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The main opposition CPN-UML has objected to US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, who is also the special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya’s visit to the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur.

Taking part in the discussion over the policy and programs of the government in the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the main opposition party leader and party Chairman KP Sharma Oli expressed his dissatisfaction for allowing the US Under Secretary of State to visit the Tibetan refugee camp.

She visited the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on May 21. Later that day she also went to Kathmandu’s Boudha, home to a large number of Tibetan refugees.

US Under Secretary of State Zeya was taken to the refugee camp with police escorting by security forces.

“This government does not care about the national interest. This government has violated Nepal's established norms by letting US official to visit Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal. This government has become weak,” he said.

Also Read: US engagement with Nepal’s Tibetan refugees infuriating China

“Who allowed the US official to visit the Tibetan refugee camp? Is this the neutrality and national independent foreign policy envisioned by the constitution?” he questioned.

He said that the government is not committed to the One-China policy.

“The government gets a fever when a foreigner comes to Nepal. How can sovereignty be protected?” he questioned.

Some political leaders, ex-diplomats, and bureaucrats criticized the government for allowing her to see Tibetan refugees, saying that it violated Nepal’s One-China policy.

Query

Sometimes I get sudden anxious fits, and lately this has been getting worse. When I remember that I have work to do and have no time to waste, I panic and remain frozen for hours. What should I do? -P.R. 

Answered by Dr Rishav Koirala, Psychiatrist and Researcher

From what you have mentioned in your question, it sounds like you are having episodes of anxiety that escalate into panic attacks, which explains you not being able to move from one place for hours. But this alone does not give the entire picture of the problem. It is necessary to consider various factors that can contribute to these episodes. 

It is essential to ask, “What other symptoms do you have?”, “When do you get these episodes?”, “How often does this occur?”, “What are the triggering factors?”, “What is your coping mechanism?” etc. 

Figuring all of this out will require an evaluation of your mental state and of other factors that might have contributed to these issues. 

We can give you a proper diagnosis only after we figure out answers to these questions through a rigorous evaluation. It is always important to find out the root cause. 

Once we have the diagnosis, we can proceed towards possible solutions, be it in the form of medication or psychological therapy. In the end, I would like to assure you that there is a solution for whatever you are going through right now.

For the time being, I suggest that you avoid caffeine and alcohol, and maintain a strict sleep cycle as well as a healthy lifestyle. Taking these steps may help you to an extent.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has claimed that his party can join the government anytime soon as it is a strong opposition.

Discussing the policy and programs recently unveiled by the government at the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said that the opposition party will always be in the government in waiting.

“UML is not just the government in waiting in principle, UML is the government in waiting in the real sense,” he said.

Chairman Oli made it clear that the UML was not a party that came to power after the multi-party system but a party that came from the struggle.

He accused the ruling coalition of misusing state mechanisms in the local level elections to defeat the UML.

Leader Oli said that the government’s foreign policy has become weak.

The party Chairman claimed that the policy and programs came as a manifesto of instability.

He claimed that this document was prepared by external forces to push the country towards crisis.

On May 23, American President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), with 13 majors of this region on board. Together, these countries represent 40% of world GDP.

 The countries joining IPEF are Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The 13 countries have invited participation from additional Indo-Pacific partners that share common goals, interests, and ambitions for the region. So, more countries are likely to join this initiative in the coming days.

In the past few years, America’s investment in this region is continuously increasing. U.S. foreign direct investment in the region totaled more than $969 billion in 2020 and has nearly doubled in the last decade.  A connected, resilient, clean, and fair economy is the key pillar of America’s new initiative. This is a new effort to engage in this region economically after the U.S withdrew from Trans-Pacific Partnership known as TPP.

The aim of the new framework is to contain China’s growing economic influence in the Indo-Pacific Region.  Soon after the inaugural, American Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that it marks an important turning point in restoring U.S. economic leadership in the region and presenting Indo-Pacific countries with alternatives to China’s approach to these critical issues.

India whose relationship with China remains strained after 2020 has fully backed the Biden’s initiative.  Speaking at the inaugural session, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is a declaration of our collective will to make the region an engine of global economic growth. He said there should be three main pillars of resilient supply chains: trust, transparency, and timeliness. Like another regional trade pact, the new one, however, does not provide any details.

China has strongly opposed IPEF saying that it is designed to advance US geopolitical strategy. In the name of cooperation, the framework seeks to exclude certain countries, establish US-led trade rules, restructure the system of industrial chains, and decouple regional countries with the Chinese economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on May 25. He further said: “The fact is, many countries in the region are worried about the huge cost of “decoupling” with China. People will see clearly that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is a design to disrupt regional cooperation and a tool to coerce regional countries.”

The new framework seeks to build high-standard, inclusive, free, and fair trade commitments. Further, it aims to develop new and creative approaches in trade and technology policy that advance a broad set of objectives that fuel economic activity and investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and benefit workers and consumers.

The framework has committed to promoting fair competition by enacting and enforcing effective and robust tax, anti-money laundering, and anti-bribery regimes in line with existing multilateral obligations, standards, and agreements to curb tax evasion and corruption in the Indo-Pacific region. This involves sharing expertise and seeking ways to support capacity building necessary to advance an accountable and transparent system. The framework also plans to advance regional economic connectivity and integration through consultations among partners.

