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Balewa: A baby weighing 4.75 kilograms was born by natural birth in Dhaulagiri Hospital, the heaviest baby born in the hospital so far. 

The health condition of the newborn and his mother is normal, the hospital said.

Malati Chhantyal Tamang, 32, of Jaimini Muncipality-3 in the district gave birth to the baby boy on Thursday, Nursing In-Charge of the hospital Devi Bhattarai said.  

The baby boy was delivered even without the presence of specialist doctors in the hospital during the Dashain vacation.

The newborn is the fourth baby of Chhantyal.

Chhantyal said that she was suggested to visit a hospital in Pokhara to deliver the baby but got admitted to the Dhaulagiri Hospital considering that the new born would also be delivered without a caesarean section as all her three babies were born by natural birth.

Prior to this, a baby weighing 4.5 kgs was born in the Dhaulagiri Hospital but by caesarean section.

New Delhi: The Indian government on Thursday vowed to explore “all legal options” after a Qatari court handed death sentences to eight Indian employees of a Qatari company on spying charges.

According to Indian media reports, the eight men are retired Indian naval officers who worked for the consulting company Al Dahra, advising the Qatari government on the acquisition of submarines.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a statement it was awaiting the detailed judgment in the case.

“We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” it said. “We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”

The statement did not provide further details.

Qatar’s government declined to immediately comment on the sentences.

Qatari authorities provided New Delhi consular access to the eight Indian nationals during their trial.

Millions of Indians live and work in the Gulf, a large number of them as semi-skilled or unskilled workers. They constitute an important source of income for India and contribute to the success of Gulf economies.

AP

Solukhumbu: A foreign national has been discovered deceased in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-4 of Solukhumbu.

The body of Janaros, a 46-year-old visitor from the Czech Republic, who had been exploring the Sagarmatha region, was located in the Cholapik area, as reported by the Solukhumbu District Police Office. According to the office's information officer, Inspector Anil Mishra, Janaros, who had recently returned from his expedition on Cholapik Mountain, was found lifeless approximately 500 meters below the mountain at around 1 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased's body was airlifted and transported to Lukla by helicopter on Thursday, with the process of sending it to Kathmandu already underway. The Solukhumbu District Police Office has stated that further investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Bengaluru: Defending champion England endured yet another abject loss at the Cricket World Cup as an eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka on Thursday left its hopes of advancing hanging by a slim thread.

England crashed to 156 all out after opting to bat—its lowest World Cup total since 2003, and the lowest ODI score ever recorded at the batting-friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara led the rout and took 3-35 in seven overs. Ben Stokes was the top scorer for England with 43 runs.

Sri Lanka then coasted to victory with 24.2 overs to spare, finishing with 160-2. Pathum Nissanka (77 not out) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65 not out) scored attacking half-centuries.

It was Sri Lanka’s fifth consecutive victory over England in World Cups.

England has just one win—against Bangladesh—from its opening five games at the tournament following heavy losses to New Zealand and South Africa and an upset defeat to Afghanistan.

Its third successive loss means England has made the worst start of any defending champions since the 1999 World Cup. Back then, Sri Lanka lost three out of five games and failed to qualify for the super six stage and the eventual knockouts.

England’s chances of making the semifinals also took a big blow as it is ninth with two points, only above the Netherlands on account of net run-rate.

Sri Lanka climbed to sixth with four points.

England got off to a decent start as Jonny Bairstow (30) and Dawid Malan (28) added 45 runs off 39 balls for the first wicket. But Angelo Mathews, playing his first game of the tournament, had Malan caught behind in the seventh over. And two overs later, Joe Root was run out for three.

The collapse began in the 14th over when Bairstow was caught at mid-on off Kasun Rajitha (2-36). Skipper Jos Buttler’s torrid run with the bat continued as he was caught behind off Kumara in the next over.

Liam Livingstone wanted to hit his way out of trouble, but was out lbw for one as England sunk to 85-5 in 17 overs.

Stokes put on 37 runs off 46 balls with Moeen Ali (15) before Mathews got a second wicket as Ali was caught behind after England managed to cross the 100-mark. The veteran all-rounder finished with 2-14 in five overs.

It ushered in a fresh collapse as the defending champions lost the last five wickets for 34 runs across 70 deliveries.

Stokes was the eighth man out, holing to the deep off Kumara, as none of the English tail-enders contributed a decent score.

In reply, Sri Lanka faltered at the start as David Willey struck twice to remove Kusal Perera (4) and Kusal Mendis (11) early on. But Nissanka and Samarawickrama then bedded in for their unbeaten partnership.

Nissanka hit seven fours and two sixes, as he brought up 50 off 54 balls. His partner was more aggressive — reaching 50 off 44 balls with four fours and a six.

Overall they added 137 runs off 122 balls for the third wicket, as England suffered a third consecutive loss in a World Cup for the first time since 1996.

