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Tal Bahadur Kunwar, a folk of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-7, Resha, who has ventured out the hotel business for the last 20 years after quitting teaching profession, has spurred his investment with the rise in the inflow of tourists in the district.

His hotel has been popular as a 'VIP' one in Baglung. He had initiated the hotel business from four rooms in a small house. Now, he has 24 rooms in the hotel and investment has increased to Rs 20 million.

With the rise in the arrival of domestic and foreign tourists, other entrepreneurs here have also started operating well-equipped hotels. Another hotel with 30 rooms is in final preparations of its operation in Baglung Bazaar.

Investors claim that this will be the most convenient hotel here.

Entrepreneur Kunwar saw the need of star hotels in the district after tourists' influx increased in a gradual manner.

Arjun Chokhal, who has been running hotel enterprises in Baglung since 2065 BS, has already invested Rs 40 million in the hotel business.

Tourism destinations like Kalika Temple, world's second longest suspension bridge, Banji Bridge, Panchakot and Shalgram Museum have attracted a large number of domestic tourists here. 

Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall left 50 families displaced in Badigad of Baglung district.

As many as 50 households of Badigad Rural Municipality-9, Nayabasti and Arupta, Patle, Clabjhing, Khor and Salle in ward 10 have been displaced due to recent landslides. 

At least 11 people have been killed so far and the status of one is still unknown. The displaced families are surviving a hapless life. There has been no supply of drinking water and electricity in the landslide-hit areas. Children and the elderly are facing more problems.

Bhim Bahadur Budha, a local, commented that several houses in the village are still at risk of landslides. He further said the settlements around his house are facing vulnerable conditions.

Badigad Rural Municipality Vice Chair Bhimsen Ban said the displaced families are being managed in schools and public places. The rural municipality is distributing relief in the initial phase, he said.

Noting that the municipality has provided food and tarpaulin sheets, lamps and other essential items, he said discussions are underway with the higher-level governments for long-term management.

The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding to provide grant assistance for the launch of Munal satellite.

Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary (North) from MEA and Arunachalam A, Director from NSIL signed the MoU.

Dr Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Secretary, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Dr. Surendra Thapa, Chargé d'affaires of Nepali Embassy and Dr. Abhas Maskey, Founder, Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN) were also present on the occasion.

During the visit of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar to Nepal to co-chair the 7th JCM meeting, he witnessed the exchange of this Launch Service Agreement for the launch of Munal Satellite between NSIL and NAST, on 04 January 2024.

Munal Satellite is an indigenous satellite developed in Nepal, under the aegis of NAST.

APN, a Nepali space startup, has assisted Nepali students in the design and fabrication of this satellite. The satellite aims to build a vegetation density database of the Earth’s surface.

This satellite is expected to be launched soon on NSIL’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The government of China has showed readiness to provide assistance to Nepal in establishing a fertilizer plant. According to Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, the Chinese government was ready to complete all the works related to the establishment of a fertilizer plant within the next year.

In a discussion with editors of mainstream media including the Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) on Thursday evening, Chinese Ambassador Song reiterated that the works related to fertilizer plant would be launched as soon as the Investment Board Nepal approves the proposal related to it. "Our aim is to run a fertilizer plant utilizing the electricity and water resources abundantly available in Nepal. Our priority is relationship with Nepal and its betterment," the Chinese envoy reiterated, adding that China always wants to support for socio-economic development of Nepal.

He also informed the editors that a team of Chinese technicians were currently in Nepal to conduct feasibility study of the Nepal-China cross-border transmission line. Song argued that the development of hydro power and cross-border power trade would be instrumental in fulfilling the national aspiration of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali'.

Reaffirming China's commitment for utmost support in Nepal's national goal to graduate from the Least Developed Countries status to the middle-income country (by 2026), he informed that the recently held third meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had opened China's labour market for employment for other countries in the world, including Nepal.

In the wake of the third meeting of the CPC, a high-level American delegation is visiting China to identify the investment opportunities, according to him. Song further shared the CPC's third meeting presided by Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced over 300 reform measures. He pledged to bolster bilateral cooperation for the development of Nepal. The electricity produced in Nepal could be consumed in Chinese market as well.

On a different note, he said that Nepali students pursuing higher studies in China would get employment opportunities with the provision of internship. Ambassador Chen expressed the view that reforms announced by China would further deepen China-Nepal partnership and Nepal could also utilize results of development achieved by China. He showed confidence that Nepal's development would get momentum within next five years.

