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A member of the royal family of Qatar, Sheikha Asma Al Thani has successfully climbed mountain Annapurna I. She reached the summit of the 8,091 meters high Annapurna I at 4:00 pm on Saturday. Director of Elite Expedition, David Sherpa, shared that Thani climbed Annapurna with the help of a team of Sherpas led by mountaineer Nirmal Purja (Nims). "Thani has become the first Qatari woman to climb Annapurna, the tenth highest peak in the world", he said. The Annapurna I mountain is located in Annapurna rural municipality-4 of Myagdi. Princess Al Thani had previously climbed Mount Everest, Dhaulagiri, Kanchanjunga, Lhotse, Manaslu and K2. A doctor by profession, Thani arrived in Myagdi on March 6 for the expedition to climb Annapurna I. The climbing of the current year's spring season started on Saturday morning in the Annapurna I. This year, 45 people have taken permission to climb Annapurna. Mt Annapurna is the tenth highest mountain in the world. Maurice Hergoz from France had climbed Annapurna for the first time in 1950.  

Search and rescue efforts are going on for those who have gone missing in an avalanche on the foot of Mt Everest on April 12. Three Sherpa guides had gone missing after an avalanche buried them in a crevasse. The air and land search and rescue operations have continued in coordination with the local administration, the Mount Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), the Himalayan Rescue Association, the Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition and the Expedition Operators Association Nepal, according to a statement issued by the Department of Tourism. "It increasingly becomes difficult to search and rescue those buried in an avalanche. We are yet to get additional details about their whereabouts. The department is searching for them in coordination with the stakeholders," said the Department Director General Hom Prasad Luitel. The three identified as Dachhiri Sherpa, Pemba Tenjing Sherpa and Lakpa Rita Sherpa who were ferrying materials to construct and clear the route leading to the summit of the world's tallest peak were caught in the avalanche at Dam of Icefall area between the base camp and camp 1, it has been said. Three of them from Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5 were deployed from the Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition Pvt Ltd. With the onset of spring season, the construction and clearance of the climbing route leading to Mount Everest is ongoing, said the Department. The construction of the trail up to the camp 2 has been over, said the SPCC. The Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition has undertaken rope fixing at the upper part of camp 2. So far, the total 197 climbers of 20 groups (31 women and 166 men) have taken permission to scale Mount Everest in this spring season, according to the Department.  

One hundred and eighty Chinese tourists have arrived here on a chartered flight of Himalayan Airlines. The team of the Chinese tourists arrived in Kathmandu on the eve of the Nepali New Year this morning through Nepal Big Mountain Travel. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kiranti, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Dr Dhananjay Regmi, among others welcomed the Chinese tourists. Talking to media persons, Minister Kiranti said they were very happy to welcome such a large number of Chinese tourists for the first time after the coronavirus pandemic and on the eve of the Nepali New year. "Guests are god. We always welcome foreign guests as God," he mentioned. Minister Kiranti expressed the belief that such activities would help further strengthen Nepal-China relations. Saying there was a great role of the Chinese government in construction of Pokhara International Airport, he opined that Nepal has wanted to directly connect Pokhara International Airport with China by air. Minister Kiranti expressed hope that Chinese tourists would like Nepal as some of the cities of Nepal are similar to Chinese cities. Similarly, Chinese Ambassador Song said China has allowed Chinese tourists to go abroad after coronavirus came under control. He said that he was very happy to welcome the Chinese tourists in Nepal. Likewise, CEO Regmi mentioned that with the arrival of Chinese tourists, Nepal's tourism industry, which has been hit hard since 2019, is more excited. Nepal should be involved in tourism promotion targeting Chinese and Indian tourists, he added. Proprietor of Nepal Big Mountain Travel and tourism entrepreneur Sudarshan Nepal expressed happiness over the arrival of Chinese tourists after China on March 10 put Nepal on the list of tourism destinations after the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese tourists would visit various tourist sites of Kathmandu Valley as well as Poon Hill during their one-week stay in Nepal.  

At the moment the country is under the partial influence of local as well as Westerly winds. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will be partly cloudy in Lumbini Province and Sudur Pashchim Province along with the hilly regions and partly cloudy to mainly fair in the rest of the country today. Brief rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at one or two places of hilly regions of Koshi Province, Bagmati Province and Gandaki Province, the Division says in its bulletin. Likewise, tonight it will be partly cloudy in the hilly areas and mainly fair in rest of the country.

Madhyapur Thimi Municipality has announced four days of public holiday starting from today on the occasion of New Year. The municipality decided to give four days of public holiday in order to celebrate Biska or Bisket Jatra celebrated here on the occasion of New Year in a grand manner. The locals celebrate the Bisket Jatra from today. Deputy-Mayor Bijay Krishna Shrestha said the municipality decided to holiday from April 13-16. The historical Jatra is celebrated by piercing a tongue.  Shrestha shared, "Locals had not celebrated the festival in a grand manner after local level did not grant holiday. So, we decided to give four days of public holiday from this year." Bisket Jatra is one of the greatest festivals celebrated by the Newar Community, especially of Bhaktapur district. It is celebrated for nine days.  

