Submit your Article

Prashant Bista of Nepali Congress has been elected as the mayor of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City.

He garnered 23, 460 votes while his closest rival Pashupati Dayal Mishra of CPN-UML secured 11, 675 votes.

Nandalal Basya of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, who is in the third place, got 7, 598 votes.

Similarly, Kamaruddin Rai of Janata Samajbadi Party has been elected as the deputy mayor with 18, 950 votes.

CPN-UML's Shanta Devi Dhakal received 10, 915 votes and Bindu Charti Magar of Rastriya Prajatantra Party got 10, 135 votes.

CPN (Maoist Centre) mayoral candidate Renu Dahal stretched her lead by 3, 284 votes in Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

Out of 54, 244 votes counted so far, she garnered 20, 557 votes. Her closest contender is CPN-UML's Bijay Subedi who has secured 17, 273 votes.

Independent candidate Jagannath Paudel received 7, 902 votes.

Similarly, Nepali Congress deputy mayoral candidate Chitrasen Adhikari is leading the vote count. He secured 23, 019 votes while his closest contender Rastriya Prajatantra Party's Himala Gurung got 13, 713 votes.

We had picked 50 eminent personalities from different walks of life as a part of ‘My Vision for Nepal’, the signature initiative of The Annapurna Express. Over the past one year, each week, we featured one such vision. We wanted to get a glimpse of how these luminaries of our society imagine their country. The list of 50 visions has now been compiled in a coffee-table book.

In keeping with the spirit of constant innovation ApEx has championed over the years, it now brings to you ‘ApEx Pioneers’. This feature honors another 50 personalities—one each week—who have revolutionized their fields and helped change Nepal for the better.

Who are our pioneers in business, bureaucracy, entertainment and politics? And who has done pioneering work in agriculture, linguistics and aviation? We try to cover a broad swath of national life. What, really, makes these pioneers tick and what can we learn from them?  

To honor the contribution of these 100 outstanding personalities, the Annapurna Express is organizing an event—Saluté—at Hotel Yak & Yeti on 23 May 2022. The 50 visionaries will be presented with medals of honor while we also welcome a new roster of 50 pioneers.

Query

“Recently, I have been burnt out and I cannot accomplish anything without feeling immensely tired or irritated. Any suggestions on how I manage?” -A struggling student 

Answer by Dristy Moktan, Psychosocial counselor at Happy Minds

Burnout occurs when we run out of physical, mental, or emotional energy. We feel like doing nothing, lack motivation, get tired, and develop a negative attitude towards ourselves and others. In most cases, it is due to overwork—you didn’t get enough rest. It happens to most of us when we are so occupied with our daily tasks that we often overlook the signs our body is trying to convey. As a result, we keep pushing ourselves to achieve our goals rather than give ourselves much-needed rest. 

To combat burnout, it is most important to take breaks. You must pay attention to your body cues. You must recognize what is causing your stress, and be sensible enough to remove yourself from that situation. If you're not used to taking breaks, start small. For instance, getting up from your desk to get a cup of water could help. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. You must also remember to check in with yourself from time to time. Self-reflection is useful in determining how one feels physically and mentally. It could be as simple as asking yourself, "How am I feeling right now?"

Another way is to practice mindfulness. The idea is to be as emotionally aware as possible. Deep breathing practices can help you manage burnout. Taking mindful breaths allows us to focus on the present moment. It takes little effort and can be done at any time—and it works wonders if practiced on a daily basis.

We often hesitate to say ‘no’ and therefore tend to accumulate things to do for ourselves. You must put things on a pause if you are experiencing burnout. If you're comfortable, communicate what you're dealing with. If you can’t, keep in mind that it all comes down to balance. You must balance your professional and personal demands while maintaining your health and well-being. 

Similarly, making adjustments to your routine, such as setting and keeping boundaries, doing things you enjoy, getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious meals, working out and focusing on priorities, might also help.

If you have been feeling this way for long you should consider getting professional help. It can be really good to have a safe space to talk to someone you don’t know, is neutral, and is trained to provide clinical feedback. 

American President Joe Biden is all set to launch an economic initiative for increasing US involvement in Asia. He is expected to make a formal announcement of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) during the meeting of senior leaders in Quad countries this week.

This framework is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to counter China’s clout in Asia, following the US’s withdrawal from talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement under former President Donald Trump.

The third Quad Leaders’ Summit has been scheduled for May 24 in Tokiyo. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, American President Joe Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will attend the meeting. 
The Quad leader's meeting is taking place amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its impact on the global economy including the disruptions in the food supply. 
The Summit in Tokyo is the fourth interaction of Quad Leaders since their first virtual meeting in March 2021, in-person Summit in Washington D.C. in September 2021, and virtual meeting in March 2022.
The forthcoming Quad Summit provides an opportunity for the Leaders to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary global issues of mutual interest.
The Leaders will review the progress of Quad initiatives and Working Groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaboration.
 

China has opposed US Under Secretary and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya’s meeting with the head of the “Tibetan government-in-exile” and some Tibetan representatives in India on May 18 in Dharmashala, India. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian in a regular press briefing said the so-called “Tibetan government-in-exile” is an out-and-out separatist political group and an illegal organization in total violation of China’s Constitution and laws. It is not recognized by any country in the world, he said. 

The 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile disguised as a religious figure. He has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and attempting to split Tibet from China, he said.

 The appointment of the so-called “US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues” constitutes an interference in China’s internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to this and has never acknowledged it, he added.

He urged the U.S should take concrete actions to honor its commitment to acknowledging Tibet as part of China, and not supporting “Tibetan independence”.

It should stop meddling in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of Tibet-related issues, and offer no support to the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai clique, he said.

 China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests, he added.

Nepal reported 12 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 580 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 12 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 047 people underwent antigen tests, of which no onevwere tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that ni e infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 150 active cases in the country.