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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 14. 68 points to close at 2, 168. 53 points on Sunday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 83 points to close at 410. 31 points. A total of 8,276,751 unit shares of 267 companies were traded for Rs 3. 01 billion. Meanwhile, Lumbini General Insurance Co. Ltd and Barahi Hydropower Public Limited were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Sambriddhi Finance Company Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 6. 09 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 12 trillion.

The Attorney General’s office has decided to move the Supreme Court demanding annulment of the high court’s order to release former national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichanne on bail. The Attorney General’s office is preparing to file an application within a couple of days. Deputy Attorney General Sanjeev Raj Regmi said that office will file an application at the Supreme Court within a couple of days demanding annulment of the high court’s order to release Lamichhane on bail. “We will file the application within a couple of days,” he said. The government lawyers have claimed that the decision to release Lamichhane on bail was against the law. Lamichhane, who was arrested on the charge of raping a minor girl, has been released from jail after posting a bail of Rs 2 million. Earlier, the Patan High Court had ordered the concerned authority to release Lamichhane. A joint bench of Justi Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dhakal had granted Lamichhane the bail. He, however, has been barred from leaving Nepal. A 17-year-old girl had filed a rape complaint against Lamichhane at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala when he was abroad to play Caribbean Premier League (CPL) from Jamaica Tallawahs. According to the complaint, Lamichhane had allegedly taken the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur on August 21 and raped her in a hotel room the same night.

Rabi Lamichhane obtained Nepali citizenship again on Sunday. He reacquired citizenship from the District Administration Office by completing the necessary process. Lamichhane along with security personnel had reached the District Administration Office this morning to regain citizenship. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court had scrapped Lamichhane's lawmaker post saying that he never applied to reclaim his Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship. A Constitutional Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki comprising Justices Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Sinha had issued the verdict. On December 14, advocates Yubaraj Poudel and Rabiraj Basaula registered a writ petition at the Supreme Court arguing that Lamichhane was not a Nepali citizen and his status as a lawmaker should be annulled. With the court’s decision, Lamichhane had lost his parliamentary and ministerial positions. Journalist-turned-politician Lamichhane was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister on January 26. Following the apex court’s verdict, Lamichhane tendered his resignation the same day to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2.  

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song today paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha at the latter's office in Singha Durbar. The meeting between the duo focused on mutual relations between Nepal and China and the issue of projects initiated by China in Nepal, it has been said. On the occasion, they exchanged congratulations and extended best wishes for their successful tenure in office, said ministry's secretary Keshab Kumar Sharma. Offering his best wishes to the newly appointed Ambassador, the minister expressed the hope that relations at the people's level between the two countries would be further strengthened. He also urged the Chinese side to resume the widening of the long-halted Kalanki-Chabahil road soon by removing obstructions at the project site. The talks also touched on the Chinese promises to move ahead with existing projects initiated with the support of the Government of China, provide additional assistance and carry out a study of other new projects, said Sharma. The DPM Shrestha drew the attention of the Ambassador for the Chinese government to provide additional assistance for the repair and expansion of the Araniko Highway, and open the transits. The matter about upgrading the Muglin-Pokhara and Narayangadh-Butwal roads was also discussed.  

Rabi Lamichhane has reached the District Administration Office to take the Nepali citizenship. He reached District Administration Office with the necessary documents in coordination with the local administration. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court had scrapped the Lamichhane’s lawmaker post saying that he never applied to reclaim his Nepali citizenship after renouncing this American citizenship. A Constitutional Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki comprising Justices Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Sinha had issued the verdict. On December 14, advocates Yubaraj Poudel and Rabiraj Basaula had registered a writ petition at the Supreme Court arguing that Lamichhane was not a Nepali citizen and his status as a lawmaker should be annulled. With the court's decision, Lamichhane had lost his parliamentary and ministerial positions. Journalist-turned-politician Lamichhane was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister on January 26. Following the apex court’s verdict, Lamichhane tendered his resignation the same day to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.  

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 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 106, 000 per tola today. The gold was traded at Rs 105, 800 per tola on Friday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 105, 500 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1,365 per tola today.

Less than a month into 2023 and I think I’ve already found my favorite of the year. If you think that’s a little premature, I recommend you read ‘Such a Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid. This book has great characters, a solid plot, and smooth language. It also tackles an important issue that needs to be talked about more. Reid’s debut novel is fun and satisfying. The story starts with Emira Tucker, a college graduate in her mid-20s, being summoned to take three-year-old Briar, the child she babysits, to the nearby grocery store at 11 pm while the Chamberlains deal with a domestic emergency. Another shopper gets “concerned” about the child’s safety at the store. Emira is black and Briar is white. She informs the security guard who pretty much accuses Emira of kidnapping a child and refuses to let her leave. In the end, Emira has to call Briar’s father to come and sort things out. All this while, another shopper at the store captures all that has happened on his phone. Alix Chamberlain is Emira’s employer. She is married to a local news anchor and is a social media star of sorts herself. She has managed to snag a book deal and hires Emira to take care of her two children—Briar and Catherine. But it’s mostly the curious chatterbox Briar that Emira has to look after as Alix doesn’t mind spending time with Catherine but can’t seem to deal with Briar. After the incident at the supermarket, Alix vows to make things right. She wants to get to know Emira better and befriend her. But Emira isn’t looking to befriend her employer. She just wants a job that provides health insurance and other benefits. Such a Fun Age is a warmly narrated story that discusses race, the choices we make, and the lies we often tell ourselves to assuage our guilt. It has a riveting plot and characters we can identify with. Kelly Copeland, the man who films the horrible incident, is an ambiguous character. One moment you like him—he seems really nice, and the other moment you are sure all his actions are guided by a problematic ulterior motive. I find myself thinking about why he acted the way he did even days after finishing the book. Reid’s writing infuses a lot of life into the story. The woman who papier-mâchés the toilet seat with toilet paper at the airport, lugging Vera Bradley luggage and clad in Lilly Pulitzer; the house guest who brings a gift of not one but two pairs of what she hopes will become her host’s “good scissors”—the use of details like these help you clearly picture the scenes. In some ways, the novel feels like it was written for the screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if a movie adaptation comes out soon. Till then, I’d recommend this book to just about everyone I meet. About the author American novelist Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such a Fun Age was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Reid started working on the novel while applying to graduate school and the book (including screen rights) was sold before she graduated. The book was also Reese Witherspoons’s first book club pick for 2020. Apart from the novel, Reid’s short stories have been featured in various publications. Four and a half stars Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid Published: 2020 Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus Pages: 310, Paperback

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will travel to Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Qatar from Jan 28 to Feb 3, according to US Department of State. In Nepal, Under Secretary Nuland will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Nepal. While in India, the Under Secretary will lead the US-India annual “Foreign Office Consultations” which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. She will also meet with young tech leaders. In Sri Lanka, she will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations and offer continued US support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation. And in Qatar, Nuland will discuss global issues under the framework of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue. She will also engage counterparts on Qatar’s critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the United States and our bilateral arrangement on the protection of US interests in Afghanistan.