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As many as 14,000 adolescent girl students in Tanahun district will be vaccinated against cervical cancer.

A total of 14,278 girl students studying in all 10 local schools of the district will be vaccinated against HPV.

Chief of the District Health Office, Shankar Babu Adhikari informed that the HPV vaccination campaign will be conducted on February 4-12.

In the first phase, the campaign will be conducted in Byas Municipality, Bhanu Municipality, Devghat, Bandipur and Abukhaireni Rural Municipalities from February 4-7, while in the second phase, the vaccination campaign will be conducted in Shuklagandaki Municipality, Bhimad Municipality, Myagde, Rishing and Ghiring Rural Municipalities during February 9-12.

A total of 14,278 girl students including 14,078 school-going from grade 6 to 10 and 200 non-school going students will be vaccinated, Adhikari informed. 

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said presently the country has witnessed partial impact of westerly low-pressure system.

The weather is partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and fair in the rest of the country.

Also, there is fog in many parts of the Tarai.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and fair in the rest of the country this afternoon.

There is a possibility of light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous region of Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces.

Similarly, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces tonight.

Light snowfall is likely to occur at a few places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces and at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of Gandaki province.

In the next 24 hours, there is a possibility of light snowfall at some places of the high hilly and mountainous regions of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous region of Gandaki Province. 

Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav has expressed his commitment to make all possible efforts for resolving the drinking water problem in Dharan.

He made this commitment during a meeting with the Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City Mayor Harka Sampang at the Ministry in Singha Durbar today.

Minister Yadav said that preparations were afoot to call for tender for developing integrated water supply project this year for addressing the problem.

"The Dharan sub-metropolis should take the responsibility for guaranteeing the acquisition of land for the project. The project has been selected and we will resolve the drinking water problem on a sustainable manner," the Water Supply Minister added.

Mayor Rai shared on the occasion that Dharan has been facing drinking water problem since long and he had taken initiative to solve the problem as permitted by the sub-metropolis' budget, but has come to meet the Water Supply Minister now due to the lack of budget for the same, the Minister's private secretariat said. 

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 5. 08 points to close at 2, 613. 08 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1. 00 points to close at 440. 14 points.

A total of 11,626,020-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 6. 19 billion.

Meanwhile, Mandakini Hydropower Limited (MHL) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, River Falls Power Limited (RFPL) was the top loser as its price fell by 8. 96 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 33 trillion.

People from Sundarharaicha Municipality-8 of Morang district have drawn attention of the federal government towards urgency of their safety from wild elephants.

They submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Forest and Environment through the Sub-Division Forest Office, Sakalpur.

A local educator Tikaram Dhakal informed that they were living in constant terror of elephants.

The herds of elephants have been causing human and physical losses in the northern belt of Sundarharaicha for long.

So, those suffering the elephant terror drew the government's attention.

The marauding tuskers not only took human lives but also damaged dozens of houses and crops. "The people in this area have not slept well due to elephant menace. We request the government for seeking measures to ensure safety to citizen's life and property," the letter mentioned, urging the federal government to take concrete steps to address this pressing need.

The Subdivision Forest Office, Morang also informed that the pachyderm was wreaking havoc in the settlements of Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts.

Similarly, Chairman of Sundarharaicha Journalists' Group, Baburam Niraula, said the elephant terror was intensified for some days.

The police have requested the locals not to walk alone and maintain further alertness to avoid elephant attack.

The Mechi Customs Office has witnessed a 55.70 percent rise in tea exports in the last six months of the current fiscal year, 2081/82. The export of tea in the past six months (Shrawan-Poush) amounted to nearly Rs 3 billion.

A total 11,232 metric tons of tea was exported via the Mechi Customs Office, according to information officer Ganapati Kandel. In the same period last year, it had recorded exports worth Rs 1.90 billion.

Chairman of the Tea Producers' Association, Aditya Parajuli, informed that it was a positive trend in tea export. The decrease in tea production in India is largely behind the rise in export. "If the government ensures further facilitation in tea export in view of growing demand in the Indian market, they will be able to make the foreign trade of tea at a higher amount.

Similarly, the Office shared that the export of black cardamom increased by 16 percent in the past six months. The spice worth Rs 4.55 billion was sold to the foreign market. It had posted an income of Rs 3.90 billion.

Another export posting increase is plywood. Its exports upped by 27.90 percent. Even the cement clinker was exported in a higher amount this time.

However, it was reversed in case of iron, chhurpi, ginger, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, among others.

Foreign Minister Arjun Rana Deuba today held a telephonic conversation with her Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, requesting the latter for an initiation to free Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi who has been held by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months.

Following a ceasefire deal between the government of Israel and Hamas, the Hamas has started freeing hostages beginning Sunday.

The Foreign Minister urged Egypt, which is facilitating the ceasefire negotiations, to prioritize Joshi’s release in the first phase.

The Minister who is presently in Bangkok for her medical checkup made the call from there.

In response, the Egyptian Minister assured that he would direct Egypt’s facilitators to work toward Joshi’s release.

A few days ago, Rana also spoke with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, and Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, requesting their intervention in setting the Nepali hostage free in the initial phase.

Khulaifi plays a key role in the Israel-Hamas peace talks.

The Nepali government has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts since last year, seeking Bipin’s release.

The Foreign Minister has been appealing through various international and regional forums, as well as the United Nations, to facilitate for ensuring Bipin's release.

The government has recommended President Ram Chandra Paudel to convene a meeting of both the Houses of the Federal Parliament on January 31.

A Cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to recommend President Paudel to call the Parliament meeting at 1 pm on January 31 (Friday).

Prior to calling the meeting, Prime Minister KP Sharma had held a meeting with Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire.

During the meeting, they discussed convening the winter session of the Parliament.

Opposition parties have been mounting pressure on the government to call the Parliament session at the earliest.

Issuing a joint statement on Friday, the opposition parties had urged the government to call the Parliament session as soon as possible.