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The 'Nagarkot Visit Year-2082 BS' is kicking off tomorrow. The visit year is launched in a bid to promote culture, nature and history of Nagarkot area. 

Changunarayan Municipality, Mandandeupur Municipality, Banepa Municipality and Shankharapur Municipality are jointly organizing the visit year event at Batasedanda of Nagarkot. 

The visit year is expected to draw a huge number of tourists- both foreign and domestic ones.

The visit year is organized with the coordination and collaboration with Nagarkot Naldum Tourism Development Committee, Bagmati Province government and Nepal Tourism Board. 

Mayor of Changunarayan Municipality, Jeevan Khatri, said that the campaign would be celebrated in Nagarkot by highlighting eco-tourism, agriculture tourism, ethnic costumes, festivals and cultural identity of all the four municipalities.

About 100 hectares of forest has been destroyed due to fire in Myagdi this year.

The Division Forest Office, Myagdi said 99 hectares of 28 community forests in the district have been destroyed by the fire.

Forest Officer at the Office, Binay Bahadur Adhikari said that the fire has been raging in nine community forests in Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality, the largest number of forest fire incidents in the district.

According to him, four community forests of Malika Rural Municipality, two of Mangala Rural Municipality, four of Raghuganga Rural Municipality, six of Annapurna Rural Municipality and three of Beni Municipality have caught fire. 

"Compared to the previous years, there has been less number of forest fire incidents this year. The rain on Friday and Saturday has helped in extinguishing the forest fires," Adhikari said.

According to him, forest fires are caused due to the carelessness of pastoralists who light fires in the forest in the belief that more grass will grow if the existing dry grass is burnt. He said another cause of forest fire is the fire lit by poachers to chase away wild animals.

Forest covers 229,706 hectares of land in the district.

Nepal are playing against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifier that begins in Kathmandu from today. 

Host Nepal will face the UAE in the first match today to be held at the Lower Mulpani International Cricket Ground.

Along with the host Nepal, the UAE, Oman, Afghanistan and Hong Kong are participating in the tournament. 

The Nepali team led by Naren Bhatta includes Abhishek Tiwari, Neeraj K Yadav, Sahil Patel, Sibrin Shrestha, Roshan Bishwakarma, Darsh Sonar, Dilsad Ali. Santosh Yadav, Ashok Dhami, Dayanand Mandal, Aparajit Poudel, Yubaraj Khatri and Bipin Prasad Sharma.

In the second match of the day, Oman will face Afghanistan at the Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground.

Meanwhile, the senior national team of Nepal are playing against Kuwait for the title of the Quadrangular T20 series in Hong Kong today.

The final match of the tournament will start at 11:15 am Nepali time at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong.

Nepal reached the final after the match against hosts Hong Kong on Saturday was affected by rain and both teams shared one point each. 

Iran and the United States will hold more negotiations next week over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, Iranian state television reported Saturday at the end of the first round of talks between the two countries since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Associated Press reported.

Iran’s state-run broadcaster revealed that U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “briefly spoke” together — the first time the two nations have done that since the Obama administration. 

Tehran’s declaration that the two sides spoke face-to-face — even if briefly — suggests the negotiations went well even to Iranian state TV, which long has been controlled by hard-liners, according to Associated Press.

In a statement released Saturday afternoon, the White House described the discussions as “very positive and constructive,” while conceding the issues that need to be resolved “are very complicated.”

Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to stubborn Leganes thanks to an own goal by defender Jorge Saenz on Saturday that took their unbeaten LaLiga run to 12 matches, Reuters reported.

Hansi Flick's side moved to 70 points above second-placed Real Madrid, who have 63 and visit Alaves on Sunday.

"For us today was a very difficult game but winning was very important. I am proud of what my team is doing in the last few weeks and months," Barca boss Flick said.

"We need to work on our defence and attack. But we've got three points and that's what's important," he added.

In a tense first half, the hosts could have taken the lead when Dani Raba's pass found Adria Altimira in the box, but Barclona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was on hand to deny him.

Barca also threatened when Jules Kounde beat Saenz to the ball before firing wide, according to Reuters.

The deadlock was finally broken after the break when Barca took the lead after Raphinha's cross for Robert Lewandowski was inadvertently deflected into the net by Leganes defender Saenz.

Twenty-eight-year-old Sujan Baga Shrestha will pierce his tongue for the third time in the 'Tongue Piercing Festival' celebrated every New Year on Baisakh 2 in Bode, Madhyapurthimi Municipality.

Sujan is the youngest son of 50-year-old Buddha Krishna Baga Shrestha of Bode, who pierced his tongue nine times as part of the festival. Buddha Krishna's elder brother Krishna Chandra Baga Shrestha pierced his tongue for 12 times.

Sujan said that he is ready to get his tongue pierced this year as well to preserve and give continuity to the festival.

As per tradition the tongue piercing takes place in the presence of thousands of devotees in the premises of the ancient Pancho Ganesh Temple. After piercing the tongue, the person carries a crescent-shaped lamp and circumambulates the city of Bode. After circumambulating the Mahalakshmi Temple in Bode the needle from the tongue is removed and stuck to the Mahalakshmi Temple. 

So far, there is a history of 13 people who have pierced their tongues continuously for the past 108 years.

Two people have died in a tractor accident at  Setibagar of Bhojpur Municipality-3 on Saturday.

The tractor (Province 1-02-003 Ta. 1124) was carrying cow dung from Bokhim- 5 of the municipality when the accident occurred.

The deceased have been identified as 52-year-old Nir Prasad Phuyal, ward member of Bhojpur Municipality-5, and 55-year-old Bhakta Bahadur Thapa, a resident of the same locality, according to District Police Office Chief Yubaraj Timsina. 

Further investigation into the incident is underway while the tractor driver has been taken into custody for necessary action, the police said.

There is influence of Westerly and local wind across the country at present. Along with this, there is also the influence of the moisture-laden wind entering the country from the Arabian Sea, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division. 

The weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region and mainly fair in the rest of the regions. Light to moderate rainfall is predicted at a few places of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces while light to moderate precipitation accompanied by thunder and lightning is likely to occur at a few places of the hilly region of the country including in Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Lumbini Provinces and at one or two places of the rest of the regions today. 

Similarly, there is a possibility of light rain and snowfall at a few places in the high hilly and mountainous region of the country today.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division also stated that the haze that is prevalent throughout the country at present will gradually start dissipating.

The Division has called for taking necessary measures and precautions to avoid the effects of thunderstorm, lightning and rain and snowfall that could affect health, daily life, agriculture and road and air transport.