he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How much is the fee?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The company has fixed a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">8,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for paragliding at Chandragiri. It covers paragliding flight of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">15</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">25</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes, photos and videos as well as transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment is managed by the company itself. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed that foreign nationals have to pay a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for the same package.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepali tourists who do not wish to take the facility of traveling in the company's vehicle will be able to enjoy the paragliding flight by paying Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">7</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">,</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What should you be careful about?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is advisable to use a windproof jacket and dark sun glasses while going on a paragliding flight. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Also, it is better to wear shoes than sandals as you have to run during the take off.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19063', 'image' => '20231027064037_1698315264.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:38:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19333', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Locals Bearing Brunt of Dilapidated Condition of Mid-Hill Highway ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px">October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. <br /> Although the Baglung-Ghodabandhe section along the Mid-Hill Highway was opened two and a half decades ago, the road has yet to be blacktopped forcing locals to deal with the dusty road. <br /> The highway office had awarded the contract to two contractor companies to blacktop the 25-km section stretching from Upallochaur to Ghodabandhe. The project completion duration was set for two years. But seven years on, the project has yet to be completed. <br /> India-Siddhisai JV won the contract to blacktop the 13-km track from Upallochaur while Surya Construction Company was contracted for blacktopping the remaining 12-km from Bihun to Ghodabandhe. As of now, only seven kilometers of the 13 km track has been completed though the deadline was extended four times. Similarly, only six kilometers of the 12-km road section has been blacktopped despite the deadline being extended five times. <br /> The locals have been forced to face dusty road conditions for years due to the dillydallying in completing the project, complained Kedar Kandel, a local.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">“It has been years since the project started. But nothing has changed. Now, there is bulky dust on the road and the road is muddy during the rainy season,” he said. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19062', 'image' => '20231027063834_map.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:36:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'DSP Tiwari Injured in a Scuffle with Kidnapper ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Mentally retarded Kushal Thapa held the police officer’s son hostage in his house and threatened his family members to kill the newborn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The family members reported the incident to the police. In the process to rescue the child, Tiwari, who is the head of the Area Police Office, was injured when Thapa attacked him with a knife. DSP Tiwari has sustained cuts in his right elbow, said spokesperson for the District Police Office, Narayan Dangi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The incident took place at around 11 pm on Thursday night. Right after being informed, a team from the Area Police Office reached the incident site and started the rescue operation. In the process, Tiwari tried to make Thapa understand about the situation from outside the locked room, but in vain. Later, the police team broke open the room and rescued the newborn. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19061', 'image' => '20231027010150_nepal police.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 13:00:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19330', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Everest Bank’s Chairman BK Shrestha Passes Away', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha died while undergoing treatment at Medicity Hospital on Tuesday evening.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha had been the chairman of the bank since 2054 BS. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19057', 'image' => '20231026104953_1698317186.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 22:49:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19328', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manang Air's Pilot Dies during Treatment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. He was being treated at the National Burn Centre in Mumbai, India. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Manang Air's manager Raju Neupane said Sedhain died on October 25 in course of treatment at the National Burn Centre, Mumbai. He was taken to Mumbai for advanced treatment as he could not be treated in Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the centre, Sedhain sustained 45 to 50 percent burn injuries to his body, including his face and limbs. The Manang Air chopper with the call sign 9N-ANJ had crashed at Lobuche of Solukhumbu during a rescue operation. There was no one except the pilot on board the ill-fated helicopter. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19056', 'image' => '20231026103638_20230716022140_20230711121204_Manang-Air-27-1024x683.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19327', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manakamana Cable Car Back into Regular Operation ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cable car service, which was closed on October 23, 24 and 25 for the Dashain festival holiday, has been resumed from October 26, said Ujjwal Sherchan, deputy manager of Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the cable car service. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Manakamana Cable Car service was established in 2055 BS. The cable car service is operated from Kurintar at Ichhakamana-4, Chitwan to the Manakamana Temple, a famous pilgrimage site at Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorakha. The journey, which earlier used to take hours if not days, has been reduced to a 10-minute ride after the operation of the cable car. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19055', 'image' => '20231026102820_20211223031728_manakamana-Cablecar.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:27:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19326', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Israel-Hamas War A Blow to Global Economy: WB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 26: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you're seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza. At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious," he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"I think we're at a very dangerous juncture," he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He said that geopolitical tensions pose the biggest threat to the world economy. He, however, said economic risks "tend to move around" fast and shouldn't be ignored.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He used an example from the United States to illustrate his point.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"The US 10-year Treasury (yield) just crossed 5% briefly yesterday, these are areas we haven't seen. So yes, that is right there lurking in the shadows," Banga said in Riyadh.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 7, Hamas terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed 1400 people, including women and children. They have been holding 222 people hostage.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In retaliatory air strikes, over 5000 Palestinians have died. (Agencies)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19054', 'image' => '20231026074948_collage.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 07:47:15', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19325', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Continue Visiting Relatives to Receive Tika and Blessings on the Second Day of Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This trend continues until the day of Kojagrat Purnima, the fifth day from the day of Bijaya Dashami. This year, the Kojagrat Purnima falls on October 28 as per the lunar calendar. People observed the Bijaya Dashami on Tuesday. On the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, people receive tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their parents and elders in their family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tike is a mixture of red vermillion powder, curd and rice grains that the seniors put on the forehead of the junior members of the family. Jamara is the barley or maize shoots that are germinated on the day of Ghatasthapana of the 10-day Dashain festivities while prasad includes the fruits, sweets, dry fruits, cookies and other delicacies that are offered to the Goddess Nawa Durga. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tika symbolizes victory and good omen, jamara is considered auspicious and prasad is taken as the sanctified edibles gifted by the goddess. The people eat the prasad after receiving the tika and jamara along with blessings from the elders in the family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People who could not make it on the first day of Bada Dashain visit the homes of their senior relatives until the Kojagrat Purnima. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The federal capital saw very little movement of people and activities for some days during the Dashain festival as many people left for their ancestral homes. The valley will see somewhat increased movement of people from today onwards. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-25', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19053', 'image' => '20231025014439_395233515_2668785109986585_3076487206744841317_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-25 13:44:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19324', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepalese Celebrate Bijaya Dashami ', 'sub_title' => 'The Auspicious Time for Receiving ‘Tika’ and Blessings this Year is 11: 02 AM ', 'summary' => 'October 24: Today is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">October 24: Today (October 24) is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">People from far and away return home to celebrate this festival which spans over 15 days on the bright half of the lunar calendar in the Nepali month of Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). This year, however, the festival was delayed by a few weeks as per the lunar calendar. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On this day, devotees worship Goddess Bhavani Siddhi Datri, who is considered the embodiment of victory. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">This day is celebrated as the day of victory of good over the evil.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Holy texts mention that Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world, invoked Goddess Siddhi Datri on this day and acquired the form of the all-powerful Ardha-nareshwar, which means half male and half female.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It is also said that Lord Vishnu, during his incarnation as Lord Ram, worshipped various forms of Goddess Bhavani during the nine nights of Dashain to obtain blessings to defeat the demon king Ravan.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The goddesses which are invoked during the first nine days of the festival are bade farewell on the tenth day. With the end of worshipping begins merrymaking. People celebrate the festival for the next five days until the full moon day. They visit their near and dear ones to pay respect.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Elderly people give blessings of longevity to the younger members of the family.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, the auspicious time for receiving ‘tika’ and blessings this year is 11: 02 am. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">One of the special features of the Dashain festival is the swing. People, especially children, play swing during this festival. There is a belief that one must leave the ground at least once in a year and therefor the Hindus of Nepal opt to play swing as per this belief.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Children also fly kite during the Dashain festival. Culture experts interpret it as a symbolic message to Lord Indra, the God of rain and good harvest, to stop rainfall.