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Two people have died and one person has gone missing due to floods in the Bandre river in Baglung Municipality-4.

In the incident that took place last night, the floods swept away a motorcycle (Dha 2 Pa 8010) and a scooter (Dha 1 Pa 9996).

Arjun Sapkota (23) and Abeshik Regmi (22) of Baglung-4 died in the incident while 20-year-old Kamal Sapkota of the same village has gone missing, according to Inspector Patap Paudel of the District Police Office, Baglung.

The bodies of Sapkota and Regmi were recovered about 200 meters downstream the river.

The search for Sapkota is underway but continuous rainfall is hampering the efforts, said police.

A few places in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and one or two places in the remaining provinces are experiencing light to moderate rain. This is due to the monsoon, which is still active in the country.

According to the Weather Forecasting Division, the weather is currently partly to mostly cloudy across the country. This afternoon, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some parts of the hilly areas and in a few places in the rest of the country.

Furthermore, there is a possibility of heavy rain in one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces, says the weather forecast bulletin issued by the Division this morning.

Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that our country is rich in different religions, culture and festivals and Haritalika Teej is a particularly important festival of Nepali women among the various festivals. "Festivals are our identity and pride."

Extending good wishes on the occasion of Haritalika Teej in a message today, he has mentioned that the festival also has special importance in the sense that married daughters return to their natal home on Teej, playing a significant role in keeping family relations cordial. "This tradition of expressing mutual love, harmony, faith and sisterhood helps strengthen harmony and unity in our society."

Wishing that the festival enhances happiness in the family, society and country, NC President Deuba has also expressed his best wishes for happiness, peace and prosperity to all those who are celebrating this festival today.

The festival of 'Teej', also known as the 'Haritalika', is being observed by the Nepali Hindus, especially women throughout the country today.

The festival falls on the dark half of the lunar month that falls in the month of Bhadra in the Lunar calendar. The revelers of this festival, mostly women, observe fast wishing for longevity and a prosperous life for their spouse.

The three-day festivity begins with 'Dar' on the second day of the fortnight in the month of Bhadra and is marked with fasting and cultural programs the next day. Women rejoice with various delicious dishes known as 'Dar' a day before 'Teej' and fast on the next day as per the tradition.

Women on this day take ritual baths in the morning and offer worship in the evening. They pay homage to Lord Shiva, light oil-fed lamps and spend the night awake.

The festivity comes to an end on the fifth day of the fortnight after worshiping the legendary 'Saptarishi' (seven sages).

This unique festival of Nepali women is also a celebration of sisterhood as sisters gather at their natal home and indulge in jubilant dancing and singing.

The legend has it that Parbati, the daughter of Himalayas, was on her maiden fast, wishing for the health and the wellbeing of her spouse, Lord Shiva.  Since then, the same day has been recognized as the Haritalika Teej.

Married women put on bangles, ‘Pote’ (a necklace made of glass beads), ‘Tilahari’ and ‘Sindur’ (crimson powder) considered the symbols of good luck and dress themselves up in red saris or other red outfits and adorn themselves with different kinds of ornaments.

Both married and unmarried women perform various pooja and observe fasting, praying for fulfillment of their wish for a happy and prosperous conjugal life.

Shiva temples including the Pashupatinath temple in the Capital sees an overwhelming number of women devotees this day.

To mark the occasion, the Government has also announced a public holiday today for women only.

CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has said that the alliance between the two largest parties in the Parliament was formed to end the national crisis existing in the country.

Talking to media persons at Surkhet airport today, General-Secretary Pokharel mentioned that the political equation between the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress was made with an objective of safeguarding the nation from crisis. 

"The main objective of the power equation is to take the country's democracy towards the right path, reviewing constitutional legal practices and establishing stability in the country by making necessary amendments to the Constitution", he opined.

Stating that the country's economy has started being dynamic after the formation of the incumbent government, the UML leader shared that an arrangement has been made to provide loan without collateral for start-up projects in order to create employment in the country.

The UML GeneralSecretary clarified that the CPN-UML would contest in the coming elections alone.

He urged the CPN (Maoist Center) to play a role of responsible opposition in the parliament.

