Submit your Article

The Election Commission said that 7, 988, 570 people will cast their votes across the country in the elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly slated for November 20. According to the list published by the Election Commission, of the total voters, 8, 847, 579 are men and 9, 140, 806 are women and 185 are others. There are 165 electoral constituencies for the federal parliament and 330 constituencies for provincial parliament across the country. The Election Commission said that Province 1 has 56 constituencies, Madhes Pradesh 64, Bagmati Province 66 and Gandaki Province 36. Likewise, Lumbini Province, Karnali Province and Sudurpaschim Province have 52, 24 and 32 constituencies respectively.

Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong recently paid a three-day visit to Bhutan, during which Sun met with Bhutanese leaders and the two sides vowed to promote the development of relations, the Chinese Embassy in India said in a statement on Saturday night, Global Times reported. Sun's visit to Bhutan signifies a step forward in friendly relations between the two neighbors, although the two countries have yet to establish official diplomatic relations, Chinese experts noted on Sunday. They believe the visit is conducive to further improving people-to-people exchanges and implementing the Three-Step Roadmap signed in 2021 to expedite boundary talks. During his visit from October 10 and 13, Sun met with Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering, Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji and others, according to the statement. During the meetings, Sun said that China is willing to make joint efforts with Bhutan to well implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Three-Step Roadmap, maintain friendly exchanges, expand win-win cooperation, advance the boundary negotiations, and push for new progress in China-Bhutan relations to benefit the two countries and two peoples, the statement said. Sun also expressed appreciation for Bhutan's adherence to the one-China principle and noted that the two countries helped each other and jointly overcame difficulties in face of the challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic. China attaches great importance to China-Bhutan relations and will, as always, respect Bhutan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the development path chosen by Bhutan according to its own national conditions, Sun noted. Bhutan will continue to adhere to the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with China, solve boundary issues through friendly consultation and advance the development of the two countries' relations, Bhutanese leader told Sun, according to the statement. The Bhutanese leader also thanked China for its support and help during the COVID-19 epidemic. Sun's visit further promotes the friendly relations between the two neighboring countries and indicates that the boundary issue between the two countries has been developing in a positive direction since the two signed the MoU last year, Zhang Yongpan, a research fellow of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, told the Global Times on Sunday, according to Global Times. China and Bhutan signed the MoU in October 2021 in a bid to speed up boundary talks that had been delayed. The MoU is of historic significance and is the result of years of joint efforts and sincere cooperation between the two sides, Chinese analysts said, noting that the move helps expedite boundary talks and advances the process of establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries. Though China and Bhutan have yet to establish diplomatic ties, the two have maintained sound communications in many ways. In the difficult time of the COVID-19 epidemic, China and Bhutan helped each other, people-to-people exchanges have seen a substantial increase and cooperation on hydropower has continued during the period, Zhang said, Global Times reported.

The World Food Program estimated that nearly 19 million Afghans are facing food insecurity on the occasion of World Food Day, Business Standard reported. On World Food Day, which was observed on Sunday, residents of Kabul said that the lack of jobs and economic challenges is threatening them with severe food insecurity, reported Tolo News. The World Food Programme in Afghanistan said that a survey conducted in February and March indicated that nearly 19 million people are facing food insecurity. "The results of the (survey) show that nearly 19 million or 18.9 million people are facing food insecurity and they need food assistance and humanitarian assistance," said Wahidullah Amani, a spokesman for WFP Afghanistan, reported Tolo News. "We plan to attract international humanitarian aid, support the small and average industries, and to launch major economic projects to support the infrastructure in Afghanistan," said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy. "I have seven children. My husband is jobless. When I eat breakfast, we are worried about our lunch, when we eat lunch, we are worried about our dinner," said Suraya, a breadwinner for her family of seven members. The high rate of poverty has compelled dozens of students into hard labour, reported Tolo News. "I work from 6:00 am in the morning to the end of the day. I make between 20 to 50 Afs. And I am confused about what to buy with that money," said Beheshta, a child labourer. According to the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), the daily income of Afghans is 102 Afs, reported Tolo News. Some other citizens of the country expressed frustration over the rise in food prices in the country. "There are no jobs and businesses now. For many of those who are working, their salaries are low. Those who are working outside as vendors and other jobs make from 100 to 200 Afs which is not even sufficient for dinner," said Arash Sultani, a resident of Kabul. World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to highlight the millions of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet and the need for regular access to nutritious food. The theme for 2022 is Leave NO ONE behind. World Food Day 2022 is being marked in a year with multiple global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, rising prices and international tensions. All of this is affecting global food security. The Day is led by The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Monday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 93, 300 per tola today. The gold was traded at Rs 93, 100 per tola on Sunday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 92, 800 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1,160 per tola today.

