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Udhauli, the second most important festival of the Kirant community, is being celebrated across the country with joy and fervor today.

Udhauli festival is celebrated every year on the full moon day of the month of Mangsir in the Lunar calendar.

During the festival, the Kiranti folks gather together to celebrate the festival in an organiZed manner and exchange good wishes.

According to the religious book Mundhum of the Kirants, time is divided into two parts, Udhauli and Ubhauli.

The Kirant community believe that these two periods are divided on the basis of farming.

The Ubhauli festival is celebrated on full moon day during the month of Baisakh.

Ubhauli is a festival celebrated during plantation while Udhauli festival is celebrated at the time of harvesting of the crops. RSS

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Indira Rana Magar, has called upon journalists to write in support of good governance.

Addressing a program to honor the founders of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Jhapa chapter and to hand over amount for the Journalist Support Fund, organized on the occasion of the 35th Founding Day of FNJ Jhapa here today, she said the journalists should push their pens against corruption and in favor of good governance.

The Deputy Speaker said that the low prevalence of corruption in the developed countries was because of the watchdog role played by the media there. "I urge journalists to move ahead with courage and confidence to foster good governance in every sector. The journalists played a significant role in establishing democracy in the country and they should play a similar role now in promoting good governance," she added.

Stating that good governance cannot be established only by making laws, she said the implementation aspect should be strong for producing results.

Founding Secretary Tara Baral and members Govinda Chand Chhetri and Mohan Dhungana were honored on the occasion. Deputy Speaker Rana Magar felicitated them by presenting them with a Letter of Honour. At the programme, various donors contributed Rs 1 million to the Journalist Support Fund.

Baral and Binod Basnet who contributed to the Fund put their views at the program presided over by FNJ Jhapa President Ekraj Giri.

In this 21st century world it is difficult to find someone who has never played any form of video game. With the constantly evolving technology, video games are not limited to consoles or computers but are easily accessible on mobile phones no matter the type. The types of games may vary based on the device you have, but every device has the access to video games which have now slowly been a way for many people to kick back and relax after a long day of work, school, anything.

According to Statista, there are currently more than 2.5bn video game players in the world which means the notion of only children playing video games is long gone. As of now there are 831,000 video games in the world which indicates a wide variety of selection for people. Video games are currently a big source of entertainment in many households.

I first started playing video games at the age of three, and ever since it has been an integral part of my life. Sure, I don’t hop on games for hours on end everyday, but whenever I feel down or have free time, I turn on a game. Video games are not just limited to one person as the option of multiplayer allows the person to connect with friends via the internet or meet up together and enjoy the game.

Along with being a form of entertainment and a means to pass time, video games have also become a major source of income for numerous people. Games like Fortnite and Dota 2 have had tournaments which had prize pools of over $30m. Many games hold tournaments year round with massive prize pools because of which Esports is becoming a serious method of income among gamers in the West.

Not just Esports, online platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Kick and Rumble are filled with streamers who live stream themselves playing games and make a living off of it. Many popular streamers sign multi-million-dollar contracts with said platforms which contribute to their earnings along with sponsorships from many game developers as well.

While video games have risen as a source of income, entertainment, relaxation, just like everything, this coin has another side as well. One of the biggest seen traits in people who are involved with video games is the trait of anger. Playing games means investing real time and energy into the virtual world which at times can bring up frustrations and there are many factors that contribute to it, ranging from something that happens in the game itself or because of some glitches or even because of your own friends and teammates. Being too immersed in video games can also lead to health risks mainly obesity and posture related issues. Playing games for long hours means you stay in a certain position and place for several hours which can lead to people having problems in the spine, their back, hands and necks. 

While made for enjoyment, video games are also subject to rules and regulations and go through various checks. All games are subjected to ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) checks which assign age and content rating to the games before their release.

In Nepal Esports is slowly being taken seriously and it is because of one very specific game, PUBG Mobile. Many Nepali teams have been able to take part in major PUBG Mobile tournaments and make earnings. Not just in a competitive scene, PUBG Mobile has also enabled many content creators to amass a huge audience in Nepal.

This rise in gaming has resulted in internet service providers also upping their game and attracting customers with packages that focus on giving a better gaming experience. Worldlink has a package specifically made for PUBG Mobile which allows the players to experience a smoother connection while gaming. While improvements are being made in various sectors to promote gaming, regulations other than age restriction based on content is not available yet in Nepal, as there is no proper government body to make such adjustments. However, online gambling is something that is punishable by law in Nepal.

