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Tanahun: The National Goat Research Program based at Bandipur has given priority to improving the goat breeds to help enhance the income of leading farmers. The Program has so far exported the Boer breed of goats to 54 districts. 

As part of the goat breed improvement program, pure breed of Boer kids are produced for breeding hybrid breed goats by crossbreeding between the Boer breed and the local Khari breed goats. 

Program coordinator Raju Kandel said they have been exporting Boer breed goats to Tanahun, Kaski, Gorkha, Lamjung, Chitwan and other districts.

According to him, 50 female goats and seven male goats of the Boer breed were brought from Australia ten years back for the goat breed improvement program. The Program has been providing the kids of the Boer, Khari and Sanan breed goats to the leading farmers at subsidized rate. 

The Program currently has around 500 goats of the Boer, Saanen, Khari, Sinhal, Barbari, Jamunapari, among other breeds for the breeding purpose. The Boer goat bulls are sold to the farmers in different districts as per their demand, it is said. 

Similarly, the Sanan breed goats are exported to 32 districts for milk and cheese production purposes and to 22 more districts for commercial goat rearing. Senior Technical Officer Buddhiram Acharaya said there is high demand for Saanen breed goats for milk and cheese production purposes. He added that goat milk is beneficial to cancer patients as well as the goat milk is free of lactogen and has high antibodies.

Cheese made from goat milk costs Rs 3,000 per kg in the market whereas the Program has been selling it at Rs 1,000 per kg.

A police constable shot himself to death at Koshi Katan in Koshi Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari district on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Amitesh Mandal of Rupani Municipality-2, Saptari district currently posted at Koshi Katan, said the District Police Office, Sunsari.

Police said Mandal shot himself in the head from his pistol when he was alone in the bedroom last night.

It has been said that that Mandal committed suicide due to domestic tension.

Mandal's body has been kept at the District Hospital, Sunsari for postmortem.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, police said.

Kathmandu: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for Home Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, returned home from China on Wednesday.

DPM Shrestha, who was on an official visit to the People's Republic of China, returned home today after undergoing treatment in Beijing, the capital of China, as he suffered a mild cardiac arrest in the course of the visit.

He suffered from the mild heart attack on Oct 18 after participating in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation organized in Beijing on Oct 17 and 18. The DPM was admitted at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, where he underwent medical treatment for five days.

Kathmandu: People continue to visit the homes of their senior relatives for receiving the Dashain tika, jamara and blessing from them even on the second day of the Bada Dashain festival today. 

This trend continues until the day of Kojagrat Purnima, the fifth day from the day of Bijaya Dashami. This year the Kojagrat Purnima falls on Oct 28 as per the lunar calendar. People observed the Bijaya Dashami yesterday. On the occasion of Bijaya Dashami, people receive tika, jamara, Prasad and blessings from their parents and seniors in their family. 

Tike is a mixture of red vermillion powder, curd and rice grains that the family seniors put on the forehead of the junior members of the family. Jamara are the barley or maize shoots that are germinated on the day of Ghatasthapana of the 10-day Dashain festivities which are put behind the ears while Prasad are the fruits, sweets, dry fruits, cookies and other delicacies that are offered to the Goddess Nawa Durga. 

Tika symbolizes victory and good omen, jamara is considered auspicious and prasad is taken as the sanctified edibles gifted by the goddess. The people eat the Prasad after receiving the tika and jamara along with blessings from the elders in the family.

People who could not make it yesterday on the day of Bada Dashain visit the homes of their senior relatives today until the Kojagrat Purnima.

The federal capital, which saw very little movement of people and activity for some days during the Dashain festival period as many people left for their ancestral homes in outside districts, will see somewhat increased movement of people from today onwards.

New Delhi: Cyclonic Storm ‘Hamoon’ over coastal Bangladesh has commenced the landfall process and is set to weaken into a deep depression during the next six hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

“The Cyclonic Storm Hamoon over coastal Bangladesh lay centered at 0530 hours IST of 25th Oct about 40 km east-southeast of Chittagong (Bangladesh),” the weather department said today adding that it was proceeding with “a wind speed of 80 to 90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph,” the IMD posted on X.

