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Muslims across the country are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with zest and zeal today.

The great festival of the Islamic community is being observed with great gaiety and gusto by reciting special Namaz, offering prayers in mosque, receiving blessings from the elders and giving blessings to juniors. 

The festival, which marks the conclusion of a month-long fasting of the Muslims during the month of Ramadan, falls on the first day of the tenth month according to the Arabic calendar. 

In Nepal, the festival is being observed today as the new moon-sighting on the last day of the ninth month on Sunday evening.

On this day, Muslims devotes converge mainly in the mosque or any outdoor location in the early morning for Edi prayer and break their fast feasting on delicacies. 

Families and friends gather to mark the end of a month-long fast 'Ramadan' and exchange Eid Mubarak (greetings) as well as gifts. A spirit of generosity is encouraged hence they give alms to the poor. The celebration lasts up to three days in general. 

The government has declared a public holiday today on this occasion.

Chinese scientists are mounting efforts to establish a meteorological monitoring station at an altitude of 8,800 meters on Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, on the China-Nepal border, Xinhua reported.

If the station is established successfully, it will replace the one at an altitude of 8,430 meters set up by the British and US scientists on the south side of the mountain in 2019, to be the world's highest of its kind, according to the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Equipment weighing some 50 kg will be dismantled and distributed to mountaineers, each of whom will carry no more than 7 kg up onto the mountain for the establishment, said Zhao Huabiao, a researcher with the ITP.

Currently, the engineers in charge of establishing the station are still waiting for the perfect weather for mountaineering.

Including the highest, eight elevation gradient meteorological stations will be set up on Mount Qomolangma, one of the main tasks in China's new comprehensive scientific expedition on the world's highest peak at the height of 8,848.86 meters, according to Xinhua.

Three meteorological stations were established at sea levels of 7,028 meters, 7,790 meters and 8,300 meters, respectively, earlier this year on the north side of the mountain, bringing the total number of operational weather stations between the altitudes between 5,200 meters and 8,300 meters to seven. Last year, four stations at sea levels of 6,500 meters, 5,800 meters, 5,400 meters and 5,200 meters were set up.

The new comprehensive scientific expedition on Mount Qomolangma is part of China's second scientific research survey on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which started in 2017.

Zhao said the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is facing a warming tendency along with global warming, and the higher the altitude is on the plateau, the more the temperature has risen.

Such a conclusion is only based on the data of weather stations at sea levels below 5,000 meters and the estimated calculation in accordance with the remote sensing data, because weather monitoring data from high-altitude stations were missing in the past, Xinhua reported.

The eight stations will collect the wind speed and wind direction data, as well as relative humidity on the north side of Qomolangma, and the elevation gradient meteorological station system is of great significance for monitoring the melting glaciers and mountain snow at the high altitudes, said Zhao.

The expedition team will also set up glacier radar and measure the thickness of snow and ice at the summit of the mountain, he said, according to Xinhua.

The Congress on Tuesday said its senior leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi is in Nepal to attend the wedding of a journalist friend, The Indian Express reported.

The statement came soon after Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s information and technology department, put out a video on Twitter purportedly showing Gandhi at a nightclub.

“Rahul Gandhi was at a nightclub when Mumbai was under seize. He is at a nightclub at a time when his party is exploding. He is consistent. Interestingly, soon after the Congress refused to outsource their presidency, hit jobs have begun on their Prime Ministerial candidate…,” he tweeted.

When asked about Gandhi’s whereabouts, Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala told reporters: “Rahul Gandhi has not gone as an uninvited guest like Prime Minister Modi went to Pakistan to celebrate birthday and cut cakes for the then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. Rahul Gandhi has gone to a friendly country Nepal to participate in a private marriage function of a friend. By chance, the friend also happens to be a journalist. So I think they are also abusing your fraternity.”

The PTI quoted a report in The Kathmandu Post and said the Congress leader was in Kathmandu to attend the wedding of his Nepali friend Sumnima Udas.

“Last when I checked, having a family in this country, having friends in this country, attending marriage, engagement ceremonies is a matter of our culture and civilization. It has still not become a crime in this country to be married, to be friends with someone, or to attend their marriage celebration,” Surjewala said at an AICC press conference.

“Maybe after today Prime Minister Modi and the BJP may decide that it is illegal to attend a marriage. They may say it is a crime to have friends or participate in family functions. But do let me know so that we all change our status, habits and civilizational practices of attending the marriage of friends as also family,” he added, according to The Indian Express.

Actor Bhuwan KC joined the Nepali Congress on Tuesday. Along with him, actress Shweta Khadka and Rabindra Khadka have also joined the Congress.

Nepali Congress President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba welcomed them to the party amid a program organized in Baluwatar this morning.

Earlier, actress Karishma Manandhar had joined the CPN (Maoist Centre) and Rekha Thapa joined the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

With the price drop, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 97, 200 per tola today.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the yellow metal was traded at Rs 98, 200 per tola on Monday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 96, 700 per tola today.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 290 per tola.

The tejabi gold was traded at Rs 97, 700 on Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to visit Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, in Nepal on May 16 to celebrate Buddha Jayanti, birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, The Hindu reported.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is also expected to be in Lumbini to mark the occasion, the sources added.

Indian Prime Minister, however, will not stay in Kathmandu, according to The Hindu.

Temple trustees have told local media that the two Prime Ministers will take part in the lamp-lighting ceremony at the Mayadevi temple.

According to the sources, the Ministry of External Affairs and security officials have already conducted a reconnaissance of the arrangements for the visit, The Hindu reported.

This will be Modi’s first visit to Nepal since he was re-elected in 2019. In his previous term, he visited Nepal on four occasions, including twice in 2014 and twice in 2018.

A ward member candidate of Dilasaini Rural Municipality-5, Baitadi was injured in a khukuri attack on Monday.

Hari Ram Saud (60) was attacked with the khukuri at around 10 pm yesterday, Inspector Lok Raj Joshi of the District Police Office, Baitadi said.

It has been learnt that a candidate of Maoist Centre, Hari Ram was attacked by the group of Ajit Saud.

Police said that he sustained injuries on his head and body.

The District Police Office said that Hari Ram has been referred to a hospital in Dhangadhi after receiving primary treatment at the local Gokuleshwor Hospital.

A person died when two motorcycles collided with each other in Urlabari Municipality-8 of Morang district on Monday.

DSP Deepak Shrestha, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang, said that the incident occurred when the bike (Province 1-02-042 Pa 1600) heading towards south from north collided head-on with another bike (Me 7 Pa 6371) last night.

The deceased has been identified as bike (6371) rider Ganesh Sitaula (45). 

Critically injured in the incident, he breathed his last during the course of treatment at the Urlabari-based Araniko Hospital, DSP Shrestha said.

Pillion rider Akash Limbu (29) was injured in the incident.

Police said that they have ampounded both the bikes following the incident and arrested another bike rider Yogin Kumar Gurung (32) of Urlabari-9 for investigation.