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-24', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19052', 'image' => '20231024091156_20231015111340_20220918023227_maxresdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-24 09:10:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud greeted the UN Secretary-General at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Sunday. Others present on the occasion were high ranking officials of the Government of Nepal and representatives of the UN Office in Nepal. The Nepalese Army offered a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres' visit to Nepal took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President and PM Dahal at the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The secretary-general will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Following the meetings, he will observe the Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honour of Secretary-General Guterres. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In course of his visit, the Secretary-General will travel to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Guterres, who is scheduled to visit Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN secretary-general in 2017, will discuss the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level visit of the UN secretary-general after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19069', 'image' => '20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 09:52:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19340', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Baglung Farmers Likely to Incur Heavy Loss Due to Fungus in Lemon Plants', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">October 29: Farmers in Baglung are facing a dire situation as their lemon plants have fallen victim to a relentless fungus infestation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Over the past two months, thousands of lemon plants cultivated by hundreds of farmers have begun to wither away, causing considerable concern among the local farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">If left unchecked, this outbreak could result in substantial financial losses for the affected farmers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Kumar Pun Magar, the information officer for the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung, said that the fungus is the root cause behind the widespread deterioration of lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The telltale sign of this affliction is the drying and eventual death of the tips of lemon plant leaves. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">To mitigate the damage, Magar suggests that farmers should promptly remove and discard the affected, dried-up plants to salvage the remaining healthy ones. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He emphasizes that seeking technical advice is crucial to prevent the fungus from taking hold, as it primarily targets lemon plants.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Magar elaborates, "The fungus leads to the demise of lemon branches, and farmers need to remain vigilant to combat this issue. Timely pruning of the drying branches is essential. This problem has primarily affected the Nisikhola area and its surroundings within the district."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Nar Bahadur Budha Magar, who has planted a total of 60 lemon plants in Nisikhola, is among those grappling with the fungus infestation. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He's already lost 34 of his lemon plants, causing ripe lemon fruits to fall prematurely during the harvest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt"> Even the lemon plants he had nurtured for a year succumbed to the disease. Budha Magar had ventured into commercial lemon cultivation two years ago and anticipates a substantial loss of around Rs 200,000 due to the damage to his lemon plants. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">He recounts, "There were lemon trees planted six to seven years ago in the garden. Initially, the branches of those trees began to die, and later the problem spread to other smaller plants. If this continues, my substantial investment will be in jeopardy."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Purna Bahadur Chhetri, another local farmer, is also grappling with the spreading disease. Out of the 90 lemon plants he had cultivated, 70 are now affected. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">Chhetri has been proactive in cutting the dried branches as soon as they show signs of infestation. This issue did not arise in his lemon plants the previous year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:19.0pt">The Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Baglung reports that of the 45 hectares of land allocated for lemon cultivation in the district, only 22 hectares are currently yielding production. (RSS)</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-29', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19068', 'image' => '20231029063152_collage (3).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-29 06:29:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19339', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kojagrat Purnima being Observed ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal are observing the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) today as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Hindus residing in Nepal observed the Kojagrat Purnima (full moon day) on Saturday as part of the final day of the 15-day Bada Dashain festival. People worship and pay homage to Mahalaxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, on this day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Bada Dashain festival formally ends with the marking of the Kojagrat Purnima--devotees offering worship to Mahalaxmi at their homes in the evening, and keeping vigil the whole night. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There is a belief that the goddess Mahalaxmi takes a trip around the world on the night of Kojagrat Purnima 'to check as to who is observing the vigil on this particular night'. As per this belief, the goddess of wealth blesses the people who are found observing the overnight vigil, according to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Since the ritual of giving and receiving Tika and Jamara of the Dashain festival also concludes on this day, the Jamara that is sprouted and anointed at the Dashainghar on the day of Ghatasthapana is disposed of as per the religious tradition today. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People also perform worship at the Swoyambhu Chaitya and observe the night vigil by lighting the lamps.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Also today, a partial lunar eclipse will occur tonight. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19067', 'image' => '20231028103710_kojag.