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The International Mountain Day (IMD) is being celebrated today with a variety of programs across the world and in Nepal too. 

The day is observed annually on December 11 as per the calls of the United Nations to raise awareness about mountain importance, development challenges, and opportunities. 

This year the day is being commemorated under the theme "Glaciers matter for water, food, and livelihoods in mountains and beyond."

The day also highlights issues like climate change impacts on glaciers, water security, and sustainable livelihoods in mountainous regions. Various events, webinars, photo contests, social media campaigns and local restoration projects are being carried out under the event. 

It may be noted that the United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to raise awareness on the vital role glaciers, snow and ice play in the climate system and water cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of rapid glacial melt. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, (FAO), a UN agency, glaciers and ice sheets hold around 70 percent of the world's freshwater. 

Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis, but a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure. 

Economically, sectors like agriculture, hydropower, mountain tourism and transportation feel the strain of glacier changes. For many Indigenous Peoples, glaciers are sacred, and their disappearance signifies a loss of identity and connection to nature.

International Mountain Day has been celebrated since the UN's 1992 Agenda 21 recognizing mountain ecosystems, leading to 2002 being declared the International Year of Mountains (IMD). 

This spurred the UN General Assembly to establish IMD in 2003 to raise awareness about mountains' crucial role (water, biodiversity, livelihoods) and the threats they face (climate change).

A total of 7,344 different types of violence against women (VAW) cases were reported to the National Women's Commission in the past six years. 

The complaints were made from various parts of the country to the toll-free helpline established by the Commission. 

Of the registered cases in the last six years, 88 percent were reports of domestic violence against women. According to Commission Secretary Rekha Kandel, the age group of women who were reported to have been subjected to violence is between 26 and 40 years.

The data of the past six years of reports received to the Commission's helpline 1145 also states that women with low literacy rates are more likely to be subjected to violence.

This information was shared during an event held on Wednesday to mark the eighth establishment day of the 'National Women's Commission, 1145 Free Helpline Service'.

In the last fiscal year, the Commission stated that 1,202 complaints of violence against women were registered in connection with domestic violence and deprivation of women's rights.

Commission Chairperson Kamala Kumari Parajuli expressed her commitment to work actively in the field of women's rights in the coming days as in the past.

All services of the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), including utility payment, are set to be suspended for three days due to the merger of the servers. 

The merging of the Kshetrapati and Tripureshwor branches, along with necessary software integration work for the Maharajgunj and Kamaladi branches, will affect the system leading to the service closure. 

According to KUKL's Chief Executive Director Ashok Kumar Paudel, services will be shut from December 12 to 14.

He stated, “Due to the software merger, online payment services, revenue collection counters, new connection services, and all other services at Kshetrapati, Tripureshwor, Maharajgunj, and Kamaladi will be closed for three days.” 

The Nepali Embassy, in coordination with relevant Thai authorities, deported 47 Nepalis involved in online dating scams, casino and gaming fraud, cryptocurrency crimes, and other online scams in Myanmar. They were flown back to Nepal on Wednesday via Nepal Airlines flight RA402.

The deported individuals come from 26 different districts, comprising 45 men and two women.

One person each came from Chitwan, Dailekh, Kaski, Kathmandu, Kavre, Palpa, Ramechhap, Rautahat, Salyan, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, Taplejung, and Tehrathum districts, two each from Dang, Mahottari, Morang, Nawalparasi, Nuwakot, Syangja and Tanahun districts, and three each from Dhading, Gorkha, Rupandehi, Sindhupalchowk and Udayapur districts and five from Jhapa.

According to them, they reached Myanmar through various people, including friends and online friends, friends who play online games such as PUBG, and advertisements on social media.

Their age group includes one 17-year-old, 26 people between the ages of 20 and 25, 10 people between the ages of 26 and 30, eight people between the ages of 31 and 35, one 40-year-old, and one 41-year-old.

Most of them have completed their 10+2 education and have studied information technology. They have been involved with scamming centers for periods ranging from two to 18 months.