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Sometimes good restaurants are located in the most unexpected places. Ramsterdam Cafe in Ramhiti, Kathmandu, is right next to the main street, and looks quite small from outside. But the place is spacious, making it a perfect place to hangout with friends, or alone if you are so inclined. The decor of the place is quite random, but looks good altogether. And they have live music sessions in the evening. Seating areas are plenty, especially if you’re visiting during the day time. Finding a place to sit might be a struggle if you’re there in the evenings or on a weekend. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting alone or with someone, you’ll thoroughly enjoy your time at the restaurant. Also, the cafe feels welcoming. One can easily have a conversation with the owner, staff or the customers sitting nearby. It’s a good place to visit if you like to read too. You’ll see shelves filled with books as you walk inside. You can grab one, find a corner, and be by yourself with no one else bothering you. When it comes to food, they have a variety of choices. We did find the food items to be a bit pricey, but their drinks are quite affordable. For a non-alcoholic drink, opt for a cold coffee. At most of the restaurants we’ve visited, cold coffees are disappointing. Here, it’s the exact opposite. It’s not too diluted, is quite milky, and they use cold milk instead of adding ice. But the vibe of the place calls for a glass of beer with some snacks on the side. Meal/drinks for two: Rs 2,000 Opening hours: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Contact: 9841242224 Online payment: Accepted Parking: Not available 

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has banned the entry of vehicles within the Hanumandhoka precincts. The metropolis took this decision to protect the originality of the world Heritage Site. KMC Mayor Balendra Shah said it is necessary to preserve the uniqueness of the place as its very identity is its ancient heritage. "These very heritages and their ancient distinctiveness are the ones that we can proudly show to the world and that we can adopt with dignity. Hundreds of thousands of tourists could come to experience and enjoy the place," he said on social site. Noting that thousands of tourists visited Basantapur area daily, Mayor Shah said there is a possibility of hundreds of thousands of visitors coming for a visit in future. He said vehicles have been banned within the Hanumandhoka premises, reiterating it is essential to preserve the uniqueness and aesthetics of the place and to keep the environs of the premises peaceful, clean and pleasing.  

Lalitpur District Court judges and employees have moved the Supreme Court demanding security. They reached the apex court on Tuesday leaving their official works saying that they are unsecured from the legal professionals. The employees have taken a stand not to return to work until the security of their livelihood is guaranteed The hearing of the cases in Lalitpur District Court has been affected after the judges and employees left the court. They are currently holding a meeting with the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court. The judges have said that they are receiving threats from the legal professionals and have not been able to work from the office. The Nepal Bar Association has announced protest programs arguing that a legal professional was implicated in a false case. Lalitpur Bar Association Secretary Sonam Moktan said that a sit-in program will be held for one hour daily in the premises of the court without affecting the services. The legal professionals had staged a protest assembly on Monday also. The court employees across the country have been staging the protest against the attack on Premika Tamang, non-gazetted officer at the Lalitpur District Court. Legal professional Amir Lamichhane had attacked Tamang of the District Court on Wednesday. Following the incident, she filed a case at the District Police Range, Lalitpur. Based on the complaint, police arrested Lamichhane.  

Senior leaders of major political parties along with the Speaker have agreed to pick the President of the Parliamentary Committee. In the meeting held on Tuesday, Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, main opposition party leader and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba along with Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire have agreed to pick the Parliamentary Committee President at the earliest. Emerging from the meeting held at the Speaker’s office in Singha Durbar this morning, Speaker Ghimire said that the leaders have agreed to finalize the President of the Parliamentary Committee as soon as possible. “Leaders have expressed their commitment to pick the President of the Parliamentary Committee immediately,” Ghimire said, adding, “The Committee will get the leadership soon. As there is no leadership, the meeting is being conducted by the senior member. The discussions on the bills have not been able to move ahead as the senior member is leading the Committee.” He said that the discussion was also held to take the Parliamentary activities ahead in an effective way. Similarly, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dhan Raj Gurung said the leaders have agreed to elect the President as soon as possible. The 10 thematic committees of the House of Representatives were formed on April 28. A meeting of the 10 committees was held at the same time on May 16 two weeks after the formation of the Committee. The Committee, however, could not hold discussions on the bills as the President could not be elected on time.  

