German tourist found dead in Myagdi

A German national was found dead in the Khopra area of Annapurna Rural Municipality-5, Myagdi district on Monday afternoon. 

German national Weiser Astrid Elizabeth had gone missing since November 25 on her way to Kaski from Myagdi.  

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of District Police Office, Myagdi, Surya Bahadur Thapa confirmed that her body was found some 160 meters off the road in Annapurna Rural Municipality-5, Myagdi.  

Local community members and tour guides had informed the police as they spotted the dead body today, according to the police.

Police stated that the dead body of the German national would be sent to Kathmandu for examination.

Weiser had stayed in Khopro area of Myagdi district before leaving for Dobato area in Kaski.

Police assumed that the German national would have fallen off the cliff.

 

 

Stolen artifact of archaeological significance brought back from the UK

An artifact of archaeological importance stolen from the Kumari Ghar (Home of the Living Goddess) in Kathmandu has been brought back from the United Kingdom. 

The Department of Archaeology, in coordination with heritage activists both at home and abroad, succeeded in retrieving the Toran, a decorative craft, from the UK.

The object, dating back to the Malla era, was stolen from the Kumari Ghar in 2057 BS. It is now restored to its original location.

According to Department officer Sarita Subedi, international law provisions the return of cultural heritage items that remain in foreign countries once the necessary legal procedures are completed. 

When information was received that an artifact of archaeological value stolen from Nepal has been located elsewhere, the process to reclaim it was initiated. 

Importantly, the respective country bearing the artifact covers the transportation cost. 

The Nepali communities abroad and heritage activists also help to facilitate its transportation back home.

 

World AIDS Day being observed today; STDs on the rise in Chitwan

World AIDS is being observed around the world, including Nepal today under the theme "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response". 

The theme this year calls for sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-centered approaches to end AIDS by 2030.

Various programs are also being organized in the country today, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Population, and the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC).

Meanwhile, in Chitwan, the number of sexually transmitted diseases among HIV-AIDS infected people in the district is on the rise. 

Among them, 35 were found to have sexually transmitted diseases. 

According to Dr Pramod Poudel, senior physician at Bharatpur Hospital, during the tests conducted on 1,040 people in the past 10 months, 35 were found carrying sexually transmitted diseases. 

Likewise, tuberculosis has been found in seven of the AIDS infected people. 

This was found in the tests of 93 people. 

Currently, there are 1,243 AIDS infected people in the district. 

Of these, 34 people are taking ART from Baghauda Hospital in Madi, while 1,209 people are taking it from the ART Center in Bharatpur.

Poudel informed that 66 new infections were found during tests conducted at various places in the district in the past 10 months. 

According to Krishnahari Sapkota, program coordinator of the AIDS Health Foundation at Bharatpur Hospital, 65 patients who were taking ART have been transferred while 28 have stopped taking the ART. He said that 13 of the infected people here have died. 

Sapkota said that the perspective of looking at AIDS patients has not changed yet. 

Even ambulance drivers hesitate in bringing the infected to the hospital for treatment.

 

Women are more vulnerable to violence from relatives: Nepal Police report

Women in the country are highly vulnerable to violence, particularly from relatives and kin, who account for up to 91 percent of sexual violence cases against women, according to data from Nepal Police.

The findings were highlighted in the annual report of the Nepal Police Headquarters, released today, marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The report also points to an alarming rate of domestic violence, emphasizing the urgent need to build safer homes and supportive families for women.

Superintendent of Police Basundhara Khadka from the Crime Investigation Department presented the findings, detailing the facts surrounding violence against women.

Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki noted that while cases of violence against women are rising, so is the number of survivors reporting incidents to authorities, including the police. “Women have started breaking the silence about the violence they face,” he said.

Police Chief Karki stressed the need for combined efforts to address the issue, expressing concern over the growing number of cases. He added that neither educated nor uneducated individuals are immune from committing or experiencing violence.

The report also suggests that increased use of information technology has contributed to the rise in cases, and police efforts alone are insufficient to combat the problem. Economic hardship and financial dependence, he noted, further discourage survivors from seeking justice.

Nepal Police currently provides services to women, children, and senior citizens through 260 units across the country, Karki added.

Under Secretary Kabita Aryal of the Department of Health Services said no woman, regardless of age or geographic location, is untouched by violence. She added that only 28 percent of survivors have approached authorities for support, highlighting that silence surrounding violence remains a serious concern.

Officials from various government bodies, including Milan Bhattarai from the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Meena Aryal from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Roshani Devi Karki of the National Women Commission, echoed the urgency of collective action to combat violence against women.

Karki also stated that hostility toward survivors remains a significant challenge in delivering justice. She highlighted the National Women Commission’s “Let’s Report 1145” hotline, which has been operating for years to respond to cases of violence, and emphasized the need for survivor-centered service approaches.