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Amid the ongoing food insecurity in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) is set to provide more than 15m Afghans with food assistance every month till March 2023. "Our plan for winter is to provide food assistance to more than 15m every month," said Wahidullah Amani, local media reported citing WFP Afghanistan Spokesman.  Citing the sources, Khaama Press reported that WFP has decided to provide more than 15m people in Afghanistan with food assistance straight after the US, Europe and other global partners concluded that humanitarian aid is not sufficient to solve the ongoing crisis in the war-torn nation.  Earlier, the World Food Programme stated that it would buy 80,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine to distribute to Afghanistan's needy people. However, several locals have complained of not receiving any aid, lack of transparency in international aid amid the high prices of basic amenities in the country and unemployment.  "There are economic problems such as high prices and also unemployment. I haven't received any aid," said Samsor, an Afghan local vending on the street, Khaama Press reported. "We haven't received the aid. We need aid but if the leaders pay attention to us," said Bismillah, another Kabul resident. Amid the Ukraine war, the World Food Programme has called for $1.1bn to continue delivering monthly food and nutritional assistance for the next six months to 15m acutely food-insecure people in Afghanistan.  The World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan condemned the ongoing economic crisis in Afghanistan as people in the country are on the brink of starvation and facing poverty.  In a tweet, OCHA in Afghanistan wrote, "19 M people are facing food insecurity, 25M people are living in poverty, 5.8M people are in protracted internal displacement, thousands of houses damaged by floods and earthquakes," expressing concerns about the plight of Afghans, TOLOnews reported. "To survive the winter, they require food, nutrition support, warm clothing & a roof over their heads," tweeted OCHA. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has also raised concerns about the economic crisis in Afghanistan.  "The economic crisis wiped out jobs, salaries & livelihoods across Afghanistan, helping families & communities support themselves is more important than ever," wrote WFP on Twitter. The rising crisis in Afghanistan has hit small enterprises the hardest and private companies have laid off more than half of their employees due to a shortage in sales and a drastic decline in the consumer demand for products. (ANI)

Nepal’s economy has emerged strongly from the pandemic with GDP estimated to have grown by 5.8 percent in the fiscal year 2022, up from 4.2 percent in 2021, a new World Bank Report has said.

Growth was driven by industry and services benefiting from post-pandemic demand and generous financing conditions. Agricultural growth, by contrast, slowed due to unseasonal rains, according to South Asia Economic Focus 2022.

 According to the report, average consumer inflation rose from 3.6 percent in 2022 to 6.3 percent in 2022, including price increases in transportation, education, and housing. Inflation has been broad-based, and the rising cost of basic necessities negatively impacts the poor and vulnerable.

The rapid increase in domestic demand, coupled with rising prices for imported goods, fueled imports early in 2022. By contrast, remittances - Nepal’s largest source of foreign exchange earnings – did not begin growing again until late 2022 and have remained below 2021 levels as a percentage of GDP, the report reads.

Remittances are an important income for households and impact welfare across the distribution. As a result, the current account deficit (CAD) widened to 12.8 percent of GDP in FY22, which Nepal opted to finance through concessional borrowing, trade credits, and a drawdown in reserves which declined from USD 11.8 billion in mid-July 2021 to USD 9.5 billion in mid-July 2022, equivalent to 6.9 months of import cover.

Growth estimates for the South Asia region comprising India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives — were revised down to 5.8 per cent from 6.8 per cent forecast in June.

