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Two antique idols of Gautam Buddha were stolen from Chapagaun, Lalitpur on Sunday. Shreedhar Shrestha, a local, said the archaeologically important Buddha idols of the 8th century were stolen last night. The idols were located nearby Moti Library at the Old Bus Park in Chapagaun. It may be noted that an idol of Buddha was already stolen from the monastery having four idols on March 1. Three of the four idols installed in the monastery have so far been stolen. Locals found that the robbers stole the precious idols by breaking the monastery. According to the stone sculpture, the monastery was established in 827 AD.  

The Khumbupasanglhamu Rural Municipality has introduced a new plan for climate justice in Khumbu region also known as Everest region in Solukhumbu district. The rural municipality and the social organizations working in this area have joined hands in a strategic partnership to work effectively on the issue of climate change within the next five years. The rural municipality started the work by signing an agreement for five years in a program held in Khumjung. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Indira Rana Magar, who had reached Khumbu, the high Himalayan area of Solukhumbu, for trekking among others, was also present in the program. Vice-Chairman Tashilhamu Sherpa on behalf of the rural municipality and Prajita Karki, Chairperson of the Sathsathai Foundation, signed the agreement. Speaking at the program held in Khumjung on Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Magar said that she saw many women facing problems due to the climate change while trekking in the Khumbu region. She was of the opinion that the government should organize a climate adaptation program in the Himalayan region. Saying that it was the positive step of the rural municipality to start a strategic work for climate justice, the Deputy Speaker expressed her commitment to extend all necessary facilitation to ensure the implementation of the program. Saying that the climate change has caused various problems in this region and it has directly affected the local people, House of Representatives lawmaker Manbir Rai of the Solukhukbu said that all should be united for local justice. “The problems of the people of Khumbu are the problems of the country. That is way, all the concerned agencies should join hands together to resolve the problem and to provide justice to the victims,” Rai said. Saying that various works are being carried out from the rural municipality level to resolve the problems seen in the people, rural municipality Chairman Mingmar Chiri Sherpa said that the partnership with the Sathsathai will be helpful more in the future. Saying that the local government has done significant work to protect the environment, Sherpa said that as Mount Everest is the property of the world, all should pay attention to protect this area. Chairperson of Sathsathai, is a women-focused non-profitable organization, Prajita Karki expressed her commitment to draw the attention of federal government and international platforms by studying the problems of the Khumbu area seriously. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Sathsathai organized a six-day trek from Lukka to Khumjung to understand the effects of climate change and to ask the problems of affected people. Sixteen people including Deputy Speaker Rana Magar, former Foreign Minister and National Assembly member Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal, Joint Secretary at the Agricultural Ministry Dr Sabnam Shivakoti, experts Dr Madhav Karki, Dr Yamuna Ghale, Saru Shrestha and Deepak Das among others took part in the trekking. During the trekking, the team including Deputy Speaker Rana Magar concluded that the climate change has badly affected agriculture, health and tourism in the area and said that a strategic work should be started in the coming days. The Sathsathai has also been carrying out various works in collaboration with Helambu Rural Municipality of Sindhulpalchok for climate justice. Earlier, a documentary on the adverse impact of climate change in Nepal was screened at the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) in Egypt. The documentary film on damage caused by climate change was made by Sathsathai Foundation.

Kathmandu University is all set to organize Habitat Innovation Conclave, 2023 on March 17 with the involvement of participants from across the globe. "HIC 2023 will provide a platform to graduated students for exchanging and sharing cutting-edge developments and research in energy, science and engineering," said Prof Dr Bim Prasad Shrestha (Convener for HIC 2023). "It will facilitate and enhance connections between academia, industry and stakeholders in the field of energy, science and engineering, and establish a scholarly research culture among graduated students for innovative ideas and research explorations," Shrestha added. Organized with an aim of rethinking the way we live through innovative habitats; Habitat Innovation Conclave is a platform for new-age innovators who think about solving existing problems with a new approach. The motto of the program is, 'Innovation and Sustainability: The Keys to our Future Habitats.' The Energy Efficient Building Design 2021 Batch and The Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU have come together to highlight the importance of energy efficiency, innovation, & habitat. Various stakeholders from all over the world will be sharing ideas on the topic. The major thematic areas of the Conclave include Innovative Building Materials, Building Codes Policies and Standards, Planning Design and Retrofitting with Emerging Technologies, Water and Sanitation, Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Women in Engineering and Habitat. Throughout the Conclave, participants will be engaged in product demonstrations, product simulations, paper presentations and panel discussions. The panel discussions include various speakers, including Deputy Director Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Deputy Chief of NEEP Narayan Prasad Chaulagain, President of NSET Dr. Amod Mani Dixit, Prof. Dr. Sangeeta Singh, Pulchowk Campus, Programme Manager of UN Habitat Pragya Pradhan, Founder of Abari Nripal Adhikary, Prof. Dr. Amy R Sapkota, School of Public Health Building, University of Maryland. Energy-efficient building design refers to the practice of designing buildings that consume minimal energy to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. This involves the use of a variety of techniques to reduce energy consumption, including the use of efficient lighting, HVAC systems, and insulation.  

There is a possibility of light rain with thunder and lightning due to the effect of the westerly winds today. According to Barun Paudel, senior meteorologist at the Weather Forecast Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the pre-monsoon season is active leading to light rainfall with thunder and lightning in the past few days. The months of March, April and May are considered pre-monsoon. The westerly wind is active with the sun shining throughout the day, leading to light rain with thunder and lightning in the evening. There is hence possibility of light rainfall in the hilly areas of the country in the evening today, Paudel said. The weather forecast bulletin issued by the division also states that the weather will be generally clear in the hilly areas of the country today afternoon. The minimum temperature of Kathmandu today is 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is 25 degrees Celsius.