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:36:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19338', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kathmandu Valley Witnesses 103 Incidents during Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 28: Dashain festival this year was observed peacefully except for a few incidents in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts), according to the traffic police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Although there were sporadic incidents since Fulpati (the seventh day of Dashain on October 21) until October 27, there have not been any major criminal activities and incidents of thefts, robberies and road accidents, said Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. In terms of peace and security, this year's Dashain has concluded more amicably than in previous years. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the festival, the police had carried out monitoring by forming a special security plan and police in civil dress were deployed in the potential risky areas. Surveillance took place in all three districts using trained dogs and drones, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"No efforts were spared in the security arrangements. Police were mobilised in civil dress and even drones and dogs were used for surveillance. Dashain became peaceful as surveillance has been done by mobilising additional workforce. Now, there is a plan to continue surveillance until Chhath," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, sporadic incidents took place. A total of 103 incidents took place between October 21 and 27. Two people were killed and 118 others were injured in the incidents, said Mainali. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Among those incidents, 51 were related to road accidents killing one and injuring 73. According to the police, one person died and 13 others were injured in 13 incidents of fighting. Similarly, 10 incidents of theft took place and there were two incidents relating to the use of sharp weapons that left three people injured. Three gambling-related incidents took place and a total of 22 gamblers were arrested (seven from Kathmandu, 13 from Lalitpur and two from Bhaktapur). Around Rs 500,000 was confiscated from them, said the police. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-28', 'modified' => '2023-10-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19066', 'image' => '20231028102632_Kathmandu Valley.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-28 10:25:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19336', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Motorboat Service Resumes in Narayani River After Four-Month Closure', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 27: The motorboat service along the Narayani River is back in operation following a four-month closure due to the monsoon season. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rising water levels brought about by the monsoon rains had temporarily suspended the motorboat service.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Typically, the monsoon forced a three-month closure from mid-June to mid-September (Asar to Bhadau). However, this year, the closure was extended due to a delayed monsoon, said Ashesh Malla, the chair of the Narayani Motorboat Entrepreneurs Association.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In recent times, the availability of motorboat services on the river has attracted a growing number of domestic tourists.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Approximately 2,000 people visit the riverbanks daily to enjoy a motorboat ride, with a higher number of visitors during the Dashain and Tihar festivals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The motorboat service on the river was initiated in the year 2076 BS (2019-20) with only one motorboat. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At present, there are 32 registered motorboat companies, both large and small, with 19 of them already serving visitors.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service offers various packages and covers routes from the Narayani Bridge to Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park, Majuwa Tapu Pokhara Bus Park to Radha Krishna Temple in Gaidakot, Majuwa Tapu to Parijat Park, and from the Narayani Bridge to Devghat.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Large motorboats can accommodate 18 to 25 passengers at once, while small motorboats can carry up to 12 passengers for shorter distances. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The service charges are Rs 250 per person for the short route and Rs 1,500 for the long route.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bharatpur Metropolitan City imposes a 15% tax on the revenue generated from this service. (RSS) </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19065', 'image' => '20231027070932_collage (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 07:07:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19335', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '500 Megawatts of Electricity is being Wasted Every Day during Dashain', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about 500 megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Due to the decline in internal electricity consumption in the country during the festival of Dashain, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity produced by hydropower projects is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the industries and factories that consume more electricity are shutdown during this time, the demand for electricity has decreased internally. Another reason is that the winter is yet to begin and the summer heat has ended in the Terai and there is not much use of electrical appliances at this period of year. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, electricity generation in the country is taking place without any hindrance as the flow of water in the rivers and stream is sufficient at the moment since the dry season has not yet started. The NEA, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects have been producing electricity at optimal condition.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2,200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity are currently being produced by the authority, its subsidiaries and private sector hydropower projects. Out of that, about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW is being consumed within the country, while about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">650</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity is being exported to India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Kulman Ghising, executive director of the NEA, said that since the electricity generated could not be consumed within the country and the NEA could not get approval from India for further export, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“Due to the festival of Dashain, domestic demand for electricity has decreased. Taking this situation into account, we had sent a proposal to the Central Electricity Authority of India seeking approval for exporting about </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of surplus electricity. However, since we are yet to get the approval, around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">500</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> megawatts of electricity is being wasted on a daily basis since the day before Phulpati,” said Ghising, adding, “We are losing millions of rupees daily due to this. But, we are confident that we will get approval for exporting more electricity soon."