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Three houses were destroyed in the earthquake in Bajhang and Bajura on Tuesday. Two houses were destroyed in Badimalika Rural Municipality of Bajura. DSP Surya Thapa said that the houses of Harka Gurung and Harichand Padhyay were destroyed in the earthquake. He said that there were no human casualties. DSP Thapa said that police have not been able to contact the locals of Bichchaya, the epicenter of the earthquake. The snowfall coupled with rain has disrupted electricity and telephone service in Bajura since this morning. Likewise, the earthquake also destroyed a building in Bajhang. The Armed Police Force had been using that building. An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Bajura district at 2:43 pm today, National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre said.

A youth attempted self-immolation in New Baneshwor on Tuesday. Prem Acharya of Panchakanya, Ilam set himself on fire and attempted suicide this afternoon, Kathmandu District Police Range spokesperson Dinesh Raj Mainali said. Mainali said that he was rescued immediately and rushed to the Burn Hospital in Kirtipur. He said that they are looking into the case.  

Images of a woman in a wheelchair entering the legislature anywhere in the world send a powerful message to the public. Lakshmi Ghimire, a lawmaker in the 110-strong Bagmati Province Assembly, symbolizes it all. The 28-year-old is the first lawmaker in the legislative assembly to represent people with disabilities. Although the Constitution guarantees equal rights for women, indigenous nationalities, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups, the provision remains on paper for many. Ghimire is the first person to get elected to the assembly on a disability quota. The young parliamentarian hails from Sanga in Kavrepalanchowk district. She joined the Sajha Party in 2017. Recognizing her contributions, the party sent her to the Bagmati Province Assembly under the proportional representation (PR) system. The youngest among five sisters and a brother, Ghimire was paralyzed from the waist down after falling off a cliff when she was just 16. "I had just joined Grade 11 after completing my SLC at the time of the accident. I fell off a cliff while collecting fodder during Dashain vacation," she said. A year-long stay at hospital further hindered her studies. "Given the lack of disabled-friendly infrastructure, it wasn't possible to attend school in my village," Ghimire recalled. Overcoming these challenges, she pursued her education and moved to Kathmandu, where she stayed at a rehabilitation center in Sanga (Bhaktapur). Later, she started taking computer classes, which motivated her to give continuity to her studies. She then re-enrolled in Grade 11 at Jorpati-based Chamunda Secondary School and earned a degree. Participating in the activities of different organizations working in the disability sector, Ghimire felt a “strong desire to do something for the people with disabilities”. She joined the RPP and got involved in its activities. "I worked full-time for the party. Recognizing my contributions, the party included me in the proportional representation (PR) system. I didn't get this opportunity just because of my disability." So, how was her first day in the assembly like? It was not so pleasant due to the lack of accessible infrastructure. She struggled during the swearing-in ceremony. "Though aware of my disability, the province assembly secretariat did not make necessary arrangements. I was disappointed," she said. Having reached the policymaking level, what does the young lawmaker plan to do, first and foremost. She says she is determined to make infrastructure more accessible for people with disabilities. She believes all government offices within the province and affiliated organizations should have a universal design that is friendly for everyone, including people with disabilities, senior citizens and children. Ghimire, having seen such designs in countries like India and South Korea, notes that these countries already have disability-friendly infrastructure, built with the thought that everyone should have equal rights, not only in public but also in private places, from motor vehicles to structures. “Like other people, we have paid the same amount of tax to the state,” said Ghimire. “Therefore, people with disabilities should get the same service and facilities as them, and should be able to live comfortably.” She believes that the state should create an environment where people with disabilities can live like others. There’s a need to raise awareness and put pressure on other provinces to follow suit, she says. “The state should also work to create a more inclusive and accessible society for people with disabilities. That way, they can enjoy the same rights and opportunities as others.” Her prescription: provide concessional loans to people with disabilities to help them start their own businesses. Ghimire hopes to become the voice of disabled people across the country by reaching the federal parliament in the next term. "I am not in an executive position now, but I will definitely do some exemplary work if I get to that position." Ghimire mentions that even though she faced small problems due to her disability, she did not experience any major discrimination. "Maybe because I had the support of my family, I didn't have to suffer discrimination." Remembering the difficult time when she had to stay in the hospital for a year after her accident, Ghimire said she had almost given up on her life as an invalid. "But everybody is proud of me now. They say I have been able to do good for society despite my condition. This gives me a lot of encouragement," she said. Ghimire used to believe that good education should be the top priority for people with disabilities, but she has come to believe now that building accessible infrastructure should be the first priority. Nepal lacks accurate data on the number of people with disabilities, though estimates suggest there are 800,000 to 1 million people with disabilities in the country, about 200,000 of them with spinal cord injuries like Ghimire.

