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Noted climber Kami Rita Sherpa scaled Mt Everest for the 28th time on Tuesday. He reached the summit of the world's highest peak at 9: 23 am today. With this, he broke his previous record of the highest number of ascents on Mt Everest. This is his second expedition to the world's highest peak this spring. He scaled the peak for the 27th time just a week ago on May 17. The 53-year-old climber has a record of 40 summits to the mountains above 8, 000 meters including Choyu (eighth time), Manaslu (three times), Lhotse and Mount K2. He celebrated his first summit to Everest on May 13, 1994. Likewise, Pasang Dawa Sherpa has a record of climbing the world's highest peak for the 27th time. The 46-year-old scaled Everest for the second time this spring on May 22, equalizing the record with Kami Rita. Now, Kami Rita broke his own record by reaching the top of the world for the 28th time. In Nepal's 70-year-old expedition history, the Department of Tourism issued the highest number of permits for mountain climbing this spring. According to the Department, 478 climbers of 44 expedition teams acquired permission for climbing mountains in Nepal.    

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 800 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 109, 200 per tola today. The yellow metal was traded at Rs 110, 000 per tola on Monday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 108, 700 per tola. It was traded at Rs 109, 500. Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,365 per tola today.

At a time when Nepal’s overall exports have declined as shown by the trade data of the current fiscal year, the exports of woolen carpets and large cardamom have surged significantly. While the country's overall exports declined by 24.49 percent in the 10 months of FY 2022/23, the exports of woolen carpet and cardamom have increased by 23.21 percent and 72.46 percent, respectively. The latest foreign trade data released by the Department of Customs (DoC) on Sunday shows Nepal exported woolen carpets worth Rs 9.49bn from mid-July, 2022 to mid-May, 2023. The carpet exports during the same period of the last fiscal year stood at Rs 7.70bn. The export of cardamom has hit an all-time high with the country exporting cardamom worth 7.28bn in the review period. According to DoC statistics, the United States is the largest market for Nepali woolen carpets. Nepal exported carpets worth Rs 5.87bn to the US in the current fiscal year. Germany and the United Kingdom are the second and third largest buyers of Nepali carpets. The carpet exports to Germany and the United Kingdom stood at Rs 739.4m and Rs 630m, respectively. However, Tenzing Sherpa, President of the Nepal Carpet Producers and Exporters Association said that the export of carpets has not increased as expected. “The government data shows the rise in carpet exports. It is due to the increased demand for Nepali carpets in the world market,” said Sherpa. According to Sherpa, there is a demand for branded and quality woolen carpets, especially for celebrities and high-profile people. "If the government supports the carpet manufacturers, the export of carpets can be increased by four times," he said. Carpet manufacturers say they are able to fulfill the increased demand in the international markets but the cost of production of carpets in Nepal is high which makes it difficult for Nepali carpets to compete with products of other countries. Currently, the government has exempted tax for wool that is imported from abroad. There is no such exemption for other raw materials. Also, carpets have to be woven by hand, which requires very good skills. However, such skilled workers are insufficient in the Nepali labor market. “If the government provides us custom exemptions to all the raw materials required for producing carpets, provides skills training for workers, and supports in market promotion, export of Nepali woolen carpets in the global market would rise significantly,” said Sherpa. High growth in cardamom exports The exports of cardamom have increased by a whopping 72.46 percent in FY 2022/23. Nepal has exported cardamom worth Rs 7.28 billion in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year compared to Rs 4.22bn during the same period of the last fiscal year. Cardamom, which is especially used in the production of spices, is mainly exported to India. In the current fiscal year, cardamom worth Rs 7.26bn was exported to the southern neighbor. According to Nirmal Bhattarai, Chairman of the Large Cardamom Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal, the exports of cardamom have increased due to the surge in production in the country. Cardamom is produced especially in Nepal, India, and Bhutan. While cardamom production in India and Bhutan has decreased this year, in Nepal, its production has increased by 50 percent this year. “This has helped us to export more cardamom this year,” said Bhattarai. According to Bhattarai, the price of cardamom decreased in May and June of last year. “Traders did not sell cardamom during that time,” said Bhattarai, “The price came back to normal from the beginning of the current year, following which traders sold their stocks of cardamom.” With the decline in production in India and Bhutan, the demand for Nepali cardamom has increased, resulting in the surge of its exports from Nepal. Cardamom is cultivated on 18,000 hectares of land in Nepal. Large cardamom is cultivated predominantly in four districts of eastern Nepal—Taplejung, Panchthar, Ilam, and Sankhuwasabha.

