Submit your Article

The Beni-Jomsom road section that connects Mustang district to the national highway has been obstructed due to a dry landside on Sunday. 

Vehicular movement has come to a standstill following the dry landslide that took place at Ghoptebhir area, the border of Annapurna Rural Municipality in Myagdi district and Thasang Rural Municipality in Mustang district.

Efforts are underway to resume the traffic by clearing the landslide debris, said Tej Bahadur Kumal, the Chief of the Sapma Police Post, Ghansa. 

Following the road obstruction, the direct transport network of Mustang district has been disconnected. 

Locals as well as tourists visiting Mustang district and returning from Mustang have been affected due to the road obstruction. 

People heading towards Mustang have been stopped at Kavre of Myagdi while those arriving at Myagdi from Mustang at Ghansa.

The construction of a Bailey bridge was completed over Lotikhola in Changkheli Rural Municipality in Humla. 

The installation of the Bailey bridge was completed at a cost of around Rs 50 million. 

Formal inauguration of the bridge would be held on Tuesday. 

According to Naresh Raj Jaisi, Chief Engineer of the Infrastructure Development Office, the 42-meter-long bridge has three panels and three decks, and is situated 10 meters above the Karnali River. 

With the completion of the bridge, the local communities in Mugu and Humla districts have largely benefitted, mostly during the rainy season.

As the water level receded during winter, the heavy vehicles used to cross the river without a bridge, while a wooden bridge was built for the light vehicles. However, the people were forced to use hanging ropes (known as tuin) to cross the river after the flood in the river washed away in the monsoon. 

The new Bailey bridge has not only connected the two districts but also facilitated the mobility of people there to visit the headquarters of Changkheli Rural Municipality. 

With the installation of the Bailey bridge, the residents of three wards in the rural municipality will not have to use the tuin to cross the rivers for visiting the center of the rural municipality, said Pyarilal Shahi, Chairperson of Changkheli Rural Municipality.

She expressed satisfaction for the timely construction of the Bailey bridge thanks to the continuous efforts of the stakeholders. 

The pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar from Mugu, Jumla and other districts as well as the people visiting Rara Lake from Humla now won't have to travel along Bajura district after the installation of the bailey bridge. 

The Infrastructure Development Office under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development of the Karnali Province constructed the project in a short span of five months following an agreement in December 2024.

Laxmi Thapa Magar

Birth: 1946

Death: 2025

Laxmi didi, as she was popularly known, passed away at the age of 79. A resident of Baneshwor, she was not only the owner of a small yet famous tea shop but also the heart of an entire generation’s memories, political discussions, and human warmth. 

Born into a Newar family, she married into a Magar household during a time when inter-caste marriages were rare and frowned upon. She is survived by her son Mohan and two daughters Rita and Gita. Her husband passed away earlier, but her legacy remains alive in the hearts of those she served, laughed with, and inspired.

Her shop was once a traditional two-storey home, but it became something more—a sanctuary. From early morning, 7:00 am onwards, the place would fill with the smell of freshly brewed tea, the sizzle of mutton curry, and the chatter of minds hungry for conversation and connection. More than a local eatery, it was a hub of political thought, literary exchange, and lifelong friendships. Her mutton momo and  curry were famous, but it was her calm smile and generous spirit that made people want to keep coming back.

Senior advocate and former lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari, who has been visiting her shop for nearly 58 years, says, “If her shop had not existed, we would never have met each other. That place was not just a tea shop—it was a bridge. A group of us came together there, people from different districts and backgrounds, and we connected through conversation, debate, and Laxmi’s quiet strength.” “During times when FM radios, televisions, or even regular newspapers weren’t part of everyday life, her shop served as a place where people gathered to read shared copies of Gorkhapatra and other papers, passionately discussing politics and national issues. Figures like Rajendra Kharel, Hari Sharma, and even Kisun Ji would drop by regularly,” he adds. 

