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Two people died and two others were injured in a road accident in Malarani, Arghakhanchi.

The accident took place early this morning when a jeep (Lu 2 Cha 2990) heading towards Khandaha from Lutipokhari lost control and fell some 200 meters down  the road in Malarani Rural Municipality-3.

The deceased have been identified as the driver of the jeep Dilip Khanal (22) and Balkrishna Rijal ( 21) of Malarani-4, according to Chief of the District Police Office, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chakra Bahadur Malla.

The injured are 17-year-old Bhuwan Pokharel and Basanta Pokharel (17) both of Malarani-4. They are undergoing treatment at Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Butwal. 

An investigation into the incident is underway, said District Police Office Chief Malla. 

The Ram Nawami festival is being celebrated today by worshipping Lord Shri Ram Chandra at various shrines across the country.

Shri Ram Chandra  is believed to have been born on the day of Chaitra Shukla Nawami as the son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya Devi of Ayodhya in the Treta Yuga. He is revered as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu by Hindus. 

Theologian and Chairperson of the Nepal Calendar Determination and Development Committee, Prof Dr Ram Chandra Gautam, says that one of the importance of celebrating Ram Nawami festival is an inspiration for a dignified, disciplined and controlled state ruler like Ram.

On this occasion, Ramlila is performed in Janakpur, Nepal and Ayodhya, India. 

Today, men and women from Nepal and India flock to the Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur to celebrate a grand fair organized  to mark the occasion.

There is also a tradition of fasting, bathing in holy rivers, lakes and ponds, reciting the Ramayana and worshiping Lord Rama and singing bhajans all night long.

President and Vice-President extends best wishes

In a message on the occasion, President Ram Chandra Paudel has extended best wishes for happiness, peace and prosperity to all Nepali sisters and brothers living at home and abroad on the occasion of Ram Nawami festival, 2081.

He has expressed his belief that indigenous festivals like this, which have been in practice for centuries, would further help in preserving our ancient civilization as well as religion and culture. 

“I expect that cultural and historical festivals like Ram Nawami will help in further strengthening national unity by deepening the spirit of mutual trust, goodwill, tolerance and cooperation amidst our diverse ethnic, linguistic, cultural and geographical characteristics,” President Paudel has said in his message. 

In a similar message, Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav has expressed his belief that the Ram Nawami festival will help further strengthen the faith in the ideals, truth, religion and dignity of Lord Ram.

Vice President Yadav has emphasized that this festival should be taken as an opportunity to imbibe the ideals of Lord Ram and take a pledge to work for unity, prosperity and progress in the country. 

 “Ram Nawami is not just a festival it is also an auspicious occasion for us to connect our lives with the ideals of Shri Ram,” he said, “May everyone be inspired to move forward with good deeds and strong determination like Shri Ram.”

Marking the occasion, the federal government has also announced a public holiday across the country today.

US President Donald Trump announced what he said were “kind” reciprocal tariffs against more than 180 countries on Wednesday, along with a baseline tariff against other countries, delivering the most sweeping tariff package the US has implemented in decades.

The Trump administration has imposed a 10 percent tariff on Nepali products. The United States has granted trade preferential treatment to Nepal, but traders have not been able to benefit from it. 

America is a big trade partner of Nepal. Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act 2015 provides duty and quota free access to 77 Nepali products. Officials say, Nepal government now will have to talk with America to ensure the smooth export of Nepali products in American markets.

Over the past five years the exports of Nepal to the United States have increased at an annualized rate of 4.98 percent,  from $110m in 2018 to $140m in 2023. 

The United States and Nepal have signed a trade and investment framework agreement, providing a forum for bilateral talks to enhance trade and investment, discuss specific trade issues, and promote more comprehensive trade agreements between the two countries. Principal US exports to Nepal include agricultural products, aircraft parts, optic and medical instruments and machinery. US imports from Nepal include carpets, apparel and jewelry.

The following are the reciprocal tariffs Trump announced on Wednesday. Any countries not on the list will have a baseline 10 percent tariff on any products coming into the US, the administration said.

The tariffs charged to the US include currency manipulation and trade barriers, according to information provided by the administration—though the percentages could not be independently verified.

The Trump administration is using tariffs as a tool to dismantle levies imposed by other countries and create “truly free and open global trade,” a director with The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, told CNN. Richard Stern, director of Grover M Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation, said other countries have deployed trade barriers, subsidized their products and committed intellectual property theft.

President Donald Trump’s historic tariff announcement will have a lasting impact on South Asia, where the US is a top export destination for many countries in the region, analysts say.

The region, which includes the world’s most populous country, India, as well as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is “dealing with varying levels of economic stress,” he said. “There’s a lot of vulnerability, and the tariffs will hit hard,” said Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute Director at The Wilson Center, a US-based think tank.

Nepali-American singer Adrian Pokharel has released a song titled 'I am an American soldier'.

SUNO AI made the video for the song ‘I am an American soldier’ written by Pokharel.

Earlier in 1997, he had released the album 'Maya Timro Maya Pawana’.

“Since my childhood, I have loved writing songs, singing and acting,” Pokharel said.

When he was in America, he had performed in many plays and films.

Born in Dharan, Sunsari, Ashish Pokharel aka Adrian was a candidate of the Democratic Party for the US House of Representatives from Virginia 10 in 2024.