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More than 1.140 million foreign tourists visited Nepal in 2024.

According to data as of this morning, a total of 11,047,024 tourists entered Nepal in one year, said the Nepal Tourism Board.

This is the first year Nepal welcomed the highest number of tourists after coronavirus pandemic.

Board Director Marin Raj Lamichhane said in average 3,000 tourists entered Nepal every day.

The arrival of tourists had increased by more than 14 per cent in 2024 as compared to 2023.

Similarly, 1.197 million foreign tourists had visited Nepal in 2019. The COVID pandemic started in early 2020 had brought the arrival of tourists to a standstill till 2022.

As per the last six-month data of United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Nepal's post COVID tourism has revived by 96 per cent.

The arrival of tourists in Nepal had increased due to Nepal Premier League, Global Buddhist Summit, International Balloon Festival, Dragon Boat Festival as well as other festivals.

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook Baitadi district on Tuesday.

According to Chintan Timilsina, Chief at the Surkhet-based Earthquake Measurement Station, the tremor occurred at 7. 54 am with its epicenter at Nwaghar, Sigas Rural Municipality-7, Baitadi.

The tremor was also felt in Bajhang, Dadeldhura and Doti districts.

There are so far no reports of casualties and damage resulting from the earthquake, the District Police Office stated.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has provided financial support to 1,230 flood-affected families in Roshi Rural Municipality in the district.

The relief support was received through the WFP's Nepal Office, the Roshi Rural Municipality Office said.

Twelve people were killed while 482 houses were completely damaged and 883 houses partially damaged in Roshi rural municipality due to the floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains on September 27 and 28.

The Rural Municipality Chairperson Dinesh Lama said that WFP directly transferred the cash relief support to the beneficiaries' bank account, based on the number of the affected families.

He said the cash has been deposited in the bank account of all the flood and landslide-affected people. It is stated that WFP has provided Rs 15, 000 and Rs 20, 000 in line with the government's policy of distributing the cash relief to the affected families on the basis of the family size.

Lama, the Rural Municipality Chairperson, said that 108 flood and landslide-hit families were provided with cash relief support through the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) before this.

The natural disaster damaged the cultivated land of 2,544 households, 160 water supply projects, one concrete bridge, 47 schools and four health centres in the rural municipality.

The flood and landslide flooded and damaged the local Damphu Park, a 10-bed hospital and a cold storage facility.

Life has been affected in the Madhes with the onset of a cold wave in the region of late.

The cold wave and dense fog cover since some days back has also affected the livestock and crops, said 80-year-old Bahadur Mahara of Jaleshwar Municipality-8.

Anil Sah, a farmer of Jaleshwar-4, echoed Mahara and said the cold wave has impacted the normal life of the people.

There are fewer people and activities in the urban areas, including the district headquarters of Jaleshwar, and the rural areas in Mahottari district.

Sale of tea and warm clothes has increased in various markets in the district due to the cold, said Suresh Sah, who operates a tea shop at Jaleshwar-2.

The number of patients suffering from cough and cold and respiratory ailments has also increased at the health posts and the District Hospital, according to doctors.

Dr Rabindra Saha said that children, the elderly people and new mothers are mostly affected by the increasing cold.

Local governments in the district have arranged for lighting fires at various locations targeting the underprivileged and the needy to protect them from cold.

There are 10 municipalities and five rural municipalities in Mahottari district.

The cold wave has adverse impact on the lentil, oilseed and vegetable crops, complained Umesh Mandal, a farmer at Jaleshwar-11.

The Nepali Congress (NC) is marking the 49th National Unity and Reconciliation Day across the country by organizing several programs today.

The NC has been observing the Poush 16 as the National Reconciliation Day, commemorating the day when the party founder BP Koirala and other veteran leaders returned to the country after ending a long political exile in India.

Nepal's first people-elected Prime Minister BP Koirala along with party senior leaders Ganesh Man Singh, Shailaja Acharya and Khum Bahadur Khadka among others had repatriated putting forth the principle of national unity and reconciliation on Poush 16, 2033 BS (December 30, 1976) so as to safeguard the sovereignty of the country.

