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The government of Nepal said that it is firm and clear on its political and administrative map unanimously approved by the Parliament of Nepal in 2020.

Issuing a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Nepal stands firm and clear on its political and administrative map unanimously approved by the Parliament of Nepal in 2020".

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the clarification in response to the media queries regarding the “2023 edition of the standard map of China” released on 28 August 2023.

“The Government of Nepal unequivocally believes that this map must be respected by our neighbors as well as the international community,” the statement reads.

Nepal remains committed to resolve the boundary matters through dialogues and diplomacy.

There are just so many things to be done that it can get a little overwhelming at times. To reduce stress and improve mental and physical well-being, it’s essential to strike a balance between work and personal life. ApEx spoke to three workaholics to find out how they strike a balance between their personal and professional lives.

Naba Raj Lamsal, poet, writer​​​​​​​

Being a poet, I try to find rhythm in life that suits my creative process and personal well being. I usually take a break before writing poems. For creativity, I engage in different activities by reading books, exploring nature and by spending time with my family and friends. Also, I try hard not to mix my personal and professional life. Sometimes, when I’m stressed I talk to my wife and it really helps. So, I would say, I prioritize self care which naturally motivates me to create meaningful poetry.

Padam Jung Kunwar, founder, Cooker Coffee

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As an entrepreneur, I’m aware of the challenges balancing work and private commitments. I start my morning with a workout and a nutritious breakfast to refuel myself for the day. After going through my to-do list, I assign tasks to my team and use the calendar system to set up my schedule. Brainstorming on a new business plan is my refuge as well as outsourcing and going to events that are related to work. Additionally, I schedule time for both social and business networking. But most importantly, I try to make time for things that matter to me. 

Kuber Adhikari, educator, tutor, Public Service Commission’s examination

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I’m a strong believer in establishing boundaries between work and personal life. It can be quite challenging to balance all your responsibilities as a teacher, including being fully present in the classroom, paying attention to students, preparing, grading, and other tasks. I make an effort to stick to a proper daily routine. Also, I have a passion for teaching and it feels really good when students appreciate my efforts. But I make it a point to schedule time for gym. I also like to spend quality time with family and friends as well, and that helps me recharge. I believe it’s essential to take care of one’s mental health and for that you have to find ways to relax and rejuvenate.

Chitralekha ko Chaurasi

Prajwal Parajuly

Fiction | Contemporary

To commemorate Chitralekha Nepauney’s Chaurasi—her landmark 84th birthday—Chitralekha’s grandchildren are traveling to Gangtok to pay their respects. Agastaya is flying in from New York. Although a successful oncologist, he’s dreading his family’s inquisition into why he is not married. Joining him are Manasa and Bhagwati, coming from London and Colorado respectively. One the Oxford-educated achiever; the other the disgraced eloper.

All three harbor the same dual objective—to emerge from the celebrations with their grandmother’s blessing and their nerves intact, a goal that will become increasingly impossible thanks to a mischievous maid and a fourth, uninvited guest.

Everything I Know About Love

Dolly Alderton

Memoir | Romance

The wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Ottessa Moshfegh

Contemporary | Mental Health

A novel about a young woman’s efforts to duck the ills of the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature and the battery of medicines she prescribes. My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary, alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it’s a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.

Feminism demands equal political, social, and economic status for women compared to men. But there are many social conventions that pull women down and put men on a pedestal. Feminist authors attempt to draw attention to women’s issues and their unfair treatment by addressing them in their writings. But who can be considered a feminist writer? It can mean different things and the definition has changed over time but for this list, we mean writers whose works have highlighted the plight of women or the social issues they have struggled with. Here are some notable writers whose works have a strong feminist viewpoint.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a 20th-century poet, screenwriter, and activist. She spoke out about women’s oppression, especially of African American women, through her work. ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, published in 1969, describes the author’s young and early years, including her sexual abuse, and addresses racial discrimination and sexism. Angelou was the first African-American female director in Hollywood who wrote award-winning screenplays that addressed the oppression of women, particularly women of color. In 2010, four years before her death, she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her indomitable stance against racism, injustice, and rape has resonated with people from all walks of life. 

