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Four Nepali laborers were killed after they got buried under debris following a landslide in Rudraprayag district’s Fata area, officials said, Hindustan Times reported.

Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said that they received information at 1.37am in the night that four people were buried under the debris following a landslide near Fata helipad.

“On receiving information, the SDRF team immediately left for the spot. Due to the blockage on the Doliya Devi Marg, the SDRF team reached the spot by walking two kilometres”, he said.

The SDRF team could not take the JCB machine to the site of the incident as heavy rainfall made the road inaccessible for heavy vehicles.

“SDRF personnel started the rescue operation by manually digging. They pulled out four bodies from the debris and handed them over to the district police,” he said.

The deceased have been identified as Tul Bahadur, Purna Nepali, Kishna Parihar and Chiku Bura — all residents of Nepal.

A bus bearing an Indian number plate has plunged into the Marsyangdi river near Aanbu khaireni in Tanahun along the Prithvi Highway on Friday.

The bus fell into the river from Aina Pahara at Aanbu khaireni Rural Municipality-2.

The bus (UP 53 FT 7623) was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara when the incident occured, DSP Deepak Kumar Raya of the District Police Office, Tanahun said. Indian tourists were traveling in the bus, he added.

However, the number of passengers has not been ascertained yet.

Police personnel have reached the incident site and are rescuing the passengers.

The details of the incident are awaited.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 500 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 151, 400 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 151, 900 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price silver, however, has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1,815 per tola today.

The United Nations has welcomed the adoption of the new transitional justice law in Nepal.

The UN has stated that the adoption of new transitional justice legislation in Nepal marks an important step in the nation’s long journey towards accountability and reconciliation.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday that the amendment bill, entitled the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth, and Reconciliation Commission Act, aims to ensure truth and accountability for serious human rights violations committed by all parties during Nepal’s civil war. 

Türk affirmed that his Office was ready to assist Nepal in taking this crucial phase of the peace process forward.

“Eighteen years since the end of the decade-long conflict, and after several previous attempts to finalize such legislation, victims of human rights violations are now closer to knowing the truth, accessing justice, and obtaining reparations,” Türk said, issuing a statement in Geneva, Switzerland.

Likewise, Türk commended Nepal to have become “a regional and global example of a successful peaceful transition towards democratic, constitutional, and federal governance”.

“Transitional justice is a powerful instrument to break cycles of violence and impunity, and a unique opportunity to revisit some of the rooted inequalities and discrimination that led to the conflict,” the UN rights chief mentioned.

The House of Representatives (HoR) and National Assembly (NA) have endorsed the Bill related to transitional justice.

The HoR meeting passed the Bill related to Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Third Amendment), 2081 on August 14 while the NA meeting passed it on Thursday. 

Originated in the HoR, the bill will be sent to the President for authentication after HoR Speaker Devraj Ghimire's certification. The bill will take the form of an Act to come into force after the President's authentication.

The government has formed a taskforce to identify and troubleshoot the issues on forest, environment and land acquisition witnessed while developing the projects under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.

A meeting attended by Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka, Minister for Forest and Environment Yin Bahadur Shahi, State Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Purna Bahadur Tamang, State Minister for Forest and Environment Rupa Bishwakarma, secretaries and joint-secretaries of both the ministries formed a seven-member taskforce to carry out the assignment.

Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Suresh Acharya will lead the taskforce.

Joint secretaries at the Department of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Sushil Chandra Acharya and Indira Dahal, joint secretaries at the Ministry of Forest and Environment Dr Maheshwor Dhakal and Meghnath Kafle and Director General of the Department of Electricity Department Nabin Raj Singh are the members in the taskforce while Joint Secretary Kalanidhi Paudyal of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat is named as the member-secretary.

The taskforce is assigned to submit its report with recommendations to address issues relating to policy, legal and procedural.

The taskforce is given a deadline of 25 days to submit the report.

Currently, the projects under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation have faced some challenges due to the lack of a specific legal basis for the acquisition of (unregistered and uncultivated) Eilani land, assessment of land and its compensation, clearing the forest land by cutting trees, and other issues too.

The monsoon winds have widespread effects across the country resulting in partial to general rainfall, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said.  

The Department said that the low-pressure line of monsoon is towards the western part of its average location and in some northern direction towards the east of its average location.

The weather is expected to remain partly to generally cloudy throughout the country today.

Light rain accompanied by thunder and lightning is happening at a few places of Koshi and Madhes provinces and light rain in one or two places of Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

Currently, rain is occurring in the Kathmandu Valley.

Likewise, heavy rain is taking place along with thunder and lightning in one or two places of Madhes Province.

According to the Department, it will be generally cloudy throughout the country this afternoon. Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of all the provinces.

This afternoon, heavy rain is predicted in one or two places of Bagmati and Lumbini Provinces.

Likewise, the same pattern of the weather is likely this evening too with the prediction of heavy rain in one or two places of Koshi, Bagmati and Lumbini Provinces.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said that her India visit had significantly contributed to promoting goodwill between Nepal and India.

Talking to journalists upon her arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Thursday, Minister Rana said the visit has added up to further strengthen friendly, cooperative, multidimensional and close ties on the basis of equality and mutual benefits.

Minister Rana said that the visit has paved ways to promote cooperation and assistance for mutual benefits through the means of bilateral mechanisms and to expand cooperation at the higher level and in different layers in the coming days.  

She said that her visit took place as per the program of exchange of the high-level visits.  

On the occasion, Minister Rana shared that she held talks with the Indian Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister in an amicable manner, and the meetings focused on the issues of Nepal's welfare and interests as well as the diverse area of mutual interests.

Saying that she held a courtesy call on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Minister Dr Rana stated that views to expand ongoing cooperation and strengthen existing friendship between Nepal and India were conferred.

According to her, she handed over an invitation letter to Indian Prime Minister Modi on behalf of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for a state visit to Nepal.

This is the first visit of Rana after she assumed the responsibility as the Foreign Minister.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has clarified that the arrears of Nepal Electricity Authority's dedicated feeders and trunk line power supply will be collected without any leftovers.

Responding to questions of MPs in today's meeting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Oli, however, said the arrears will be collected not by closing the industry but by operating it. "The government is clear on this; the arrears will be collected without cutting off the power supply lines.”

He also made it clear that there is no difference between the government and the NEA leadership, and refuted the social media publicity that tries to give a false impression that the NEA is trying to collect the tariff and the government is exempting it.

On a different note, the Prime Minister said that a system will be developed whereby a response would be made within three days on the files that need to be decided in any ministry.

He also said that the process of linking the national identity card and driver's license to the citizen app has been started.