BP Koirala had returned the country to protect its sovereignty from the then political interference in the South Asia, ignoring the prosecution order against him.

On the occasion, BP had noted the urgency of reconciliation between the people's power (political parties) and palace power (King) for the safeguarding of country's sovereignty.

The then Panchayati regime had arrested BP, Ganesh Man and other leaders from the airport and directly took them to the Sundarijal jail.

Earlier, the then King Mahendra had deposed the people-elected PM BP Koirala, his government and the parliament in 2017 BS to introduce the party-less Panchayati system.

It may be noted that BP Koirala, also a renowned name in the Nepali literature, had authored popular collection of fictions and political memoirs during his jail life in Sundairjal. 

Rara Lake, the largest water body in Nepal, known for its natural beauty, is facing growing encroachment due to an increase in vegetation around its shores.

This rapid spread of vegetation is affecting the lake's pristine environment and its ecological balance.

Nanda Singh Rokaya, a teacher from Murma in Chhayanath Municipality, believes that the growing vegetation around the lake is damaging its ecosystem.

He noted that the once-clear, radiant blue waters and the fresh atmosphere of the lake are now being overshadowed by the overgrowth of plants.

"The lake's water was much clearer when I was young. These days, it has started to smell as well," he said.

While the Rara National Park Office acknowledges the importance of cleaning the lake, a lack of sufficient resources and budget has hindered efforts to address the issue.

Despite this, the office remains committed to preserving the lake's beauty and essence. Mahesh Neupane, the Senior Conservation Officer at the park, mentioned that a cleanup campaign is planned for the western part of the lake, including Nijar and other areas.

The campaign is expected to be launched soon. Experts have recommended that the authorities take a strategic, planned approach to control the spread of vegetation, clean the lake area, and protect the region's biodiversity in a sustainable manner.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that making a 'beautiful, peaceful and prosperous' Nepal was the common motto of all Nepalis.

At a program organized by the CPN-UML to welcome different personalities in the UML today, PM Oli, also the Chairperson of the party, argued that although the interests of people vary based on their professions, their common goal is to build a prosperous Nepal.

Appreciating the choice of the new cadres entering the UML party, he said, "You have made the right choice. You should be a model for others." He viewed that all those entering the party had become a family having a common goal.

He opined that the party cadres and leaders alike should establish the fact that Nepal is a country of the talents.

The septuagenarian leader further motivated the new entrants, "Old records are to be broken, New records are to be set. We should protect ourselves from various treacherous activities that could instigate youths." He also urged the newcomers to lead a realistic and truthful lifestyle and focus on delivering the best results.

Party Chairperson Oli welcomed outgoing National President of Nepal Jaycees Rabin Pokharel and other youths including Bibha Basnet, Shivani Gautam, Gayatri BC among others.

Pokharel and Basnet admitted that they wanted to contribute to visionary party Chairperson Oli's nation-building resolution and thus joined the party.

The program was attended by UML Deputy General-Secretary Bishnu Prasad Rimal, organization department's Chief Kashinath Adhikari and leader Bhanu Bhakta Acharya among others. 

Former President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday.

He is arriving in Kathmandu for his personal visit, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Krishna Prasad Dhakal said.

According to the ministry, necessary protocol and security arrangement would be provided for him as the former President.

He will have meetings and visits in his own way. The former President is also scheduled to visit Lumbini during his stay.

He is scheduled to return home on January 1 after completing his visit.

It may be noted that Nepal and Sri Lanka had established diplomatic relations on July 1, 1957.

Nepal opened an honorary consulate general in Colombo in 1975 and the Embassy of Nepal was established in Colombo in 1995.

Sri Lanka has a residential embassy in Kathmandu since 1993. Both Nepal and Sri Lanka are founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

The two countries share common views on many international issues at various forums, including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the World Trade Organization.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha and a sacred destination for Buddhists around the world, attracts Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka every year.

The Sri Lankan government is supporting Nepal's efforts to develop Lumbini as a source of world peace. Sri Lanka has also built a monastery and a rest house complex in Lumbini. ---