PM Dahal, UML Chair Oli hold meeting
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the main opposition CPN-UML Chairman held a meeting at the former’s official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ending the impasse in Parliament and recommending Chief Justice, a source at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said.
On the occasion, UML Chair Oli showed concern over the Lalita Niwas land grab case, Bhutanese refugee case and a recent gold smuggling case.
Oli also questioned the working style of the government with Prime Minister Dahal.
He also expressed his dissatisfaction over protecting the people of the ruling coalition and accusing the opposition.
In response, Prime Minister Dahal said that he has already directed the concerned authority to carry out a fair investigation into the gold smuggling case and book the guilty.
The main opposition CPN-UML on Wednesday had obstructed the Parliament proceeding demanding formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the 100 kg gold smuggling case.
Accusing the government ministers of being involved in the gold smuggling case, the UML lawmakers, in the meeting, demanded a ruling for the formation of a high-level probe committee.
But the UML lawmakers chanted slogans and picketed the well after the Speaker tried to take the zero hour business ahead.
The meeting of the House of Representatives has been called for Tuesday.
During the meeting held this morning, Oli urged the Prime Minister to call the meeting of the Constitutional Council immediately.
Landslide obstructs Siddhartha Highway
Vehicular movement along the Palpa-Butwal road section of the Siddhartha Highway has been obstructed following a landslide near Siddhababa Temple of Palpa on Sunday.
The Dobhan Police Post, Papla said technicians, dozers and excavators of Siddhababa Tunnel Construction Company China State Corporation have been mobilized to remove the landslide debris.
The construction company China State Corporation has been working continuously even in the rainy season.
Technicians have assumed that the landslide might have occurred due to the vibration of the machine.
Palpa police said that it would take some time to clear the debris.
Hundreds of vehicles leaving for Palpa, Gulmi, Syangja, Arghakhanchi, Parbat, Baglung and Kaski among others places have been stranded halfway following the landslide.
Siddharth Highway is the main highway to connect Pokhara from the Indian border Sunauli.
Landslide obstructs Narayangadh-Muglin road section again
The Narayangadh-Muglin road section has been obstructed yet again today following a landslide near Kalikhola of Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-6.
According to DSP Bijay Raj Pandit, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Chitwan, the landslide occurred at 9 am today, obstructing the vehicular movement.
He said that the efforts are on to resume the traffic by removing the landslide debris.
Vehicular movement along the road section has remained frequently disrupted due to the landslides time and again.
Gold price increases by Rs 300 per tola on Sunday
The price of gold has increased by Rs 300 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.
According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 112, 900 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 112, 600 per tola on Friday.
Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 112, 3500 per tola.
Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,455 per tola today.
CK Raut demands response to resolve farmers' problems
Janamat Party Chairman Dr CK Raut said that the problems the farmers have been facing every year should be resolved.
At the organization expansion and training program of the party held in Rajbiraj, Saptari on Saturday, he said the farmers in Madhes have been denied access to fertilizers in the time of crop plantation which he noted should be addressed.
Terai is a fertile land for food production, he said, adding well-placed arrangement of irrigation facilities is a must to increase productivity. 'Farmers in Terai are upset in the plantation time in the dearth of irrigation water', he said.
On another note, he said the syndicate system prevailing across the country has blocked the establishment of big industries.
Claiming that he took some efforts for the setup of a chemical fertilizers factory in Nepal with support from the Indian and German governments, Raut said India had positively responded to the initiative.
He underscored the need of creating job opportunities within the country to check the exodus of youths to foreign countries for employment.
World Day against Trafficking in Persons being observed today
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is being marked today by organizing various programs in Nepal.
The international day is spectacular to raise awareness towards eliminating human trafficking and call on governments, law enforcement agencies and stakeholders to enhance their commitment to that end.
The day is being observed this year with the theme 'Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind'.
In the context of trafficking in persons, leaving people behind means failing to end the exploitation of trafficking victims, failing to support victim-survivors once they are free from their traffickers, and leaving identifiable groups vulnerable to traffickers.
Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad.
Almost every country in the world is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims.
The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons defines Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs, the UN noted.
The World Day against Trafficking in Persons was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/68\192.
According to the United Nations, global crises, conflicts, and the climate emergency are escalating trafficking risks. Displacement and socio-economic inequalities are impacting millions of people worldwide, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers.
Those who lack legal status, live in poverty, have limited access to education, healthcare, or decent work, face discrimination, violence, or abuse, or come from marginalized communities are often the primary targets of traffickers.
Globally, national responses, particularly in developing States, appear to be deteriorating, the UN agency stated. Detection rates fell by 11% in 2020 and convictions plummeted by 27%, illustrating a worldwide slowdown in the criminal justice response to trafficking.
The COVID-19 pandemic also changed the characteristics of trafficking, pushing it further underground and potentially increasing the dangers to victims by making the crime less likely to come to the attention of the authorities. In fact, 41% of victims who manage to escape their ordeal reach out to the authorities on their own initiative – another clear sign that anti-trafficking responses are falling short.
According to the National Report, 2076 of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen, lately women and children are being increasingly trafficked in different countries of Asia, Arab, Africa, Europe and America.
With the expansion of the human trafficking dimension, it has posed a serious challenge to prevent and control the crime associated with trafficking in persons.
Stakeholders have laid emphasis on amending and framing the laws for the control of human trafficking.
"Nepal's existing law is not adequate and practical to prevent and check human trafficking in persons, socialist Meena Poudel said, adding, "Its dimension has been expanded. Now men are also becoming vulnerable to trafficking".
Mind Matters | Coping with morning blues
I wake up in the morning and don’t want to get out of bed. I feel sad and anxious. I have no energy to study, work, or eat. My room is always messy and I don’t feel like cleaning up either. I have no motivation for anything. How do I help myself?
Answered by Rishav Koirala, psychiatrist and researcher
Lacking motivation to do anything, or even getting out of bed is common among many people. I went through the same thing around two weeks back. Although I was working, a part of me always felt sad and tired. I didn’t feel like doing anything either. Feelings like this are episodic. Sometimes it lasts a short while, sometimes longer.
Keeping yourself active is important. Although you won’t feel like it, push yourself to get out of bed and indulge yourself in some physical exercise. It helps our body to release dopamine. You might not see the result immediately, but this will help. The worst thing to do at times like these is to stay put.
It’s important to keep yourself busy at times like these. It will be tough. But that’s where you shouldn’t give up. Sometimes, you need to push through this feeling and get the work done. The more you procrastinate, the worse this feeling will get. Also, avoid being on your own all the time. Go out, hang out with friends, and meet people. That will give you some positive reinforcement. And if you are under medication for any mental health issues, do not discontinue.
Don’t shy away from asking for help. This issue might not be severe, but feeling low all the time is something to be concerned about. Although it might not be depression or anxiety, there are a few diagnoses like dysthymia (persistent mild depression) and postpartum blues (low mood and mild depressive symptoms that begins shortly after childbirth) that have symptoms like these. If the feelings don’t go away even after you have made the needed changes in your lifestyle and have done everything I mentioned above, it’s always a good idea to seek help.
Good reads
Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present
Nick Trenton
Self Help | Nonfiction | Psychology

