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There is a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi and Sudurpaschim Provinces today.

Light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning is also likely at some places in the hilly areas of the country.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the influence of monsoon winds is felt across the country. The weather will remain partly to generally cloudy across the country today. There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall and snowfall at a few places in the high-hilly and mountainous areas of all the provinces.

Later, tonight, the weather will be generally cloudy in Koshi, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and the rest of the hilly areas and will be partly to generally cloudy in the rest of the country. There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning at some places in the hilly areas including Koshi, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and at a few places in the rest of the country. 

There is also a possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces. There is a possibility of light to moderate rain and snowfall at a few places in the high-hilly and mountainous areas of all provinces.

As new hotel buildings crop up around Phewa Lake in Pokhara, the old ones are literally being overshadowed. Ask Govinda Bahadur Pahari, a long-time hotelier, whose clients can no longer enjoy the lake’s view, thanks to the new hotel building that towers over his. 

“There was a time when you could see the lake, the surrounding hills and mountains from the windows and balconies of my hotel. The view drew a lot of guests. Now it’s all gone.” 

As the latest building regulation enforced by the local government bars old buildings from adding new storeys, Pahari is in a bind.      

“The local government charges a huge sum to issue a permit for adding a new storey. We simply can’t afford it.”  

Rajendra Dhakal, another hotelier, was slapped with a huge bill when he decided to add new storeys to his hotel building. He coughed up the money to be able to compete in the hotel business that is attracting lots of investors with money to spend. Dhakal plans to apply for a bank loan to add new storeys to his hotel.   

Folks like Pahari and Dhakal fear they will be put out of business by new investors looking to build towering hotels around Pokhara’s Lakeside. 

“We are still recovering from the effects of Covid pandemic, and now we have a new problem,” says Dhakal. 

According to the Pokhara chapter of Hotel Association of Nepal, more than 80 percent of hotel owners in the Lakeside area have bank loans that they took to renovate and expand their business in anticipation of the ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign. 

Laxman Subedi, Pokhara chair of the association, says the pandemic not only ruined the ‘Visit Nepal’ campaign, it also dealt a economic blow to the local hotel owners. 

Chakra Subedi, who runs a hotel at Lakeside, says with most hoteliers already burdened by bank loans, they have no option but to endure silently or quit. “The new building regulations are not doing any favors to old hoteliers.”
After spending decades in the hotel business, Santosh Pokhrel has decided to leave the profession for good. “The competition is no longer fair, and the local government does not care.”

A woman from Ilam, who was infected with coronavirus, died during the course of treatment at the Nobel Teaching Hospital on Tuesday.

This is the first death in Biratnagar due to the infection after the Covid-19 pandemic subsided.

A 39-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital at 4:20 am on Tuesday for treatment, according to Nobel Hospital Manager Dipesh Rai.

He said that she died in the course of treatment at the emergency room at 6 am.

“The woman was in critical condition when she was brought to the hospital for treatment. She breathed her last before providing further treatment,” Rai said.

The woman was taken to the Birta City Hospital in Birtamod on Monday after she experienced respiratory problems and fever. She was, however, tested positive for Covid-19 during the test.

After her condition became serious, she was brought to Nobel Hospital in Biratnagar for further treatment.

The body has been handed over to the police, a hospital source informed.

Eating out is something all of us enjoy and there is no dearth of restaurants in town. There are all kinds of places, catering to different types of tastes and moods. However, eating out can be an expensive affair and yet it’s something we do regularly because we need to grab lunch with colleagues, catch up with friends, or are too lazy to cook at home. To help with that, we have listed five places where the food is good and the bill won’t leave you feeling guilty about grabbing lunch or dinner out as often as you must.

Handi Biryani, Boudha

It’s a small eatery in Boudha, near the Boudhanath Stupa, that you might miss if you aren’t looking for it. It’s located on the first floor, approximately 200 meters before you reach the main entrance of the stupa on the other side of the road. The entrance to the eatery is located inside an alley but you can see the sign on the window from the main street. It has a select few items on the menu. There are some starters and the main highlight is definitely the biryani. The single portion is more than enough for one. You can also order a bunch of sides at additional costs which is as little as Rs 80. We highly recommend this place for the fast service and the delicious food. The chicken wings are worth a mention too. But tell the server how spicy you want it to be beforehand.

Monster Meal, Jhamsikhel

If you want to grab a quick lunch and you’re in Jhamsikhel, look no further than Monster Meal. Located near the famous Mantra Thakali, this place serves mouth-watering delights like wings, burgers, momos, lunch combos, and more. The food reaches your table real quick and tastes really good. It’s not a place to hang out for long, just somewhere to drop by to get a quick meal. Our favorite is their chicken wings which are smoking hot and delicious. You can’t just eat one. We challenge you. It’s flavorful, juicy, and spicy—just the way chicken wings are supposed to be. It tastes great when paired with their virgin mojito that is fresh and just the right amount of sweet. The burgers too are freshly prepared and great value for money.

Croissant Cafe, Thapathali

Located about 300 meters ahead of Prasuti Griha, in the road that connects Thapathali to Maitighar, Croissant Cafe might be inconspicuous to most people but it’s quite a popular joint among those who are familiar with the area. This is mostly because the space is nice and the food is even better. There are large enough tables and private spaces for meetings as well. They serve a variety of beverages, including alcoholic ones. They have a wide selection of items on the menu. They have pizzas, pastas, momos, biryani, curries, and more. It’s easily one of the places that serve everything you could want under one roof. The ambience is nice as well. We recommend their butter chicken and rice combo as well as their chicken chili. But you can’t go wrong with anything here. The chef really knows what he’s doing.

Mumbai Street Food, Basantapur

We chanced upon this small eatery in Basantapur when we were there recently. The name caught our eye and the open space looked neat and clean as did the tiny kitchen behind the counter. We stepped in, hesitant at first, but eager to try everything once we saw what was on the menu. The place quickly gets packed because there are only a few tables but if you are able to grab one, then we recommend you don’t leave without trying their delightful vada pav and rolls. Like most places on this list, this too only has a few items on its menu but everything tastes great. The nachos are crunchy with just the right amount of softness. The sandwich is simple and filling. Their vada pav and pav bhaji are the best we’ve had in town. They have a good range of drinks as well, from Turkish Coffee to Bubble Tea.

Shreeya Sweets, Jawalakhel

If you want some quick Indian food at reasonable prices, then Shreeya Sweets in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, is a great place. It serves rotis, parathas, dosas, chaats, and many other Indian delicacies at affordable prices. It’s a bit packed during lunch hours as many people stop by to grab a bite to eat here. The samosa and pani puri are also really good here. We recommend the samosa when it’s freshly made and ask them to make the pani puri a little on the spicier side. There are also many Indian sweet treats to choose from. Their speciality is the ‘besan ko laddu’ that they claim has the right amount of besan and sugar, and not more of the latter as most mithai shops tend to do. They also serve different kinds of teas. For those who don’t like tea, there’s coffee, juice, and lassi.