I’m a 21-year-old woman and I’m confused about my sexual orientation. I think I like both men and women. But accepting that is difficult, especially because our society isn’t open about these things. I’m afraid of exploring my sexual orientation and how I feel about it. I push people away because I’m afraid that my feelings won’t be validated or that people will judge me. I haven’t even been able to share this with my family and friends. I just need some helpful advice on how I can overcome this fear and live a life where I’m not hiding who I truly am. Please help!—A confused soul  Answered by Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist, Nepal Institute of Mental Health I understand that discussing your sexual orientation can be difficult. It’s not something our society openly talks about either. It’s natural to feel anxious and afraid of judgment. This is something many people frequently go through because of the social taboos and stereotypes in our society. But at the same time, you must realize that your happiness and sanity matter the most.  One of the things that’s bothering you is the uncertainty you have when it comes to your sexual orientation. You might sometimes wonder why you’re acting a certain way and might not have any answers. But then you are unable to share how you feel with anyone. So before anything else, I think it’s important to clear out those confusions.  But the thing is, the confusion won’t go away unless you talk about it. Maybe you aren’t comfortable talking about it with your friends or family. But if there is anyone who you think will understand what you’re going through, and will acknowledge your feelings, talk to them. If not, you can start by attending psychoeducation sessions with a mental health professional. There, you can learn facts about gender identities and sexual orientation that will help you understand what you’re going through.  Uncertainties will not only affect your mental health but also take a toll on your relationships with others. For instance, not being clear about what you want in a romantic relationship might compel you to push away everyone around you, especially to avoid having feelings towards them. But that will only make you lonely and your mental health will get worse. So doing everything you can do to get rid of that uncertainty is important. And that includes accepting yourself for who you are. Our society has forced us to internalize shame and guilt when we don’t fit into their standards. And there are going to be instances where your emotions get triggered despite you accepting yourself. So, it’s important to know what those triggering factors are and how you can deal with them. For that, you will need a supportive environment as well as people around you.  If it helps, I think you should attend talk sessions or events where people going through the same as you share their experiences. You’ll know that you aren’t alone in this. When you’re comfortable, you can share your experiences too. But if it gets too difficult, I think it’s best to seek help from a professional. Getting the right kind of therapy can assist you in navigating and overcoming all your difficulties.

