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Indian companies are using Asian currencies more often to pay for Russian coal imports, according to customs documents and industry sources, avoiding the US dollar and cutting the risk of breaching Western sanctions against Moscow, Reuters reported.

Reuters previously reported on a large Indian coal deal involving the Chinese yuan, but the customs data underlines how non-dollar settlements are becoming commonplace.

India has aggressively stepped up purchases of Russian oil and coal since the war in Ukraine began, helping to cushion Moscow from the effects of sanctions and allowing New Delhi to secure raw material at discounts compared to supplies from other countries.

Russia became India’s third-largest coal supplier in July, with imports rising by over a fifth compared with June to a record 2.06 million tonnes. In June, Indian buyers paid for at least 742,000 tonnes using currencies other than the US dollar, according to a summary of deals compiled by a trade source based in India using customs documents and shared with Reuters, equal to 44% of the 1.7 million tonnes of Russian imports that month.

Indian steelmakers and cement manufacturers have bought Russian coal using the United Arab Emirates dirham, Hong Kong dollar, yuan and euro in recent weeks, according to the customs documents separately reviewed by Reuters.

The yuan accounted for 31% of the non-US dollar payments for Russian coal in June and the Hong Kong dollar for 28%. The euro made up under a quarter and the Emirati dirham around one-sixth, the data from the trade source showed.

India’s Ministry of Finance, which administers the customs board, did not respond to emails seeking comment confirming the documents. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry declined to comment.

The Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal, the umbrella organization of community forest users' groups, on Thursday staged a demonstration in Kathmandu demanding annulment of Forest Regulation 2079.

Saying that the Regulation was against the constitution, federalism, Forest Act 2076, community forest rights and women rights, the federation staged the demonstration at Maitighar in Kathmandu demanding annulment of the Forest Regulation 2079.

Federation Chairman Bharati Pathak said that they were compelled to stage the protest after the government brought the Regulation to put the community forest consumers, who contributed to the forest sector, in difficulty.

The federation has been staging demonstrations in district, province and central level to mount pressure on the government to scrap the Regulation.

People displaced after the Saptakoshi river coursed through settlements in Udayapur have started falling sick.

The people, who have been living in tents arranged by the government, have started suffering from viral fever.

Belka Municipal Hospital medical superintendent Dr Bishal Rai said that the people are believed to have been taken ill by drinking contaminated water and unhealthy food.

He said that the children and elderly people have been affected the most.

Dr Rai said that they have been providing treatment to the people by going to their tents.

Apart from that, over two dozen people visit the hospital on a daily basis.

“Most of the people are found falling sick by drinking contaminated water and unhealthy food,” Dr Rai said, adding, “They are suffering from high fever, diarrhea and vomiting.”

“People have fallen sick as the food products provided by the government to the flood displaced people are found to be of poor quality,” flood victim Manisha Majhi said.

Locals said that though the high-ranking officials have visited the area, no one has shown interest in resolving the problem.

So far, 1, 051 people of 109 families were displaced after the floods gushed into the human settlements, SP Gyanendra Prasad Phuyal said.

They have been kept in Koshi Janata Secondary School and in the building of the Red Cross in Bandanda among other places.

Municipal Chief Ashok Karki said that 2, 500 families were displaced after Koshi river entered the settlements.

Query

I am a 21-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder five years ago. I have been taking medicines since and though my condition has improved, I still have a problem with my abandonment issues, one of the BPD’s symptoms. I constantly feel like my loved ones are abandoning me, when that is patently untrue. Even if someone does not pick up my call, I start thinking that I am being ignored. This constant need for attention and validation is annoying. Despite being fully aware of this, I am still unable to shake it off. How do I convince myself? —R.M 

Answered by Tashi Gurung, Counseling Psychologist, Happy Minds

I appreciate the fact that you are aware about what is happening to you. Not all are able to identify, let alone accept, what is happening to them. Many are in denial. So you should give yourself some credit for being aware.

Now about you feeling abandoned, I suggest you validate your emotions. Most of the time we try to suppress our feelings and avoid addressing them. So when you feel this way next time, ask yourself this: Would you ignore someone who is feeling terrible and tell them their emotions aren’t valid? You wouldn’t. Rather, you would sit them down and have a deep conversation, show them kindness and compassion. It is necessary for you to treat yourself the same way. Be kind to yourself the way you would be to others. 

You have mentioned how even a small issue makes you feel anxious and abandoned. In this case, have a conversation with your loved one. Rather than being vague about it, be precise. Tell them what you want. For instance, I believe the reason you panic when someone does not pick up your call is because of the uncertainty involved. You are not certain about when you will get a call back, or why your call isn’t being answered. In such a case, you can explain to your loved ones about how you feel and maybe find a common ground that is comfortable to both of you. Perhaps you can ask them to leave a text message saying when they will be free, or when they can accept your call—something to give you a sense of certainty. 

