First day of navaratra: Ghatasthapana being observed (In pictures)
The first day of "Navaratra" is being marked today by worshiping the deity Shailaputri in accordance with Vedic rituals and preparing for Jamara (barley shoots) by sowing maize and barley seeds in a jar filled with soil and cow dung for germination.
Deity Shailaputri is worshiped for observing Ghatastapana on the auspicious hour. The auspicious hour for observing Ghatasthapana is 10:23 am today, according to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. Deity Shailaputri is one of the nine deities worshiped in Navaratri.
Prayers are also offered to Durga Bhavani, the goddess of power today. Germination of the auspicious "Jamara" is also initiated at Hanumandhoka Dashain Ghar in accordance with Vedic rituals.
With the marking of Ghatasthapana, celebrations and worships take place in the Shaktipeeth across the country including in the Kathmandu Valley. Likewise, there is also a tradition of sacrificing animals while initiating the germination of the "Jamara".
Typhoon Noru: Four dead as 'explosive' typhoon hits Philippines
Four rescue workers have been killed and one left missing after a typhoon hit the main island of the Philippines, BBC reported.
Typhoon Noru, previously classed as a super typhoon, caused gusts of up to 240kph (149mph) on Luzon, where more than half of the country's 110 million population live.
Forecasters say the storm experienced an "explosive intensification" as it made landfall west of Luzon.
Noru is the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year.
The Governor for the Bulacan area Daniel Fernando said five personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices were washed away in flash floods while carrying out rescue operations in the district of San Miguel.
Typhoon Noru, known locally as Karding, weakened as it made second landfall at 20:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Sunday, and is expected to leave the Philippines by Monday evening.
"I think we may have gotten lucky, at least this time," said Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos during a briefing on Monday. "I think it's clear from what we did these last two days is that, very, very important, is preparation," he added.
"It's not yet over. I think the point when we can stand down is when the majority of evacuees are already back in their homes," he said.
Mr Marcos has ordered that supplies be airlifted and clean-up equipment provided to communities that have been most affected, according to BBC.
In Quezon Province, east of Manila, fishermen had earlier been prevented from heading to sea, and there were reports of some areas being without power.
Flights and ferry services have been cancelled. On Luzon, President Marcos suspended all government work and school classes were also cancelled.
"We live away from the coast so we're staying put so far. We're more worried about the water from the mountains," a resident told AFP.
Trading on the country's stock exchange will also be suspended on Monday and Mr Marcos warned that the energy ministry had placed on high alert all energy-related industries in the county.
Thousands of volunteers are monitoring river levels, bridges and mountains for landslides which could hamper rescue efforts, said Dick Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.
Information will be crucial in getting help to where it is needed, he said, BBC reported.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is highly vulnerable to storms. It sees an annual average of 20 tropical storms.
And in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, killed some 6,300 people, according to BBC.
Nepal reports 51 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday
Nepal reported 51 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 206 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 40 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 818 people underwent antigen tests, of which 11 were tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 100 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 1, 223 active cases in the country.
Imports rising at Rasuwagadhi transit point
The volume of Chinese goods imported from the Rasuwagadhi transit point on the Nepal-China border here has increased this year compared to the previous one. Only 14 containers carrying various imported goods used to pass through this transit point in a day following the decline in COVID-19 pandemic. These days as many as 21 such containers are transiting through this checkpoint on a daily basis, the Rasuwa Customs Office said. Hundreds of containers crossed the border daily to the Chinese towns Kerung and Pangsing to fetch the imported goods. Nowadays, the Chinese side has started transporting the goods up to Rasuwagadhi. Before this, movement of people and goods through the 'Nepal-China friendship bridge' here was suspended after the outbreak of COVID-19. It is said the imported goods are brought up to the transit point by Chinese trailers from the production company itself and various transport companies including the Musa Transport are involved in this. The import through Rasuwagadhi transit point recently resumed from September 15 after a long hiatus. Among the imported goods are mostly readymade clothes. It is said that one Chinese container is equivalent to two Nepali containers. Among the goods imported so far are 119 tippers of readymade clothes, 35 tippers of hydroelectricity equipment and four tippers of walnut. However, apples have not arrived until Saturday. One hundred fifty-eight big Chinese containers have brought the imported goods up to Rasuwagadhi in the interval of 10 days.
