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Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised after he appeared to knock a mobile phone out of a supporter’s hand following his side’s 1-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Footage emerged on social media of Ronaldo appearing to swipe his hand towards the ground as he walked off the pitch and headed for the tunnel at Goodison Park. Eyewitnesses said the 37-year-old had knocked a fan’s phone out of their hand and it smashed to the ground.

Ronaldo took to Instagram to apologise for the incident, according to Reuters.

“It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing,” Ronaldo said. “Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.

“I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship.”

The club have told Reuters they are looking into the incident.

The defeat left United seventh in the Premier League standings and they face the prospect of missing out on qualification for next season’s Champions League as they are six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, Reuters reported.

CPN (Unified Socialist) party has formed a election mobilization committee for the local level elections slated for May 13.

A Central Secretariat meeting held on Saturday and Sunday formed a 1, 111-member election mobilization committee under the headship of Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal.

All the office bearers and members of the central committee, all the three central commissions, central advisory council and central council among others.

Similarly, the election mobilization central secretariat has also been formed under the leadership of General Secretary Beduram Bhusal.

Prakash Jwala, Gangalal Tuladhar, Bijay Paudel, Jagannath Khatiwada, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Bishwonath Pyakurel, Som Prasad Pandey, Kedar Sanjel, Surya Khatri and Dronacharya Chhetri are the members of the committee.

The main CPN-UML has urged the government to take back its decision to suspend Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari.

He said that it was a shameful and deplorable move of the government to suspend Adhikari.

Organizing a press conference in the Capital on Sunday, the party urged the government to roll back its decision to remove Adhikari.

Speaking at the program, party Vice-Chairman Bishnu Paudel said that the economic condition of the country would further deteriorate if the government did not correct its decision to sack the Nepal Rastra Bank governor.

"We are not talking only about Governor Adhikari but of the entire system," Paudel said.

He claimed that Adhikari was removed for interfering in the wrongdoings of the government. 

The Ram Nawami festival, the birthday of Hindu God Ram, is being celebrated across the country on Sunday.

Lord Ram, who was born to the then King of Ayodhya, Dashrath and his first queen Kaushalyawati, is considered the seventh incarnation of God Bisnhu.

As per the Hindu mythology, it was God Ram who triumphed over Ravana, the then King of Lanka, a symbol of demonic and evil powers, and established peace and harmony in the society.

The ninth day of the month of Chaitra on Shukla Paksha or the period of waxing moon, in the Lunar calendar is celebrated as the Ram Nawami, in commemoration of the birth of Lord Ram, said religious scholar Prof Dr Ramchandra Gautam.

Ram, who is considered as an ideal man and the embodiment of perfect manhood and high morale, was born in the Treta Yug for the protection of virtue.
Devotees visit the temples of Lord Ram and perform special pooja on the occasion. RSS

The price of gold has risen by Rs800 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, gold is currently trading at Rs100,300 per tola. The yellow metal was traded at Rs99, 500 per tola on Friday. 

Similarly, the Tejabi gold is now trading for Rs99,800 per tola in the market.

Similarly, the price of silver rose by Rs10 per tola and is now trading at Rs1,365 per tola.

Tourism - one of the sources of Nepal's economy - is gradually limping back to normalcy after being battered by the COVID-19 pandemic for nearly two years.

This spring season witnessed a considerable number of foreign tourists arriving in Nepal with a total of 42,006 tourists coming via air route in March alone.

Last year, 14,977 foreign tourists had visited Nepal during the same period. According to statistics of the Department of Tourism, Nepal has received a total of 78,747 foreign tourists from January to March end this year.

The government has formed a Tourism Revival Steering Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, which is tasked with taking initiatives to revive the tourism industry by exploring new possibilities, identifying and promoting tourism industry and creating enabling investment climate in the tourism sector, among others.

The Nepal Tourism Board has been organising Travel Mart in all the seven provinces.

Fewa Festival is going to be held on April 13 and 14. A team of foreign chefs led by MasterChef UK contest winner Santosh Shah will reach various destinations for 10 days and participate in tourism promotional events with special focus on culinary tourism.

Mahesh Phuyal, general-manager of Ramada Encore, a 4-star hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu, said the hotel had 70 per cent occupancy lately.

"The hotel comprising 90-rooms mostly has American, Indian and European tourists," he shared.

The inflow of foreign tourists has enthused tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara, one of the popular tourist destinations in the country.

Bharatra Parajuli, a local entrepreneur, said tourism entrepreneurs like him were upbeat due to the increasing number of tourism activities in Pokhara. He said development and promotion of adventure tourism destinations in and around Pokhara, famed for lakes and natural landscapes, had helped boost the country's tourism.

Similarly, Hotel Association of Nepal's Acting President Binayak Shah shared that the hotels in Pokhara were receiving so many inquiries lately. He opined that tourism had been gradually reviving in Nepal after two years of pandemic-induced crisis.

Likewise, Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal former vice-president Nilhari Bastola has suggested that the government of Nepal spread the message that Nepal is ready and open to tourists, to revive tourism in Nepal. According to him, this can be done through foreign ambassadors and consuls stationed in Nepal.

He further recommended that the government devise attractive packages such as free visa for a month, among others, to bolster the influx of foreign tourists.

NTB's CEO Dr Dhananjay Regmi informed that the number of tourists from India and Bangladesh had increased significantly as the Board had conducted targeted promotional events in these countries.

Echoing Shah, Regmi said tourism in Nepal, which was plagued by COVID-19 was slowly coming back into normalcy.

He stressed the need to facilitate Indian tourists arriving Nepal by roadways through various border points. RSS

The historically famous and important Biska Jatra of Bhaktapur has begun from today.

The Biska Jatra, which begins with the arrival of the New Year, begins this evening by pulling the chariot of Nakinju Azima to Ghatkha from the front of the Panchatle temple in Tamari and pulling the chariot of Bhairavnath.

The Jatra is celebrated with much fanfare for eight nights and nine days.

Before pulling the chariot, Bhairavnath is worshipped and the pilgrims pull the chariot with the help of ropes attached to the front and take it to their respective tole. The main attraction of the procession is pulling the chariot, which is also done in a competitive manner among the toles or settlement blocks.

There is a religious belief that watching the Biska Jatra destroys the enemy, so this Jatra is also called Shatruhanta Jatra.

On the last day of the procession, Bhairavnath’s chariot is pulled from Gahiti as it was on the first day by the residents of Thane and Kwane Tole.

Meanwhile, Chief District Officer Rudra Devi Sharma said that a strategy has been prepared after holding discussions with the stakeholders to complete the Jatra in a dignified and timely manner.

Metropolitan Police Chief Shiva Kumar Shrestha informed that 950 Nepal Police and 400 Armed Police personnel will be mobilized for the Jatra. The CCTV cameras have been installed at the crossroads to identify the rioters during the Jatra. RSS

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in an IPL match here on Saturday, The Indian Expresa reported.

Invited to bat, Rohit Sharma (26) and Ishan Kishan (26) added 50 runs off 38 balls but MI suffered a collapse to slump to 62 for 5. However, Suryakumar Yadav (68) hit a rearguard unbeaten fifty to lift MI to a respectable 151 for six.

In reply, RCB chased down the target, scoring 152 for 3 in 18.3 overs, riding on a half-century from Anuj Rawat (66) and Virat Kohli (48 not out), according to The Indian Express.