Four persons died and 39 others were injured when a bus they were traveling in met with an accident at Sisne in Aathbis Municipality-2 of Dailekh on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Prem Sunar (32) and Kashiram Pandey (36) of Dullu Municipality-9, Dailekh, Gyan Bahadur Bam (35) and Dhankala Shahi (55) of Pantala Rural Municipality-3, Kalikot.

DSP Bhuwaneshwor Sah of the District Police Office, Dailekh said that the ill-fated bus (Ma 1 Kha 660) was heading towards Surkhet from Kalikot when the incident occurred last night.

The injured are undergoing treatment at the Karnali Pradesh Hospital in Surkhet.

There were 62 persons on board the bus when  the tragedy occurred.

Police said that the bus fell some 40 meters down the road into the Karnali River.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs to book a place in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, where they will face Rajasthan Royals, The Hindustan Times reported.

Chasing a 208-run chase, KL Rahul (79) and Deepak Hooda (45) kept Lucknow's hopes alive but they, perhaps, accelerated a bit too late and left too much for their finishers, as LSG fell short by 14 runs in the chase.

Harshal Patel (1/25) and Josh Hazlewood (3/43) were immense in the final two overs of the game, while Wanindu Hasaranga (1/42) took the important wicket of Hooda.

Earlier, Rajat Patidar scored a brilliant unbeaten century (112* off 55 balls) to take RCB's score to 207/4, according to The Hindustan Times.

Rahul had won the toss and opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Kolkata. The toss was delayed due to rain at the Eden Gardens, and the match began at 8:10 PM – being pushed by 40 minutes.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as Finance Minister of the debt-ridden country on May 25 by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, an official statement said, The Hindu reported.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, 73 was sworn in as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stability and National Policies.

The five-time Prime Minister was re-appointed to the job on May 12 following the political circus precipitated by the unprecedented economic crisis in the island’s history. He replaced Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned to make way for his brother’s plan to appoint an all-party interim government to handle the economic crisis.

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s office said during the two weeks he had been at the helm. He re-established the island’s foreign relations, took steps for constitutional reform with the draft of the 21 amendments to the constitution, ensured fuel supplies and has been making preparations for an interim budget, according to The Hindu.

Mr. Wickremesinghe with just his seat in the 225-member Assembly relies on all political parties to support him in his immediate task of reviving the ailing economy. Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy in mid-April saying it was unable to meet its international debt payments this year. 

President Rajapaksa on May 20 expanded the Cabinet to include nine Ministers, but did not appoint a Finance Minister. Ministers of a few portfolios including education, ports and shipping, health, justice, trade were sworn in. For the second time, on May 23, Mr. Rajapaksa expanded the Cabinet by inducting eight more Ministers but even this time he did not appoint a Finance Minister. The new Ministers inducted during the second time of the Cabinet expansion belong to the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and its allies — the SLFP and the EPDP, a Tamil minority party in the north, The Hindu reported.

Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman’s rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team, Associated Press reported.

“Go in there! Go in there!” nearby women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan Carranza, 24, who saw the scene from outside his house, across the street from Robb Elementary School in the close-knit town of Uvalde. Carranza said the officers did not go in.

Javier Cazares, whose fourth grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school when he heard about the shooting, arriving while police were still gathered outside the building.

Upset that police were not moving in, he raised the idea of charging into the school with several other bystanders.

“Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” he said. “More could have been done.”

“They were unprepared,” he added.

Minutes earlier, Carranza had watched as Salvador Ramos crashed his truck into a ditch outside the school, grabbed his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and shot at two people outside a nearby funeral home who ran away uninjured, according to Associated Press.

Officials say he “encountered” a school district security officer outside the school, though there were conflicting reports from authorities on whether the men exchanged gunfire. After running inside, he fired on two arriving Uvalde police officers who were outside the building, said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine. The police officers were injured.

After entering the school, Ramos charged into one classroom and began to kill.

He “barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers that were inside that classroom,” Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Department of Public Safety told CNN. “It just shows you the complete evil of the shooter.”

All those killed were in the same classroom, he said.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told reporters that 40 minutes to an hour elapsed from when Ramos opened fire on the school security officer to when the tactical team shot him, though a department spokesman said later that they could not give a solid estimate of how long the gunman was in the school or when he was killed, Associated Press reported.

“The bottom line is law enforcement was there,” McCraw said. “They did engage immediately. They did contain (Ramos) in the classroom.”

Meanwhile, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said the Border Patrol agents had trouble breaching the classroom door and had to get a staff member to open the room with a key. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.

Carranza said the officers should have entered the school sooner.

“There were more of them. There was just one of him,” he said.

Uvalde is a largely Latino town of some 16,000 people about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the Mexican border. Robb Elementary, which has nearly 600 students in second, third and fourth grades, is a single-story brick structure in a mostly residential neighborhood of modest homes.

Before attacking the school, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at the home they shared, authorities said.

Neighbor Gilbert Gallegos, 82, who lives across the street and has known the family for decades, said he was puttering in his yard when he heard the shots, according to Associated Press.

Ramos ran out the front door and across the small yard to the truck parked in front of the house. He seemed panicked, Gallegos said, and had trouble getting the truck out of park.