Hundreds of participants including senior police officers participate in Pashupatinath Temple Area Cleaning Campaign
Hundreds of people including high-ranking police officers participated in the cleaning of the Pashupatipath Temple area in Kathmandu today.
The cleaning drive is initiated by Maina Devi Foundation since July 22 and running every Saturday in and around the Temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Hundreds of Nepal Police personnel including Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nawaraj Adhikari engaged in the today's clean-up, said Foundation's Chairperson KP Khanal.
During the event, SSP Adhikari emphasized the need to always keep the Pashupatinath Area, the center of faith for millions of Hindus across the world and a major tourist attraction, clean. He also expressed his thankfulness to the Foundation and all those contributing to this cause.
"Human's life begins and ends with religious rituals. Pashupatinath Temple is the center of faith for all Hindus across the world. It is also one of the religious tourism destinations for national and international tourists," he noted, underscoring the urgency to keep up the sanctity of this sacred shrine.
He argued that the cleanliness of this area reflects our identity. "It is everyone's duty to keep this place vibrant. Today, we have joined this effort and urge everyone to contribute to this clean-up campaign," appealed Adhikari.
Volunteers from Creation Nepal and Foundation also participated in the cleaning of the Temple area that is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
More than 890 kg of wastages were collected during the clean-up, it was shared. (RSS)
Traffic disrupted in Hunggung road section along Koshi Highway
Vehicular movement along the Hunggung road section along the Koshi Highway in Bhotkhola rural municipality in Sankhuwasabha district has come to a grinding halt for three days due to a landslide.
The significant landslide occurred on last Thursday at the road section that connects district headquarters Khandbari to Kimathanka point along the Nepal-China border, according to Ram Bahadur Gurung, Chief of North-South Koshi Road Project.
Gurung shared that the massive mudslide, consisting of rocks, soil and bushes had fallen onto the road in around 300 meters of area.
"Since the road is still under construction, it is not possible to use machines to remove the debris to resume traffic on the road," he explained.
Moreover, the steep terrain and incessant rainfall have made the resumption of road more challenging, he added.
Due to the road blockage, transportation of daily consumable goods, fuel, construction materials among other has been affected, he reported.
Furthermore, travelers using this route are also facing problems since the highway has been shut down for three days.
Although landslide occurs in this area every monsoon season, this time an exceptionally huge landslide was witnessed, Gurung added that, ruling out the possibility of resumption of the highway anytime soon.
Efforts are underway to clear off the debris to reopen the disrupted highly but to little hope, he noted. (RSS)
Russia seeks UN meeting on Nord Stream explosions
Russia has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting on August 26 to discuss the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, following the arrest of Ukrainian national Serhii K. in Italy, Xinhua reported.
Germany accuses him of coordinating the sabotage, but he denies involvement and refuses extradition. The blasts severely damaged three Nord Stream lines, including the unused Nord Stream 2.
Russia has called the attack an act of international terrorism and alleged US involvement, while criticizing Germany’s investigation as “protracted and non-transparent.”
Extreme heat poses growing risk to workers, WHO warns
A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report warns that rising heat waves are threatening millions of workers worldwide, affecting health and productivity. “It is not just discomfort. It is a real health risk,” WHO’s director of environment, climate and health Rudiger Krech told the BBC, citing dangers such as heatstroke, kidney failure, and dehydration.
The report shows productivity drops 2 percent for every degree above 20°C, while workplace accidents rise during extreme heat. Construction and agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable, prompting some European countries to pause work during peak temperatures.
Schools also need adaptation. Krech told the BBC that even uniforms should be reconsidered to help children cope with heat. He stressed that investing in adaptation now could prevent greater losses in health and productivity later.
Waste management centre in Kanchanpur padlocked, garbage disposal halted
The Garbage collection and disposal in Shuklaphanta municipality-11 in Kanchanpur district has been disrupted for three days now after the Shree Krishna Community Forest User Group padlocked the Waste Management Centre's office.
The Group, demanding an implementation of the 11-point agreement, locked up the office of the Centre halting the garbage collection process.
This has led to heaps of wastage mounting in Jhalari, forest users committee and market areas at Kaluwapur among others.
The Municipality has been temporarily dumping trashes in the land of the community forest since the Centre is not fully operational yet.
The garbage disposal centre was built at over Rs 300m under the concessional loan provided by the Asian Development Bank. The centre can process up to 6 tons of wastage daily for the next 20 years.
An 11-point agreement was inked between the Municipality and the Users' Group during the construction of the centre which, User Group's Chairperson Ambar Bahadur Ayre, said is far from implementation.
The two sides had agreed that no dumping of garbage from another areas will take place in the current site, to carrying out fencing the site, providing LPG gas cylinder to every member of the Group, constructing embankment at Banhara and Sanbora River and providing jobs to local residents among others.
The Municipality had also agreed to blacktop the roads and install electricity facility in the human settlements affected by the disposal site, organize Aryaghat areas, arrange dustbins and roll out insurance scheme, provide free medical treatment to the affected ones and return the land after use.
"Three years have elapsed since the agreement but it is not implemented yet," lamented Ayre, expressing his displeasure over the inaction of the Municipality to bring the agreement into effect.
Former secretary of the Group, Dil Bahadur Saud, further accused the Municipality authorities for turning blind eye to the issue and not taking any lead for talks to resolve it.
He warned of further protests if their demands are not addressed. (RSS)
One dies of scrub typhus in Chitwan
A woman has died of scrub typhus in Chitwan. The 36-year-old woman succumbed to scrub typhus in the course of treatment in the Bharatpur Hospital.
A resident of Bardghat municipality-13, she was hospitalised on August 20, said Hospital Spokesperson Dr Ram Prasad Sapkota. She was also a patient of epilepsy.
Meanwhile, Public Health Office Chief, Dinesh Rupakheti, said lately 73 patients have been diagnosed with scrub typhus at various hospitals in the district and of them, 58 are from Chitwan alone.
Out of 1530 tests, 73 tested positive for scrub typhus. (RSS)
UK delays ruling on Chinese embassy after Beijing withholds information
The UK government has extended the deadline to October 21 to decide on China’s plan to build Europe’s largest embassy near the Tower of London. Beijing has refused to fully explain why parts of its plans were blacked out, according to Al Jazeera.
The project, stalled for three years, faces opposition from local residents, Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners, and UK and US politicians, citing potential spying and security risks. The embassy would house 200 staff, include offices, a basement, and a tunnel to another building.
China called claims of secret facilities “despicable” and urged the UK to approve the plans. The government assumed control of the planning decision after local council concerns in 2022, Al Jazeera reported.
Moti Jayanti being marked today
The 160th birth anniversary of the national luminary Yubakavi (the Youth Poet) Motiram Bhatta is to be observed by organizing several literary events today.
Bhatta was born this day on Kushe Aunsi (National Father's Day) in 1923 BS (1866 AD) and died on the same day in 1953 BS (1896 AD). He lived a short life of 30 years but is ever remembered for his substantial contributions to the world of Nepali literature, especially for immortalizing Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya by making public his biography.
Further, Bhatta was also credited for introducing the printing press in Nepal for the first time. He was the one who introduced Ghazals in Nepali literature. He also published the Ramayana of Bhanubhakta in 1941 BS.
He further developed Nepali language and made it a beautiful medium for literary expression.
Among the popular literary creations of Bhatta are 'Bhanubhaktako Jeewan Charitra', 'Priyadarshika' and 'Pikdut'.
It is through this press that journalism has started in Nepal. Various literary organizations, including the Nepal Education Council and Nepal Academy are organizing programs on the occasion of the day. (RSS)