Another thing, rather than blaming others for ignoring you, explain to them how their actions or lack thereof make you feel. It could be a way to start a meaningful conversation, rather than turning into an argument. 

If you find it difficult to employ these practices, you can seek professional help. Make an appointment with a counselor who can instruct you. There are also mindfulness exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy that could help you. 

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 500 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 96, 600 per tola today.

The yellow metal was traded at Rs 97, 000 per tola on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 96, 100 per tola.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,225 per tola today.

Five women heading to the UAE from the Immigration Office of the Tribhuvan International Airport have been arrested.

The Immigration Office apprehended the women heading to the UAE via Kuwait after the officials found the documents submitted to the office fake. They have been handed over to the police.

According to a source, the detainees have been identified as Maya Tamang Parbati Sarki,  Anju Bohara, Karuna Singh Thakuri and Somi Dhimal.

"The plus 2 certificates submitted by them are found to be fake. They even did not have travel history," an official at the Immigration Office said.

The women were preparing to go to the UAE via Kuwait by Jazeera Air.

The Home Ministry has been discouraging the people from working in Gulf countries on tourist visas.

It has been learnt that the human trafficking racket were preparing to take the women to UAE with false promises of lucrative jobs.

Three soldiers were killed in action in a pre-dawn suicide attack on an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri. Two terrorists were shot dead, NDTV reported.

Two soldiers were also injured in the attack.

This is the first terror attack on an army camp in four years; terrorists had attacked Sunjwan camp in February in 2018.

The terrorists were trying to scale the fence of the camp when an army sentry spotted them and opened fire, leading to a gunfight.

"Someone (terrorists) tried to cross the fence of Army camp at Pargal. Sentry challenged and exchange of fire took place," Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh said.

Rajouri district and other parts of the Jammu region have largely been free from terrorism but over the last six months there have been a series of terrorist-related incidents in Jammu.

Police said the Lashkar-e-Toiba terror group is behind the attack.

Recently, police busted a major Lashkar module in the area after the arrest of Talib Hussain Shah, a BJP leader who was eventually disowned by the party.

Shah, according to police, was involved in series of attacks in the area and large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from him.

The attack comes just a day after police averted a major tragedy by recovering 25 kg improvised explosive device (IED) in Pulwama district of the union territory, according to NDTV.

In a similar terror attack in 2016, at least 18 soldiers were killed in action in Uri in the union territory.

Disney will launch a new ad-supported streaming service in the US in December, as it overtakes Netflix in the race for paid subscribers, BBC reported.

The firm reported 221.1 million subscribers across its three streaming platforms at the start of July.

That put it just ahead of Netflix, which has been losing accounts.

But Disney warned that its loss of streaming rights for cricket in India would reduce its subscriber growth compared to previous forecasts. 

The firm, which also owns adult television streaming platform Hulu and the sports-focused ESPN+, said demand for its Disney+ product remained strong.

Pandemic lockdowns provided a boost to streaming services like Disney, but the easing of Covid restrictions doesn't seem to be preventing it attracting new customers.

The company added 14.4 million Disney+ subscribers in the quarter, many of them outside of the US - far more than analysts had expected.

Later this year it will launch a new ad-funded service, which will still be charged at the current subscription rate of $7.99. The charge for the ad-free service will rise to $10.99 per month.

The firm plans to launch its ad-funded service outside the US next year.

Executives said they do not expect the rise in prices to put off customers over the long term. The firm is also seeing strong interest from companies hoping to advertise on the new service, they said, according to BBC.

"We are in a position of strength with record upfront advertising commitment," chief executive Bob Chapek told analysts in a conference call to discuss the firm's financial results.

Disney's subscriber gains have come at a hefty cost, with its streaming business losing $1.1bn in the quarter.

Executives said they expect losses to peak this year, In the meantime, a strong rebound in attendance at its theme parks since the worst of the pandemic has provided the firm with a large financial cushion.

Total revenues in the April-June period jumped 26% from last year, pushing profits to $1.5bn.

Shares in the company jumped more than 6% in after-hours trade after the firm shared its results.

Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, called it a "pivotal moment in the streaming wars" saying Disney had more room to grow than arch-rival Netflix.

Netflix lost nearly one million accounts in the most recent quarter, putting its subscriber total at 220.67 million, BBC reported.

The results "firmly underline my belief that Disney is at a different phase of growth to Netflix", said Mr Pescatore. "There are still millions of users to acquire as it continues to expand into new markets and rolls out new blockbuster shows".