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JAR or ‘Just Another Restaurant’ has become a popular hangout joint for many of Kathmandu’s youngsters. It is easy to see why this place at Mid Baneshwor is such a draw. The place serves a wide selection of mouth-watering food and drinks. Try its Buff Philly Sandwich, Chicken Popcorn and JAR Special Chicken Burger. Or maybe their special tea menu will strike your fancy. How about ‘Anxi-tea’ to relieve your stress? The ambience is best suited for family and friends. You can visit the restaurant any time, but we recommend weekends, preferably in the evening when you get to enjoy live music and participate in an open mic session (every alternate week).  

Chef’s special:

Buff Philly Sandwich

Chicken Popcorn

JAR Special Chicken Burger

Opening hours: 11:30 am to 10:00 pm 

Location: Mid Baneshwor

Meal for 2: Rs. 1,000

Online/Card Payment: Yes

Contact: 9802325777

Two karate coaches have been arrested on the charge of gang rape in Biratnagar on Sunday.

The suspects have been identified as Suraj Subedi aka Amar (50) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-4 and Binod Raut (50) of Biratnagar-3.

A 19-year-old girl, a student at the Birat Health College in Biratnagar, had filed a case against the duo.

DSP Deepak Shrestha, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang, said that Subedi and Raut were arrested based on the complaint filed by the girl.

Police said that the are looking into the case.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), CNN reported.

The quake struck in northern Luzon, the country's most populous island, at 8:43 a.m. local time (8:43 p.m. ET), according to USGS. The agency originally designated the quake 7.1-magnitude, before downgrading it to 7.0.

Its epicenter was about 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the small town of Dolores, Abra province, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to USGS.

The earthquake's impact was felt in the capital city, Manila, more than 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) away, where workers and residents evacuated from buildings and gathered on the street.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said citizens should brace for any aftershocks, but added it had not issued any tsunami warnings because it was detected inland. Abra is a landlocked region known for deep valleys and mountainous terrain.

In a statement, Rep. Ching Bernos, congresswoman for Abra province, said the quake "caused damages to many households and establishments," and "was also felt in various parts of Luzon and activated preemptive measures in many places."

Photos from Abra show buildings damaged by the quake and debris covering the ground. One building is seen with cracks along the walls, while another lies tilted on its side, according to CNN.

Bernos said her office is monitoring the situation and assessing the extent of the damage, and urged residents to stay alert "in light of the possibilities of aftershocks."

A person died when a truck and a motorbike collided with each other at Bhaisipati in Banepa Municipality-13, Kavre on Tuesday.

Krista Lama (18) of Roshi Municipality-1 died when the truck (Na 8 Kha 80870 heading towards Bhaktapur from Banepa collided head-on with the motorbike (Ba 67 Pa 2892) at around 7 pm yesterday.

District Traffic Police Chief Rajesh Silwal said that Lama breathed his last during the course of treatment at the Banepa-based Shir Memorial Hospital.

Bike rider Andi Lama (26) of Roshi-1 is undergoing treatment at the Banepa Hospital.

Police said that they have impounded the truck and arrested its driver for investigation.

After the parliamentary probe committee failed to find alleged entry of unauthorized persons in the Finance Ministry on the eve of budget announcement, experts have suggested the panel conduct a polygraph test of former Finance Minister Janardan Sharma and the staffers of the Ministry involved in making the budget to find the truth behind the incident.  

Former Home Secretary Govinda Prasad Kusum said that the investigation can be done by other methods to find whether the CCTV footage has been deleted or not.

He said that the authority can also take call records of the accused.

“No one can take the call detail records without taking permission from the concerned authority. It can be taken in a secret way if the investigation does not reach a conclusion,” he said, adding, “There is a provision to take call detail records in the issues of public concern and national security.”

He was of the opinion that it is a violation of the law to say that the hard drive could store the data for only 13 days or 16 days.

Former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Hemanta Malla Thakuri said that both the Parliament and the government are heading towards the wrong path in the finance minister case.

He said that the investigation has not reached a logical conclusion as the parliamentary committee took the wrong way instead of carrying out the investigation by calling police.

“The government had to protect the scene and the evidence soon after the incident came to light,” he said, adding, “The evidence of the incident is not limited to the Finance Ministry.”

Thakuri was of the opinion that the Parliament had made a mistake not by directing the government to conduct investigation of the incident site.

“The Parliament should have taken the help of Nepal Police. The Parliament and the government did not think it was necessary,” he said.

The former DIG suggested an investigation of the incident site.

He went on to say that it is important to take the call detail records and track the location.

Thakuri further said that the parliamentary committee has not fully utilized its rights yet.

“The committee should have made the working procedure. It has the right. Why didn’t the committee use it? This is a matter of doubt,” he said.