Sri Lanka's five-wicket win over the Netherlands last weekend was its first victory at the tournament.

AP

Kathmandu: Commercial paragliding flights have commenced in Chandragiri, Kathmandu. Babu Adventures, the company founded by Nepal’s first high-altitude paragliding instructor and pilot, Sanobabu Sunuwar, has launched paragliding services.

Sunuwar, who has the remarkable achievements of scaling Mount Everest and paragliding from its summit to sea level, is also the recipient of the ‘Adventurer of the Year-2012’ award from National Geographic.

Paragliding flights take off from Chandragiri Hill, situated 20 minutes west of Bhaleshwar Temple. The flight starts at Chandragiri, which is 2,300 meters above sea level, and ascends up to a hundred meters in the sky before landing in Chitlang at 1,700 meters above sea level.

During the paragliding experience, participants can enjoy breathtaking aerial views of Bhaleshwar Temple and most parts of the Kathmandu Valley. The flight also offers panoramic views of regions such as Rasuwa and Dhading, as well as an enchanting perspective of Makwanpur’s Tistung, Palung, and the man-made Indrasarovar Lake.

The flight route predominantly traverses lush forests, enhancing the experience. According to government regulations, the company is permitted to fly up to 12 paragliders simultaneously, serving up to 100 people daily.

Sunuwar, who runs a paragliding school in Swarek Maidan, Syangja, believes that adventure air tourism has vast potential across Nepal and they've invested in Chandragiri to provide Kathmandu residents with a taste of flying in their city.

He said, “We’re on a mission to promote paragliding throughout Nepal. Given the high population density in Kathmandu, we hope to quickly and effectively spread its appeal.” The company is also prepared for ‘cross-country’ paragliding. They have invested around Rs 15m in establishing paragliding operations in Chandragiri, with plans for further investment.

Regarding the fee, the company charges Rs 8,000 per person for paragliding at Chandragiri, which includes a 15 to 25-minute paragliding flight, photographs, videos, and transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment are provided by the company. Foreign nationals are charged Rs 12,000 per person for the same package. Nepali tourists who don’t require transportation by the company can enjoy paragliding at a rate of Rs 7,200.

To make a booking for paragliding in Chandragiri, interested individuals should contact Babu Adventures at least one day in advance. Bookings can be made through the company’s website.

Dhorpatan: Local residents and commuters continue to endure hardships due to the prolonged delay in completing the Mid-Hill Highway, a project of national significance. Although the Baglung-Ghodabandhe section of the highway was opened over two decades ago, the road remains unpaved, subjecting locals to dusty conditions.

The highway office initially awarded the contract for blacktopping a 25-kilometer section from Upallochaur to Ghodabandhe to two contractor companies with a stipulated completion time of two years. However, seven years have passed, and the project remains incomplete.

India-Siddhisai JV secured the contract for the 13-kilometer Upallochaur stretch, but only seven kilometers have been blacktopped so far, despite the deadline being extended four times. Similarly, Surya Construction Company was tasked with blacktopping the remaining 12 kilometers from Bihun to Ghodabandhe, but only six kilometers have been completed, with the deadline extended five times.

Local resident Kedar Kandel expressed frustration, saying, “We have been forced to contend with the dusty road for years due to the prolonged delays in completing the project. Despite the project’s lengthy timeline, there has been little improvement, and the road becomes muddy during the rainy season.”

Lumbini: A person who went missing while participating in a ceremony to immerse the idol of Goddess Durga at the confluence of the Tinau and Danab rivers in Kotahimai Rural Municipality of Rupandehi a few days ago has been found dead today.

During the idol immersion ceremony for the Bada Dashain festival on Tuesday, two individuals, Ajay Kumar Nau, 24, and Ajay Rajbhar, 18, lost their lives, while another went missing in the river. The third victim has been identified as Santa Kumar Rajbhar, 20, of Kotahimai-1, according to the police.

Local residents reported that all three individuals who went to immerse the idol had drowned simultaneously. Police inspector Rajesh Basnet from the District Police Office Rupandehi mentioned that the body was recovered a few meters downstream from the incident site.

Tel Aviv: Israel’s Government Press Office reported that since the start of the ‘Iron Swords’ war, it has received a record number of 1,880 foreign journalists. This is twice the number of journalists who arrived in Israel during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza, and the most during any Israeli military operation.

However, it should be noted that this is a ‘war’ and not classified as simply an ‘operation’ and this is the first time in 50 years that Israel has been in an official state of war.

The United States (358), Great Britain (281), France (221) and Germany (102) sent the largest numbers of journalists to Israel so far.

Even countries that rarely report from Israel, such as Romania, Argentina, Nepal and Singapore have sent journalists to cover the war.

And, Ukraine, which is itself at war, sent two journalists to cover the war in Israel. 

ANI/TPS