Dolphin census begins in Saptakoshi River
The dolphin census has officially begun today in the Saptakoshi River, part of the Koshi Wildlife Reserve.
This annual census has been conducted since 2022, according to Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Senior Conservation Officer at the Reserve.
The initiative is being technically supported by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC-Koshi Province Office) and the Kathmandu-based Himalayan Nature.
Dolphins, considered highly intelligent marine mammals, prefer to inhabit clean and deep waters.
According to the Reserve, these mammals are found from Ganga Sagar to the Koshi River.
The census will be conducted over four days using two different survey methods. In 2012, 11 dolphins were recorded in the Saptakoshi River, and the number rose to 17 in 2017, prompting the Reserve to prioritize dolphin conservation efforts.
The most recent census in 2024 recorded 19 dolphins, and the number is expected to increase this year, said NTNC Koshi Province Coordinator Birendra Gautam.
Press Council launches book on media history
Nepal Press Council launched a book titled ‘Nepali Mediako Itihas, Chapa Dekhi Digital Samma’.
Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Panta, Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Radhika Aryal, Press Council Nepal Chairman Bal Krishna Basnet, Federation of Nepali Journalists Chairperson Nirmala Sharma and senior journalist Ram Krishna Regmi jointly launched the book amidst a program held in Kathmandu.
The book covers the history of Nepali media from print to the digital age.
The book contains the research-based articles of Dr Kundan Aryal, Dr Raghu Mainali, Dr Jagat Nepal, Tirtha Koirala, Subhecha Bindu Tuladhar, Ujjwal Acharya, Bhuwan KC and Rudra Khadka, who are researching in the Nepali media.
Speaking at the event, Chief Guest Minister Pant said that Nepal’s press is more independent than other countries in South Asia.
Similarly, Press Council Nepal Chairman Bal Krishna Basnet said that the book captures the difficult situation of Nepali journalism in the past, the struggles and realities of different periods.
Newar community observing Sithi Nakha festival today (With photos)
The Newar community is observing the Sithi Nakha festival with gaiety and fervor as the last of their cultural festivals today.
The community celebrates the festival on the sixth day of the bright half of the Nepali month Jestha as per the lunar calendar. This day is also celebrated as Kumar Sashti.
The Sithi Nakha festival holds special significance in the Newar community. This festival marks the beginning of the monsoon and is celebrated as the last festival because it coincides with the important agricultural activity of Sinya Jya (rice planting) for farmers.
Since it is also the birthday of the Hindu deity Kumar, on this day the Newar community worships Kumar and there is a tradition of eating special types of dishes called 'bara' made from pulses like, green gram, split black gram and lentils.
People also enjoy special bread made from 'mhuchhyamadhi' or the flour of the roasted wheat that is the year's freshly harvested grain. Other delicacies like 'chatamari', 'papad' and 'malpuwa' are also cooked at home on the occasion and the whole family eats them together in celebration.
On the day of Sithi Nakha, the Newar community cleans water sources such as wells, ponds, and streams.
The tradition of cleaning the water sources is a way of keeping them clean because during the rainy season, it is likely that water sources and springs might become contaminated due to the drainage of rainwater and the runoff water. The purpose of this tradition of cleaning the water sources is to prevent water pollution.
This custom also carried significance because with the start of the monsoon the water would start to germinate from sources that were otherwise covered, blocked with vegetation or debris and gone dry in winter.
There is also the tradition of farmers transporting the cow dung and farm manure to their fields early in the morning on the day of Sithi Nakha festival due to the religious belief that farmers should not work in the fields on this day.
There is a religious belief that the soil of the farmstead should not be harmed on this day.
Upon completion of these activities, people clean their house and are busy marking the festival.
Culture expert Dr Purushottam Lochan Shrestha states that the Sithi Nakha festival holds special significance in the Newar community for two reasons. First, Sithi Nakha is the birthday of the deity Kumar, who is the elder son of Hindu god Mahadev and goddess Parvati. Because of this, it is considered a festival of religious significance.
While the elephant-headed god Ganesh who is the younger brother of Kumar is considered the leader of the deities, Kumar is considered as the commander of the divine army.
According to Shrestha, the culture expert, the second reason is that it is believed worshipping the deity Kumar, who is the first to be worshipped among deities, will provide strength and energy to perform agricultural tasks like rice planting during the rainy season.
Therefore, this festival has a special significance to the farmer community.
At least 15 killed in Israeli fire near Gaza aid centre, say medics
At least 15 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli tank shelling and gunfire near an aid distribution centre in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to medics and local residents, BBC reported.
Mohammed Ghareeb, a local journalist in Rafah, told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near a US-funded humanitarian aid distribution centre when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd.
Local journalists and activists shared harrowing footage of bodies and wounded individuals being transported on donkey carts to a Red Cross field hospital in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, as rescue teams were reportedly unable to reach the scene.
