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A helicopter belonging to Air Dynasty crashed at Balabesi in Kepilasgadhi Rural Municipality-2,  Khotang on Wednesday. 

The aircraft was en route to Khotang from Kathmandu and was carrying six people, including pilot Sabin Thapa, when the incident occurred.

According to locals, the chopper suddenly lost balance while landing and fell to the ground.

DSP Prakash Budhathoki, Chief of the District Police Office, Khotang, said that the details of the incident are yet to come. 

Among those on board, Kaji Bahadur Rai sustained injuries., DSP Budhathoki said. 

A helicopter has been dispatched from Kathmandu to carry out rescue operations, it has been learnt. 

The Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection has fined three firms in the Kathmandu Valley for violating consumers' rights and trade ethics.

Ekatagram Store at Changathali of Mahalaxmi municipality-7, Lalitpur was fined Rs 20,000,  while Kirana Ghar Trade and Suppliers, and Ganapati Trade Suppliers of Babarmahal, Kathmandu were fined Rs 5,000 each. 

They were taken action during the market monitoring the Department conducted recently. 

The authority made it clear that it took action as per Consumers' Protection Act, 2075. 

Nineteen other firms were directed for correction in their business practice.

The Department has intensified market monitoring in a bid to curb illegal trade and promote fair business.

The annual traditional festival of Ghode Jatra, which is also known as Horse Racing Day, is being celebrated in the country's cultural hub of Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday.

The festival is being celebrated annually as per mythology which relates the genesis of the festival after the death of a demon named Tundi.

Public belief has it that the demon who lived on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel, used to unleash terror among the Kathmandu denizens, particularly children. After his death people rejoiced by dancing on his body by riding horses. There is also a belief that the parade of horses at Tundikhel keeps the demon’s spirit away.

The faster the horses run, the better Tundi’s spirit is dispelled. As per another legend, the Ghode Jatra is held to mark the start of New Year. The festival is celebrated on the day of Krishna Aunsi, as per the lunar calendar, which is a day before the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and this day is taken as the start of the New Year.

The horse parade, known religiously known as Aswa Yatra, is organized to welcome the New Year. The day before Ghode Jatra is also known as Pichas Chaturdarshi, as per lunar calendar. On the day, the Nepali Army cavalry team performs different artistic stunts riding on their horses. The Jatra is also being marked in Lalitpur today.

The government has declared public holiday to celebrate the festival. 

The size of public debt in the first eight months of the current fiscal year has increased by over Rs 204 billion, reaching Rs 2,878.29 billion.

According to the Public Debt Management Office, at the beginning of the current fiscal year 2082–83 BS (2025–26), which commenced in mid-July, public debt stood at Rs 2,674.04 billion.

During this period, the government owes Rs 1,348.11 billion in domestic borrowing and Rs 1,530.18 billion in external debt. 

Of the total public debt by the end of Fagun, the share of external debt is 53.16 percent, while domestic debt accounts for 46.84 percent.

So far, the total public debt amounts to 47.13 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the current fiscal year, the government aims to mobilize Rs 559 billion in public debt. 

By the end of Fagun (mid-March), Rs 295.19 billion had been raised, which is 50.44 percent of the total target.

Of the domestic borrowing target of Rs 362 billion, Rs 243.66 billion has been collected, accounting for 67.31 percent of the target.

Similarly, of the external borrowing target of Rs 233.66 billion, Rs 56.89 billion has been raised, which is only 24.31 percent of the target.

In the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 411 billion for the repayment of principal and interest on public debt. By mid-March, payments had reached Rs 242.26 billion, which is 58.94 percent of the annual allocation.

The office stated that, based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total debt servicing cost up to the end of Magh (mid-February) stands at 3.97 percent.