Tensions over Taiwan, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are likely topics for a call expected this week between US President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping, the White House said on Tuesday (Jul 26), Reuters reported.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that managing economic competition between the two countries would also be a focus of the call, which Biden said on Monday is expected later this week.

It will be the fifth call between the leaders, and comes as China has delivered heightened warnings to the Biden administration about a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

“Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere,” Kirby said of the topics to be discussed.

“This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there’s already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,” he said.

Under its one-China policy, the United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The White House has been quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Pelosi, according to Reuters.

Kirby said that Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and as such, her overseas travel was a matter of US national security. But only she could make decisions about her travel.

“Bellicosity” in rhetoric from Beijing over the potential trip only escalates tensions, he said.

“We find that unhelpful and certainly not in the least bit necessary given the situation,” he said.

The administration has been debating whether to lift some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to boost the US economy, but Kirby said a decision was not expected ahead of the call.

Biden could head into the call with momentum if the US Congress passes legislation to provide about US$52 billion in subsidies for the US semiconductor industry, as well as an investment tax credit for chip plants estimated to be worth US$24 billion, which Biden has urged as crucial for competing with China economically.

The Senate is expected to vote on final passage in coming days and the US House could follow suit as soon as later this week, Reuters reported.

More than 200 people have been killed in gang violence in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in the space of 10 days, United Nations figures reveal, BBC reported.

Almost half of those who died were residents without ties to the gangs which are fighting for control of the Cité Soleil neighbourhood, the UN says.

Locals say they are running out of drinking water and food as deliveries have been halted amid the shoot-outs. 

One resident described his life as "a cycle of fear, stress and despair".

Gang violence had already shot up since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse by mercenaries a year ago, but it has reached shocking new levels since a battle erupted on 8 July between two criminal alliances, known as G9 and G-Pèp.

The UN says that 209 people were killed between 8 and 17 July, of which 114 were gang members. A further 254 people have sustained gunshot wounds, more than half of them residents without links to the gangs. 

A youth leader from Brooklyn, the area within the sprawling Cité Soleil neighbourhood which has been worst hit by the fighting, described how his life had changed, according to BBC.

"I go to bed and wake up to the sound of gunfire, which is very stressful. But even if the shooting terrifies me, I try to use the rhythmic sounds of bullets being fired to lull me to sleep; this is the only way I can survive," the young man told the UN.

"Sometimes you can use music to escape the constant shooting noise, but not when shots are being fired so close to your house; it's just too loud," said the man, who withheld his real name for security reasons. 

About 3,000 residents have been forced to flee. Many have nothing to go back to after their homes were destroyed or burned down by the gangs. 

Others do not dare leave their homes for fear of being killed by stray bullets.

With fuel, food and drinking water supplies disrupted, the World Food Programme and the UN Children's Fund have started delivering aid directly to the most vulnerable people in Cité Soleil, BBC reported.

Hundreds of children have also taken refuge at a high school in the capital. 

The youth leader from Cité Soleil said he hoped the violence would stop so he could return to his work bringing together young people from areas controlled by rival gangs to play sports together.

European Union members have agreed to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies but some countries will have exemptions to avoid rationing, BBC reported.

EU members, locked in talks since the idea was suggested last week, have now agreed to voluntarily reduce 15% of gas use between August and March.

"This was not a Mission Impossible!", tweetedthe Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency.

However, the deal was watered down after previously not having exemptions.

The EU has said its aim from the deal is to make savings and store gas ahead of winter, warning that Russia is "continuously using energy supplies as a weapon".

The voluntary agreement would become mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels.

However, some countries not connected to the EU's gas pipe lines, such as Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, would be exempt from any mandatory gas reduction order as they would not be able to source alternative supplies.

Elsewhere the Baltic nations, which are not hooked up to the European electricity system and are heavily reliant on gas for electricity production are also exempt from compulsory targets in order to avoid the risk of an electricity supply crisis.

Countries can also ask to be exempt if they exceed gas storage filling targets, if they are heavily dependent on gas for "critical" industries, or if their gas consumption has increased by at least 8% in the past year compared to the average of the past five years.

Nathan Piper, an oil and gas analyst for Investec, said there is a "high political and economic price" as the EU looks to reduce its dependence on Russian gas - and that price was being reflected in the exemptions for members, which would likely reduce the impact of the measures, according to BBC.

But Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, said initial calculations indicated that even if all exemptions to ration were used, the EU as a whole would still reduce demand to a level "that would help us safely through an average winter".

She also outlined work to boost alternative gas supplies from countries including Azerbaijan, the United States, Canada, Norway, Egypt and Israel.

Ahead of the deal announcement, Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck said: "Of course there are a lot of compromises in this text now. This is how Europe works."

Mr Habeck said a "problem might occur" that all the exemptions cause "too much bureaucracy so that we are too slow in times of crisis", but he added the exemptions were "reasonable".

Hungary was the only member to oppose the deal, BBC reported.