Stop Overthinking is a book that understands what you’ve been through, the exhausting situation you’ve put yourself into, and how you lose your mind in the trap of anxiety and stress. Acclaimed author Nick Trenton will walk you through the obstacles with detailed and proven techniques to help you rewire your brain, control your thoughts, and change your mental habits. What’s more, the book will provide scientific approaches to completely change the way you think and feel about yourself by ending vicious thought patterns.
Too Late
Colleen Hoover
Romance | New Adult | Dark | Thriller

This is a psychological suspense novel of obsession and dangerous love. Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does just that, every single day. Caught up with the alluring Asa Jackson, a notorious drug trafficker, Sloan has finally found a lifeline to cling to, even if it means compromising her morals. But as Sloan becomes emotionally and economically reliant on him, he in turn develops a disturbing obsession with her—one that becomes increasingly dangerous with each passing day.
War of Lanka (Book 4: Ram Chandra Series)
Amish Tripathi
Mythology | Fantasy | Historical Fiction

The first three books of the second-fastest-selling book series in Indian publishing history—the Ram Chandra Series—explore the individual journeys of Ram, Sita, and Raavan. In the epic fourth book of the series, their narrative strands crash into one another and explode in a slaughterous war. Will Ram defeat the ruthless and fiendish Raavan, constrained as he is by the laws of Dharma? Will Lanka burn to a cinder or fight back like a cornered tiger? And will the terrible costs of war be worth the victory?
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies
Tsering Yangzom Lama
Historical Fiction | Asian Literature

In the wake of China’s invasion of Tibet throughout the 1950s, Lhamo and her younger sister, Tenkyi, arrive at a refugee camp in Nepal. They survived the dangerous journey across the Himalayas, but their parents didn’t. As Lhamo tries to rebuild her life, hope arrives in the form of a young man named Samphel and his uncle. Breathtaking in its scope and powerful in its intimacy, the book is a gorgeously written meditation on colonization, displacement, and the lengths we will go to remain connected to our families and ancestral lands.
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