Saying that they are trying to make necessary amendment to the Constitution in order to give stability to the nation, he underlined that they would move ahead taking all political parties together for the same.

On 22 Dec 2023, authorities intercepted a bus with an Indian license plate that was exporting 5,616 pieces of toothpaste, valued at over Rs 1.62m. The driver fled the scene during the operation, but the Bhairahawa Customs Office managed to seize the vehicle near the Belhiya border with all the contraband goods intact.

On 8 May 2024, another bus carrying contraband items was stopped at the Bethari border. Authorities recovered 363 kg of hukka flavor, 275 meters of georgette fabric, 275 meters of net embroidery, 72 women’s suits, and 85 sarees, all illegally imported and valued at Rs 1.5m, from the bus. Two men Sanjit Harijan and Sanglagna Dipak Patthakaratta were also apprehended and subsequently charged.

On 29 Aug 2024, customs officers seized 210 sacks of sugar (weighing 10.5 tons) from a Pokhara-bound bus at Jhulanipur in Mayadevi Municipality. The bus driver, Shivkumar Yadav, was also arrested.

These cases are just a few examples of the efforts made by the Bhairahawa Customs Office to intercept and seize goods illegally imported or stolen. The Armed Police Force and Nepali Police personnel have started conducting independent investigations and enforcing regulations. For the first time, it is evident that the Bhairahawa Customs Office is making significant strides in their operations, conducting more thorough investigations than before.

Narad Gautam, chief customs officer at Bhairahawa, said, “We are being notified about products that are being illegally exported or imported, and our team has been successful in seizing them. We have found that smugglers are secretly bringing in materials like sugar and clothes to fuel the black market, create artificial scarcity, and even hoard goods during the festival season. In response, we are taking action to control these smuggled goods.”

In the past week alone, three vehicles attempting to transport 33 kg of sugar to other cities were seized. Every day, the customs office inspects warehouses and monitors vehicles heading to other cities. Gautam added, “Information about customs evasion control is crucial. The results of our efforts, both in the field and in the office, are now visible. By collaborating with informants, we are gaining their trust and receiving more tips.”

Gautam acknowledged that although there is a reward system for informants, there is currently no budget to gather advance information for controlling contraband. Despite this, efforts to curb customs evasion continue. 

According to the office, in the past ten and a half months (from 26 Oct 2023 to 31 Aug 2024), the customs office has seized goods including clothes, sugar, peas, tobacco, toothpaste, onions, hookah flavor, and cigarettes, valued at more than Rs 40.5m. Additionally, vehicles used for smuggling, including trucks, pickups, cars, and motorcycles worth Rs 20.34m, have been seized, and eight individuals have been arrested and prosecuted for smuggling.

Gautam said, “In some cases, we have returned empty-handed even after field operations, but we are committed to controlling customs evasion. It has come to our attention that some individuals involved in customs evasion have ceased their activities, while others are on the run and remain on our wanted list.”

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 12. 10 points to close at 2,727.26 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 35 points to close at 486. 36 points.

A total of 20,153,993-unit shares of 316 companies were traded for Rs 9. 65 billion.

Meanwhile, Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Nepal Finance Ltd. (NFS) the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 91 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 33 trillion.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that all should move ahead actively to make the campaign against human trafficking successful.

In a message today on the occasion of 18th National Anti- Human Trafficking Day, Prime Minister Oli extended best wishes, saying this Day could give more inspiration to all to end human trafficking. The Day is being observed today under the slogan, "Commitment of Three-Tier Governments: Solidarity of All against Human Trafficking".

"Human trafficking and smuggling are a heinous crime of human civilization. Nature, form and destination of human trafficking and smuggling have been found continuously changing with the passage of time", reads the message. 

"Most of the women are trafficked while going as domestic workers to the countries where the government has banned foreign employment from Nepal. As well as teenage girls working in the entertainment sector are also at high-risk from the point of view of human trafficking" reads the message.

Prime Minister Oli mentioned that the government has been launching different awareness programs to reduce growing trafficking to children and teenage girls.

The government has been strictly implementing laws formulated to end human trafficking, he explained.