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President Ram Chandra Paudel's visit to France, Italy and Germany scheduled for this Wednesday has been postponed.

President's press advisor Kiran Pokharel informed through a press release today that the Head-of-the-State postponed the scheduled visit with the conclusion that it would not be appropriate to leave the country when a natural disaster like a devastating earthquake has occurred.

It is stated that President Paudel will visit the earthquake-hit region tomorrow to take stock of the situation of the affected people.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale with its epicenter in Jajarkot struck the district in Karnali Province the night of November 3, causing huge loss of life and property in Jajarkot and Rukum West.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers had approved the President's visit to the three European countries on November 2.

Pokharel, the press advisor to the President, said the President postponed the visit saying that it would not be suitable to leave the country in the aftermath of the natural disaster, although the visit was very important for Nepal and the Nepali people.

The President was scheduled to leave for Paris, France in connection with attending the 'One Polar Planet Summit' and the 'Paris Pact for People and Planet' conferences under the Peace Forum Programme taking place there from November 9 to 11, at the invitation of French President Immanuel Macron.

At least 16, 570 houses have been completely destroyed due to the earthquake in the six local levels in Rukum West.

Chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee and Chief District Officer, Hari Prasad Panta, said that this number might increase as data collection is still underway in the district.

Based on the data presented by the municipality mayors and the rural municipality chairpersons in the Committee meeting, the highest number of houses have been damaged in Aathbiskot Municipality of the district.

It is stated that 7,148 houses have suffered complete damage in Aathbiskot Municipality, followed by 3,146 houses in Sanibheri Rural Municipality.  Seven hundred and twenty-two houses in Sanibheri have been partially damaged by the Friday night tremor.

Similarly, 1, 987 houses have been completely damaged and 4,374 houses partly damaged in Chaurajahari Municipality while 2,300 houses have been completely destroyed and 3,500 partially damaged in Musikot Municipality.

Likewise, 1935 houses have been completely damaged and 1,258 houses partially damaged in Triveni Rural Municipality while 18 houses have suffered complete damage and 107 houses partial damage in Banfikot Rural Municipality, it has been said.

An aftershock of 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Jajarkot district on Monday.

The aftershock with its epicenter at Ramidanda shook the district at 4:31 pm today, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, Surkhet.

The aftershock was also felt in neighboring districts, said locals.

Chinese Ambassador Chen Song called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday.

During the meeting, they discussed contemporary issues, a source said.

On the occasion, the Chinese Ambassador expressed his concern about the damages caused by the earthquake in Jajarkot with Prime Minister Dahal.

He had expressed his commitment to provide necessary assistance for the earthquake-affected people.

The Chinese government had already announced to provide relief materials worth Rs 1 billion for quake-hit areas.

They also discussed the visit of Wang Junzheng, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of Tibet, to Nepal.

The Nepal Calendar Determination Committee has announced 10: 51 am as the auspicious time for receiving and offering Bhai Tika of Tihar festival.

Surya Prasad Dhungel, Executive Director of the Committee, made public the time by issuing a statement on Monday.

This year's Kag Tihar, the festival of crow, falls on November 11 and the Laxmi Puja (worship of Hindu Goddess Laxmi), one of the major celebrations of the Tihar festival, falls on November 12.

The Gai Puja falls on November 13. Cows are worshiped with Hindu rituals on this day. We are observing the Solar eclipse same day, according to him.

Gobardhan Puja falls on November 14. Oxen are worshiped on this day. The Newar community will celebrate the Mha Puja (worship of the self) on the same day.

The tika for this year's Tihar festival will be observed on November 15 and sisters and brothers exchange the Saptarangi tika (seven-coloured tika) on the occasion. Sisters put tika on their brothers wishing for their wellbeing and longevity and offer them special Tihar delicacies as well. In return brothers also give the Tika and gifts to their sisters.  The Newar community will celebrate the Kija Puja (Bhai Tika) the same day.  

The CPN-UML has decided not to withdraw the support extended to the Koshi Province government.

A Koshi Province Parliamentary Party meeting of the UML held in Biratnagar-based Province Assembly building on Monday has decided to continue the support despite quitting the government, Koshi Province Chief Whip Rewati Raman Bhandari said.

He said that the party has decided not to withdraw the support extended to the government but decided to sit in the Province Assembly meeting as the main opposition.

The Koshi Province government was formed under the leadership of Kedar Karki with the support of 39 province lawmakers.

Chief Minister Karki has to seek the vote of confidence again if the UML withdraws support extended to the government.

The UML had quit the government after the ministers were appointed in the provincial government from the Maoist Center and CPN (Unified Socialist).

CPN (Maoist Center) has postponed the Kathmandu-centric demonstration scheduled for November 8.

The Maoist Center said that it had to postpone the demonstration due to the earthquake in Jajarkot and Rukum.

Earlier on November 5, a meeting of the Maoist Center had decided to stage a demonstration in Kathmandu to protect and strengthen the federal democratic republic, national sovereignty and against regression.

At a time when the government's ruling party, the Maoist Center, is being widely criticized for announcing to stage a demonstration in Kathmandu, the party has postponed the program for now citing the earthquake among other reasons.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had said that the party leading the government cannot stage the demonstration.

Almost half of those killed in the earthquake on Friday were children, it has been found.

According to data with the police, 78 of the 157 people killed in the quake on the night of November 3 were children.

Of the deceased children, 50 died in Jajarkot and 28 in Rukum West due to the quake, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Roka.

Twenty eight of 52 people who died in the quake in Rukum West were children, said the District Police Chief Namraj Bhattarai.

"Most of the deceased in Rukum West were children. Two 10-month-old children have also lost their lives," he said.

According to the Jajarkot police, of the 105 deceased in Jajarkot, 50 were children, 33 women and 18 men. In Rukum West, 16 women and eight men died in the quake.