</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA has been exporting surplus electricity to India during the rainy season. The NEA has been selling around </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity to the Indian company NTPC Vidyut Vyar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) through competitive bids in the day-ahead market of IEX and under the medium-term power agreement. NVVN is selling the electricity purchased from Nepal in the state of Haryana.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Nepal Electricity Authority has received approval for the export of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">632</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW to India including </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">522</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW of electricity in the competitive market of India and </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">110</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> MW</span></span> <span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">to NVVN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The NEA exported electricity worth Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">11.80</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> billion to India from mid-May to mid-October.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => 'electricity, wastage, Dashain, festival, Nepal, India, surplus', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19064', 'image' => '20231027064215_20231026111327_elec.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:41:18', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19334', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Commercial Paragliding Begins at Chandragiri', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 27: Commercial paragliding is now available at Chandragiri, a 'hill station' near the Kathmandu Valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Babu Adventures, the company owned by pilot Sanobabu Sunuwar, Nepal's first instructor of high altitude paragliding, has launched paragliding service at Chandragiri.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar is also the winner of the 'Adventures of Year-</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2012</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">' award from National Geography. He has flown all the way to the sea from the peak of Mount Everest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar says that the paragliding flight are being conducted from a spot </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">20</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes’ walk west from Bhaleshwar temple in Chandragiri. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The flight from Chandragiri (</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2300</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters) lands outside the valley at Chitlang, which is </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1700</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> meters above the sea level, while offering a wonderful view of beautiful scenery.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During the paragliding flight, one can observe the 'aerial view' of Bhaleshwar temple as well as most of the terrain of Kathmandu valley. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“From the flight, you can also see the terrain of Rasuwa and Dhading, and you can also have an attractive view of the man-made Indrasarovar Lake as well as Tistung, Palung of Makwanpur. When the weather is clear, the wide range of snow-capped mountains visible to the north will fascinate anyone,” says Sunuwar.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed New Business Age that his company can operate </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> paragliders at a time, as per the approval from the government. He added that up to a hundred people can be served per day.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar, who is running a paragliding school in Syangja, says that adventure tourism is possible all over Nepal and that they have invested in Chandragiri to give the valley dwellers the taste of flying in Kathmandu.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“There is a campaign to spread paragliding across Nepal. As the population density is high in Kathmandu, I am hopeful that its message can be spread quickly and effectively,” he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How much is the fee?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The company has fixed a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">8,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for paragliding at Chandragiri. It covers paragliding flight of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">15</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">25</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> minutes, photos and videos as well as transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment is managed by the company itself. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sunuwar informed that foreign nationals have to pay a fee of Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12,000</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> per person for the same package.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepali tourists who do not wish to take the facility of traveling in the company's vehicle will be able to enjoy the paragliding flight by paying Rs </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">7</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">,</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">200</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What should you be careful about?</span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is advisable to use a windproof jacket and dark sun glasses while going on a paragliding flight. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Also, it is better to wear shoes than sandals as you have to run during the take off.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19063', 'image' => '20231027064037_1698315264.