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Mustang district recorded the transaction of Himalayan goats and sheep, earning Rs 160 million during the Dashain festival.

Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Center in Mustang informed that 4,800 Himalayan goats reared by the farmers in Mustang and 3,000 others brought from Dolpa and Mugu districts were sold in the district.

Center's chief Lal Mani Aryal informed that 7,500 chyangra (Himalayan goats) and 500 sheep were sold in the district. The Mustang farmers sold each Himalayan goat at a price ranging from Rs 28,000 to Rs 38,000 considering the weight.

Last year, as many as 7,000 Himalayan goats and sheep were sold in the district. The Mustang goats were bought by the people from Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Kaski and Kathmandu city.

The traders have been happy to see a rise in production of Himalayan goats and sheep that fetched better prices compared to the past.

Arjun Paudel from Beni of Myagdi informed that the goats reared in the highlands are considered healthy and nutritious, as they graze in the pasture having medicinal herbs. Chyangra and sheep are consumed more during the festivals as Dashain and Tihar. The Himalayan goat reaches a slaughter age when it is three-year-old.

Gharapjhong, Loghekar Damodarkunda, Baragung Muktichhetra and Lomanthang are some places famous for chyangra. It is the major source of income for the farmers here.

National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal has said development in science and technology had spurred innovation, making human life easier and dynamic.

Addressing the 149th general assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva on Monday, Chairman Dahal underlined the need for formulating and implementing the laws that ensure everyone's equal access to technology and its benefits.

Transformative capacity of States is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals launched in 2015.

He expressed worry over the widening gap among the countries in the access to and capacity relating to information technology. "Still, over two billion people are deprived of information. Collective efforts are imperative to cope with the challenges posed by inequality. All people need to be guaranteed equal access to IT and innovation," Dahal underscored.

According to him, world Parliaments which devise laws, could play effective roles to resolve the problems surfaced in the wake of expansion of IT like privacy breach, cyber threat, and spread of propaganda.

For the relatively backward countries, international assistance and cooperation are required to develop and expand IT, research, resource mobilization and youth engagement.

Exchange of best practices of the Parliaments on science and technology across the world could be useful to bridge gaps between the developed and developing countries, he hoped.

He appreciated the Union's initiative to incorporate artificial intelligence in its action plan by forming a taskforce on science and technology.

"The Union is a significant forum to debate that help cope with worlds' burning problems like climate change, natural disaster, geopolitical tension, poverty and inequality," Dahal observed.

The country is now in post monsoon. The retreat of the monsoon has brought cold.

The meteorologists have suggested precautions to avoid the cold. After the rainfall on September 27 and 28, the weather improved significantly in the country. The monsoon exited fully two days back.

With the clear sky, it feels cold in the morning and evening now. The federal capital, Kathmandu, is getting increasingly cold for a week, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Meteorologist Sanjiv Adhikari said the minimum temperature in Kathmandu was recorded at 20 degree Celsius on October 1, which is down to 16 degree Celsius at present. "We're feeling increasingly cold in Kathmandu. It is in decline for two weeks," he added.

On Sunday, the Kathmandu Valley's temperature was at 14.7 degree Celsius while it was 16 degree Celsius on Monday.

Not only the federal capital but also other parts saw fall in mercury. As the temperature is declining, people need to maintain precaution, Adhikari suggested.

There is a general weather impact of westerly wind in Lumbini, Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Gandaki Provinces while the partial impact is a blend of westerly and local winds in Koshi, Madhesh and Bagmati provinces, the Weather Forecasting Division said.

Despite partial weather changes in hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, the weather will be clear today.

Goats, sheep and buffaloes worth more than Rs 160 million were sold during the Dashain time alone in Jumla this year.

Bir Bahadur Rawal, Chief of the Chandannath Municipality, Livestock Development Section, said goats, sheep and buffaloes worth Rs 163. 21 million were sold from Khalanga town alone during the Dashain period this year.

The sale of goats, sheep, buffaloes and fowls is generally high during the Dashain festival period as people sacrifice these animals at goddess shrines, and meat consumption also increases due to the festivities.

According to Rawal, 7, 928 sheep and goats supplied by the sheep farmers within the district itself and those imported from other districts were sold. Sheep worth Rs 152.32 million, goats worth Rs 7. 79 million and buffaloes worth Rs 3.11 million have been sold. 

