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Four people died after being buried under a mound of soil in Haripurwa Municipality, located in Sarlahi district.

According to the District Police Office, Sarlahi, the incident occurred on Wednesday morning at Hardi river in Haripurwa-1, when the victims were extracting soil and were buried by a sudden landslide from above.

Police Inspector Balister Singh, spokesperson for the District Police Office, confirmed the deceased as 65-year-old Sayada Khatun, 9-year-old Nargis Khatun, 8-year-old Dillu Mansur, and 6-year-old Sabiba Khatun, all residents of Magarthana, Sonma Rural Municipality-6, Mahottari district.

During Nepal’s biggest festival, Dashain, the streets of Kathmandu Valley have become unusually quiet. With people traveling to their villages to celebrate Dashain and Tihar, and many locals staying indoors, the capital looks deserted.

Normally congested with heavy traffic, the roads of Kathmandu Valley are now empty. From Ghatasthapana to today, around 600,000 people left the Valley through various exit points.

With Navaratri underway, the Dashain festival has brought excitement across the country. Families, relatives, and communities are gathering to celebrate, making it a season of unity and festivity. Along with joy, however, comes the need to pay attention to health—especially when it comes to food.

Dashain is marked by feasts featuring meat dishes, but doctors warn that overconsumption and poor choices can affect health. Meat-based dishes are often low in water content and high in fat, creating imbalances in the body. Senior cardiologist Dr Prakash Raj Regmi recommends consuming green vegetables and salads alongside meat to maintain a balanced diet.

“Meat provides iron, protein, amino acids, and Vitamin B12,” says Dr Regmi. “But it also contains cholesterol and saturated fat. Fresh, fiber-rich foods like vegetables, pulses, and fruits should also be included. Instead of soft drinks, fresh fruit juice, yogurt, lassi, or buttermilk are healthier options.”

Safe meat consumption

Doctors stress the importance of buying meat from clean, well-maintained butcher shops. Meat should only be purchased from outlets with proper hygiene measures, including wire mesh or glass covers to prevent contamination from flies and insects. Tools such as chopping boards and knives should be kept clean.

Consumer rights activist Bishnu Timilsena cautions buyers to be alert, as some vendors mislabel female animals’ meat as male or even sell poor-quality meat for profit. “Consumers should always demand fresh meat of natural quality,” he says.

What not to eat

Oncologist Dr Arun Shahi advises avoiding stale or rotten food during the holidays. “Do not eat burnt or charred meat, and try to avoid red meat,” he warns. “Disciplined eating is essential during Dashain.”

Dr Regmi adds that goat skin contains high amounts of fat and cholesterol and suggests avoiding offal such as liver and kidneys. He further advises against oily, deep-fried meat dishes and alcohol consumption during the festival.

Improperly handled meat can carry parasites such as Taenia saginata (tapeworm), especially in buffalo intestines. While laws require animals to be inspected before slaughter, rights groups say enforcement is weak, allowing unfit meat to reach consumers.

Focus on fiber

High-fiber foods are essential for digestion, weight control, diabetes management, and preventing chronic illnesses. Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and avocado are rich in fiber. Doctors recommend pairing meat dishes with fiber-rich foods to stay healthy and energetic.

“People with heart disease must be especially careful,” says Dr Regmi. “Excess salty and fatty foods can raise blood pressure, cause irregular heartbeat, and complicate heart function. Medication must not be skipped.”

Stay active, stay healthy

Beyond food, Dashain also brings opportunities for physical and mental wellness. Traditional activities such as visiting shrines, swinging on ping (swings), and flying kites promote both exercise and joy.

Dr Regmi suggests avoiding a sedentary lifestyle during the holiday. “Instead of sitting indoors playing cards, go outside, meet relatives, play swings, and exercise. Enjoy clean, homemade food and stay active for both fun and health,” he advises.

More than 111,000 people departed Kathmandu Valley in the past 24 hours as the Dashain festival travel rush peaked, according to the Valley Traffic Police Office.

Since Ghatasthapana, about 467,000 travelers have left the valley, with traffic congestion causing delays on major routes, said National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs Chair Vijay Bahadur Swar.

Authorities have deployed extra police to manage traffic and ensure smoother travel.

Meteorologists have warned of the possibility of heavy rainfall in Nepal, similar to the severe downpour recorded in October last year.

Binod Pokharel, Associate Professor of Hydrology and Meteorology at Tribhuvan University, said there is a high chance of “heavy” rain between Oct 3 and 7.

Posting on social media, Pokharel noted, “Let’s still hope the forecast turns out wrong, but the likelihood of severe rainfall, like last year in Ashoj, is very high.” According to him, three weather models have already indicated heavy rainfall during that period.

He stressed the need to alert farmers in advance, saying, “Since rainfall is likely to last for 3–4 days, farmers should be informed on time.”