The Chinese Ambassador laid emphasis on maximum tourism infrastructures to attract Chinese tourists. He explained that China was ready to transfer technology. Moreover, Ambassador Chen reminded that the 'Road and Belt Initiative' forwarded by President Xi Jinping with an objective of preparing infrastructures of the development would benefit all member countries. He, however, made it clear that BRI implementation document was not signed with Nepal in lack of completion of some technical activities, adding BRI agreement between Nepal and China would be signed within few months.

The Chinese Ambassador mentioned, "We have given importance to the development of Nepal-China relations. We are ready to further strengthen Nepal-China comprehensive cooperation with everlasting friendly relations for the welfare of the people of both countries."

The number of dengue and cholera is climbing up in the country in the recent times. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Ministry of Health and Population, the number of dengue patients reached 3,084 last Friday with 722 new cases recorded in the past four days alone.

Dengue was confirmed in 2,365 people as of August 5. Mosquito-borne infection has spread all over the country except Mustang, Dolpa, Jumla and Humla district, shared Dr Gokarna Prasad Dahal, Chief of the NTD and Vector Borne Disease Control Section. Tanahu district has the highest number of dengue infected patients- 583, while 307 cases of dengue have been confirmed in Kathmandu district followed by 166 in Kaski and 135 in Jhapa district.

With the rise in dengue patients, the Ministry has urged all public and private offices to launch 'Larva search and destroy' campaigns and maintain essential hygiene and sanitation. Also, the government has announced to provide free treatment to the dengue patients in the public healthcare facilities, it was told.

Likewise, cholera cases are also going up lately. There are 47 cases of cholera detected across the country till date.

Dr Dahal shared that cholera cases were confirmed in Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Pyuthan, Kailali and Rupandehi districts with Lalitpur having the highest cases- 34 cases and Rupandehi the lowest- one.

Brazilian authorities worked Saturday to piece together what exactly caused the plane crash in Sao Paulo state the previous day that killed all 62 people on board.

Local airline Voepass’ plane, an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, was headed for Sao Paulo’s international airport in Guarulhos with 58 passengers and 4 crew members, when it went down in the city of Vinhedo.

Initially, the company said its plane had 62 passengers, then it revised the number to 61 and early on Saturday it raised the figure once again after it found a passenger named Constantino Thé Maia was not on its original list.

Images recorded by witnesses showed the aircraft in a flat spin and plunging vertically before smashing to the ground inside a gated community, and leaving an obliterated fuselage consumed by fire. Residents said there were no injuries on the ground.

Rain drizzled down on rescue workers as they recovered the first bodies from the scene in the chill of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. Some residents of the condominium silently left to spend the night elsewhere.

It was the world’s deadliest airline crash since Jan 2023, when 72 people died on board a Yeti Airlines plane in Nepal that stalled and crashed while making its landing approach. That plane also was an ATR 72, and the final report blamed pilot error.

A report Friday from Brazilian television network Globo’s meteorological center said it “confirmed the possibility of the formation of ice in the region of Vinhedo,” and local media cited experts pointing to icing as a potential cause for the crash.

An American Eagle ATR 72-200 crashed on 31 Oct 1994, and the United States National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause was ice buildup while the plane was circling in a holding pattern. The plane rolled at about 8,000 feet and dove into the ground, killing all 68 people on board. The US Federal Aviation Administration issued operating procedures for ATRs and similar planes, telling pilots not to use the autopilot in icing conditions.

But Brazilian aviation expert Lito Sousa cautioned that meteorological conditions alone might not be enough to explain why the plane fell in the manner that it did on Friday.

“Analyzing an air crash just with images can lead to wrong conclusions about the causes,” Sousa told the AP by phone. “But we can see a plane with loss of support, no horizontal speed. In this flat spin condition, there’s no way to reclaim control of the plane.”

Speaking to reporters Friday in Vinhedo, Sao Paulo Public Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite said the plane’s black box had been recovered, apparently in a preserved state.

Marcelo Moura, director of operations for Voepass, told reporters Friday night that, while there were forecasts for ice, they were within acceptable levels for the aircraft.

Likewise, Lt ColCarlos Henrique Baldi of the Brazilian air force’s center for the investigation and prevention of air accidents, told reporters in a late afternoon press conference that it was still too early to confirm whether ice caused the crash.

The plane is “certified in several countries to fly in severe icing conditions, including in countries unlike ours, where the impact of ice is more significant,” said Baldi, who heads the center’s investigation division.