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:38:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19333', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Locals Bearing Brunt of Dilapidated Condition of Mid-Hill Highway ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px">October 27: The locals of Baglung as well as commuters have been suffering due to failure in completion of the Mid-Hill Highway, a national pride project. <br /> Although the Baglung-Ghodabandhe section along the Mid-Hill Highway was opened two and a half decades ago, the road has yet to be blacktopped forcing locals to deal with the dusty road. <br /> The highway office had awarded the contract to two contractor companies to blacktop the 25-km section stretching from Upallochaur to Ghodabandhe. The project completion duration was set for two years. But seven years on, the project has yet to be completed. <br /> India-Siddhisai JV won the contract to blacktop the 13-km track from Upallochaur while Surya Construction Company was contracted for blacktopping the remaining 12-km from Bihun to Ghodabandhe. As of now, only seven kilometers of the 13 km track has been completed though the deadline was extended four times. Similarly, only six kilometers of the 12-km road section has been blacktopped despite the deadline being extended five times. <br /> The locals have been forced to face dusty road conditions for years due to the dillydallying in completing the project, complained Kedar Kandel, a local.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">“It has been years since the project started. But nothing has changed. Now, there is bulky dust on the road and the road is muddy during the rainy season,” he said. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19062', 'image' => '20231027063834_map.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 06:36:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19337', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'DSP Tiwari Injured in a Scuffle with Kidnapper ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 27: Deputy Superintendent of Police Sundar Tiwari has been injured in a knife attack in an attempt to free his newborn son from the clutches of a man who entered his house at Dipnagar of Kohalpur-2 in Banke district and took his 20-day-old son hostage.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Mentally retarded Kushal Thapa held the police officer’s son hostage in his house and threatened his family members to kill the newborn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The family members reported the incident to the police. In the process to rescue the child, Tiwari, who is the head of the Area Police Office, was injured when Thapa attacked him with a knife. DSP Tiwari has sustained cuts in his right elbow, said spokesperson for the District Police Office, Narayan Dangi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The incident took place at around 11 pm on Thursday night. Right after being informed, a team from the Area Police Office reached the incident site and started the rescue operation. In the process, Tiwari tried to make Thapa understand about the situation from outside the locked room, but in vain. Later, the police team broke open the room and rescued the newborn. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-27', 'modified' => '2023-10-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19061', 'image' => '20231027010150_nepal police.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-27 13:00:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19330', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Everest Bank’s Chairman BK Shrestha Passes Away', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">October 26: Everest Bank’s chairman BK Shrestha died this week. He was 94.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha died while undergoing treatment at Medicity Hospital on Tuesday evening.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Shrestha had been the chairman of the bank since 2054 BS. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19057', 'image' => '20231026104953_1698317186.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 22:49:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19328', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manang Air's Pilot Dies during Treatment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: Prakash Kumar Sedhain, the pilot who was injured in Manang Air’s helicopter crash on October 14, died on Wednesday in course of treatment. He was being treated at the National Burn Centre in Mumbai, India. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Manang Air's manager Raju Neupane said Sedhain died on October 25 in course of treatment at the National Burn Centre, Mumbai. He was taken to Mumbai for advanced treatment as he could not be treated in Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the centre, Sedhain sustained 45 to 50 percent burn injuries to his body, including his face and limbs. The Manang Air chopper with the call sign 9N-ANJ had crashed at Lobuche of Solukhumbu during a rescue operation. There was no one except the pilot on board the ill-fated helicopter. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19056', 'image' => '20231026103638_20230716022140_20230711121204_Manang-Air-27-1024x683.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19327', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manakamana Cable Car Back into Regular Operation ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 26: The Manakamana Cable Car service has come back into regular operation from Thursday after closing for three days for the Dashain festival. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The cable car service, which was closed on October 23, 24 and 25 for the Dashain festival holiday, has been resumed from October 26, said Ujjwal Sherchan, deputy manager of Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the cable car service. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Manakamana Cable Car service was established in 2055 BS. The cable car service is operated from Kurintar at Ichhakamana-4, Chitwan to the Manakamana Temple, a famous pilgrimage site at Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorakha. The journey, which earlier used to take hours if not days, has been reduced to a 10-minute ride after the operation of the cable car. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19055', 'image' => '20231026102820_20211223031728_manakamana-Cablecar.