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Nepal closes schools as deaths from heavy rains hit 129

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2 months ago

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By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Nepal has shut schools for three days after landslides and floods triggered by two days of heavy rain across the Himalayan nation killed 129 people, with 62 missing, officials said on Sunday.

The floods brought traffic and normal activity to a standstill in the Kathmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded in a region home to 4 million people and the capital.

Authorities said students and their parents faced difficulties as university and school buildings damaged by the rains needed repair.

“We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days,” Lakshmi Bhattarai, a spokesperson for the education ministry, told Reuters.

Some parts of the capital reported rain of up to 322.2 mm (12.7 inches), pushing the level of its main Bagmati river up 2.2 m (7 ft) past the danger mark, experts said.

But there were some signs of respite on Sunday morning, with the rains easing in many places, said Govinda Jha, a weather forecaster in the capital.

“There may be some isolated showers, but heavy rains are unlikely,” he said.

Television images showed police rescuers in knee-high rubber boots using picks and shovels to clear away mud and retrieve 16 bodies of passengers from two buses swept away by a massive landslide at a site on the key route into Kathmandu.

Weather officials in the capital blamed the rainstorms on a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal extending over parts of neighbouring India close to Nepal.

Haphazard development amplifies climate change risks in Nepal, say climate scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

“I’ve never before seen flooding on this scale in Kathmandu,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, an environmental risk official at the centre.

In a statement, it urged the government and city planners to “urgently” step up investment in, and plans for, infrastructure, such as underground stormwater and sewage systems, both of the “grey”, or engineered kind, and “green”, or nature-based type.

The impact of the rains was aggravated by poor drainage due to unplanned settlement and urbanisation efforts, construction on floodplains, lack of areas for water retention, and encroachment on the Bagmati river, it added.

The level in the Koshi river in Nepal’s southeast has started to fall, however, said Ram Chandra Tiwari, the region’s top bureaucrat.

The river, which brings deadly floods to India’s eastern state of Bihar nearly every year, had been running above the danger mark at a level nearly three times normal, he said.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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Education

GRADUATE DEDICATES HER DEGREE TO HER EX HUSBAND

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3 days ago

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November 14, 2024

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GRADUATE DEDICATES HER DEGREE TO HER EX HUSBAND
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GRADUATE DEDICATES HER DEGREE TO HER EX HUSBAND

Noshavyah Adanna Walcott | “I’d like to dedicate my degree to my ex husband.

He was by no means perfect and I was further away from it but despite alll our differences he put my academics first! Always made sure I had what I needed to complete my courses.

Even after we separated he still remains constant and reliable and was always one phone call away. He is truly a great individual.

In the months following our separation, I saw how cruel men could be and how swift they were to pull down and bash the women they were building. I am fortunate enough that he continued to lay bricks on the foundations of my education and for that he has my undying love.

He was not able to join me today but ensured that I got to and from graduation. I’m happy we chose to preserve 6 years of friendship despite our indifferences.

My dearest love, you also have my eternal gratitude.”

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Education

PhD student could not write his name properly – National teachers DG

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5 days ago

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November 12, 2024

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PhD student could not write his name properly – National teachers DG
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PhD student could not write his name properly – National teachers DG

The Director General of the National Teachers Institute (NTI), Professor Garba Maitafsir, has said that as a lecturer at the University, he came across a PhD Student who could not write his name properly.

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Education

Homa Bay: Speaker Julius Gaya resigns ahead of impeachment motion in county assembly

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5 days ago

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November 12, 2024

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Homa Bay County Assembly Speaker Julius Gaya has tendered his resignation on the day he was to be impeached. Photo: Valary Akoth/Florence Owiti. Source: Original
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Homa Bay – County Assembly Speaker Julius Odhiambo Gaya has resigned from his position just hours before an impeachment vote was scheduled.

The resignation followed a formal process as outlined by the assembly’s Standing Orders, with Deputy Speaker Okings Okomo assuming the role of Acting Speaker and presiding over the day’s sitting.

In his announcement, as per Standing Order 14(a), Okomo confirmed the receipt of Gaya’s resignation letter, which had been addressed to the clerk and subsequently communicated to the assembly.

“I am in receipt of the resignation letter by Hon. Julius Odhiambo Gaya as the Speaker of this County Assembly,” Okomo stated, before declaring the speaker’s office vacant, in line with assembly procedure.

Majority Leader Richard Ogindo praised Gaya’s decision, describing it as an act of bravery. He acknowledged that Gaya had only the support of one out of 54 members in the house and that resigning was the best course of action to avoid further conflict.

“Mister speaker, allow me on behalf of all these members to appreciate our former speaker for being brave. Out of 54 members, he had only the support of one member in this house. By deciding to resign, that was the best he could do so that this honourable house could not bring those other issues,” Ogindo said.

Gaya, who was elected as the third speaker of the Homa Bay County Assembly on September 21, 2022, expressed his gratitude to the assembly members for their support during his tenure.

In his resignation letter, he said, “It has been an honour to serve the house, and I am grateful for the support extended to me.”

The resignation comes amid growing tensions within the assembly, where 53 out of 54 members had signed an impeachment motion against him.

The impeachment motion was set to be tabled in the assembly on Tuesday, November 12, the same day Gaya tendered his resignation.

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