Preventing Death of Independent Journalism

A story too good to fact-check is the tale of the boiled frog. Rather than being dropped directly into boiling water – from which it would instantly jump – the frog is slid gently into a pot of comfortably warm water, and the heat is turned up. By the time the frog realises that the water has gotten to

Changing Perception Towards Beauty

Beauty is a highly regarded aspect of human life. However, despite the glamour of beauty, it is said that beauty is only skin deep. A hollowed out nature eventually sees the harsh truth as the outer beauty ultimately fades with time. Yet, beauty is a much sought-after quality. And societies across the world have their own ideals of beauty. For example, the West aspires for a tanned skin as compared to the East which covets a fairer skin. Every culture requires a meticulous approach to beauty particularly...

Kasthamandap reconstruction to use 13,000 cubic feet of timber

Reconstruction work of Kasthamandap, the centuries-old resting place which was razed to the ground in 2015 earthquake, is going on smoothly in recent days, with work on its third and final floor now completed. “We have recently completed erection process of 20 pillars in the third floor as well as the pinnacle,” said Gautam Dangol, secretary of the Kasthamandap Reconstruction Committee (KRC). “We have been facing shortage of logs because the committee has not imported them since the start...

Traffic police recover 85 stolen bikes, nab 14 thieves

Last year, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) detained 14 people for stealing motorcycles from different public places in the Kathmandu Valley. A special team of the Victim Relief Unit of the Division has been conducting a special operation to search for the lost and stolen vehicles from various places in the Valley. So far in the process, 14 have been arrested while 85 stolen motorcycles have been recovered and handed over to the concerned owners during the search operation. Chief...

Russia keen to invest in Nepal's hydropower

Russia has expressed its desire to invest in a large hydropower project in Nepal. A team led by Russian Ambassador to Nepal Aleksei Novikov met Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun at the Ministry on Tuesday and expressed interest to bring investment in hydropower. Russia's two largest banks, Lanta and Moscow Industrial Bank, have offered to invest in Nepal's hydropower project, Ambassador Novikov said. The delegation has said that they want to make such investment...

Janakpur Airport's new terminal building opens

The state-of-the-art new terminal building and control tower of Janakpur Airport in Janakpurdham, the capital of Province 2, has come into operation. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai inaugurated the building amidst a programme here on Tuesday. Now, the airport will no longer use its 53-year-old old terminal building. Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Minister Bhattarai said that the government had emphasised the construction of such terminal buildings to enhance...

NPC unhappy over dismal capital mobilisation

The National Planning Commission (NPC) and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have expressed dissatisfaction over the poor progress of large development projects. In the second day of the ongoing pre-National Development Action Committee (NDAC) meeting, they also criticised the line ministries for dismal status of capital mobilisation. The pre-NDAC is reviewing the progress made by various ministries in the first four months of the current Fiscal Year 2020/21.

Indoor pollution deaths alarming in Nepal

Experts in the health and environment sector have stressed on the need to tackle indoor air pollution as the death rate from it is alarming. Every year around 24,000 people die from indoor air pollution in Nepal, which is three times higher than the deaths compared to COVID-19 crisis. Indoor air pollution is caused by traditional use of biomass energy sources such as firewood, cattle dung and agricultural residues. In an online discussion programme jointly organised by Ministry of Health and Population,...

PM Oli stresses early SAARC summit

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday stressed that early convening of the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) could provide ground to move forward on the path of peace and prosperity in the region. "Giving fresh impetus to the stalled SAARC process including through the early convening of the Summit can rekindle hope among our people and provide ground to move forward," he said in a message published on the occasion of the 36th Charter Day of the SAARC.

China urges U.S. to withdraw "erroneous decision" of sanctions on NPC officials

China on Tuesday urged the United States to withdraw the "erroneous decision" of imposing sanctions on relevant officials of the National People's Congress (NPC) over Hong Kong issues, vowing "firm and strong countermeasures" against the egregious act by the U.S. side to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.