Pashupati Shumsher Rana is a senior leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and a member of the House of Representatives (HoR). His party is in opposition with 14 members in the HoR.  Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked to Rana on current political developments. Excerpts: How do you see the current state of Nepali politics? The composition of Parliament makes it fragile. Whatever you say about the coalition, the intrinsic fragility of parliamentary parties does not forecast a very stable future. Over the last 30 years, we have seen the same situation, haven’t we? No, there have been some exceptions. The last government led-by CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had nearly a two-thirds majority but that just faded away. So, it is not inherent in the nature of parliamentary journey but it is in the nature of leadership of major parties. What is the major problem with the leadership of major political parties? The two principal things that leadership of major political parties lack is honesty and efficiency. When you are in that state, there is no point talking about the vision. How can you have a vision when you are fundamentally corrupt and you are fundamentally inefficient? You cannot run the country because you have personal interests, not a national interest. So, no matter how large a majority you have, these deep inherent personal problems will not make a good future possible for Nepal. How do you see the emergence of new political parties like Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)? They have risen very fast. During the general elections of 2022, I didn’t even know the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) existed. But it came out of the blue, they overtook us and became the fourth largest party in Parliament. And in the by-election, the votes they got were outstanding. They have extremely talented people. I know a few of them like Swarnim Wagle who is a renowned economist. In the last general elections, we also saw the re-emergence of the RPP, how do you see it? Well, we hoped to be the fourth party but because this RSP came out the blue we came fifth.  Yet, we have 14 members which is an important number in Parliament. It’s much better than the position we got in the previous elections. We have seen very capable leaders in the RPP for a long time, but why is the RPP failing to make a strong party? We started with a few members—with me, Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani and Ram Krishna. In the 1991 election, we got 18 seats, Surya Bahadur Thapa became the prime minister first and thereafter Lokendra Bahadur Chand. These two figures became prime ministers three times. The differences within the party and tendencies of split destroyed our party. At that time, out of 18 members, everyone wanted to become prime minister. Those splits have been bad for the party. Since then, we have come a long journey. Even now, we are a party with differences. But we are only a long-standing party that has handed over leadership to the new generation. Also, RPP is now headed by Ranjendra Lingden who comes from an ethnic group. Now, we have outstanding young leaders like Gyanendra Shahi and Rabindra Mishra. We have some women leaders who are well-educated. We just had a meeting of the Central Committee and our assessment is that we have a good future. Why do you think the Hindu state and return of monarchy in Nepal is important? When we started, if you remember we started with a very simple principle such as nationalism, multi-party democracy and liberal agendas. At that time, there was a constitutional monarchy and Hindu state. Our Hindu identity was very important in the world. Along with this we have the identity of Mt Everest and Gautam Buddha. We just gave up our Hindu identity for nothing. And regarding the head of the state, the glamor and prestige of the crown is necessary. President Ram Chandra Paudel is a nice person and I have huge respect for him. But does he have a crown? No. There is no glory when there is no crown. People used to bow to the crown out of respect, but the present head of state doesn’t equal the glamor, prestige that monarchy had. How are our domestic policies affecting our international relations? Well, think of somebody like Indian Prime Minister Narendrea Modi or Chinese President Xi Jinping. What a poor opinion they must have about our leadership? If they do not respect you even at the level of foreign minister or foreign secretary, their respect for our leadership must be very poor. They are not treating our leadership respectfully. We do not have a good leader who could talk on equal terms with really powerful neighbors. What is your view on the foreign policy of monarchy? King Mahendra was one of the great rulers. And Birendra was there for a very long time. As both kings had fundamental qualities, they earned respect not only from neighbors but from across the world.The standing of Nepal and monarchy was much, much higher. What is your suggestion for the present government regarding foreign relations? We must not limit ourselves to our neighbors. The greatest power of today is the United States. We have to embrace the great power of the world. We have to follow the long-standing principles of balance between the powers to the north and powers to the south. Today, when you talk about the powers of the south, they include the United States, India, Japan, and Australia. When you think of the north, we cannot separate Russia. So with this understanding, this principle of balance must be the basis of Nepal’s geopolitics.

Around 500 people have successfully climbed the world’s highest peak. During this spring season, 500 mountaineers and guides have scaled Mt Everest, according to the Department of Tourism. Around 500 people have climbed Mt Everest as of today. A total of 478 mountaineers have obtained expedition permits to climb Mt Everest in this spring season. The 500 also includes the Sherpa guides of different expedition teams, Director General of the Department Hom Prasad Luintel. This year's spring climbing started on May 13. This is the first time in history that 478 permits were issued to climb Mt Everest in the spring season. This includes 103 women and 376 men from 47 mountaineering teams, the Department said.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced a 22-member squad under the captainship of Rohit Paudel for the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Along with Paudel, Kushal Bhurtel, Asif Sheikh, Gyanendra Malla Kushal Malla, Arif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Aire, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Bhim Sarki, Pratish GC, Lalit Rajbansi, Arjun Saud, Sandeep Jora, Dev Khanal, Kishor Mahato, Surya Tamang, Kamal Singh Airee, Shyam Mausam Dhakal and Abinash Bohara are in the team.

Lumbini Province Chief Minister Dilli Prasad Chaudhary expanded his Cabinet. Raju Khanal has been given the responsibility of the Health Ministry. Similarly, Chandrakesh Gupta of the Janamat Party has been appointed as the Minister for Social Development and Sanosh Kumar Pandey of the Democratic Socialist Party as the Minister for Internal Affairs, Law and Cooperatives Likewise, Lal Ahir of the Janata Samajbadi Party has been appointed as the Minister for Agriculture and Land Management and Dharma Bahadur Chaudhary of the Nagarik Unmukti Party as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure. They were appointed as ministers today. Meanwhile, Dhan Bahadur Maski has been appointed as the Minister for Economic Affairs.