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Police have arrested eight  persons including Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa from Narayanchaur, Kathmandu. They were arrested during a demonstration.

Police nabbed  Chairman Thapa and leaders and cadres of his party, as they breached the restricted area, according to Apil Raj Bohara, spokesperson at Kathmandu Police Sector. They are currently kept at the Sector, he added.

Those arrested are Dipak Singh and Shila Rana, Rakesh Basnet, Ram Chandra  Lamichhane, Binod Kapali, and Saroj Timilsina. 

The RPP and RPP-Nepal have been demonstrating in the Capital for some days.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, through its Meteorological Forecasting Division, has stated that the monsoon, which entered Nepal 15 days earlier than the average date, will now remain inactive for the next seven days.

The monsoon that entered from the east of Nepal on Thursday night has spread over most of the Koshi Province , and there is a possibility of reduced rainfall and increased heat as it is likely to remain inactive for about a week, according to the Division.

Meteorologist Hari Prasad Dahal at the Division stated that with the monsoon spreading in the Koshi Province from Monday becoming dormant for a few days, it is predicted that rainfall will decrease.

"Although the average date for the onset of the monsoon in Nepal is June 13, the monsoon has already entered from the eastern region of Nepal on May 29, and it is yet to spread to the remaining areas. It is seen that the monsoon will be inactive for the next week,” he said.

The heavy rainfall that occurred in the eastern region of the country on the day the monsoon arrived has also triggered flooding and landslides, causing damage to infrastructures.

The Department's hydrologist Binod Parajuli informed that more than 200 millimeters of rain occurred in the eastern region on the very day the monsoon arrived. 

He mentioned that due to the increase in water level in the river caused by the rainfall, some areas have been flooded.

Litterateur and musician Ganesh Rasik passed away today at the age of 78. 

He died at 11 am at the Nepal Cancer Hospital in Harishiddhi, Lalitpur, where he was receiving treatment for prostate cancer, musician Bulu Mukarung said.

Mukarung said the funeral of Rasik will be held after his daughter returns from Britain. His mortal remains are currently kept at the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj.

Born in Chhinamakhu of Bhojpur on Asoj 4, 2004 BS, Rasik moved to Ilam during the 50s' decade. 

About five decades ago, Rasik, who came into the music scene from the 'Lekali' group, established himself as a poet, lyricist, musician, writer, essayist, and travel writer.

He has published more than a dozen works including stories, poems, essays, travelogues, and memoirs. Some of his notable literary creations include 'Sarangi Bhitra', an anthology of short stories, 'Ganesh Rasikka Geetharu (Ganesh Rasik's Songs)', stories like Dasgajama Ubhiyera (Standing on the No-man's Land)' and 'Jaba Sisnohari Tekdai Hindey (While Walking on Nettle)', and more. 

He is also the singer of many popular songs like 'Hati Hoina Dati Ladne Nepaliko Bani Hunchha', 'Tarai Hera Kati Ramro Hariyo Ban Hunale', 'Mero Tauko Sano Chha, Yo Taukoma Bishal Desh Chha', and 'Rato Bhale Kwainya Kwainya'.

Some of Rasik's creations have been included in the school textbooks.

The literary figure Rasik had served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Ratna Recording Company and Sajha Publications, as well as the General Manager of the Sanskritik Sansthan (the Cultural Undertaking of the Government of Nepal), and the member secretary of the Nepal Drama and Music Academy.

His son and wife have already passed away.

The Gandaki Province government has once again called on agitating transport entrepreneurs to engage in dialogue to find a solution to their ongoing protest.

Speaking at a press conference held today, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Transport again called the transport entrepreneurs for talks. They have been protesting since Friday against the legalization of ride-sharing services.

The Ministry announced the formation of a five-member negotiation team, headed by the Ministry Secretary, to initiate talks with the protesting parties. However, the agitating transport entrepreneurs declined to attend the previously scheduled meeting on Wednesday.

Engineer Kamal Kumar Adhikari, Secretary of the Ministry and coordinator of the talks team, stated that the government is open to holding discussions with the transport entrepreneurs to address their concerns.

Public transport services have been disrupted across the province since May 30, following the call of eight transport-related organisations, including the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs.

The protesters have put forth a 17-point demand, which includes the scrapping of the provision allowing private vehicles to transport passengers like public vehicles, the removal of the expiry limit for public vehicles, and the annulment of the ride-sharing policy, among others.

The dolphin census has officially begun today in the Saptakoshi River, part of the Koshi Wildlife Reserve.

This annual census has been conducted since 2022, according to Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Senior Conservation Officer at the Reserve.

The initiative is being technically supported by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC-Koshi Province Office) and the Kathmandu-based Himalayan Nature.

Dolphins, considered highly intelligent marine mammals, prefer to inhabit clean and deep waters. 