It is predicted to move north eastwards and weaken into a deep depression during next six hours and further into a depression during subsequent six hours, it said.

On Tuesday a ‘storm warning cage number 2’ was mounted at Pamban Port in Rameswaram to warn fishermen about the Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Hamoon’ over the Bay of Bengal, port officials say.

The Odisha administration had on Monday put all Urban Local Bodies (ULB) on alert in view of the formation of cyclonic storm ‘Hamoon’ in the Bay of Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TEJ’ over coastal Yemen weakened into a cyclonic storm at 1130 IST on Oct 24, the MeT Department stated on Tuesday that it will move further west-northwestwards and weaken into a depression during next six hours.

Also, Light to moderate rainfall is very likely at many places with isolated heavy rainfall over Mizoram on Oct 25.

Light to moderate rainfall is likely at many places over Mizoram and Tripura for Thursday. Light to moderate rainfall is very likely at many places over Nagaland, Manipur and east Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into the Northeast Bay of Bengal and along and off Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts till Oct 25 and adjoining areas of northwest Bay of Bengal and Eastcentral Bay of Bengal till Wednesday afternoon, according to a bulletin by the India MeT department. 

ANI

A man died after a motorbike he was riding on hit a stray buffalo at Harpur Tole in Jagarnathpur Rural Municipality-4, Parsa.

The deceased has been identified as Dhanesh Mahato of Jirabhawani Rural Municipality-5, Parsa.

Mahato and his wife Sangita Devi were injured when a motorbike with Indian registration number plate BR 30 Y 6030 hit a stray buffalo at Harpur Tole in Jagarnathpur Rural Municipality, Parsa on Tuesday, the District Police Office, Parsa said.

Both of them were admitted to the Narayani Hospital in Birgunj.

Mahato, however, was referred to the Nautan-based SL Neuro Hospital from the Narayani Hospital but he breathed his last during the course of treatment, police said.

Muglin: Foreign tourists currently in the tourist city of Sauraha in Chitwan participated in the Bijaya Dashami festival on Tuesday following local traditions. They engaged in the festival by receiving Tika and Jamara, and the ceremony was organized by Sapana Village Hotel.

One of the participants, 26-year-old David Wright from the Netherlands, expressed his joy at being a part of the Dashain festival in Nepal. He shared, “I had only heard about Nepali traditions and culture. Now, I have experienced it, and I am thrilled to have had this special opportunity.”

Another tourist, 21-year-old Mica, also shared her delight in participating in the Tika ceremony. She has plans to celebrate Dashain in Nepal again next year, stating, “I enjoy experiencing cultures and traditions from various countries directly. That's why I chose Nepal this time to experience the Dashain festival.”

Sauraha has already welcomed the arrival of the tourist season. Dhruba Giri, the chair of Sapana Village, mentioned that in the past, they used to celebrate the Tika festival with foreign tourists in a similar manner. They believe that this practice helps preserve Dashain traditions, making them more familiar to the international community and promoting their essence beyond Nepal.

Sauraha’s tourism industry faced challenges in recent years due to various circumstances, such as the 2015 earthquake, subsequent economic blockade, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and lockdown, along with the situation of the Narayangadh-Muglin road section. However, the atmosphere in Sauraha has become more encouraging lately. Over the past three days, 40 percent of tourists in the city have come from third countries. They eagerly participate in the Dashain celebrations and the kite flying event, which is one of the festival’s attractions.

Manang Air pilot Prakash Sedhai, who was critically injured in the chopper crash, has died.

A Manang Air helicopter with the call sign 9N-ANJ flying towards Solukhumbhu had crashed in Lobuche on October 14. Pilot Sedhai, who was the only one onboard, was seriously injured in the incident.

The chopper caught fire after it crashed while landing.

He was immediately airlifted to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Sedhai was later taken to Mumbai for further treatment after he could not be treated at the Kathmandu-based hospital.

He breathed his last during the course of treatment at the National Burn Center in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Pilot Sedhai died in the course of treatment despite the tireless efforts of the doctors, reads a statement issued by Manang Air.

According to Manang Air, the mortal remains of Sedhai will be brought to Kathmandu today itself.