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The residents of Panauti are celebrating Hilejatra or Jya: Punhi for three days starting tomorrow.

The end of the festival marks the beginning of farming season, especially the staple paddy. This Jatra or fair, which is celebrated for three days, is considered to be the biggest Jatra among the local festivals. 

During the Jatra, worshipping is performed in all the temples of Panauti.

Similarly, the idol of Ganesh located in the east of the Indreshwar Mahadev temple is carried on a chariot and paraded around the town. On the day of Poornima or full moon, three chariots of Bhadrakali, Mahadev and Indreshwar are raced in the market early in the morning, with the chariots clashing against each other upon meeting. 

The locals invite their guests throughout the Jatra and have a feast. It is also customary to sacrifice animals in each house for the feast.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 3, 000 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 190, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 193, 700 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 150 per tola today.

African swine flu and lumpy skin disease have been detected in domesticated animals of Mechinagar Municipality. 

Lumpy skin has been confirmed in ward 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 14 of Mechinagar and African swine flu in pig farms of ward  6, shared Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipality, Agni Prasad Adhikari.

Technical staffers from the Animal Services Unit of the municipality have been mobilized for necessary testing, treatment and vigilance for the disease control and further prevention. 

“We have also requested necessary support from the Koshi Province and federal government agencies”, said Adhikari.

Chhatra Rai, technician at the Animal Services Unit said lumpy skin was detected in cows and calves and the infected animals have been isolated following treatment.

Meanwhile, to prevent further spread, the veterinary team has administered vaccines to more than 150 cattle raised by farmers within 500 meters of the shed where the infection was found. The animals infected with the disease have high fever, shivering, loss of appetite and low milk production. 

Similarly, 80 pigs have died due to African swine flu at Babita Pig Farm in Mechinagar ward 6. The tests conducted at the Animal and Poultry Disease Research Laboratory confirmed African swine flu in the dead pigs, said Bikram Gurung, head of the Animal Services Unit.

After receiving news of sudden death of pigs on the farm a sample was sent to the laboratory for testing, which confirmed African swine flu.

Farm proprietor Babita Gahatraj said that 80 pigs died all of a sudden in the month of Jestha.

Meanwhile, a technical team led by the municipality’s animal services branch is carrying out medical treatment and awareness activities to prevent the spread of the disease in the affected pig farm and surrounding areas.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal held the 2025 K-Beauty Festa at Hotel Himalaya on Saturday, celebrating the growing popularity of Korean beauty and culture in Kathmandu Nepal.

The event brought together some of Nepal’s leading Korean cosmetics retailers, including Korean Beauty Point, Dream Skin Nepal, KPG-Beauty and Prettyclick, who showcased a wide range of beloved Korean skincare and beauty brands. 

Special promotional offers and product demonstrations drew enthusiastic participation from attendees, highlighting the strong demand for K-beauty products in Nepal.

A highlight of the event was the K-Beauty Class, co-organized by the Embassy and the Sejong Culture Academy. 

Renowned Korean makeup artist and beauty YouTuber Hoseok Jung (shawn_issure) led a hands-on session under the theme of “Korean Skincare.” 

The class provided insights into current K-beauty trends, live demonstrations and interactive training, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from participants eager to learn Korean skincare and makeup techniques.

In addition to the beauty segment, the celebration included cultural activities such as the 2025 Korean Speech Contest under the theme “Beauty,” as well as a K-Culture Experience Zone featuring traditional Korean attire (Hanbok), Korean cuisine (K-Food) and Korean Caligraphy.

In his opening remarks, Tae-young Park, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, expressed gratitude to all participants and supporters of the event. 

He emphasized the growing influence of Korean culture among Nepali youth through Korean language, K-Pop, dramas and K-Beauty. The Ambassador noted that this cultural enthusiasm is a foundation for deeper people-to-people connections and mutual understanding between the two countries.

“Our Nepali friends of K-culture are civilian envoys of friendship between Korea and Nepal,” Ambassador Park stated. “The Embassy will continue to support and expand opportunities for cultural exchange and cooperation.”

The 2025 K-Beauty Festa marked another successful chapter in the vibrant cultural partnership between Korea and Nepal, further strengthening ties through beauty, tradition, and shared appreciation of culture.