From the later years of the Panchayat era to his active political life, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai made it a routine to drink tea and meet party cadres every Saturday at Laxmi didi’s shop.

The small tea shop, housed in a modest building with a tin roof, would be frequented by many leaders and activists alongside Kisunji. Since it was the regular hangout of a top Congress leader, Laxmi didi’s tea shop became a hub for political discussions and debates. During the Panchayat period, when the Nepali Congress was banned, leaders and activists needed no other location—Laxmi didi’s shop was the go-to meeting point.

Even after the restoration of democracy and during his tenure as Kisunji continued to be surrounded by party workers at the tea spot every Saturday. The gatherings were filled with conversations about both joys and hardships.

According to Adhikari, people didn’t just come for the tea; they came for her warmth, her wisdom, and the community she created. Laxmi didi never raised her voice, never turned anyone away. She offered meals to friends even when times were tough. Her kindness wasn’t performative—it was embedded in every action of hers.

Adhikari recalls, during elections, her shop was where people gathered before heading to Ratna Library to vote.

It wasn’t just local figures who recognized the shop’s significance. Even BP Koirala, the  democratic leader and writer, once expressed a wish to join the conversations that took place there. “I would like to be there and have an intellectual conversation with you all,” he reportedly said, “but the smoke doesn’t suit me.” Due to health reasons and the smoking habits of some attendees, he couldn’t visit often—but his words alone marked the space as a recognized hub of intellectual engagement.

Adhikari says that writers may have mentioned her in their essays, where she will be remembered forever. He laments, “Without her, the shop doesn’t feel the same. We miss her very much.”

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 194, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 194, 700 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the price silver has dropped by Rs 50 and is being traded at Rs 2, 290 per tola today.

Pro-Palestinian group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says Israeli troops have boarded a boat that was trying to bring food aid to the Gaza Strip by sea, BBC reported.

It said the Handala vessel was intercepted in international waters. 

Video footage purportedly showed activists on board with their hands up as several armed soldiers took control of the vessel.

The Israeli foreign ministry said the country's navy stopped the boat "from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza" and breaking the blockade there, according to BBC.

The Chinese side has started the construction of a Bailey bridge under the first phase of resuming the border check point between China and Nepal. 

The Bailey bridge is being constructed some two meters east of the current place where the concrete bridge was located, according to Chief District Officer of Rasuwa Arjun Poudel.

The Chinese side has already brought the necessary tools for the bridge. 

With the help of four excavators, work has already progressed to bring the water to the previous level at the ground level of Lhende river.

Poudel also informed that he has received information from his Chinese counterpart that the construction of the Bailey bridge will be completed by mid-September. 

It may be noted that the Miteri Bridge at Rasuwagadhi, the northern border post between Nepal and China, was washed away by the Lhende River on July 8.

The 10-meter wide and 100-meter long bridge was completely washed away bringing the check point to a halt. 

Pakistan on Friday urged global social media companies to take action to block hundreds of accounts allegedly run by outlawed militant groups that Islamabad claims spread propaganda and glorify insurgents in the South Asian country, Associated Press reported.

According to Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army — banned by the Pakistani authorities and also designated as terrorist groups by the United States — have been using X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to promote violence in Pakistan. 

Chaudhry, who spoke to reporters at a news conference, urged the tech companies to remove or disable these accounts, as well as those run by supporters of the militant groups, according to Associated Press.

Falling debris from destroyed Ukrainian drones disrupted railway power supply and train operations in part of the Volgograd region, the administration of the region in Russia's south said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

There were no injuries as a result of the attacks, the administration said on the Telegram messaging app, citing Governor Andrei Bocharov.

Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that its air defence units had destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the region. In total Russia downed 99 drones overnight over 12 Russian regions, the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea, the ministry said.

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Telegram that it had suspended flights soon after midnight at the airport in the city of Volgograd, the administrative centre of the Volgograd region. The flights had not resumed on Sunday morning, according to Reuters.