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The World Blood Donor Day is being observed in Nepal by organizing various public awareness programs today. Countries around the world celebrate June 14 every year as the World Blood Donor Day. On the occasion, various programs are being organized to raise public awareness on the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. This year the World Blood Donor Day is being celebrated with a theme 'Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often'. The slogan underlines the role that every single person can play a vital role in saving human lives by donating blood and plasma to the needy people. It also highlights the significance of sustainable and secured supply of blood and plasma through regular donation. On the same occasion, various organizations and hospitals are organizing public sensitization, donor motivation and blood donation programs throughout the country today. The Blood Donors Association Nepal has been organizing several programs on the occasion. The Association has organized a week long sensitization program, including bi-cycle rally, blood donor felicitation, orientation and art exhibition, its general-secretary Keshab Maharjan said. June 14 is celebrated as the World Blood Donor Day every year coinciding with the birthday of scientist Dr Karl Landsteiner who discovered the group of human blood. The first Blood Donor Day was observed in 2004.

A 25-year-old man, who has been staging a demonstration in favor of the Citizenship Bill, attempted self-immolation in Maitighar on Tuesday. Police said that the Struggle Committee Vice-Chairman Niraj Kamat tried to immolate himself. Though President Ram Chandra Paudel had authenticated the Citizenship Bill, the Supreme Court issued an interim order directing the government not to implement the Citizenship Bill authenticated by President Paudel immediately. Following the apex court’s directive, the Struggle Committee has been staging a demonstration in Maitighar. Struggle Committee Chairman Indrajit Safi said that Kamat suddenly attempted self-immolation by pouring petrol this afternoon. District Police Range, Kathmandu spokesperson Sitaram Rijal said that Kamat of Katari, Morang, who has not got citizenship for a long time, attempted self-immolation. He has been taken to the trauma center for treatment.  

National Assembly (NA) Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, who is presently on an official visit to China, held a meeting with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), Zhao Leji on Monday. During the meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the NA Chair highlighted the cordial and deeper ties between Nepal and China since centuries. "Nepal and China are closely connected by culture and customs," he said, expressing his hope that the bilateral relations would further grow in the days to come. Stating that Nepal treated China as a close and good neighbor and a major development partner, he said relations with China were always the top priority of Nepal. "Nepal is always in favor of a one-China policy." Lately, the legislative relations between Nepal and China have been further extended, according to the NA Chair who expressed his happiness over China's decision to incorporate Nepal in its Outbound Tourists Group. He utilized the forum to communicate with the Chinese side that the operation of Pokhara International Airport funded by China as a loan assistance was capable of contributing significantly to Nepal's tourism market, expressing his hope to see the operation of direct flights from Pokhara to various towns in China in the future. He also urged China to ease the exports of vegetables, meat products, tea leaves and herbs from Nepal to China. On the occasion, NPC Standing Committee Chair Zhao said China was ready to operate a direct flight from Chengdu to Pokhara from June 21. The NA Chair currently leads a nine-member Nepali parliamentary delegation to China and he is scheduled to address the Fifth China-Tibet Tourism and Cultural Expo to be held in Lhasa of Tibet on June 16-17 as a chief guest. House of Representatives members Jeevan Pariyar, Dhawal Shumsher JB Rana and Pradeep Yadav and NA members Uday Bahadur Bohara, Dipa Gurung and Hariram Chaudhary are among the members in his delegation.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 34.17 points to close at 2,020.64 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 6.52 points to close at 379. 87 points. A total of 10,801,693-unit shares of 270 companies were traded for Rs 4. 12 billion. Meanwhile, Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Similarly, Prabhu Smart Fund was the top loser as its price fell by 3.93 percent. At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 95 trillion.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has been admitted to the Bansbari-based Shahid Gangalal Hospital on Tuesday after he complained of chest pain. Earlier on April 19, he was admitted to the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) after complaining of severe abdominal pain. After could not be treated at the TUTH, he was airlifted to India for further treatment. He underwent treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. President Paudel returned home on May 1.  

Leaders of ruling parties held a meeting to discuss contemporary issues including the budget on Tuesday. During the meeting took place at the Prime Minister's official residence, Baluwatar, the parties agreed to meet again and exchanged views on budget and other issues. It may be noted that ruling partners CPN (Unified Socialist) and Janata Samajbadi Party have expressed their concerns over some points in the budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 and this was one of the agenda of today's meeting. The government had presented the budget on May 29. CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal were among those present in the meeting.  