The war in Ukraine and rising inflation have driven an additional four million children across eastern Europe and Central Asia into poverty, a 19 per cent increase since 2021, according to a new UNICEF study published today. The impact of the war in Ukraine and subsequent economic downturn on child poverty in eastern Europe and Central Asia – which features data from 22 countries* across the region - shows that children are bearing the heaviest burden of the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. While children make up 25 per cent of the population, they account for nearly 40 per cent of the additional 10.4 million people experiencing poverty this year. The Russian Federation accounts for nearly three-quarters of the total increase in the number of children living in poverty due to the Ukraine war and a cost-of-living crisis across the region, with an additional 2.8 million children now living in households below the poverty line. Ukraine is home to half a million additional children living in poverty, the second largest share, followed by Romania, with an additional 110,000 children, the study notes. “Beyond the obvious horrors of war – the killing and maiming of children, mass displacement – the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine are having a devastating impact on children across eastern Europe and Central Asia,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan. “Children all over the region are being swept up in this war’s terrible wake. If we don’t support these children and families now, the steep rise in child poverty will almost certainly result in lost lives, lost learning, and lost futures.” The consequences of child poverty stretch far beyond families living in financial distress. The sharp increase could result in an additional 4,500 children dying before their first birthdays, and learning losses could be equivalent to an additional 117,000 children dropping out of school this year alone, the study notes. The poorer a family is, the greater the proportion of their income committed to necessities such as food and fuel. When the cost of basic goods soars, the money available to meet other needs such as health care and education falls, the study notes. The subsequent cost-of-living crisis means that the poorest children are even less likely to access essential services, and are more at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. For many, childhood poverty lasts a lifetime. One in three children born and raised in poverty will live their adult lives in poverty, leading to an intergenerational cycle of hardship and deprivation, the study notes. The challenges faced by families living in or on the brink of poverty deepen when governments reduce public expenditure, increase consumption taxes or put in place austerity measures in a limiting effort to boost their economies in the short-term, as this diminishes the reach and quality of support services that families depend on. The study sets out a framework to help reduce the number of children living in poverty and prevent more families from falling into financial distress:

• Provide universal cash benefits for children and ensure minimum income security.
• Expand social assistance benefits to all families with children in need, including refugees.
• Protect social spending, especially for the most vulnerable children and families.
• Protect and support the delivery of health, nutrition, and social care services to pregnant mothers, infants, and pre-schoolers.
• Introduce price regulations on basic food items for families.

UNICEF has recently partnered with the EU Commission and several EU countries to pilot the EU Child Guarantee initiative to mitigate the impact of poverty on children and provide them with opportunities to thrive in adulthood. With more children and families now being pushed into poverty, a robust response is warranted across the region. UNICEF is calling for continued and expanded support to strengthen social protection systems in high- and middle-income countries in eastern Europe and Central Asia; and the prioritization of funding for social protection programmes, including cash assistance programmes for vulnerable children and families. “Austerity measures will hurt children most of all – plunging even more children into poverty and making it harder for families who are already struggling,” said Khan. “We have to protect and expand social support for vulnerable families before the situation gets any worse.”

In the 2022 Global Hunger Index, Nepal ranks 81^st out of 121 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2022 GHI scores.

With a score of 19.1, Nepal has a level of hunger that is moderate, according to the Global Hunger Index.

Jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerlife, the GHI lists countries by ‘severity’. Yemen has ranked in the lowest position at 121, while the top of the list is dominated by European nations including Croatia, Estonia, and Montenegro.

 Among Asian nations, China and Kuwait have ranked the highest. With a score of 29.1, which falls in the ‘serious’ category of hunger, India was ranked behind its neighbors Nepal (81), Pakistan (99), Sri Lanka (64), and Bangladesh (84). India has been recording decreasing GHI scores over the years. In 2000, it recorded an ‘alarming’ score of 38.8, which was reduced to 28.2 by 2014. The country has started recording higher scores since then.

Nepal reported 32 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 634 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 28 returned positive. Likewise, 528 people underwent antigen tests, of which four were tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that seven infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 668 active cases in the country.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index plunged by 9. 69 points to close at 1,860.94 points on Sunday. Similarly, the sensitive index fell 1. 72 points to reach 365. 42 points. A total of 2,574,785 unit of shares of 221 companies were traded for Rs 80 billion. Likewise, all sub-indices saw red in today’s market except for Banking and Manu & Pro. Meanwhile, Aviyan Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, People’s Power Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 10 percent. At the end of the day, total market civilization stands at Rs 2.67 trillion.