The maximum price of local sheep was determined at Rs 28, 000, the minimum price at Rs 10, 000 and the average price at Rs 19, 000.

Similarly, the maximum price of local goat was fixed at Rs 24, 000, the minimum price at Rs 8,000 and the average price at Rs 16, 000. The maximum price of buffalo is determined at Rs 50, 000, the minimum price at Rs 26, 000 and the average price at Rs 38, 000. 

Only the local goats and sheep are sold in Jumla ever since livestock traders stopped importing goats and sheep from Tibet 12 years back.

The Livestock Service Office Jumla said 88, 000 sheep are being reared in the district.

The rituals of receiving Dashain tika and jamara as blessings of the Goddess Navadurga continue today, too on Aswin Shukla Paksha Dwadashi, the 12th day of the waxing moon in the month of Asoj.

The tika and jamara ceremony, which began on Bijaya Dashami, the tenth day of Dashain on October 12, continues today.

Traditionally, those unable to meet with their relatives in the previous days visit them today to receive Dashain blessings from seniors.

This practice will continue until Aswin Shukla Poornima, the last day of Dashain.

In the federal capital, Kathmandu, which has been relatively calm since the day of Maha Astami and Mahanawami, people are now out and about.

People adorned with red tika and jamara are heading to their relatives' homes to seek blessings. The official holidays for Dashain, which began on Saptami (October 10), are concluding today.

According to the Nepal Calendar Fixation Committee, Dashain will conclude on Thursday, October 17.

The bodies of five climbers who died during an expedition to Dhaulagiri peak are yet to be retrieved.

The bodies of climbers from Russia have remained at an altitude of 7,100 meters, making recovery efforts challenging due to adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain, according to Bharat Shrestha, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office in Myagdi.

The site is challenging for helicopter landings and cannot be reached on foot, which has hindered efforts to collect the bodies. Attempts to retrieve them by helicopter were unsuccessful on Wednesday (October 9), Thursday, and Friday.  The visibility issue caused by thick fog on Sunday prevented any aerial recovery attempts, he added.

The climbers had spent a night at the base camp before their ascent. They lost contact with authorities at 11 am on October 7 while at an altitude of 7,600 meters on the peak, which stands at 8,167 meters. They were confirmed dead on October 9.  The expedition was organized by IAM Trekking & Expedition for a total of 14 climbers, but nine decided to cancel their trip midway.

Dhaulagiri is the seventh-highest peak in the world and is located in Dhaulagiri Municipality-14. According to the Department of Tourism, only 14 climbers received permits to attempt the ascent during the autumn season.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted the possibility of rain due to the combined influence of westerly and local winds.

The westerly wind has had a general impact in Lumbini, Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Gandaki Provinces, while there is a partial effect of westerly and local winds in Koshi, Madhesh, and Bagmati Provinces. Currently, the hilly regions of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces are partially cloudy, with the remaining areas being partially cloudy to mainly fair.

According to the division, the weather in the Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces will be partially cloudy to mainly fair this afternoon. One or two areas in the hilly regions of these provinces are likely to experience light rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning, while there is also a chance of light rain tonight in one or two parts of the Koshi and Gandaki Provinces.

On Tuesday, the hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces are expected to remain partially to generally cloudy, with a chance of light rainfall in a few areas. The same atmospheric conditions are likely to continue into the night as well.

Climatologists have said that a variation has occurred on the monsoon system also due to climate change from global warming. They reasoned that the monsoon this year withdrew from the country 10 days later compared to the previous years.

Climatologist Manjit Dhakal considers the delayed withdrawal of the monsoon as an alteration in the monsoon pattern. According to him, this trend can be considered as an impact of climate change.

Similarly, the relentless rain on September 27 and 28, he assessed, is also due to the effect of climate change. However, climatologist Dhakal has pointed out the need of carrying out research on such climate-related hazards.

He suggested implementation of the concept of climate-friendly development for sustainable development. "It has become inevitable to give priority to climate adaptation programs," he said, quoting the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Meteorologist Bishnu Ghimire also indicated the need of research to reach a conclusion whether or not the delayed withdrawal of the monsoon system is due to the effects of climate change. His understanding is also that there is an alteration in the monsoon pattern due to the climate change impact.