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 10:27:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19326', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Israel-Hamas War A Blow to Global Economy: WB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">October 26: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Tuesday said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Addressing an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you're seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza. At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious," he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"I think we're at a very dangerous juncture," he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He said that geopolitical tensions pose the biggest threat to the world economy. He, however, said economic risks "tend to move around" fast and shouldn't be ignored.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">He used an example from the United States to illustrate his point.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">"The US 10-year Treasury (yield) just crossed 5% briefly yesterday, these are areas we haven't seen. So yes, that is right there lurking in the shadows," Banga said in Riyadh.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 7, Hamas terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed 1400 people, including women and children. They have been holding 222 people hostage.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In retaliatory air strikes, over 5000 Palestinians have died. (Agencies)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-26', 'modified' => '2023-10-26', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19054', 'image' => '20231026074948_collage.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-26 07:47:15', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19325', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Continue Visiting Relatives to Receive Tika and Blessings on the Second Day of Dashain ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">October 25: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today (Wednesday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This trend continues until the day of Kojagrat Purnima, the fifth day from the day of Bijaya Dashami. This year, the Kojagrat Purnima falls on October 28 as per the lunar calendar. People observed the Bijaya Dashami on Tuesday. On the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, people receive tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their parents and elders in their family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tike is a mixture of red vermillion powder, curd and rice grains that the seniors put on the forehead of the junior members of the family. Jamara is the barley or maize shoots that are germinated on the day of Ghatasthapana of the 10-day Dashain festivities while prasad includes the fruits, sweets, dry fruits, cookies and other delicacies that are offered to the Goddess Nawa Durga. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Tika symbolizes victory and good omen, jamara is considered auspicious and prasad is taken as the sanctified edibles gifted by the goddess. The people eat the prasad after receiving the tika and jamara along with blessings from the elders in the family. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">People who could not make it on the first day of Bada Dashain visit the homes of their senior relatives until the Kojagrat Purnima. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The federal capital saw very little movement of people and activities for some days during the Dashain festival as many people left for their ancestral homes. The valley will see somewhat increased movement of people from today onwards. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-25', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19053', 'image' => '20231025014439_395233515_2668785109986585_3076487206744841317_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-25 13:44:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '19324', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepalese Celebrate Bijaya Dashami ', 'sub_title' => 'The Auspicious Time for Receiving ‘Tika’ and Blessings this Year is 11: 02 AM ', 'summary' => 'October 24: Today is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">October 24: Today (October 24) is the tenth day of Dashain, the biggest festival of the Hindus residing in Nepal. On this day, people of all caste and creed seek blessings from the elderly. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">People from far and away return home to celebrate this festival which spans over 15 days on the bright half of the lunar calendar in the Nepali month of Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). This year, however, the festival was delayed by a few weeks as per the lunar calendar. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On this day, devotees worship Goddess Bhavani Siddhi Datri, who is considered the embodiment of victory. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">This day is celebrated as the day of victory of good over the evil.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Holy texts mention that Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world, invoked Goddess Siddhi Datri on this day and acquired the form of the all-powerful Ardha-nareshwar, which means half male and half female.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It is also said that Lord Vishnu, during his incarnation as Lord Ram, worshipped various forms of Goddess Bhavani during the nine nights of Dashain to obtain blessings to defeat the demon king Ravan.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The goddesses which are invoked during the first nine days of the festival are bade farewell on the tenth day. With the end of worshipping begins merrymaking. People celebrate the festival for the next five days until the full moon day. They visit their near and dear ones to pay respect.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Elderly people give blessings of longevity to the younger members of the family.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, the auspicious time for receiving ‘tika’ and blessings this year is 11: 02 am. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">One of the special features of the Dashain festival is the swing. People, especially children, play swing during this festival. There is a belief that one must leave the ground at least once in a year and therefor the Hindus of Nepal opt to play swing as per this belief.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Children also fly kite during the Dashain festival. Culture experts interpret it as a symbolic message to Lord Indra, the God of rain and good harvest, to stop rainfall.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-10-24', 'modified' => '2023-10-25', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '19052', 'image' => '20231024091156_20231015111340_20220918023227_maxresdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-10-24 09:10:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