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has underlined the need of promoting Nepal's security amidst challenges in the security atmosphere at the national and international level. In his address to a ceremony organized to mark the induction parade of newly commissioned cadet training at Kharipati-based Nepali Military Academy in Bhaktapur today, the   head of the government said the dynamism was needed to rightly assess existing national and international security atmosphere and its possible impacts and consequences and to keep Nepal safe amidst complex challenges. "The trust of the nation and people that the Nepali Army has earned has been reflected in its delivery," the Prime Minister said, adding that it was a matter of pride to get an opportunity to serve the nation as the Nepali Army officer cadets. He urged newly passed out officer cadets to live with this pride and maintain it till the end of their professional life and dedicate themselves to the service of the people and the nation. "One additional national responsibility has come on the shoulders of new commissioned officers and cadets," the Prime Minister said, adding that side by side they were additionally responsible for performing with excellence and taking the image of NA to a new height. The global identity that Nepal is the country of the brave Gurkhas is due to the valor and performance of the Nepali Army, the Prime Minister said and added that the NA had protected this image through its rich resources, advanced services and trained and high-morale work force. He expressed his hope that the newly commissioned cadets would always remember the contribution of their predecessors to Nepal's history and would perform being inspired by such a glorious history. The Prime Minister also utilized the forum to praise the NA for its role to establish itself as a professional and disciplined institution. Stating that Nepali Army was established nationally and internationally as a multifaceted, strong, competent and strong organization capable of delivering on its responsibilities in an organized and excellent manner, Dahal asserted that our country was moving towards a prosperous future amidst adverse situations at present. PM Dahal argued, "Development is indispensable for security strengthening while security in accordance with the rules were prerequisite for development and prosperity." He expressed his confidence that the Nepali Army would ever be alert and prepared to face any security challenges and other challenges that may emanate in future. According to him, the training imparted in Nepal was recognized by foreign countries and held his belief that the Academy would conduct training in a timely manner thereby further enhancing its professional image. The PM pledged full cooperation from his side to scale up infrastructures and equipment for training areas and centers at the time where, he added, the number of trainees was increasing while the centers to receive training were decreasing. "One each officer from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zambia are participating in this training. I feel proud to know that there have been 23 commissioners from various 10 neighbor countries over a decade," remarked the Head of the Government. PM Dahal rewarded Krishna Khadka and Khagendra Karki with a khukuri for standing out best during their respective training sessions. Dahal handed over a baton to Apsara Budhathoki for her best delivery in the training. A total of 35 trainees of Nepali Army and one from Zambia have earned commissioner post completing three-year training. Present in the program were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Purna Bahadur Khadka, Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma and Heads of the security agencies in the country.  

The Ministry of Health and Population has instructed various health facilities to remain on standby in view of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country. The direction came as the daily graph of fresh COVID-19 cases is going up lately. Cases of mutated Omicron sub-variant XBB1.16.1 of COVID -19 found in neighboring India have been recorded lately in Nepal as well. According to Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Dr Chuman Lal Das, the latest variant of COVID-19 is more infectious and hospitals are directed to be in ready position to respond to the possible situation ahead. Bir Hospital, Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, TU Teaching Hospital, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Civil Service Hospital, Armed Police Force Hospital and Nepal Police Hospital are among those health facilities directed to be prepared for handling the untoward situation. On Wednesday, a person succumbed to COVID-19, the first death from the virus in over three months. Bir Hospital director Dr Santosh Poudel said they have been directed to be prepared for the response to COVID-19 in view of its soaring cases lately. Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital chief consultant physician Dr Bimal Chalise said they are alert to possible risk of infections and are prepared accordingly. "There is no need to panic, but we must be alert to possible risk," he said, adding that the hospital reported a ventilator case of COVID-19 and two ICU cases at the moment. On Wednesday, 106 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.  At present, 24 are in isolation, 13 in ICU care and five on ventilator support for COVID-19.  The Division has said it has tightened COVID-19 checks along the Nepal-India border since Wednesday.

The Election Commission has issued permission to six organizations for the election observation of the by-election for the member of House of Representatives (HoR) going to be held on April 23. The notice issued by the Commission today said that six of seven organizations that had applied for observation were selected as per the Election Observation Directive-2079 BS. The selection was based on the fulfillment of the due process for observation, according to Shaligram Sharma Poudel, Spokesperson of the Commission. The organizations getting permission are the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC), INSEC, Good-governance Federation Nepal, World Consumer Federation-Nepal, Former Judges Forum Nepal and Forum for Nation Building Nepal. Persons recommended by these selected organizations will be allowed to observe the by-elections in Bara-2, Tanahun-2 and Chitwan-2.