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I’m a 21-year-old girl and I just don’t understand my fear of syringes. I have a good pain threshold, but when I know I’ll be getting an injection, whether it be for a blood withdrawal or a vaccination, I become anxious. I feel like I’m going to pass out. People say it’s because I’m afraid of the pain the syringe will bring, but I know it’s not that. I don’t know what happens to me, but I get panic attacks. How do I handle it? – An anxious girl Answered by Rishav Koirala, psychiatrist and researcher Trypanophobia is the extreme fear of needles, and it includes syringes too. Phobia is an extreme and irrational fear specifically towards a particular thing, which in your case are syringes. As you mentioned your threshold for handling pain is high, we can say your fear of syringes can be a phobia.  What you need to understand is that, at times, phobia comes along with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Although the precise origin of GAD is not entirely understood, it’s likely that a number of different variables interact to contribute to the disorder. The disorder keeps one constantly worried, and in fear. In your case, GAD heightens when your phobia is triggered. There are a few tips I want you to know that will help you with your fear while getting your blood drawn or when you have to get a vaccine. Since you feel like you might pass out, it’s better to get the procedure done lying down or in an inclined chair. It’s also a good idea to not look at the needle. You can distract yourself with something else. Maybe use your phone or take someone along with you to keep you wrapped up in a conversation.  Deep-breathing techniques help during any process that provokes anxiety. Learn the process at home and practice before you use it during the procedure. Believe in yourself then you can overcome this fear. Always inform the medical professional about your phobia before they get ready with a syringe.  Now, for the treatment, phobias are usually treated with exposure therapy. It’s the process where you gradually face your fear. Expose yourself with a photo of needles first. It might be triggering at first, but give yourself some time to get comfortable with the process. You don’t have to do it alone. Keep someone beside you in case you need them to calm you down. After you are well-adjusted with the picture, move on to an actual needle. You can ask someone to hold it for you, and gradually move on to holding it yourself. You can visit a professional if you think you need their help.  Secondly, it’s always a good idea for you to visit a psychiatrist when you feel anxious because they will help you out through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It’s a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It’s most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression. Another way to deal with such moments is to take anxiolytics, while going on a vaccination or when you want to have blood withdrawn. Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative medication. This means they slow down the body and brain’s functions. They can help with anxiety. For that, you need to meet a psychiatrist to know about the doses. I hope this helps. If it doesn’t it’s always good to schedule an appointment with a professional. 

If you’re searching for a place to grab a quick lunch or dinner, a laid-back pub, a place for a meeting, or to hang out with your friends, The Terrace Garden on the fourth floor of Radisson Hotel in Lazimpat, Kathmandu, has everything you need. From delicious food and top-notch service to a nice view, this place is just perfect.    The newly redesigned outlet has both indoor and outdoor seating areas. The Mexican-themed restaurant has a stunning matte red shade and offers a wonderful fine dining experience, with live music for us to enjoy.    For the food, our first recommendation will be their newly introduced barbeque buffet. They have a total of ten vegetarian dishes and seven non-vegetarian dishes at each barbeque. They offer a selection of fresh grills and veggies, and they give you fish, chicken, sausages, lamb chops, seafood, and a combination of paneer, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers to choose from. They also have squash, beetroot, and yam for the grill. Each dish has a unique and distinct flavor.    The one we tried had African flavors, says the chef, that included cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and sesame seeds as its seasoning. It’s called kuku paka (African-styled chicken in coconut sauce), and cheesy baked potatoes with sour cream, bacon, and chives, for the main course. It was filling, and delicious. Since the chicken is marinated a day earlier, the dish is tender and flavorful.    Our next recommendation is the chicken kabab from the buffet itself, with garlic bread, cheese, olives, cabbage, red bell peppers, and tomatoes on the side. The seasoning makes the world of difference. One will definitely enjoy the barbeque at this restaurant, especially with a large group. The price of the buffet is only  Rs 2,999, and it’s unlimited.    For dessert, they have banana caramel pudding, malva pudding, pineapple upside-down cake, milk tart, New York cheesecake, koeksisters, apple pie, bitter chocolate tart, and hot brownies. We thought the New York cheesecake was the best. It had heavy cream, with additional cream in the mixture to make the cheesecake denser, creamier, and smooth.   Their specials BBQ Mexican Torta Chukundari Kebab   Opening Hours: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm Location: Lazimpat Meal for two: Rs 2000 Online Payment: Accepted Call: 01-4411818 Parking: Available 