Pokharel also mentioned that rainfall would begin to intensify from Thursday night, starting in eastern Nepal, and predicted that this year’s Dashain will likely be rainy.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division also issued a bulletin this morning, stating that heavy rainfall is possible at one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces.

On the eighth day of Dashain, Maha Ashtami, a large number of devotees thronged the historic Gorkha Kalika Temple from early morning for worship and animal sacrifices.

As per tradition, government-sanctioned sacrifices will begin after 2 pm, following which the temple will be open for the public to offer sacrifices of goats, buffaloes, and sheep.

The Gorkha Kalika Temple is regarded as one of the most significant Shakti Peeths (power shrines) in the district. Devotees from Gorkha, as well as neighboring districts including Kathmandu, Tanahun, Chitwan, and Lamjung, visit the temple during this time.

It is widely believed that offering worship and sacrifices at the temple during Dashain fulfills devotees’ wishes and brings blessings.

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the US peace plan for Gaza, the question now is whether Hamas will agree. Hamas faces a bitter tradeoff—the proposal demands that the militant group effectively surrender in return for uncertain gains. But if it rejects the deal, the US could give Israel an even freer hand to continue its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory.

Under the proposal, the militant group would have to disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza—all desperately hoped for by its population.

But the proposal has only a vague promise that some day, perhaps, Palestinian statehood might be possible. For the foreseeable future, Gaza and its more than 2 million Palestinians would be put under international control. An international security force would move in, and a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction. The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops.

Trump and Netanyahu said they agreed on the plan Monday after talks at the White House.

The proposal includes one provision that Netanyahu and his hard-line government most strongly oppose: It says the Palestinian Authority will eventually govern Gaza. But Netanyahu is likely betting that will never come to pass. Israel also rejects any Palestinian state. The White House issued the text on Monday of its 20-point proposal. Here is what to know.

The ceasefire

The plan calls for all hostilities to immediately end. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all hostages it still holds, living or dead. The militants still hold 48 hostages—20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive.

In return, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons as well as 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel would also hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.

Troop withdrawal

The plan calls for an Israeli troop withdrawal. But it would only take place after Hamas disarms and as the international security force deploys to fill in areas that Israeli forces leave. Israel would also maintain a “security perimeter presence”–a vague phrasing that could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside Gaza.

Those terms could bring pushback from Hamas, which has said it will not release all its hostages unless it receives a “clear declaration” the war will end and Israel will leave Gaza completely.

The fate of Hamas and postwar Gaza

Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure—including tunnels—would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza would be allowed to.

The international security force would ensure Hamas’ disarmament and keep order. It would also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid would be allowed to flow into Gaza in large amounts and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the UN and the Red Crescent. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system backed by Israel and the US, would continue to operate.

The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza, and that there will be an international effort to rebuild the territory for Palestinians.

In normal cases, that might not need spelling out. But Palestinians have feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government spoke of pushing out Gaza’s population–ostensibly in a “voluntary” manner–and rebuilding the strip as a sort of international real estate venture.

The interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza. But it would be overseen by the “Board of Peace.” The board would also supervise funding of reconstruction, a role that could give it enormous power over governing Gaza since that is the biggest task facing the territory, almost completely destroyed by Israel’s campaign.

The Palestinian Authority and statehood

During this interim administration, the Palestinian Authority would undergo reforms so it can eventually take over governing Gaza.

The plan has only a slight nod to the issue of statehood. It says that if the Palestinian Authority reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

The response so far

Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief shared the 20-point plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response. Hamas has so far rejected disarmament, saying it has a right to resist until Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends.

Arab countries appear to back the outline. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.​​​​​​​ Netanyahu could face resistance from within his own ultra-nationalist coalition allies.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is part of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, published a list of his “red lines” on X on Monday. Top among them, he wrote, any deal ,must not allow involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or allow a Palestinian state. Smotrich is one of the more vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition who have previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu halts the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu may see a loophole. The proposal makes PA involvement in Gaza conditional on it completing internal reforms, which it pledged to do, saying it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war.​​​​​​​ But in his comments alongside Trump on Monday, Netanyahu expressed his belief it will never successfully do so.

AP

Dengue infections in Nepal have crossed the 5,000 mark this year.

Since late Dec 2024 up to now, a total of 5,196 cases of dengue have been confirmed. The virus has spread across 75 districts, with 294 new infections recorded in just the past week, according to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD).

Province-wise data show the highest number of cases in Gandaki (1,327), followed by Bagmati (1,191), Lumbini (911), Koshi (737), Sudurpaschim (622), Karnali (296), and Madhes (112).

Health experts warn that the actual number of infections could be much higher than reported. The EDCD noted that the figures represent only a fraction of the real dengue spread, as the national reporting system captures limited cases.