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A highway eatery has been fined for selling stale food to the customers at Malekhu, Dhading.

New Riya Hotel located at Char Kilo of Thakre Rural Municipality-8 in the district was found selling unhygienic food to the customers, thereby prompting the local authority to take action.

The District Administration Office fined Rs 200,000 to the hotel owner as per Consumer Protection Act, 2075.

After the consumers complained that the eatery provided contaminated things such as samosa and curry that were emanating a rancid smell, it was taken action by a market monitoring team led by Assistant Chief District Officer, Yubraj Aryal.

On Sunday morning, Assistant CDO Aryal was informed over phone that the New Riya Hotel was selling unhygienic food items.

Immediately after receiving the information, a police team from Khanikhola Office reached the hotel. "As the food items kept for sale were found stinking, the hotel owner was taken under control and a report prepared in the presence of a team including ward chairman," Aryal added. 

The foods kept for sale were prepared a day before. The hotel proprietor later admitted that the refrigerator conked out, thereby mistaking temperature.

Samosa and curry were found to be cooked a day before, emanating a foul smell.

The hotel has been providing eatery for the bus passengers, especially to and from Kathmandu via Dhading.

The owner of the hotel is Rajesh Pathak (39) from Shivapuri Rural Municipality of Nuwakot district.

Police have arrested two persons on the charge of murdering former minister of state for land reforms Ram Chandra Raya Yadav.

The District Police Office, Sarlahi made them public by organizing a press conference on Monday.

The arrestees have been identified as Raya’s aide Ram Ujjain Raya (25) of Kabilashi Municipality-3 and his neighbor Birendra Raya (46) of Chandranagar Rural Municipality-1, SP Rabindra Bahadur Singh of the District Police Office, Sarlahi informed.

Raya was murdered by using a sharp weapon at his farm house in Ratanpur, Chandranagar Rural Municipality-1 on July 21.

The main reason behind the murder of Raya was a land dispute, police said.

Raya had served as the state minister when Surya Bahadur Thapa was the prime minister in 1997.

A new species of bird has been found in Mustang.

Ornithologists Sanjay Tha Shrestha and Shankar Tiwari found the new species of bird in Upper Mustang, according to the Nepal Ornithologists Association.

The Spotted Flycatcher bird was found for the first time in Nepal, said Dr Tulasi Subedi, Chair of Nepal Bird Records Committee through a statement today.

The scientific name of the bird is Muscicapa Striata and is locally called Taludharse Arjunak.

The picture of the bird taken by Shrestha and Tiwari at an altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level was sent to the Nepal Bird Records Committee for confirmation.

Based on the available evidence, detailed study and suggestions from national and international ornithologists, Taludharse Arjunak has been confirmed as a species and added to the records of birds found in Nepal, said Subedi.

This takes the number of bird species found in Nepal to 896. This bird is also found in Mongolia, in northern China and in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson called on Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka on Monday.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, various issues of Nepal-US relations including support to the development of the energy sector of Nepal were discussed.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said that the Government of Nepal was making utmost efforts for the safe release of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student in Israel, supposedly under the control of Hamas militant group.

Minister Rana shared this to the father of the missing Joshi, Mahananda Joshi, and his family members in a meeting held at the Ministry in Singha Durbar today.

The family of missing Joshi appealed to the newly appointed Minister Rana to take initiatives for Bipin's release. 

During the meeting, Minister Rana said that she received the information that Joshi was under the control of Hamas group and was safe.

The Minister also informed the visiting family that they came to learn that all those taken under control by Hamas after the attack in Israel were safe and her Ministry was making utmost efforts for Joshi's release.

The Minister said that she recently took stock of Joshi from the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal and all those held by the Hamas group following the attack were safe, Minister Rana said the Israeli envoy as saying.

According to her, the Israeli Ambassador was also working on the release of Joshi and assured that they were leaving no stone unturned for his release.

"We hope that he will be released safely from the control of Hamas," she expressed her hope.

According to her, she has been working on this issue ever since she assumed the office. She also admitted that she has been urging all foreign ambassadors who come to meet her for their necessary support and effort for the release of Bipin.

She recalled the appeals made with the Qatari Emir during this visit to Nepal for taking initiatives for Joshi's release. According to her, her Ministry will make an appeal with the Qatari government for necessary support towards this.

Joshi, who is reportedly under the control of the Hamas group, has been out of touch since the Hamas launched an attack on Israel last October.

Krishna Man Pradhan, who is proposed to the post of Election Commissioner, has informed the Parliamentary Hearing Committee that he wished to withdraw his candidacy to the proposed post.

In a letter to the Committee today, Pradhan said that despite his sincerity to the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, he did not have the motivation and wish to carry out works remaining in the post for which he has been recommended for in the midst of propaganda centered on him.

Through the letter, he has also expressed his commitment to remain honest towards any responsibility that the State provides him in future.

The Constitutional Council on June 16 proposed Pradhan's name for appointment to the post of Election Commissioner and forwarded a proposal to this connection to the Parliament Secretariat for parliamentary hearing.

The Committee conducted a hearing of Pradhan, the former Executive Director of Nepal Law Society, on July 24.

Four complaints were filed at the Committee against Pradhan charging him of violence against women.

A delegation led by Takebe Arata, Japanese parliamentarian, called on President Ram Chandra Paudel on Monday.

In the meeting held at the Office of the President, Sheetal Niwas today, President Paudel said to the visiting Japanese delegation that Nepal had a suitable environment for investment in sectors such as hydropower, tourism and agriculture.

Apprising that the Government of Nepal had recently reformed the law to create an enabling environment for investment, the Head of the State urged the Japanese investors to consider investment in Nepal, according to the Secretariat of President Paudel.

Expressing his gratitude towards Japan's 'unconditional and selfless' support towards Nepal, he thanked Japan's support especially in the areas of infrastructures, agriculture and health.

Mentioning that Nepal's relationship with Japan was culturally connected through the medium of Lord Buddha, the light of Asia, he viewed that the relation between Nepal and Japan was strong at people-to-people level as well.

He further asserted that the two countries shared a close bond due to the fact that both countries express the same voice in the international forums on the political agendas such as democracy, human rights and rule of law, stated the President's Secretariat.

Furthermore, President Paudel expressed his satisfaction over the performance of the Nepali students returning from Japan after learning skills there.

The Japanese delegation, on the occasion, drew the attention of President Paudel, towards enabling a favorable environment for the Japanese companies willing to invest in Nepal.

They shared that they were happy to meet Nepali students aspiring to travel to Japan for further studies who were eager to return home after learning skills there.

Arata, also Chairperson of Standing Committee on Judicial Affairs, House of Representatives in Japan, said that the Japanese delegations suggested the government of Nepal for economic decentralization and for creating a favorable environment for such returnees to retain in Nepal and work here.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 20. 46 points to close at 2,661.09 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 4. 68 points to close at 482. 15 points.

A total of 47,790,837-unit shares of 325 companies were traded for Rs 19. 60 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Finance Ltd. (NFS) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 77 percent. Likewise, Aarambha Chautari Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ACLBSL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 35 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 22 trillion.