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For the first time in its seven-decade history, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has seen representation from Mahottari in its central committee. Rajkaran Mahato, the former secretary of FNJ Mahottari, was elected as a central committee member in the elections held on Dec 12.

Mahato, who contested for the position of Central Member (Open Madheshi category), defeated his opponent, Chandradev Kamati, by a margin of 1,328 votes. Mahato secured a total of 3,893 votes from across the country.  

On Tuesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire, handed over the election certificate to Mahato during a formal ceremony.  

Hari Prasad Mandal, former chairperson of FNJ Mahottari, remarked that Mahato’s election marks the first time in Mahottari’s 72-year journalism history that a journalist from the region has reached the central committee. 

Currently serving as a senior correspondent for Annapurna Post, Mahato has been actively reporting on grassroots issues for the past 15 years.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 149, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 149, 800 per tola on Tuesday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1, 800 per tola today.

As the cold weather sets in, goat farms in the high hill areas of Bhojpur, including Maiyung, Sawne, Kimalung, Khartamchha, and Nagikharka, have been relocated to the valleys.

Farmers raising goats commercially in the hilly areas of Tyamkemaiyum Rural Municipality and Salpasilicho Rural Municipality have begun shifting their farms to lower altitudes, including locations such as Surke, Tarulbari, Koshedhunga, and Chilimdhap.

Every year, farmers move their goat herds to the valleys during winter and return to the mountains in the rainy season to escape extreme temperatures. “With the change in weather, the herds move down the valley to avoid the cold and up the mountains to escape the heat,” said Namsong Rai, a cattle farmer. “It has become colder now, so we also relocated the cattle sheds along with the herds.”

The cattle herds in this region follow a natural migratory cycle, descending to the valleys in November and returning to the mountains in February. At an average altitude of 3,300 meters above sea level, dozens of herds have been commercialized. According to 2080 data, 476 herds of cattle are maintained in 19 groups in the Maiyung area of Bhojpur alone. Tourists visiting the region often come to witness the scenic beauty of herds grazing in the pastures.

However, during winter, the Chauri valleys become inaccessible due to flooding, and most tourists prefer to use the Mundum trekking route in April, September, and October, said Pavihang Rai, the central president of the Yak Chauri Farmers Federation. “Tourists are attracted to this area because the grazing Chauri adds to the natural beauty of the landscape. They often stay in cowsheds and take home chhurpi (hardened cheese made from yak milk) as souvenirs,” he added.

Despite this, yak farming faces challenges as some local herds are migrating due to a lack of grazing land. Dendi Sherpa, a cattle breeder from Helaunchha, Bhojpur Municipality-1, explained that the formation of community forest groups has led to restrictions on grazing areas. “The forests now impose a grazing tax of Rs 11,500 per year, making it difficult to sustain yak farming,” Sherpa said. “We can no longer graze yaks freely, and this limited access is forcing some farmers out of the business.”

In the high-altitude regions, including Maiyung, which have significant potential for yak farming, farmers must pay annual grazing taxes to community forest groups. Local farmer Durgadhan Rai pointed out that taxing natural grazing areas limits livestock keepers to specific zones, increasing the challenges of raising yaks. Adding to the difficulties, the tail of the yak—highly valued for religious purposes—is becoming increasingly rare and commands a steep price in the market.

Presently there is a chance of light snowfall in some places with partial changes in weather in the mountainous region.

It is due to the influence of the westerly low-pressure system and the westerly wind in the country.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of the country in the next 24 hours.

The Kathmandu Valley has seen cloudy weather due to the western low-pressure system. It will be gone by this afternoon.

The weather will be clear today as compared to Tuesday. The current temperature is recorded at 7.5 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature will remain in-between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.

The Department has urged all concerned to adopt safety measures in view of foggy weather in some places of Terai and Valley on Thursday morning.

President Ram Chandra Paudel said that festivals are instrumental to promote diverse cultural identities and enhance mutual good will, tolerance and solidarity among the communities having different religious faiths.

Extending best wishes to Christian religious people for their happiness, peace and good health on the occasion of the 'Christmas Day', he expressed the confidence that such festivals would further strengthen and consolidate national unity.

Christmas Day is celebrated every year on December 25 as a religious and cultural festival to mark the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ.

On the occasion, various programs are being organized in different parts of the country, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Pokhara.

President Paudel wished that the festival of Christians would inspire all to deepen the spirit of mutual trust, love and unity.

The government has taken a significant step toward restructuring the aviation sector as the cabinet last week approved two crucial bills aimed at splitting the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) into regulatory and service provider entities.

The cabinet meeting held on Friday green-lit the Bill to Amend and Consolidate Laws Related to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 2024, and the Nepal Air Service Authority Bill, 2024. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey had presented these bills to the cabinet on Sept 6 after the law ministry approved their drafts. This has paved the way for Minister Pandey to table the bills in parliament. 

The primary objective of these bills is to improve aviation safety by ending CAAN’s dual role as both regulator and service provider.  The restructuring of CAAN is crucial for the aviation sector as Nepali airlines have been unable to fly into European airspace since Dec 2013 when the European Union put Nepal in its air safety list following a Sita Air Twin Otter crash in the Manohara river in September 2012, which claimed the lives of all 19 onboard.

Earlier in October this year, the EU’s ambassador to Nepal Veronqiue Lorenzo said the ban can be removed if the law is passed to split the CAAN into a service provider and regulatory body.