Video games unlike the stereotypical notion don’t just spread violence. For a long time, the idea that video games that contain violent content results in the players also being involved in violent activities in the real world as well. But video games don’t just contain violence they also contain enriching stories, great world-building and adrenaline-fueling moments because of which they have become a global phenomenon in recent years gaining more and more popularity. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Fortnite, FIFA, Dota2, Counter-Strike, Skyrim, Assassins Creed, Far Cry, God of War have gained massive fan bases ranging in millions which show no signs of stopping.

Diwas Lamichhane

Thames International College

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to address the nation at 3 pm tomorrow.

He will be addressing the nation from his Singha Durbar-based office on the occasion of the completion of one year in the office.

Dahal was appointed the Prime Minister of Nepal on December 25, 2022.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Meteorological Forecasting Division has urged people to take necessary precaution against cold as the mercury is on a dipping trend throughout the country.

Meteorologist at the Division Saroj Pudasaini said although there is no significant weather system at play in Nepal at present, cold is increasing and hence the need to take precautions.

It is partly cloudy in the hilly region of the country and generally fair in the Tarai region, the Division said.

"There is partial influence of the westerly wind and impact of a big weather system is ruled out for some days," Pudasaini added.

The weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and generally clear in the rest of the regions today. It will be partly cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi and Gandaki provinces and generally fair in the rest of the regions tonight, the Division stated.

Dense fog had occurred in Biratnagar, Janakpur and Bhairahawa in the Tarai region in the morning today.

The minimum temperature in Kathmandu today was 5.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum 18 degrees Celsius. Cold has intensified in Kathmandu as the mercury has dropped. Although it is sunny towards noon, extreme cold is felt in the morning and evening.

Jumla recorded the lowest temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius throughout the country, the Division said.

The gold is being traded at Rs 119, 900 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 119, 350 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,475 per tola today.

Two persons died on the spot when a bus and motorbike collided with each other at Boharetar in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-3 of Sindhuli along the BP Highway on Monday.

According to Chiranjibi Dahal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, the bike rider and the pillion rider died in the incident.

The identity of the bike rider is yet to be ascertained while the pillion rider is identified as Munakala Rai (18) of Diktel Municipality-10, Khotang.

The bus (Ba Pra O1-006 Kha 4593) heading towards Kathmandu from Manthali, Ramechhap collided head-on with the two-wheeler (Ba 60 Pa 3545) this morning.

Police said that they have impounded the bus and arrested its driver Rupesh Adhikari (24) of Manthali Municipality-13, Ramechhap for investigation.

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has published a 45-day auction notice to dispose of its five China-made aircraft—two MA-60s and three Harbin Y-12s.

According to Ramesh Poudel, the spokesperson for the NAC, the national flag carrier will hand over the aircraft to parties quoting the higher prices.

NAC grounded these aircraft three years ago. The annual cost of NAC for these aircraft hovers above Rs 200m. One of the aircraft, Y-12, crashed at Nepalgunj Airport. NAC has already received the insured amount for the aircraft.

Earlier, NAC had also published two auction notices to get rid of these aircraft. However, it didn't receive any applications.

NAC inducted the six aircraft into its fleet in 2014 to expand its share in the domestic market. The Chinese government provided one MA-60 and Y-12 as a grant, while it arranged a concessional loan to finance the purchase of three Y-13 and one MA-50 through a government-to-government agreement.

NAC owes nearly Rs 4bn to the Chinese lenders. According to the national flag carrier, it incurred a loss of Rs 2.5bn in five years from operating the aircraft.

NAC was to begin installment payments from Oct 2020. However, the aircraft were grounded from July of the same year.

NAC has cited reasons like a lack of trained pilots, high training costs to produce pilots (which are said to be four times higher compared to other aircraft) and high insurance fees, among others, behind its decision to ground these Chinese aircraft.

House committee to study EU blacklist

The International Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives has decided to study the decision of the European Union to continue Nepal on its Air Safety List.

A meeting of the committee held on Thursday decided to form a technical sub-committee to study the matter.

Earlier, the committee had sought a comprehensive plan from the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to address concerns raised by the EU in its safety audit. NAC had submitted its plan in the meeting.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has also submitted its report, specifying future plans, to the committee.