Margaret Atwood

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Margaret Atwood has long been hailed as a feminist icon. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (published in 1985) and the sequel, ‘The Testaments’, shed light on the patriarchal and discriminatory practices of today’s world. It also reflects the state of women’s rights. The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of a near-future dystopia in which the main character and narrator, a woman called Offred, is enslaved as a handmaid and forced to bear children. But Atwood’s relationship with feminism, at least publicly, is a tricky one. Throughout her career, she has been unwilling to use the term to refer to her own work, although it’s often used by others. Atwood has made it clear that she aligns herself with feminism founded on equality between men and women. She has stated explicitly that she doesn’t believe that “women are always right”. 

Virginia Woolf

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Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and modernist who explored the stream of consciousness as a narrative device and pioneered the idea of women as liberated individuals. In ‘Orlando,’ she explored the idea of gender fluidity whereas in ‘A Room of One’s Own’ she argued that female writers need to have equal opportunities to express themselves artistically, including private physical space. Creative thought, she said, comes from that freedom and privacy. Virginia Woolf theorizes that the voice of female writers has been silenced throughout history and that women writers must fight for the right to be heard. Woolf was a victim of sexual abuse and suffered from mental illness but she produced work that continues to inspire people years after they came out. 

Simone de Beauvoir

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French writer Simone de Beauvoir had a significant influence on the modern feminist movement. She is known for her groundbreaking ideas on feminism. Her 1949 treatise ‘The Second Sex’ outlined the ways in which women had been oppressed throughout history. It was also where the ideas of sex and gender were separated for the first time in literary history. In the book, Beauvoir argues that women, throughout history, have always been subordinated and treated as the ‘other.’ She says their existence has no individuality and they were made to play a secondary role to that of a man. In her work, she highlights the problems inherent within patriarchy and capitalism. 

Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath is known for her confessional poetry writing and her autobiographical novel ‘The Bell Jar’. In the book, she draws attention to her own struggle with mental illness. Her poetry highlights the oppressive and dogmatic nature of patriarchal society in post-Second World War America, where women experienced limited personal freedom, and were deemed ‘cute but essentially helpless’. Plath’s normalization of female anger and expression and her demand that women and men have the same rights made her a feminist. She won the Pulitzer Prize after her death.

Trinity Café is located in Khumaltar, Lalitpur, 100 meters further down the road from Ullens School. It serves good quality food and the space is nice and clean. We first tried the food here a few months ago and since then we’ve been regularly ordering takeaways or visiting the place to hold meetings and indulge in some good, wholesome food while at it.

First, we must mention that their portion size is quite generous. The food is cooked really well too. Their Butter Chicken with Rice has become one of our absolute favorites. The gravy hits just right—it’s neither spicy nor sweet. There are more than enough chicken pieces to make it a truly satisfying meal. But you might need an extra portion of rice depending on how hungry you are.

The Chicken Biryani also deserves a special mention. The meat is tender and juicy and the rice is aromatic and flavorful. Again, there are more than enough pieces of chicken and quite a huge serving of rice. One biryani is enough for two people. If you don’t like cashews and raisins in your biryani, be sure to tell the staff that and they will make sure they aren’t added to your plate.

If you aren’t in the mood for heavy meals, they have light appetizers—regular ones like momos, chicken chili, and paneer pakoda among others—that are tasty and just enough to tide you over until dinner time. They also have pizza and pastas, if that’s more up your alley. The pizzas are neither thin nor thick crust. It’s somewhere in between. If you have it hot, it tastes really good. Just a word of caution, don’t take this one to go. The pastas, on the other hand, are prepared well. They know what they are doing here.

You can also visit Trinity Café for breakfast. They have a nice selection of items on the menu. Besides the set breakfasts, the pancake is also hearty and filling. It comes with a side of seasonal cut fruits to balance out the guilt of having gluten and refined sugar. They also have a wide array of coffees and teas for you to wash down your meal.

 Their Specials:

 Chicken Biryani

Butter Chicken with Rice

Breakfast sets

 Location: Khumaltar, Lalitpur

Opening hours: 8:00 am – 8:30 pm

Meal for two: Rs 1000 to 1500

Call: 01-5230979

Parking: Available

The liquidity crisis in the banking sector, the slowdown in the realty sector, and the central bank tightening of the realty loan have suppressed the banks and financial institutions (BFIs) loan disbursement growth to the realty sector in the last fiscal year. The real estate industry sought fewer loans from the banking sector in the last fiscal year as they grappled with multiple issues.

