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Today's Chatpat: October 10th, 2023

1. Dashain is near and our livestock traders expect to sell over 50,000 goats this Dashain, which is at the same level as last year. According to media reports, traders used to sell 80,000 goats before the pandemic in 2019. Majority of the goats are sold at Khasi Bazar in Kalanki while the rest are sent to collection centers around the capital.

According to government data, Nepal has 10 million goats and half of them are sold annually. Kathmandu is the number one market with 500,000 goats consumed every year. Live goats sell for Rs 700 per kg while consumers can expect to pay double that at the butcher shop in their neighborhood.

2. The government has announced a national day of mourning for those killed in Israel recently. The government has also announced Rs 10 lakhs compensation for the families of the deceased. According to government sources, both planes of Nepal Airlines and Himalayan Airlines have been asked to be on stand by to bring back Nepalis from Israel after the Israeli government gives the go-ahead.

Major international airlines have all suspended flights to Israel for now and the battle between Hamas and Israel will now be focused on Gaza as Israel bombards whole neighborhoods and targets civilians just as Hamas did in its brutal attack against Israel.

3. In the US, Robert Kennedy Jr. has announced his independent bid for the US Presidency and will now not contest the Democratic primaries which leaves President Biden a clear path to seek nomination from the Democrats. Kennedy's bid as an independent candidate will definitely harm Biden's vote banks.

Ross Perot's presidential bid in the 90s had affected George Bush's re-election as he nibbled away the crucial votes and handed the Presidency to Bill Clinton then. Kennedy's voter base is more than likely to take away 4-5% of Biden's votes handing the Presidency in 2024 to a Republican candidate if Kennedy does not back down.

4. Our national carrier, Nepal Airlines plans to sell 5 Chinese planes it had received through grants and loans from China from 2014 to 2018. The planes is believed to have cost over Rs 6.6 bilion. The national carrier appointed an independent firm to value the planes, which is now believed to be worth a mere Rs 220 million but still can't find any buyers in the market.

5. Controversial businessman Durga Prasai, who had earlier announced a kalo-muso abhiyan (black soot movement) against officials of banks and financial institutions in the country for exploiting consumers, has faced similar fate in the capital yesterday. Prasai was manhandled and black soot was thrown at his face by unknown assailants, but believed to be members of the youth organization affiliated to the UML.

Prasai made headlines a few years ago, when a picture of Prachanda and KP Oli eating marsi rice and lunch at Prasai's home went viral. Prasai was even credited for the unification of the two communist parties, UML and Maoist then which did not last long. Nowadays, Prasai is known for his pro-monarchy views while advocating strict actions against Marwari business community and the financial institutions in the country.

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