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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency Cabinet meeting following the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara on Sunday. Expressing his sadness over the plane crash, Prime Minister Dahal has directed the Home Ministry, security agencies and all the government bodies to carry out immediate rescue operations.  

काठमाडौंबाट यात्रु लिएर पोखराका लागि उडेको यती एयरलाइन्सको एएनसी एटीआर ७२ जहाजको दुखद र त्रासदीपूर्ण दुर्घटनाप्रति गहिरो दुख व्यक्त गर्दछु। प्रभावकारी उद्दारमा लाग्न सुरक्षाकर्मी, नेपाल सरकार सम्पूर्ण निकाय र आम जनसमुदायमा हार्दिक अपील गर्दछु।

— ☭ Comrade Prachanda (@cmprachanda) January 15, 2023

The plane with call sign ATR-72 took off from Kathmandu to Pokhara at 10: 33 am today, police said. According to Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson of the Yeti Airlines, there were two pilots, two air hostesses and 68 passengers on board the ill-fated aircraft. He said that there were 10 foreign passengers on the plane. Chief District Officer of Kaski district Tek Bahadur Karki said that he has directed the health facilities to be on high alert. It has been learnt that police have pulled out 32 bodes from the crash site.  

The people in the Tharu community, mostly from Dang to Kanchanpur in west Nepal, are observing Maghi, the greatest festival of the community.  The Tharu community observes this festival with much fanfare and gaiety for five consecutive days. Maghi festival is celebrated as the New Year by sharing sweet dishes and performing cultural dance and selecting community leaders known as Bhalmansa. The Sakhiya dance performed with the tune of madal (hand drum) is popular among Tharu community people of all ages for centuries, which demonstrates the costumes, traditions and folk culture of Tharu, Man Bahadur Chaudhary, a leader of Tharu community from Kailari of Kailali district said. Each and every household is preparing for the celebration of Maghi festival here, according to Chaudhary. Chaudhary is also a Bhalmansa, a leader of the Tharu community who decides the key issues at the community. Celebration of the Maghi festival is not likely to be a personal decision by going beyond the decision of Bhalmansa. The people should manage meat, especially pork, a day before Maghi festival while the women remain busy cooking local dishes including Jaad and Dhikri. Dhamar and Dumru dances are also equally popular in the Tharu community in this festival. Married women visit their maternal home to reunite with their parents, brothers and relatives to celebrate the Maghi festival. Furthermore, selection of Bhalmansa is equally crucial in the village during the Maghi festival. The tradition of Bhalmansa carries a great significance since the post has to carry some vital responsibilities in the community. The people here pick Bhalmansa unopposed if an agreement was forged but election and lottery draw are also exercised. Similarly, a community postman known as Chirkiya, and Guruwa to serve as a community health worker are also selected who perform their jobs under the leadership of Bhalmansa. In general, these leaders oversee the overall tasks of the community including protection of the village, development works, irrigation, drinking water supplies, power supplies and other issues that could surface in the community. Defiance of the orders of Bhalmansa is considered as violation of social norms in the Tharu community and every individual should abide by the directive of Bhalmansa since this helps maintain discipline and collectivism in the community.

Former skipper of Nepal national cricket team, Sandeep Lamichhane, who was arrested on the charge of raping a minor girl, has been released from jail after posting a bail of Rs 2 million. Saroj Krishna Ghimire, lawmaker of Lamichhane, confirmed the release of the former national cricket team captain. The Patan High Court on Thursday ordered the concerned authority to release Lamichhane. A joint bench of Justi Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dhakal today granted Lamichhane the bail. He has been barred from leaving Nepal. A 17-year-old girl had filed a rape complaint against Lamichhane at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala when he was abroad to play Caribbean Premier League (CPL) from Jamaica Tallawahs. According to the complaint, Lamichhane had allegedly taken the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur on August 21 and raped her in a hotel room the same night.  

A Royal Bengal tiger and a rhino were found dead in the Chitwan National Park. The male tiger aged around 15 years was found dead on Wednesday at the Narayani river bank of Champa Salghari area in Amaltari, and the rhino aged about five years at Sauraha area, said the CNP information officer Ganesh Prasad Tiwari. This is the first death of a tiger so far in the current fiscal year, 2022/23. It died a natural death, he said, adding that the rhino died when a tiger attacked it. With this, eight rhinos have died so far in the current FY.