The Nagarik Unmukti Party has decided not to join the government though it supported the incumbent ruling coalition in the government. A meeting of the party held in Dillibazaar Prison on Monday decided not to participate in the government until the release of Resham Chaudhary, party spokesperson Damodar Pandit said. “We will support the government. But, we have decided not to take part in the government until the release of the party's protector Chaudhary,” he said. The Nagarik Unmukti Party has four lawmakers. CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal became the prime minister with the support of seven political parties including the CPN-UML. He is taking the oath of office and secrecy at 4 pm today.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party has decided not to join the government led by the CPN (Maoist Center). Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden said that though his party supported Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to become the prime minister, the RPP will not join the government. “We are being urged to join the government. The government was formed by our support. The RPP will not join the government now. We just supported Dahal,” he said. Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane and RPP Chairman Lingden had also held a discussion outside the Parliament building on whether to join the government or not. Maoist Center Chairman Dahal became prime minister with the support of seven parties including the CPN-UML on Sunday. President Bhandari appointed Dahal as the prime minister as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution. He is taking the oath of office and secrecy at 4 pm today.

Three and half months after the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) was implemented, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) is going to ‘enforce the system strictly’ from Dec 30. On Friday, the telecommunications sector regulator said that MDMS, a security system that enables the regulator to implement policies that secure, monitor, and manage end-user mobiles, will come into full implementation and called for registration of mobile phones brought from outside the country within Dec 30. Issuing a public notice, NTA has called mobile users who’ve bought mobile phones from abroad but are yet to register in MDMS to come for registration with customs documents along with the 15-digit IMEI numbers of their handsets. Once the MDMS is implemented, NTA can block smartphones that have been brought to Nepal without customs clearance. MDMS has been expected to end the import of ‘grey’ mobile sets as the authority can block such smartphones. According to mobile phone importers, around 30-40 percent of the smartphone market in Nepal is of 'grey' handsets with about Rs 12-15 billion worth of mobile devices imported to Nepal illegally every year. The enforcement of MDMS has come at a time when there is a slowdown in the Nepali mobile phone market after the government restricted imports of handsets costing over $300 in April this year. The delay in the ineffective implementation of MDMS as well as a surge in illegal imports has posed serious issues to the domestic mobile phone market. "The MDMS implementation could provide some respite to us," said Deepak Malhotra, president of the Mobile Phone Importers Association. According to him, it is high time that the government enforces the mechanism effectively. "Last time, the government had not carried out the MDMS plan in full phase, so it was not that effective," said Malhotra, adding, "We believe the plan will succeed this time as they have done all the necessary homework." The domestic mobile phone business is currently going through a lean patch with a slowdown in demand as sales have fallen by more than 40 percent, say importers. According to them, mid-range phones dominate the market and even that segment is not doing well currently. They say it is the government that will also benefit from the implementation of MDMS as all types of imports will become legal and more revenue will be added to the state coffers. With the government imposing import restrictions on mobile phones above $300 for more than six months, the overall imports of mobile phones have declined by 51.24 percent in the first five months of the current fiscal year. Nepal has imported mobile phones worth Rs 11.20 billion in the first five months of FY 2022/23 compared to Rs 22.97 billion in the first five months of FY 2021/22. While the government has lifted import restrictions, mobile importers say it will take some time for the market to bounce back. What is MDMS? MDMS is a security system that enables the telecom regulator - Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) to implement policies that secure, monitor, and manage end-user mobile devices. Once the MDMS comes into force, the entry of 'grey' devices into the market will be stopped as SIM cards on unregistered phone sets will not work. The NTA has built a centralized system that keeps a record of mobile phones after their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is registered with it. Every mobile phone has a unique 15-digit IMEI number. IMEI numbers of officially imported mobile phones are initially registered by the importing company. As per the law, the telecom regulator has to give a type approval for the phones before it is imported into the country. NTA looks at the lab report of the mobile phone sets. After a mobile phone has been manufactured, the company needs to obtain the IMEI number from the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). The importer will send the list of IMEI numbers to the authority, and the authority will verify it. The authority then checks the IMEI number with the data of the GSM. If it is found good, the authority provides a no-objection letter to the customs, and the customs office will check whether the mobile that has been imported is IMEI listed or not. This way, the system helps to ensure that genuine devices are imported. Once the phone is connected to the mobile network, the IMEI number is detected with the help of the system. If the mobile has not arrived through formal channels, then it will be blocked. So, to use a mobile phone, it needs to be registered. Customers who have purchased their sets from official dealers are not required to register their phones.