The recent data of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows growth in overall realty lending of BFIs stood at 5.56 percent in FY 2022/23 compared to 17.46 percent growth in FY 2021/22. BFIs' loans to the realty sector grew by Rs 31.50 billion in FY 2022/23 whereas such lending in FY 2021/22 increased by Rs 84.17 billion.

According to NRB, the residential personal home loan grew by 3.1 percent in the last fiscal year. BFIs give loans up to Rs 15 million under the residential personal home loan. Such loans from the BFIs increased by Rs 10.32 billion in FY 2022/23, according to the NRB. The personal home loan segment had grown by 13.3 percent in FY 2021/22 as BFIs extended Rs 39.53 billion under this category.

The real estate loan, according to NRB, surged by 9 percent in the last fiscal year. The BFIs lending under this category increased by Rs 21.18 billion in FY 2022/23. Such lending in FY 2021/22 had grown by 24.3 percent or by Rs 44.63 billion. Under the real estate loan category, lending has increased for loans to commercial complexes, apartment construction, and land plotting.

According to bankers, the real estate market hit a low in the last fiscal year due to the economic downturn, and restrictive measures of the government and the central bank. The government restriction on land plotting due to the delay over the classification of lands also hit the realty market hard. And, this was also reflected in BFIs' lending to the realty sector, they said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the abundance of cheap money in the financial system fueled asset class investment boom causing massive growth in sectors such as real estate and the stock market. In addition, businesspersons invested the money they received as working capital loans from banks in real estate.

As soon as the liquidity crunch hit the banking sector, the flow of cheap money stopped and the market eventually went into a deep recession. On the other hand, the central bank also tightened lending of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to the real estate sector, reducing the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio in the Kathmandu Valley to 30 percent and 40 percent outside the valley in the monetary policy for the Fiscal Year 2022/2023.

As banks and financial institutions struggled with liquidity management in the first eight months of the last fiscal year, the growth in BFIs' lending to the realty sector also slowed down, bankers said. "There was lesser demand for realty loans in the last fiscal due to higher interest rates and liquidity crisis in the banking sector," said Nischal Nath Pandey, CEO of Sanima Bank.

With the government lifting restrictions on land plotting recently, bankers expect demand for realty loans will rise in the current fiscal. "Since the second week of August, there have been more inquiries about such loans, which indicates realty loans could surge in coming months," said Pandey. 
 

BFIs' Disbursement of Realty Loan (Residential & Real Estate)

Two members of a family died after consuming wild mushroom in Bajhang.

The deceased have been identified as local Laxman Kathayat’s son Sudip (11) and daughter Sanjita (7).

Kathayat’s wife, son and daughter had fallen sick after consuming mushroom brought from a nearby jungle on Wednesday night.

Sanjita was referred to Dadeldhura after her treatment was not possible at the District Hospital.

She died on the way while her brother Sudip died on the way to Dhangadhi after treatment at the Dadeldhura Hospital on Thursday night.

Kathayat’s wife Punikala Kathayat has returned home after undergoing treatment at the District Hospital, Bajhang.

Her condition is normal now, Narendra Bahadur Singh, Chairman of the Jay Prithvi Municipality-6, said.

Passenger movement through the Tatopani border point in Sindhupalchowk district bordering China has resumed from today, after a hiatus of eight years.

Locals of Sindhupalchowk obtaining a permit from the Tatopani-based Immigration Office set out towards China crossing the 'Miteri Pul' (Friendship Bridge) at Liping, the local market leading up to the Miteri Pul after security clearance from Chinese security personnel.

The locals' team led by lawmaker Madhav Sapkota received a warm welcome from the Chinese people.

Sapkota, who reached the bordering point with people's representatives from the Tatopani area, officials from the Immigration Office this morning, said that the border point is fully open from today.

The border point that remained closed since the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015, however, saw movement of goods-carrying vehicles since May 1 this year. 

The transit point has been opened for the people’s movement, said CDO of Sindhupalchowk, Ramesh Neupane, after raising the issue repeatedly in the Parliament and subsequent discussions from Nepali side with the China side.