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The loan shark victims have said that they would hold talks only with the Prime Minister. During a press conference organized at Shantibatika in the Capital on Tuesday, they strongly protested against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha. The loan shark victims said that they would not return home until their demands are met. They also accused the government of suppressing their peaceful protest. Earlier, at least nine loan shark victims were injured in a clash with police at Shantibatika. The Farmers-Workers Struggle Committee has forwarded a six-point demand to the government. The loan shark victims have also accused the government of not giving attention to their demands.

The gold is being traded at Rs 110, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 109, 500 per tola. However, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 35 and is being traded at Rs 1,435 per tola today.

Around 500 MW of electricity was added to the national grid in 2079 BS. With electricity generated from more than 20 power projects being connected to the national transmission system, the total installed capacity of hydropower plants operational in the country has reached 2,689 MW by mid-April 2023. The construction of the Solukhola (Dudhkoshi) Hydroelectricity Project, the largest hydropower project developed by the Nepali private sector, was completed in 2079 BS. Developed by Sahas Urja, the 86 MW project commenced its commercial production on March 1, 2023. According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the country's total installed capacity would reach around 3,000 MW by the end of the current fiscal year 2022/23. The NEA has projected an additional 811 MW of electricity will be added to the national grid in the current fiscal year. The state-owned power utility expects the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi, 57.3 MW Sanjen and Upper Sanjen, 102 MW Madhya Bhotekoshi, and 54 MW Super Dordi to come online by the end of the current fiscal year. Until mid-July, 2023, the construction of additional 15 hydropower projects is expected to be completed. In 2079 BS, a total of 19 hydropower projects came into full operation while the test of nine others has reached the final stage. Projects with an accumulative capacity of 3,280 MW are under development and once they are completed, the national grid will have around 7,000 MW of electricity. The NEA is preparing to export around 1,200 MW in the coming monsoon season. According to Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (IPPAN), some projects promoted by the private sector are in the phase of trial production. Those projects will begin commercial production of power after the 15-day trial in the presence of NEA employees. The trial production of the 19.8 MW Upper Solu River Hydropower Project promoted by Beni Hydropower is in the final stage. According to the company's managing director Ganesh Karki, the project's power has been already connected to the national grid, and commercial production is likely within the next few days. Similarly, the 14.9 MW Mayakhola Project in the Sankhuwasabha district is also set for commercial production shortly. The other projects preparing for commercial production are the 5 MW Rukumgad Project in Rukum, and the Sindhupalchowk-based Ghattekhola Project. The 54 MW Super Dordi 'B' in Lamjung and the 2 MW Solar Power Project in Nawalparasi, the 6.8 MW Solar Power Project in Morang, and the 10 MW in Banke have already been connected to the national grid. The 10 MW Makarigad Project also started commercial production in 2079 BS. Meanwhile, NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising has directed the contractors to complete the construction of three projects, namely Rasuwagadhi (111 MW), Lower Sanjen (57.3 MW), and Madhya Bhotekoshi (102 MW), that are being developed by NEA's subsidiary companies, by the end of the current fiscal year. The domestic investors are preparing to go ahead with the construction of projects with a capacity of generating 1,553 MW, according to IPPAN's Executive Member Prakash Dulal. The government has registered a company and forwarded the process of building the Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project. Now, the government plans to hand over the 1,200 MW project to the NEA. On the transmission line part, the process of constructing the New Butwal-Gorakhpur 400 kV transmission line has moved ahead.  

Two persons have been arrested for defrauding 22 persons of Rs 6.6 million assuring them of lucrative jobs abroad. A team of Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office nabbed Sudhan Kumari Shahi and Anil Shrestha. Somendra Singh Rathore, spokesperson at the Crime Investigation Office, said that a complaint was filed at the office stating that the duo had collected Rs 5 lakh each from 22 people on the pretext of sending them to Italy, South Korea, New Zealand and Portugal among other countries for foreign employment. Based on the complaint, police apprehended them from Gongabu. Shahi (28) is the operator of Greenleaf International Consultancy and Nepal Snowfall Mountain Trek and Expedition and Shrestha is the Managing Director. Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Sudan has killed around 200 people and wounded 1,800, damaging hospitals and hampering aid on Monday after three days of urban warfare, AFP reported. A weeks-long power struggle exploded into deadly violence Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Analysts say the fighting in the capital of the chronically unstable country is unprecedented and could be prolonged, despite regional and global calls for a ceasefire as diplomats mobilise. The European Union's ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum on Monday, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said. A spokesperson told AFP the veteran diplomat was "OK" following the assault. "Security of diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law," Borrell said, according to AFP. Battles have taken place throughout the vast country and there are fears of regional spillover. Terrified residents of the capital are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan watching from their windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake, and smoke from fires triggered by the fighting hangs in the air. The conflict has seen air strikes, artillery and heavy gunfire. Those compelled to venture out face queues for bread and petrol at outlets which are not shuttered. Residents are also dealing with power outages.