Illya Bhatarai, 68, is a short stories and travel writer. She has five short-story collections, one children’s short storybook and five travelogs to her name. Among them, she is prominently known for ‘Dakshinayan’ and ‘Misar’. She is also the youngest daughter of the renowned Nepali writer Madan Mani Dixit. Babita Shrestha from ApEx talked to Bhattarai to know more about her work. How do you feel about your work?  To me, all my books are like my children. Each one of them is my favorite. Completing stories or any writing is a meditative process. They help me overcome triggering incidents and traumas. Writing satisfies and gives me comfort. Being a mother, I used to tell stories to my children. Writing children’s stories felt as if I was telling them stories. What themes do you work on? How do you develop the characters and narrative? There is a common misconception that writers are influenced by their own experiences and personal histories. But that isn’t always the case as many authors make an effort to assemble and analyze the social events and experiences that have had an impact on them. I write about issues that provoke me. I overthink and put myself in these situations when I’m psychologically  disturbed. And when I’m filled with all the ideas and information, I prepare myself to write. I usually write in a first person narrative. While working on travelogs, I try to recall all the happy and difficult moments I’ve experienced. Rather than themes, my travelogs are more about imagery, setting, and emotions attached to my journey. As for plot and character, I get them from the actual incidents which I then try to portray in my personal style. During the maoist insurgency, I talked to three girls who were kidnapped, bought as slaves, and sexually abused. This incident disturbed me so much that I wrote a story based on it. Which books and authors inspire you? When I was in my teenage years, I enjoyed the works of an Indian writer, Gaura Pant, also known as Shivani. She used a lot of Sanskrit words and I found it so beautiful.  I’m also fond of reading Taranath Sharma. I enjoy the use of colloquial language and writing structure. Also, I love reading my father’s writing. I think these three writers have influenced my writing style. After the publication of my recent book ‘Misar’, I got a call from a well-known writer. He praised the use of Sanskrit in my book and voiced his surprise when he found out I wasn’t an expert at it. Shivani’s books have indeed left a lasting impression. Can you tell a little about ‘Misar’ and ‘Dakshinayan’?  After Madan Puraskar, Uttam Shanti Puraskar is taken as one of the prestigious awards in Nepal. I’m proud to say that my book ‘Dakshinayan’ received that honor. Similar to how ‘Ramayana’ was titled after Rama’s journey, I called my travels to the south ‘Dakshinayan’. It details my trips to Uttarakhand, Manali, Shimla, and other locations in India. Misar is the story about my vacation in Egypt. Travel writings on Egypt are rare in Nepali literature. Also, I believe that it’s crucial to understand Egypt’s 5000 years of history, civilization, and monuments. As I observed the pyramids, graves, and other fascinating features, I felt compelled to inform my readers about Egypt. It was recently released in March 2023. Did your father ever help you in editing your work? When I started writing, my father was unaware of it. I used to hide my writings from him as I wasn’t confident about it. My husband found my manuscript and he sent it to a publishing house. It got published and eventually my father happened to read that. He praised my writing and asked for more. He even encouraged me to publish my other works .From that day, whenever I wrote, I showed it to him beforehand for recommendations. He has not just been an editor but also my biggest cheerleader. How do you ensure your writing stands out from that of other writers? My father advised me to focus on using Nepali vocabulary in Nepali writing and to use less foreign words. He believed that Nepali language is the best thing Nepali art has to offer. When I reviewed my work, it seemed I  mostly used Hindi and Urdu. Over the years, I worked on it since I personally began objecting to the use of foreign language. Even now, most people replace ‘tarkari’ with ‘sabji’ and ‘samaya’ with ‘time’. I think this has to stop in Nepali books. I guess my work will stand out because of its simple Nepali vocabulary and entertaining writing style. Bhattarai’s picks: Belaet Tira Baralida by Taranath Sharma It is a Nepali travelog written by Taranath Sharma which was published in 1970 by Sajha Prakashan. It was also awarded the Madan Puraskar. Madhabi by Madan Mani Dixit Madhabi by Madan Mani Dixit is a Nepali mythological novel published in 1983 by Sajha Prakashan. The book won the Madan Puraskar in the same year.

The Parliamentary Finance Committee has sought clarification from the Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) about the license issuance for a new stock exchange as well as the distribution of licenses to new stock brokerage firms. Lawmaker Santosh Chalise, who chaired the committee meeting on Monday, said that Monday’s meeting decided to call the Sebon for a discussion. “Earlier, the sub-committee under the Finance Committee has studied and given a report about the license issuance for new stock exchange and brokerage firms,” said Chalise. “It has been decided to call the Sebon for a discussion about its implementation status of the report and issues related to new stock exchange and brokerage firms licenses.” The lawmakers during Monday’s meeting demanded that a sub-committee should be formed to investigate the issue of license issuance for a new stock exchange, brokerage firms, and commodity exchanges. Earlier on May 21, the Finance Committee had written to the Sebon, seeking the details of the process for issuing licenses for a new stock exchange and stock brokerage firms, and the situation of the implementation of the suggestion report prepared by the committee. Following this, the Sebon responded to the Committee on May 26. Stating that Sebon was issuing licenses for additional stock brokers although the committee had written to it on the matter, lawmaker Padam Giri demanded investigations into it. “The recommendation by the subcommittee under the Finance Committee about issuing licenses for a new stock exchange has not been heard. License for stock brokers was issued the same day or after the committee wrote to the Sebon. The question of transparency in the issuance of licenses is being raised,” he said. Amid allegations from various quarters that the government was trying to grant licenses for a new stock exchange to certain businesspersons, the licensing was stopped after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal directed Sebon to halt the process in the second week of May. Three companies have applied for the new stock exchange, namely the Himalayan Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange, and Annapurna Stock Exchange. However, Sebon has already issued brokerage licenses to 18 firms.