After going through a liquidity crunch in the first half of the current fiscal year, the banking system is once again flushed with excess liquidity. With demands for loans drying up, investable capital has been piling up in the banking system in recent days. As of June 29, investable capital worth Rs 357.21 billion has been accumulated in banks and financial institutions (BFIs). The deposits of BFIs amounted to Rs 5,599bn, while loans totaled Rs 4,859bn. As there is no demand for loans currently, the CD ratio of commercial banks has been continuously decreasing. The CD ratio which was 88.07 percent in mid-July, 2022, has fallen to 83.62 percent on June 29, 2023. As per central bank regulatory norms, banks can disburse 90 percent of their deposits in loans. Banks have to maintain the credit-to-deposit ratio (CD ratio) at 90 percent. Bankers say commercial banks are now in a situation to give loans of around Rs 350bn. As the government also spends in the last quarter massively, a large amount of cash is deposited in banks in the period. BFIs generally make little lending during the last quarter of the fiscal year. The BFIs that were experiencing a liquidity crunch until a few months ago are now facing problems of non-disbursement of loans. While liquidity is increasing, bankers say demands for loans have remained low. The credit expansion to the private sector in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year is far less than what the BFIs lent during the same period last fiscal year. According to the data of the Nepal Rastra Bank, the deposits of commercial banks have increased by Rs 386bn in the current fiscal year. However, their lending has grown by Rs 130bn only. According to bankers, the private sector has not sought bank loans with the deepening economic downturn. On the other hand, retail loans such as housing loans and auto loans have not grown with interest rates still remaining high. While the BFIs have been gradually lowering the loan interest rates, the demand for loans has not surged as expected. “The demands for loans have remained subdued due to the state of the economy and businesses,” said Sudesh Khaling, CEO of Everest Bank, “The demand for loans will not increase automatically even if the interest rate is falling. there must be a conducive business environment for that.” Bankers say lending will not grow much in Ashad, the last month of the fiscal year, in which BFIs will be more focused on loan recovery. Bankers say the other reason behind the sluggish lending is banks have become more cautious in loan disbursement due to a sharp rise in non-performing loans (NPLs).

The price of gold has increased by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 110, 400 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 110, 000 per tola on Monday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 109, 850 per tola. It was traded at Rs 109, 550 per tola. Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,375 per tola today.

Three children died and one was injured after a landslide buried a house at Panena in Arghakhanchi on Tuesday. The deceased have been identified as Anju Raskoti (11), Dhan Bahadur Raskoti (10) and Khum Bahadur Raskoti (12). They breathed their last during the course of the treatment. Panena Rural Municipality Chairman Achyut Gautam said that three children died and one was injured after a landslide buried a house at Gohanpani in Panena of Panini-1 this morning. Police said that three were rescued in an unconscious state and one was rescued safely. Sachin Raskoti (14), who was rescued safely, has been sent to Palpa for treatment.  

The Election Commission has suggested a number of measures, including incorporation of the right to reject in the ballot paper, to make elections free, fair, transparent and reflective of the public pulse. A meeting of the EC held on Monday decided to forward a draft Bill to amend and consolidate laws relating to elections to the Parliament through the Ministry of Home Affairs. The draft has suggested including in the ballot paper an option—None of the Above (NOTA)—that will enable the voter to reject all of the candidates if they so wish. This recommendation is in keeping with a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that had directed the government to change electoral laws to give voters the option to reject all candidates if they so wish. If NOTA votes exceed 50 percent of total valid votes cast in any election, such election shall be canceled, the EC has proposed. This is not the only measure that the EC has suggested. It has proposed making a law barring an individual from serving as a member of parliament for more than two terms under the proportional representation system. The EC has also recommended that arrangements be made to enable Nepali voters based abroad to vote for elections for the House of Representatives under the PR system in coordination with diplomatic missions. It has suggested the government to collect the voters’ list abroad by mobilizing these missions. For the first-past-the-post system of elections for the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies, the EC has suggested that at least 33 percent candidates be female. It has proposed giving candidates from Dalit communities, women, economically disadvantaged or gender and sexual minorities, minority communities and persons with specific disabilities 50 percent discount on the bond amount. At local-level polls, EC has suggested using two separate ballot papers for positions like chair and vice chair as well as mayor and deputy mayor. A member of a party shall not be made a candidate on behalf of another political party without quitting the position, the bill states, adding: Candidates should spend money through bank accounts mentioned in their respective nomination papers. The EC said the draft has incorporated provisions in seven election laws as well as inputs from experts and stakeholders. Shaligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson at the EC, said in a press release that the Commission has proposed new provisions on compilation of the voters list and the eligibility of candidates, among other issues. These suggestions came during discussions and interactions with stakeholders held at all seven provinces and the Center during drafting of the Bill, the commission said, adding that the Council of Ministers had given its theoretical consent for discussions and interactions on the matter on 29 Dec 2021. Countries like India, Spain, Pakistan and Bangladesh have embraced NOTA.