Hospitals 'out of service'

Volker Perthes, the head of the United Nations mission to Sudan, told the Security Council in a closed-door session that at least 185 people have been killed and another 1,800 wounded. "It's a very fluid situation so it's very difficult to say where the balance is shifting to," Perthes told reporters after the meeting. Earlier Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again urged Sudan's warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities". He warned that further escalation "could be devastating for the country and the region." Medics in Sudan had earlier given a death toll of nearly 100 civilians and "dozens" of fighters from both sides, but the number of casualties was thought to be far higher, with many wounded unable to reach hospitals. The official doctors' union warned fighting had "heavily damaged" multiple hospitals in Khartoum and other cities, with some completely "out of service". The World Health Organization had already warned that several Khartoum hospitals tending to wounded civilians "have run out of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids and other vital supplies". In the western region of Darfur, international medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported receiving 136 wounded patients at the only hospital in El Fasher still operating in North Darfur state, AFP reported. "The majority of the wounded are civilians who were caught in the crossfire -- among them are many children," MSF's Cyrus Paye said. Due to limited surgical capacity, "11 people died from their injuries in the first 48 hours of the conflict."

Call for talks

Three UN World Food Programme staff were also among those killed, on Saturday in Darfur, where humanitarian missions have had medical and other supplies looted, according to Save the Children and MSF. A number of organisations have temporarily suspended operations in the country, where one-third of the population needs aid. "This renewed fighting only aggravates what was already a fragile situation, forcing UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to temporarily shutter many of our more than 250 programmes across Sudan," said UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths. Diplomatic manoeuvres seemed to ramp up on Monday, as the fighting showed no signs of abating. Influential northern neighbour Egypt announced it had discussed with Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and Djibouti -- all close allies of Sudan -- "the need to make every effort to preserve stability and safety". President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on the two warring parties to "return to the negotiating table" and said he was working on the return of Egyptian military "trainers" captured Saturday at an air base by RSF forces, according to AFP. The Gulf emirate Qatar spoke to African Union commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat, who is planning to "immediately" undertake a ceasefire mission. There are no more civilian flights arriving in Khartoum, where fighting has damaged aircraft.

The arrival of 180 Chinese trekkers in Nepal on April 13, the first group tour from the northern neighbor after the Covid-19 pandemic, has rekindled hopes for Nepal's tourism sector. They were the first of four batches of nearly 8,00 Chinese trekkers to visit Nepal to trek on the Poon Hill trail located some 270 kilometers west of Kathmandu. This visit has come after China included Nepal on a second list of 40 destinations for group tours that Chinese nationals could visit starting from March 15. The tourism entrepreneurs focused on Chinese tourists said they are hopeful that the flow of Chinese tourists would grow. “I am bringing one group of Chinese tourists next week,” said a proprietor of a travel and tour agency. According to him, there are several groups of Chinese interested in visiting Nepal in May. “But I am not sure whether they could come to Nepal because of limited and expensive flights between the two countries,” he said. China Southern Airlines, the largest airliner in China in terms of passenger volume, is conducting two flights a week—on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It resumed flights on the Kathmandu-Guangzhou sector in November last year after a halt of nearly a year and a half. Air China resumed the Chengdu-Kathmandu flights in September last year and operates two weekly flights. Sichuan Airlines has also resumed scheduled flights between Chengdu and Kathmandu. Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines has also been conducting flights in various cities in China. “Currently, flight frequency between Nepal and China is too low which is the major concern for us to increase the volumes of Chinese tourists,” said Bishwesh Shrestha, owner of C&K Travels which specializes in Chinese tourists. They are however expecting increased flights in the days along with rising demand from Chinese tourists. After China reopened its door to its citizens to visit Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Nepali travel trade entrepreneurs are visiting various Chinese cities to promote Nepal tourism. “NTB and representatives of over two dozen tourism-related companies are currently in China for marketing purposes,” said Shrestha, “NTB has been making presentations about Nepal, interaction with the Chinese journalists have been held and business-to-business (B2B) meetings with Chinese tourism entrepreneurs have been conducted during this marketing tour.” According to the entrepreneur, the Nepali team has completed their task in Chengdu and Kunming and they will now visit Beijing for similar marketing activities. Stakeholders say that it would not be difficult for Nepal to welcome more Chinese tourists because of the limited infrastructure. Two new international airports have been built in the tourist city of Pokhara and Bhairahawa. However, the airports have hardly been used for international flights. Post-pandemic, Nepal’s tourism industry has been recovering gradually. Nepali officials plan to revive the sector to the pre-pandemic level by attracting one million tourists in 2023. For this, increased arrivals of Chinese tourists will be important. According to NTB statistics, 614,148 foreigners visited Nepal in 2022. In 2019, Nepal welcomed 1.19 million foreign arrivals, including a record 169,543 Chinese tourists. The Chinese arrivals fell to 19,257 in 2020, and went further down to 6,198 and 9,599 respectively in 2021 and 2022 amid the Covid-19 travel restrictions. The total number of total foreign visitors declined to 230,085 and 150,962 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. “We hope to attract at least 100,000 Chinese tourists in 2023,” said the tourism entrepreneur. “It can be made possible if more flights are added between the two countries.”

The Office of the Auditor General has reported that it was denied documents related to the leasing of land being used by Kathmandu Fun Park to a private party by the Social Welfare Council (SWC). The SWC leased 60 ropanis of land in Kathmandu to a private party for Rs 202,400 per month for five years in 2004, which is less than half of the leasing amount of Rs 475,000 per month, five years ago. The OAG has reported that the lease contract caused a loss of Rs 16.35m to SWC. According to the OAG report, the SWC repeatedly extended the lease for periods ranging from three months to one year after the initial five-year period expired, instead of holding a competitive bidding process. Since such activities caused revenue loss to the SWC, the report has instructed the SWC to hold officials signing the lease contract accountable. The OAG report also uncovered irregularities in the leasing of 25 ropanis of land occupied by the Children's Park in Bhrikuti Mandap premises. When the park was under the ownership of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the property was leased to a private party for 25 years for a fee of Rs 40,000 per month in 1996, which should have brought Rs 11.28m to the SWC in 2021/22. However, the SWC revised the contract in 1997, lowering the monthly fee to as low as Rs 5,000 per month. This resulted in a loss of Rs 8.35m to the SWC. According to existing provisions, the assets of non-profit organizations are transferred to the Government of Nepal upon their dissolution. However, the OAG has noted that the SWC recommended the dissolution of such organizations without evaluating their assets. The OAG has recommended the formation of a team to investigate the matter and bring such assets under the government's control. Stating that many non-governmental organizations have been operating without renewing their licenses, the OAG has directed the SWC to ensure that these organizations renew their licenses as required by law and to put a stop to the ongoing practice of mobilizing foreign currency without renewing their organization. The OAG has further instructed the SWC to bring Rs 19.3m currently in the reserves of four INGOs, which are facing dissolution, into the state coffers. Additionally, it has directed the SWC to conduct evaluations and monitoring of INGOs as required by law. The OAG noted that despite raising Rs 25.68m from INGOs for this purpose, no such monitoring has been conducted in two years. The OAG found that a manager of SWC had deposited Rs 2.8m of a disabled people's fund into a finance company instead of a Class 'A' commercial bank, as required by the law. As the finance company is going into liquidation, the OAG has recommended holding the manager accountable for any possible losses incurred. In addition, the OAG has noted that more than Rs 1.60bn out of the approved Rs 1.65bn for plans and projects of various INGOs have not been included in the budgetary system of the Finance Ministry. The OAG has instructed the government to only permit the amendment of funding proposals after due process is completed.

I’m a 30-year-old mother of two and I recently gave birth. It’s a happy time for our family and, to an extent, I’m happy too. But a part of me is sad. I don't know what it is. I’m constantly irritated, and I get scared that I might accidentally pour out my frustration on my elder child, which would be wrong. I don't know what will set me off. I get a lot of mood swings too and sometimes, I just want to run away and never come back. I’m so overwhelmed. Please help!—A struggling mother Answered by Rishav Koirala, psychiatrist and researcher First of all, I’m glad that you came forward with this issue. It’s an important topic of discussion and there aren’t many women who are aware of this feeling until it’s too late. Before I begin, I want to assure you that there is a way to come out of it. The thing is it’s important for you to know what these feelings are before looking for a solution.  A lot of women in Nepal show depressive symptoms during or after pregnancy. It can be categorized into three types: postpartum blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis, depending on the intensity and types of symptoms. Postpartum depression and psychosis are quite severe, whereas in postpartum blues, you will come across symptoms like mood swings, mild anxiety, and irritation. Looking at what you’ve said, you might be having postpartum blues. Not to worry, it’s completely manageable.  There can be various reasons why you might be going through this. Maybe you had a history of mental health issues in the past, or you aren’t able to give yourself a good and peaceful environment right now. Nevertheless, now is the time for you to think about how you can improve your health, rather than mull over what might have caused it.  First of all, social support is very important. Being a mother is already difficult and, at times like these, you are in desperate need of a reliable partner who will be by your side. Talk to your husband about how you feel. Create a space where you can share anything and everything with each other. Knowing that someone is always there to listen to you no matter what you say will keep you at ease.  Secondly, over exhaustion can make mental health worse. If you are taking care of the baby all by yourself, you will not have any spare time for yourself. So, the best thing to do is divide chores between you and your partner. Make sure you are giving yourself enough time and space while also taking care of the baby. Also, get enough sleep. If it helps, you can store breast milk and ask your husband to take over at night because it’s very important for you to get enough sleep.  Also, postpartum blues are treatable, but they can get worse if not taken care of in time. It doesn’t just harm you but it will also affect the baby. So, it will be best for you to visit a professional who will understand your symptoms and be able to tell you what to do. S/he will also be able to put you under medication if needed.