Legal professionals, students and environmental activists gathered at the Office of the Attorney General to address the growing concern of plastic pollution and explore strategies to curb its use.

The program was jointly organized by Environment Law Society, Nepal, and Climate Cardinals, Tribhuwan University Chapter.

This year's Environment Day slogan was ‘Beat the Plastic Pollution’. Every year, more than 430 million tons of plastic are produced. 

By 2040, this number is expected to double, with 19%-23% of plastic ending up in lakes and rivers annually, causing long-term impact on human health and the environment. 

Advocate Narayan Prasad Acharya, Chairperson of the Environment Law Society, Nepal, special guest  Prof. Dr senior advocate Tara Prasad Sapkota, Attorney General and Chief Guest senior advocate Ramesh Badal; Prof. Dr Bijay Prasad Mishra, senior advocate and President of Nepal Bar Association Shyam Kumar Basnet, former acting Vice Chairperson Bagmati Province Planning Commission were the key speakers of the event.

Other distinguished guests also intensified various dimensions of the plastic pollution crisis and expressed concern over the environmental threats posed by plastics. 

During the program, advocate Sulochana Dhital featured a presentation titled “Discussion series on Plastics Impacts on Environment”. Dhital further discussed the effect of plastic pollution, with its long-term impact. She also referred to the constitutional provision regarding the environment, in Article 30 (1) and 30(2), which guarantees citizens' right to a clean and healthy environment and outlines how to seek compensation to those who have suffered from environmental degradation.

She stressed the urgent need for a specific law targeting plastic use and shared that there must be coordination among the three tiers of government to tackle environmental issues. 

Following the presentation, a question-and-answer session was conducted, allowing attendees to engage in the challenges around plastic pollution. 

Sarita Rai, Head of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Environment Management Department, also shared the initiative of KMC to reduce plastic usage and promote sustainable waste management.  

Prof. Dr senior advocate Tara Prasad Sapkota also highlighted that pollution causes 8.1 million deaths annually with 4.3 million caused by indoor pollution,  and 3.7 million from outdoor pollution. 

Attorney General Ramesh Badal also underscored the importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), referring to the protection of life, nature, and the world. 

Prof. Dr Bijay Prasad Mishra, President of Nepal Bar Association, stated that plastic pollution also negatively affects mental health, contributing to stress. 

Similarly, Dinmani Pokharel, Former Attorney General and a commentator at the event, emphasized identifying the current gap in environmental policy and addressing it through a collaborative approach. 

The event wrapped up with the immediate need to tackle plastic pollution, and promoting awareness is vital to protect Nepal’s environment. 

A controversial humanitarian organization backed by the United States and Israel did not distribute any food aid on Saturday, accusing Hamas of making threats that "made it impossible" to operate in the enclave, which the Palestinian militants denied, Reuters reported.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private U.S. security and logistics firms to operate, said it was adapting operations to overcome the unspecified threats. It later said in a Facebook post that two sites would reopen on Sunday.

A Hamas official told Reuters he had no knowledge of such "alleged threats."

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said later on Saturday that GHF operation has "utterly failed on all levels" and that Hamas was ready to help secure aid deliveries by a separate long-running U.N-led humanitarian operation. Hamas also called on all Palestinians to protect humanitarian convoys, according to Reuters.

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, was shot in Bogota on Saturday, according to the government and his party, as his wife said he was fighting for his life in hospital, Reuters reported.

The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related.

According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighborhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind.

The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition, according to Reuters.

The row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk over a major spending bill has exacerbated uncertainty over the future of Nasa's budget, which is facing deep cuts, BBC reported.

The space agency has published its budget request to Congress, which would see funding for science projects cut by nearly a half.

Forty science missions, which are in development or in space already, are in line to be stood down.

The president has threatened to withdraw federal contracts with Musk's company, Space X. Nasa relies on the firm's Falcon 9 rocket fleet to resupply the International Space Station with crew and supplies. The space agency also expects to use its Starship rocket to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars once it has been developed.

Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University said that the uncertainty was having a "chilling impact" on the human space programme, according to BBC.