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Nepal reported 124 new Covid-19 cases on Monday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 903 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 77 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 663 people underwent antigen tests, of which 47 were tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours and 29 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 444 active cases in the country.

Biska, the cultural and historical festival, which is exclusively observed in Bhaktapur, formally began today. Devotees have flocked to Taumadhi to pay homage to the deity Bhairav since the morning marking the commencement of the festival. After the worship to Bhairav concludes, the chariot procession of the Bhairav will begin, it is said. The Biska festival commenced with the towing of the Chariot of Bhairav after performing all the associated customary rituals. The idols of Bhairav and Betal are installed in the chariot along with the sword and flag brought from Hanumandhoka in Kathmandu. The chariot is pulled in a procession from local Taumadhi to Gahiti. The festival is observed in a grand way for eight nights and nine days with the celebrations of various rituals including the Sindur Jatra and the tongue-piercing ceremony. Chief District Officer Khagendra Prasad Rijal said all necessary preparations are in place to prevent any untoward incidents during the festival and conclude it peacefully. Police Range Bhaktapur's Superintendent of Police Prajit KC said around 700 security personnel have been mobilized for the festival.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah on Monday made it clear that he had to decide not to collect waste from Singha Durbar due to non-implementation of the agreements reached with the ministers and lawmakers at different times. Mayor Shah this morning gave 14 reasons through social media that why he instructed the concerned department to stop collecting waste from the premises of Singha Durbar. “A few days ago, I was forced to make a decision to stop collecting waste from Singha Durbar. It was not a random decision. It was the result of negligence, irresponsibility and carelessness of the central government,” he said. He was of the opinion that the Singha Durbar, a complex that houses the country's major administrative offices, was not serious on coordinating with the local governments to resolve the issues of the general public. “Singha Dubar lies in the Kathmandu Metropolis. Singha Durbar is just around 500 meters away from the office of metropolis. In spite of this, the metropolis has to exercise a lot to meet the ministers and lawmakers in Singha Durbar. The government is not serious about coordinating with the local governments on the issues of the general public’s livelihood,” Mayor Shah said. He expressed his expectation that the local problems be solved at the local level. Mayor Shah said that the central government has not accepted the existence of the local government. Earlier on Saturday, Mayor Shah had directed to stop collecting waste from Singha Durbar. He had said that instead the leaders should be dumped in the Bancharedanda landfill site to make the country clean.

The Kathmandu District Court has ordered the police to produce a doctor who was involved in the medical examinations of a minor allegedly raped by cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane before the court. A single bench of judge Shankar Raj Baral on Sunday gave a verdict in this regard. The order seeks the police to present three people including the doctor who actually carried out medical examinations on the girl before the court for recording their statements, according to Court's information officer Deepak Dahal. The court said that the doctor, who was involved in the medical examinations of the girl after she registered a police case against Lamichhane for rape, was on leave and the statement of another doctor was recorded in place of the actual doctor. Lamichhance faces the charge of raping the 17-year-old girl. She filed the case against him on September 6 at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala. The Patan High Court on January 12 ordered his release on bail.