Our planet is home to a wide range of plants and animals, including mammals, rodents, insects, and more. Each of these beings has an important place in Mother Nature’s scheme of things. For example, there’s one animal that is asleep when we are awake and vice-versa. What’s more, it can fly, though it has no feathers. What animal is it, can you guess? Well, it is the bat, the only mammal capable of actual flight. Worldwide, there are over 1,200 different species of bats, accounting for more than one-fifth of all mammal species. Chiroptera, which means "hand wing" in Greek, is the scientific term for bats. That's because bats have a thumb in addition to four lengthy fingers each joined by a thin layer of skin. They can swiftly change direction and catch mosquitoes midair because of their mobile joints and flexible skin membrane. Bats come in two varieties: Microbats and Megabats. Microbats are nocturnal animals that prey on moth-like insects. Megabats consume fruit, nectar, and pollen. They have bigger eyes and a better sense of smell than Microbats, but smaller ears since they don't echolocate. When you hear the term "bat," what springs to your mind? Not a very pleasing image, most probably. This is unfortunate because these little, gentle, and hard-working flying animals are actually highly good for the ecosystem. The bats start pollinating as soon as the sun goes down, the time when the birds and the bees are taking a break after a busy day. Bats are the primary or sole pollinators of more than 500 flower species across at least 67 different plant families. Many globally significant plants, both environmentally and commercially, are pollinated by bats. Without nectar-feeding bats, not only would our ecology suffer, but also our way of life. Fruit bats are efficient seed dispersers because they can sometimes travel great distances to find food, especially in low density or in habitats that are separated from one another. Additionally, fruit-eating bats eat 50 to 250 percent of their body weight in fruit each night. Consequently, a lot of fruits are consumed in one night. Bats contribute to the health of caves by supplying vital nutrients in the form of guano, or "Bat Dropping," which is a superior fertilizer than cow manure for fostering the development of communities of cave creatures. Bats are advantageous because they consume insects, such as mosquitoes and pests like codling moths that harm fruit and nut crops. According to some research, the economic worth of bats for agriculture pest management exceeds $23 billion annually. They can ingest 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour and frequently eat their full weight in insects each night. The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that bats end up offering "nontoxic pest-control services totalling $3.7 billion to $53 billion each year”. Despite being an important component of the environment, bats are frequently connected with death, darkness, and the paranormal in numerous myths and stories from different cultures across the world. They are definitely weird beings that resemble animals from a nightmare, given their part-animal-part-bird appearance. Do they truly deserve their evil reputation? They don’t. They must unquestionably be treated like other mammals. Bats are blind? There’s a misconception that bats are blind. In fact, they have excellent vision and the advantage of echolocation, which allows them to fly and locate their next meal in the dark without risk. Another one is that these creatures suck human blood, which is almost entirely untrue. Of more than 1,100 species of bats, only three species are vampires. They are widespread in Central and South America, where cattle serve as their primary food source. A majority of other bats eat fruit, insects, or nectar. Bats carry the rabies virus? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that just 6 percent of bats carry the rabies virus, which seldom affects humans. According to the World Health Organization, dogs cause up to 99 percent of all human rabies infections, accounting for an estimated 60,000 fatalities each year. Bats have a slow rate of reproduction, with a majority of females giving birth to just one youngster per year. Because of this, bat species recover from population losses more slowly and with much difficulty than many other mammal species. It’s challenging to detect large drops in bat species until their position becomes critical. Major threats to the bat population are the loss of habitat, humans and diseases. Bats are among the victims of deforestation, which is a significant issue for everyone. According to Bat Conservation International, many bats are targeted by humans, whether out of superstition (believing that all bats are vampires) or for economic purposes (eating and selling bat meat). According to the Eco Health Alliance, if bat populations were to decline, a very serious threat given their growing susceptibility, up to 20 percent of all mammal species may become extinct worldwide. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that 5 percent of bats fall under the category of endangered species, while there’s no data on another 11 percent. Knowing the importance of bats helps us see how their absence may have a significant impact on all aspects of our lives. Awareness may help us know how to live in harmony with animals, especially those who are the opposite of humans in that they experience the world upside down, such as bats. Utilizing your newly-acquired knowledge about bats and encouraging others to do the same will go a long way in preserving bat species. By preserving their habitats and correcting misconceptions about them, we can aid bat populations. So, let's treat them with the respect they deserve because their extinction will pose a threat to all of us.