In a major push toward digital banking, Nabil Bank Limited has launched nBank as Nepal’s first Neo Bank, by completely revamping its mobile banking app. Issuing a press statement, Nabil said that nBank has been established as a virtual branch within the bank to create a simple and intuitive customer journey across all digital touchpoints. According to Nabil, nbank caters to all Nabil customers who choose to do their banking online: from opening their accounts, to getting digital loans. Customers who were previously using the Nabil SmartBank app receive an update where the logo transforms from Nabil’s ‘A’ to nBank’s ‘n’. The look & feel of the app has been updated to provide a fresh and modern user interface. Those who have not opened their accounts in Nabil Bank can now open their bank accounts through nBank app installed on their mobile phones. Nabil claimed that it will take 30 seconds to open an account through nBank. Customers can now perform a whole range of activities—from opening their bank accounts to applying for loans—directly from the nBank app. Customers can open their nSavings account directly from their nBank app in under 30 seconds. Customers only need to fill out their name, date of birth, email address, mobile number, and citizenship number to open an account. The opened account will be operative for 15 days before customers need to update their KYC, which can be done directly through nBank app. Customers can also apply for instant digital loans directly. There are two types of digital loans customers can apply for from their app: Nabil foneloan and loan against fixed deposit. They can avail Nabil foneloan based on their six-month transaction history. The Bank’s algorithm determines the appropriate credit limit, and eligible customers can register for the loan and apply up to the stipulated limit directly from their nBank app. Besides sending money within Nepal, customers residing abroad can send money from their international banks directly to a Nabil Bank Account using their Mastercard or Visa Cards by selecting nRemit. They only need to fill up a form with the sender and receiver details, along with the amount (in USD) to be sent. The receiver will get the money directly into their Nabil Bank account within seconds. Customers residing abroad can register for the nBank app using their international number and operate their Nabil Bank account. Customers residing abroad will receive SMS Alerts, OTP notifications, and even news & alerts from Nabil Bank. The bank provides 24/7 service to its customers through the bank’s customer care center and video KYC solution. Besides these, customers can apply for a host of banking services directly from the nBank app such as new debit cards, replacement debit cards, credit cards, and individual loans. Addressing the launch event, Nabil Bank Vice Chairman Nirvana Chaudhary said, “nBank will lead the ‘change in banking’ sector as customers can experience innovative digital banking services. nBank is truly personalized virtual banking without any physical branch." According to Nabil CEO Gyanendra Dhungana, the bank has completed all data migration and system upgrades required to make nBank experience better. Speaking on the occasion, the bank's DCEO Binaya Kumar Regmi said that Nabil Bank marks the beginning of a 'neo era' in the Nepali banking industry.  

DSP Thug Bahadur KC of the Area Police Office, Butwal has been arrested for taking the gold from a businessman and keeping it himself. A team of the Central Investigation Bureau, Kathmandu nabbed KC from his residence. The team apprehended KC with the gold and cash on Sunday evening. Police said that they have confiscated 35 tola gold and Rs 2.5 million in cash from his possession. Further investigation into the incident is underway, police said.    

The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to make senior Vice-Chairman Narayankaji Shrestha a minister in the first phase. An office bearers meeting held at the party office in Parisdanda on Monday has decided to send Shrestha in the government along with the deputy prime minister. Newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is taking the oath of office and secrecy amidst a program at the Sheetal Niwas this afternoon. However, it has not been decided yet which ministry Shrestha will get in the new government. Most probably, Shrestha, Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun, Mahindra Raya Yadav and Rekha Sharma will be the ministers from the Maoist Center. Shrestha and Pun, who had played an instrumental role to make Dahal the prime minister in the first phase, will be made ministers in the beginning, a senior leader of the Maoist Center said. Nrayankaji Shrestha, Dev Gurung and Barshaman Pun were in constant touch with the CPN-UML leaders from the beginning. Dahal was elected as the prime minister for the third time with the support of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli on Sunday. President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed Dahal as the prime minister as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution.