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Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Kathmandu University, Prof Dr Achyut Prasad Wagle, took the oath of office and secrecy on Tuesday.

Prime Minister and Chancellor of the KU KP Sharma Oli administered the oath and office of secrecy to Wagle amidst a program organized at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers this afternoon.

Chancellor Oli appointed Dr Wagle to the post on Monday as per the Clause 13 (4) of the KU Act, 2048. The government had formed a three-member search committee for the recommendation of the VC in the university.  

Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Bidya Bhattarai, PM Oli's Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal and Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal, among others were present on the occasion.

Newly appointed VC Wagle was Acting Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of the KU.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 7. 66 points to close at 2, 697. 04 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 06 points to close at 452. 89 points.

 A total of 8,237,902-unit shares of 313 companies were traded for Rs 4. 34 billion.

Meanwhile, Mithila LaghuBitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (MLBBL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 96 percent. Likewise, Samudayik Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SLBSL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 21 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 47 trillion.

Twenty rhinos were found dead in eight months of the current fiscal year in the Chitwan National Park (CNP) and its surrounding areas.

CNP Information Officer Abinash Thapa Magar said all of these rhinos died in the current fiscal year due to natural causes— from tiger and crocodile attacks, fighting amongst each other, falling ill, and old age.

Total 21 rhinos died in the last fiscal year. Of the, 18 from natural causes while two from poaching while the reason behind the death of one rhino was not ascertained, he added.

Similarly, 22 rhinos died in the CNP in the fiscal year 2022/23—20 due to natural causes, one electrocuted and one from poaching. The Ministry of Forest and Environment had formed a committee to find out the reasons after many rhinos died from natural causes.

The mortality rate of rhinos from natural causes has started decreasing in recent years.  As per the census, 2021, there are 752 rhinos in Nepal. The CNP has the highest number of one-horned rhinos which is 694.

Two children died when a massive fire broke out at Dhanpalthalan Rural Municipality in Morang on Tuesday.

The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.

It has been learnt that eight houses were completely destroyed in the fire.

Locals and police personnel backed by fire engines are trying to douse the fire, DSP Bed Prakash Joshi, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang, informed.  

The most difficult part about having a home is not remembering to pay the bills and taxes or the annual maintenance but the day-to-day chore of keeping it clean. With so much dust and pollution and the chaos of everyday life, your home is bound to get dirty and unkempt if you neglect to clean it regularly. While a good wipe down often does the trick to tackle dust on tabletops and counters, a home collects grime in neglected corners like window sills and frequently used items like appliances and if it’s left for too long, it can not only be difficult to clean but also emanate strange smells and make your home seem off. But a thorough cleaning isn’t possible every day so what do you do? We are here to help. Here are some simple ideas and remedies to keep your home fresh and clean day after day with minimal effort.

Schedule weekly tasks

One of the easiest ways to tackle build up and grime in forgotten corners like for example behind the microwave and fridge, and the topmost shelves in your living space is to create a schedule to decide when you will clean these hard to reach places and stick to this plan. You can assign each member of your family a specific task so that the burden doesn’t fall on any one particular person. You can also schedule one difficult task every day. For example, on Monday, you clean the hard to reach places like behind the fridge and dresser, on Tuesday, you tackle the coffee maker and microwave, and so on. The idea is to break it down into simple weekly jobs so that you aren’t overlooking anything.

Keep your home smelling nice

Oftentimes, we only dust and clean and forget about the murky smell lurking in our homes. And no, we don’t just mean the bathroom. Your home has to smell nice to have a freshness to it. Fragrances can also help keep insects and pests at bay. There are different ways to keep your home smelling nice. The simplest way is to boil water on the stove, add orange peel and some cloves to it and let it simmer for an hour. The fragrance that will waft through your house will be invigorating as well as help keep common house pests like ants and spiders away. Another way is to dry flowers and herbs from your garden and sprinkle them with some essential oils like lavender or night jasmine and keep little sachets of these in various corners around the house.

Vacuum the upholstery and curtains

All of us only vacuum the carpets and neglect to attend to the curtains and upholstery but these fabrics also tend to gather dust and become grimy over time. It’s a good idea to run the hoover through these as well when you are cleaning the carpets.You can also use an iron to steam these from a distance after you are done vacuuming them to freshen them up. Alternatively, sprinkle some baking soda on the sofas and cushions and let it sit for a few minutes before vacuuming them. This will also freshen up your upholstery and give it a clean finish. Use a wet toothbrush to clean the nooks and crannies of the sofa by simply running it through them. You’ll be surprised to see how much hair and dust will have collected in these spaces without you having noticed a thing.

Declutter regularly

An oft-overlooked part of keeping a clean home is definitely decluttering. Most of us have way too much stuff that we need and we keep buying and bringing things into our home without having used so many things that we already own. Multiple notebooks, multiple flower vases, multiple extension cords, and multiples of almost everything, that is the situation of most homes. Over time, you will not only run out of space but all these items will gather dust while being useless and give your home a cluttered and cramped feel. Regular decluttering and getting rid of what you don’t use by choosing to donate things that are in working condition is a good way to keep your house organized. Get into the habit of putting things back in their place once you are done with them and take a few minutes at the end of the day to tidy up frequently used areas like the kitchen and living room. 

In collaboration with Tewa and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), a report titled “Elected Women’s Access to Leadership in Local Governance” was launched, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for women representatives at the ward level. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and key stakeholders to discuss the report's findings and implications.

Swarnim Wagle, Chairperson of IIDS, opened the program with his remarks, emphasizing how the report resonated with him, particularly in its insights on token representation and the systemic barriers that elected women face in leadership roles.

A panel discussion followed, moderated by Arjun Thapa, featuring distinguished panelists Sumana Shrestha, Sharu Joshi Shrestha, Mamata Mahato, and Minendra Rijal. The discussion focused on policy interventions, societal perceptions, and strategies to strengthen women’s leadership in local governance. Sumana Shrestha, a Member of Parliament, emphasized, “To challenge the dominance faced by women, they need to be active and participate in every sector.” Sharu Joshi Shrestha, a gender and social inclusion expert, stressed the importance of selecting well-informed and educated candidates. She highlighted the need for training programs to equip candidates with a clear understanding of their responsibilities and roles. Mamata Mahato, Vice-chairperson of Paterwa Sugauli Rural Municipality, pointed out the challenges women face in re-entering leadership roles. She noted that since most higher-ranking officials are male, it is difficult for women to voice their needs and concerns effectively. Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, chief election commissioner emphasized electoral reforms to enhance women’s political impact in Nepal. Despite increased representation, systemic barriers like restrictive ticket distribution and inadequate capacity-building hinder progress.

Two hundred and thirty-six hatcheries have closed down in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Nepal Poultry Federation.

The industries have been closed after the hatched chicks did not fetch even the production price after the pandemic.

According to Tikaram Pokhrel, vice-president of the Federation, there were 348 hatchery industries operating across the country before Covid-19. Now the number has come down to 120. Similarly, layer hatcheries have been reduced from 14 to six.

Pokhrel said 5.5 million broiler chicks used to be produced in a week by the hatcheries before and it has decreased to 3 million. Likewise, the production of layer chicks has decreased from 250, 000 per week to 130, 000.

According to Pokharel, the production cost of broiler chicks ranges from Rs 55 to Rs 60 per chick while that of layer chick ranges from Rs 120 to 125.

Rajendra Lamichhane, central senior vice-president of Nepal Hatchery Industry Association, said the hatcheries have been closed as they even did not get the production cost for the chicks for two years after Covid-19.

After a long time, the price of broiler chicks has now reached Rs 70 to Rs 75 per chick while the price of layer chicks is in the range of Rs 130 to Rs 150.

"Most of the hatcheries were shut down as the chicks did not fetch even the production cost for a long time and even those industries which were running have also done so with additional loans from banks," he said.

Hatchery industries and poultry farmers have been displaced from their business due to the hatched chicks not fetching the production cost, increase in prices of poultry feed and medicines, higher bank interest rates, low price of meat, displacement of poultry farmers and illegal entry of chicks from the Indian market.

Police have arrested a person in possession of more than Rs 200 million on Monday night.

A team from Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Teku, nabbed the person with the amount from Jhor area of Tokha Municipality-1, said Office Chief, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Basnet.

Police, however, have not revealed the identity of the person.

SSP Basnet added that currency notes of different countries including Nepal AND US were seized from a truck (Na 1 Kha 1652).