After facing heavy losses, Nepal Airlines has decided to sell five of its Chinese-made aircraft as nobody wants to lease them. The aircraft spent more time on the ground than in the air, and they were becoming a financial burden on the debt-ridden national flag carrier.  Eight years after acquiring a batch of Chinese planes it had hoped to fly on underserved mountain routes, Nepal Airlines finally decided that it didn't want the albatross around its neck anymore after the direction of the Ministry of Finance.  In 2012, the corporation advanced the purchase agreement of four Y12E (Y12E) and two MA60 (MA60) aircraft from China. One of these planes is now in a state of non-operation after the accident, while the remaining five are sitting idle in the parking lot of Tribhuvan International Airport. Besides maintenance issues and lack of spare parts, Nepal Airlines couldn't find pilots to fly the aircraft, and there was no sense in keeping them anymore. The deadline for the bids set by Nepal Airlines is October 31. Some top Nepal Airlines officials say they do not expect to see potential lessees. It is said that the Ministry of Finance has instructed the corporation to prepare to sell the aircraft to anyone who wants it after not even leasing it from this call, reported hamrakura.com. After purchasing the Chinese aircraft, it became a headache for the first batch that entered in 2014.  Now, as the losses continue to increase, the situation has arisen that these aircraft have to be sold at a loss price. In November 2012, state flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) signed a commercial agreement with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a Chinese Government undertaking to procure the aircraft. China at the time had provided the grant and concessional loan assistance of 408m Chinese Yuan, equivalent to Rs 6.67bn.  Out of the total aid money, a grant worth 180m yuan (Rs 2.94bn) went to pay for one MA60 and one Y12e aircraft. The other aircraft were bought for 228m yuan (Rs 3.72bn) with a soft loan provided by China's EXIM Bank.  Soon after their arrival, the NAC board then realized that aircraft cost more to operate than to purchase and bring to Nepal. In July 2020, the NAC board decided to stop the operation of aircraft and since they have been kept at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Though the planes are out of service due to high-cost operationalization and being unfit to fly, the Ministry of Finance has started paying back the interest on the loans for the planes. (ANI)

The Royal Swedish Academy on Friday jointly awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties.  "BREAKING NEWS: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties," the official Twitter handle of the Nobel Prize said. "The #NobelPeacePrize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens," the tweet added.  The organizations have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy. The Russian human rights organization Memorial was established in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to ensure that the victims of the communist regime's oppression would never be forgotten.  "Memorial is based on the notion that confronting past crimes is essential in preventing new ones. The organization has also been standing at the forefront of efforts to combat militarism and promote human rights and government based on rule of law," the Academy said in a tweet. The Center for Civil Liberties, another awardee of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, was founded for the purpose of advancing human rights and democracy in Ukraine. It has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the center has engaged in efforts to identify and document Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian population.  The center is playing a pioneering role in holding guilty parties accountable for their crimes. Last year, journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.  The 2021 peace prize laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions. Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions. In 1993, he was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta. Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of the Philippines-based news website Rappler. She uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines. (ANI)

The UN Human Rights Council's vote against a US-led draft decision on Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region showed that the international community would not be easily misled despite pressure from the US and some other Western countries, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a late statement on Thursday, Global Times reported. The international community is clearly aware that the ultimate motive of the US and some other Western countries behind their Xinjiang narrative is to contain China and does not like this pattern of using human rights as a pretext to meddle in other countries' internal affairs, said the spokesperson. The remarks came after the 51st session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday voted down a draft decision on Xinjiang region, which was pushed by the US and some other Western allies. Despite pressure from the US and its allies, the draft decision ended up unsupported by the majority of the Human Rights Council membership, especially many members from the developing world. The agenda has again failed to gain international support, said the spokesperson. The issues related to Xinjiang are not about human rights. They are about countering violent terrorism, radicalization and separatism. Thanks to strenuous efforts, there has been no violent terrorist incident in Xinjiang for over five consecutive years. The human rights of people of all ethnic backgrounds in Xinjiang are protected like never before, the foreign ministry spokesperson said. "For some time now, the US and some other Western countries have been misinforming the public about Xinjiang region and seeking political manipulation in the name of human rights simply to smear China's image and contain China's development," said the spokesperson. The spokesperson stressed that these countries have ignored facts and truths about Xinjiang region, noting that in recent years, nearly 100 countries, including many Islamic countries, have spoken out openly in support of China's just position on issues related to Xinjiang and have expressed opposition toward using these issues to interfere in China's internal affairs. The issues that the Human Rights Council truly needs to focus on are the serious human rights violations concerning the US, the UK and some Western forces, including systemic racism and racial discrimination, the rights of refugees and migrants and rampant gun violence, said the spokesperson, according to Global Times. China urged the US and other Western forces to abandon political manipulation, disinformation and suppression, return to the track of dialogue and cooperation, and make real contributions to the global advancement of human rights.

Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) leaders were absent from the ruling coalition meeting held to decide seat distribution. JPS leaders did not participate in the meeting expressing their dissatisfaction with the seat distribution. According to JSP sources, leaders including Chairman Upendra Yadav are in final preparations for electoral alliance with CPN-UML. After getting only 16 seats in the ruling coalition, Yadav reached Balkot, KP Oli's residence on Thursday expressing disagreement with the alliance. According to sources, there is also a draft agreement with UML Chairman Oli. But the JSP sources say that there is still few things left to finalize the agreement. Meanwhile, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed displeasure saying that JSP is going to destroy the alliance. His secretariat has mentioned that an alliance was formed to protect the constitution and if it is destroyed, the federalism and the political achievements will be attacked. "The regressive, anti-federal democratic forces may be daydreaming of plotting to destroy the coalition without agreeing on seat distribution and leading the country towards regression. But the coalition was built on the foundation of ideological and political objectives. There may be some disagreement. But it is the wish of all of us that this coordination should continue until the federalism is institutionalized and the regression is completely defeated. If someone deviates from this basic principle, it will be an attack on democracy, federalism and the achievements we have achieved," Dahal's secretary Ganga Dahal wrote on Facebook. She mentioned that the alliance was formed to protect the constitution against regression and respect the votes of the Nepalis in favor of progress rather than any political gain.

Query I’m a 19-year-old student and I suffer from impostor syndrome. I lack confidence and every time I try to achieve something or be productive, I always question my potential. So much so that I refrain from taking up any opportunities that I know are good for my future. I feel like I will fail in whatever I do. This insecurity has led me to believe I’m not good enough and everything I do is worthless. My studies are being hampered and I’m unable to do even the simplest task that I’m assigned. I get nervous and sweaty and I can’t breathe. Everything feels fuzzy and I feel like I will collapse if I have to take on any more responsibilities. How do I cope with this? Please help!—A nervous fella Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist, Nepal Institute of Mental Health First thing I want you to do is acknowledge everything you have been feeling. You have mentioned that this imposter feeling has brought about a lot of self-doubt and feeling of incompetence. It’s obvious that it has caused a lot of problems in your emotional wellbeing and overall performance.  One thing you need to do is identify what kind of imposter syndrome you have been dealing with. Only then can we proceed towards the solution by customizing the steps to deal with your problem. Some of the types of imposters are perfectionists, experts, soloists, natural geniuses, and super humans. Finding out which category you belong to is very essential to determine what you need to do to overcome it.  Secondly, you can’t let your experiences or moments of doubt control you. Remember this feeling is momentary. It’s not your whole life. It will pass. There are a few things you can follow through to make things better for yourself. Stop fighting what you feel and start acknowledging it. Question your thoughts and identify if they are rational or not. You can also go on to do a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Obstacle, Threat) analysis to assess your abilities. That will help you be clear of what you are capable of and not just feel incompetant like you mentioned. It will also help you identify what triggers your feelings of being an imposter.  Also, stop comparing yourself to others. It’s easier said than done but remember everyone has their own set of skills and own growth graph. Comparing yourself with everyone else will only hurt your growth. Move forwards with baby steps, if you must. A gradual progression is still a progression.  It will help a lot of you find someone to talk to about the way you feel. Sharing feelings and building connections will help you gain a new perspective into your personality. It will definitely be something different from what you think of yourself.  Lastly, it’s okay to seek professional help if you feel like you are stuck while trying to get over this feeling of being an imposter. Psychologists and counselors are always there to guide and help you through the process of healing. 

Three members of the same family have died in a landslide in Chandragiri. Police said that Raju Shrestha, his wife Rekha Shrestha and daughter Sarathi Shrestha of Kavre were buried in a landslide near Deurali in Chandragiri Municipality-2. According to the police, they died when the landslide occurred while they were sleeping in the Reiki Meditation Center.