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Same-sex couples in Nepal said on Friday they were preparing to register their marriages after the Supreme Court issued a temporary order clearing the way for gay marriage for the first time in the largely conservative country, Reuters reported.

The Supreme Court has been considering a petition on the issue filed by gay right activists and on Wednesday it issued an interim order allowing for same-sex couples to register their marriages pending a final verdict.

"This is a very big and historic decision," said Pinky Gurung, chairperson of the Blue Diamond Society gay rights organisation.

Gurung said about 200 same-sex couples were expected "to come out openly and register their marriages".

Majority-Hindu Nepal has become increasingly progressive since a decade-long Maoist rebellion ended in 2006. Two years later, political parties voted to abolish the 239-year-old Hindu monarchy, a key demand of the Maoists.

In Asia, Taiwan is the only place that recognises gay marriage, though pressure is building for reform in Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

In 2007, Nepal's Supreme Court ordered the government to end discrimination against LGBT people and put in place measures to guarantee equal rights.

Since then, some same-sex couples have held unofficial weddings and gay pride parades have been held in the capital, Kathmandu.

But activists say there is still no clear legislation and people can face abuse from their families and communities and discrimination in education, government offices and hospitals, according to Reuters.

Maya Gurung, another member of the LGBT community, said that being able to officially register a marriage would help overcome a range of difficulties.

"We will now approach the authorities to formally register our marriage," Gurung said, referring to her partner of nearly a decade, Surendra Pandey.

"It may take some time for this, though.”

Vehicular movement along a section of the Kanti Highway has been obstructed following a landslide near Bagmati bridge at Bhattedanda of Lalitpur this morning. The site is some two kilometers away from the bordering area of Lalitpur and Makawanpur districts. Police Inspector of District Police Office, Makawanpur Ram Chandra Ghimire said that the landslide could be cleared after improvement in the weather. Likewise, police have asked the drivers en route to Kathmandu from Hetauda to stop at the Thingan area. Similarly, all the vehicles to Chitwan from Kathmandu have been diverted to Tribhuvan Highway after a landslide along the Muglin-Narayanghat road section, Police Inspector Ghimire said.  

All five local levels in Kalikot district have recorded Kala-azar patients this year. Black fever, commonly known as Kala-azar, is seen mostly in the tropical region of the country but has now spread in the hilly districts as well. Public Health Officer of District Health Office, Kalikot Katak Bahadur Mahat said that the patients of Visceral Leishmaniasis are found in Pachal Jharana, Palata, Sanni Triveni and Naraharinath rural municipalities. He said that 20 patients of black fever were found this year. In the fiscal year 2020/21, Kala-azar was seen in 43 people and 28 in fiscal year 2021/22, Mahat shared. Chief of District Hospital Dr Sanket Bishwakarma said that impacts of climate change are to be blamed for the outbreak of the black fever in the hilly districts. "This disease is seen with the increase of mosquitoes followed by the rise in temperature in recent years," Dr Sanket said.

As the monsoon remains active nationwide, there is a possibility of rainfall across the country this afternoon due to the impacts of the monsoon winds. According to the Weather Forecast Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, most parts of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and some parts of the remaining provinces are expected to receive light to moderate rain today. Likewise, there is the possibility of heavy rain along with thunderstorms in some parts of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces. Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely at some places of Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and few places of remaining provinces tonight, according to the Department. The Department has also cautioned one and all to apply precautions from the losses that could happen from the occurrence of heavy rain, lightning, storms, landslides and soil erosion.