In an earlier statement, the center said that the plane’s pilots did not call for help nor say they were operating under adverse weather conditions. There has been no evidence that the pilots tried to contact controllers of regional airports, either, Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho told reporters Friday night in Vinhedo.

Brazil’s Federal Police began its own investigation, and dispatched specialists in plane crashes and the identification of disaster victims, it said in a statement.

Sao Paulo state government said Saturday morning that 21 bodies had been retrieved from the scene, and two were already identified. Maycon Cristo, a spokesman for the local fire department, told journalists that a winch is being used to remove parts of the plane carcass from the ground.

“As we see a possible body in the middle of the destruction of the plane, rescue teams come in. Then they take pictures, gather as much evidence from the victim as they can so the identification can be the most accurate,” Cristo said.

French-Italian plane manufacturer ATR said in a statement that it had been informed that the accident involved its ATR 72-500 model, and that company specialists are “fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer.”

The ATR 72 is generally used on shorter flights. The planes are built by a joint venture of Airbus in France and Italy’s Leonardo SpA.

Crashes involving various models of the ATR 72 have resulted in 470 deaths going back to the 1990s, according to a database of the Aviation Safety Network.

Brazilian authorities began transferring the corpses to the morgue Friday, and called on victims’ family members to bring any medical, X-ray and dental exams to help identify the bodies. Blood tests were also done to help identification efforts.

Costa Filho, the airports minister, said the air force’s center will also conduct a criminal probe of the accident.

“We will investigate so this case is fully explained to the Brazilian people,” he said.

AP

At 21, I thought I had found the love of my life. We were inseparable, planning our future together. Then she met someone else and left me. I was devastated. The heartbreak was unbearable. I started having panic attacks and got depressed. I couldn’t eat or sleep, and the stress made me physically ill, leading to several hospital visits. My family tried to support me, but they didn’t fully understand my pain. Now she’s happy with him, and I’m trying to piece my life back together. I never expected to face such intense heartbreak at this age and I don’t know what to do.

Answered by Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist, Nepal Institute of Mental Health

I know this pain can feel unbearable, and facing such a difficult challenge is truly hard. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It might seem impossible to move forward right now, but believe me, you can get through this grief. Healing takes time, and we will take it one step at a time.

When we’re emotionally bonded with someone, we share a lot of experiences and make plans for the future. This increases our emotional intimacy. When a relationship ends, it feels like a sudden loss, bringing about feelings of grief. This is a natural part of being attached to someone. Your relationship probably gave you a sense of security and belonging, so it’s normal to feel lost and disconnected when it ends.

Feeling left out can hurt our self-esteem and self-worth. You might feel betrayed or rejected, leading to an identity crisis. This is a normal process that many people go through. Developing new routines and behaviors can help. If things feel too difficult, it’s okay to reflect on them and seek professional support. If you’re already seeing a professional, keep going.

We need to experience all our emotions without judgment, whether it’s sadness, anger, or confusion. Acknowledge these feelings and go through them without judging yourself. Journaling can help—write down whatever comes to mind. This way, you can process your emotions rather than suppress them. Remember the good times, but also focus on self-help routines to create a new identity. Engage in activities you truly enjoy and try new things to rediscover who you are. If you’re going through an identity crisis, this can help build a stronger sense of self.

While creating a new identity, reflect on the present moment. Many things have changed, and with time and the right approach, the intense feelings will subside. You’ll become stronger and more resilient. Reflecting on your progress over time will help you see how far you’ve come.

Since you’re dealing with panic attacks and depression, talking to a therapist can be very helpful. Therapy can provide the emotional support you need and help you challenge negative thought patterns, rebuilding your self-esteem. It’s okay to seek therapy. Healing takes time, and it’s perfectly fine to take one thing at a time rather than overwhelming yourself. This experience can build resilience.

A regional turboprop plane carrying 62 people crashed near Sao Paulo in Brazil on Friday, killing all on board, local officials near the crash site said.

Video shared on social media showed what appeared to be the ATR-made plane spinning out of control as it plunged down behind a cluster of trees near houses, followed by a large plume of black smoke.

City officials at Valinhos, near Vinhedo, said there were no survivors and only one home in the local condominium complex had been damaged while none of the residents were hurt.

"I have to be the bearer of really bad news," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaking at an event shortly after the crash. He asked for a minute of silence for the victims of the crash.

Airline Voepass said the plane, which had taken off from Cascavel, in the state of Parana, bound for Sao Paulo's main international airport, crashed in the town of Vinhedo, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.