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As the tiger population increases in Nepal, its habitat area has to be expanded.

Although the park areas, buffer zones and other forest areas are the habitat of tigers, the problem of shrinking tiger habitat is seen in recent years as the number of tigers has increased.

Speaking at an interaction program organized by Chitwan National Park in Chitwan today, Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, stressed the need to increase the habitat for tigers.

He said that the number of tigers has been increasing over the last five years indicating a need to increase the habitat. "There is a need to protect the tigers by keeping them in open zoos," he said, adding that the open zoos could be linked to income generation.

The number of tigers in Nepal has increased from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. The number of tigers was 198 in 2013 and 253 in 2018.

Acharya said that due to the increase in the number of tigers, the habitat area has decreased by 93 percent.

In recent years, the number of tigers has been increasing in Nepal due to the focus on conservation.

Acharya said that forest areas in the country can accommodate around 500 tigers. "It seems that 404 tigers can be kept in the core area of the parks,” he added.

According to him, the deer species is the main prey of the tiger and there is also a need to protect deer. Similarly, tigers also hunt monkeys and domestic animals for food.

He said that there were about 100,000 tigers in the world 100 years ago, but now the number has come down to 5,000.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkey after the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption, BBC reported.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was scheduled to be chosen in a vote on Sunday as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate.

The nation witnessed the greatest rioting in over a decade on Sunday night, with protestors being shot at with rubber bullets and tear gas in response to his arrest, according to BBC.

The accusations made against him, according to Imamoglu, are driven by politics. "I will never bow," he posted on X prior to being placed under arrest on remand.

A total of 4,468 criminal offenses have been officially reported before the police across the country in the month of Falgun in the lunar calendar.

Among the criminal cases registered in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), the highest number of cases (25.22 percent) are banking offenses.

The Kathmandu Valley witnessed a significant rise in criminal offense, including banking crimes, shared Deputy Inspector General of Police Dinesh Kumar Acharya, the central spokesperson of Nepal Police. Most of the banking offenses are related to cheque bounce.

Furthermore, crimes committed due to misuse of social media have also been increasing.

During the month, 1,127 offenses have been reported under banking offenses. Similarly, 521 cases of crimes against public interest, health, safety and morality have been registered.

Likewise, 501 cases were suicide-related offenses, 419 cases of drug-related crimes, 286 cases of theft, 168 cases of rape, 162 cases of fraud, 154 cases of vehicular homicide, 71 cases of attempt to murder and 42 cases of murder have been registered with the police.

Spokesperson DIG Acharya said that 1,337 cases have been registered in the Kathmandu Valley.

A total of 711 cases have been registered in Madhes Province, 665 in Koshi, 612 in Lumbini, 376 in Bagmati, 279 in Sudurpaschim, 323 in Gandaki and 161 in Karnali Province.

The fire that broke out at the Shangrila Ply Industry in Khaira of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolis-9, destroyed property worth millions of rupees. The fire is reported to have originated following an electrical short circuit.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Chakra Bahadur Shah of the District Police Office, Dang, more than 30 houses near the industry are at risk due to the fire.

The plywood industry is huge, spreading over an area of eight bigaha. The work of removing the belongings inside those houses is underway while their occupants there have been taken to safer locations.

The fire has gutted wood, raw materials, ply-making machines and other materials used to make ply. The fire that broke out in the industry at 2 am is yet to be brought under control.

Firefighting efforts are underway with the help of fire engines from Ghorahi, Tulsipur, Lamahi, Gadhwa and Kapilvastu.

A large number of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army personnel and locals are working together to douse the fire.