According to the Reserve, these mammals are found from Ganga Sagar to the Koshi River.

The census will be conducted over four days using two different survey methods. In 2012, 11 dolphins were recorded in the Saptakoshi River, and the number rose to 17 in 2017, prompting the Reserve to prioritize dolphin conservation efforts.

The most recent census in 2024 recorded 19 dolphins, and the number is expected to increase this year, said NTNC Koshi Province Coordinator Birendra Gautam.

The Newar community is observing the Sithi Nakha festival with gaiety and fervor as the last of their cultural festivals today.

The community celebrates the festival on the sixth day of the bright half of the Nepali month Jestha as per the lunar calendar. This day is also celebrated as Kumar Sashti.  

The Sithi Nakha festival holds special significance in the Newar community. This festival marks the beginning of the monsoon and is celebrated as the last festival because it coincides with the important agricultural activity of Sinya Jya (rice planting) for farmers.

Since it is also the birthday of the Hindu deity Kumar, on this day the Newar community worships Kumar and there is a tradition of eating special types of dishes called 'bara' made from pulses like, green gram, split black gram and lentils.

People also enjoy special bread made from 'mhuchhyamadhi' or the flour of the roasted wheat that is the year's freshly harvested grain. Other delicacies like 'chatamari', 'papad' and 'malpuwa' are also cooked at home on the occasion and the whole family eats them together in celebration. 

On the day of Sithi Nakha, the Newar community cleans water sources such as wells, ponds, and streams.

The tradition of cleaning the water sources is a way of keeping them clean because during the rainy season, it is likely that water sources and springs might become contaminated due to the drainage of rainwater and the runoff water. The purpose of this tradition of cleaning the water sources is to prevent water pollution.

This custom also carried significance because with the start of the monsoon the water would start to germinate from sources that were otherwise covered, blocked with vegetation or debris and gone dry in winter.

There is also the tradition of farmers transporting the cow dung and farm manure to their fields early in the morning on the day of Sithi Nakha festival due to the religious belief that farmers should not work in the fields on this day.

There is a religious belief that the soil of the farmstead should not be harmed on this day.

Upon completion of these activities, people clean their house and are busy marking the festival.

Culture expert Dr Purushottam Lochan Shrestha states that the Sithi Nakha festival holds special significance in the Newar community for two reasons. First, Sithi Nakha is the birthday of the deity Kumar, who is the elder son of Hindu god Mahadev and goddess Parvati.  Because of this, it is considered a festival of religious significance.

While the elephant-headed god Ganesh who is the younger brother of Kumar is considered the leader of the deities, Kumar is considered as the commander of the divine army.

According to Shrestha, the culture expert, the second reason is that it is believed worshipping the deity Kumar, who is the first to be worshipped among deities, will provide strength and energy to perform agricultural tasks like rice planting during the rainy season.

Therefore, this festival has a special significance to the farmer community.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at a few places of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at one or two places in the rest of the country today. 

This is due to the influence of westerly winds and local winds in the western and central parts of the country, while most parts of Koshi Province are under the influence of monsoon winds, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

As a result, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in the hilly areas of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki and mainly fair to partly cloudy in the rest of the country.

Tonight, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy throughout the country. 

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is possible at a few places of Koshi, Madesh, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at one or two places in the rest of the country.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the first ascent of Mt Annapurna have begun.

The celebration event was inaugurated by welcoming a team that trekked from Narchyang in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi to the base camp of Mt Annapurna at the entry point of the trekking route, Narchyang Valley on Saturday.

Mathias Herzog the son of the first person to reach the summit of 8,091-meter-high Mt Annapurna, Maurice Herzog of France was part of a team of 14 foreigners, tourism entrepreneurs, and journalists who came to participate in the trekking team starting from Sunday. They were welcomed by the Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 Ward Office, Annapurna, Janajagaran Youth Club, and the Creative Mothers' Group.

French artists who came with Mathias Herzog made musical presentations in honour of the first climber. They are also scheduled to perform at the Annapurna Base Camp this evening. Six guests from France, three from Britain, five from India and one from Italy, including the son of the first climber Maurice, Mathias, and grandson Ethan Herzog, have come to participate in the Diamond Jubilee program at the invitation of the government, said Lok Bahadur Pun, Ward Chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.

According to him, around 200 people are participating in the Maurice Herzog trekking team that will reach the Annapurna Base Camp at an altitude of 4,100 meters today via Narchyang valley, Humkhola, Phutphute Jharana, Sandhikharka, Bhusket, Panchkunda Lake.

The Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated by holding various programs until June 5, said Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun.

Annapurna is called the eldest mountain because it was the first human step above eight thousand meters. On June 3, 1950, the French team of Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached the summit of Annapurna.