Since the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) earlier this month lifted the flight ban on Pakistan International Airlines three months after Pakistan divided its civil aviation authority into three separate entities—Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Bureau of Aircraft Safety Investigation and the Pakistan Airports Authority—tourism ministry officials are hopeful that unbundling of CAAN into regulator and service providing entities would lead to the removal of Nepal from the air safety list.

The government first mooted the plan to split CAAN in 2007. The Third Interim Plan (2007/08-2009/10) said that recommendations from a study panel to split roles of CAAN as the service provider in civil aviation, airport operator and regulator were being considered.

In Oct 2018, a sub-committee of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives under former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal directed the government to immediately split the aviation body. The sub-committee said in its report that Nepal’s aviation industry is facing problems at the national and international levels due to the delay in the separation. The panel had directed the government to pass the civil aviation bills immediately.

Following the parliamentary committee’s direction, the then tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai had tabled the bills in parliament in Feb 2020. 

In Aug 2021, the National Assembly unanimously approved the two bills. The International Relations and Tourism Committee had directed the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to table the bills in the lower house of the federal parliament at the earliest in December last year, to no avail.

Christmas and New Year is one of those times when everyone wants to cozy up and spend time with family and friends. A nice little celebration is just what everyone needs for a fresh new start. But does the thought of hosting people leave you feeling overwhelmed? Have you recently found yourself putting off inviting people because you know it involves a lot of cooking, cleaning and everything in between? 

But house parties are so much fun. It also gives you a great chance to bond and foster intimacy, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t have people over whenever you can. But how can you host a party without wrapping your nicest of carpets in bedsheets (which, we at ApEx believe, is the most tacky thing you can do while hosting and otherwise) and using disposables that are hard to hold let alone drink or eat from? Don’t fret. We have some ingenious solutions.

Hire a cook or a food service

The food has to be good. Your reputation as a host depends on the meal spread. But cooking takes time and effort and you might not want to be in the kitchen, reheating and plating food, when your guests arrive. People tend to order from restaurants but that can be impersonal and expensive too. Hiring a cook to come in for a day and prepare food is one of the most cost effective and easy ways to host a party. It ensures a freshly cooked meal that you can tailor according to your needs and preferences. You can easily hire cooks and help from various catering services. There are many freelance cooks who work on a daily or contract basis as well. The other option if you don’t want to have a busy kitchen is to order from the many homemade food services available these days. Kabita’s Kitchen on Facebook is one of the most efficient services. They cater for small parties and prepare whatever you ask them to, however you ask them to. They even ask you which oil you would prefer for your food and whether you would like it to be cooked in ghee. The price is also reasonable and their food is delicious.

Focus on activities and finger foods

Not all parties require a full-fledged meal like lunch or dinner. You can become pretty full on snacks and finger foods if you plan them right. List some easy recipes that you can make in the air-fryer, oven or microwave that don’t need to be reheated. You can also opt for a cheese or cold-cut platter or an elaborate fruit spread. Whip up different kinds of dips and sauces and serve them with chips, nachos, and other dry snacks. Consider having a picnic in the warm winter sun. This way, you can have an outdoor party that entails less cleaning time. A really fun way to do that would be to play card games or board games. If you are feeling up for it, setting up a barbecue grill in a corner will ensure you have hot food flowing throughout it all. And all the preparation you need is marinating some meat and vegetables beforehand. A game night or a movie night could also be a great way to plan something fun without it requiring a lot of preparation.

Ask for help

The thing with help is that if you ask for it, you often get it. So if you are planning a party and feel anxious about how you are going to manage, don’t hesitate to ask a friend or a cousin for help. You can prepare meals and your home for guests over a glass of wine and while catching up. Chances are that the one you ask for help will feel good about it and you can always return the favor. It will make planning and preparing a lot of fun too. You can also do a potluck style hosting, asking each guest to bring a dish to share. You can assign snacks, main course, and desserts accordingly to avoid repetition. It’s a great way to enjoy different kinds of food and cooking styles as well. The same goes for cleaning up after the party. Get a friend to help with putting away the dishes in the kitchen and tidying up the house, with promises to return the favor when s/he needs it.

Conscious cleaning

Most of us try to clean our homes top to bottom while hosting people. We want to make an impression and also ensure that our guests are comfortable. But what we at ApEx have noticed over the years is people don’t usually notice deep cleaning. They will notice if surfaces look shiny and if things smell off. So, dust the tabletop and counters, clean the bathroom putting out fresh towels, and make sure you sanitize your space to make it smell nice. Baby oil can be used to bring instant shine to wooden surfaces. Just don’t use too much, else it can attract dust even more. Put a drop or two on a soft cloth and buff the tables and consoles. The rest you can do once the guests are gone and you feel like your space needs a good after-party cleaning. Sprinkling baking soda on couches and carpets, letting it settle for a while, and then vacuuming them will get rid of pesky food odors and stains. Vinegar, followed by blotting paper, can be used to get rid of stains, including red wine and oil spills.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 14.11 points to close at 2,626.31 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.58 points to close at 449. 15 points.

A total of 12,746,410-unit shares of 312 companies were traded for Rs 5. 20 billion.

 Meanwhile, Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB), Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (GLBSL) and Samudayik Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SLBSL) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Similarly, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (SMB) was the top loser as its price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 35 trillion.