Submit your Article

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys working in a lively space infused with the smell of rich home-grown coffee, Kefi Deli is the place for you.

With a cozy lounge space embellished with warm wooden linings and a not-too-crowded balcony seating area, it offers a homely environment to tug at your creative strings. Kefi also serves healthy breakfast options, with both organic food and fresh juices on offer. Another of their specialities is that they produce their own coffee and serve vegan options in certain recipes.

There is sufficient parking for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. So still searching for a nice coffee shop to start your day or for a comfy space for evening hot chocolates? You might want to give Kefi Deli a go.

Kefi Deli

Chef’s Special Dishes:

Meatlovers Benedict
Peanut Butter Granola Smoothie Bowl
Kefi special Hot Chocolate

Opening time: 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM
Location: Kupondole height 
Meal for 2: 1,200
Card/Phone pay: Yes
Reservation: 9803472187

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) has raided the offices of Samanantar Nirman Sewa Pvt Ltd for alleged corruption in Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Teku building construction project, and tax evasion.

The move follows complaints filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), a constitutional body mandated to investigate corruption. 

On December 17, the DRI team confiscated all the documents related to the contract from its office located at Old Baneshwor.

Samanantar, a construction company, has been building government infrastructure for a long time. The company has been accused of getting large governmental contracts through its political nexus, particularly during the tenure of the erstwhile PM Oli. 

Also read: Dubious dealings at Sindhu Bikash Bank  

Currently, the company has almost Rs 13 billion worth of contracts related to government-owned buildings, including one worth Rs 5.87 billion for a new Supreme Court building.

Further, it has contracts from Nepal Police Club, Nepal Oil Corporation, Bhaktapur District Court, provincial ministries’ offices and quarters, Department of Roads, Nepal Rastra Bank, Metropolitan Police Office, and Office of Attorney General.

Besides the buildings, it also builds roads throughout the country. The recently built International Conference Center at Godawari was also the work of Samanantar. The center’s roofs had started leaking even before its inauguration. 

Company Chairman Achyut Kharel, however, has denied the charges. “We have VAT bills for each transaction. There was no need to confiscate our documents,” says Kharel.

Hanan Goder, Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, has said that media remains a prime ingredient of the discourse for preserving democracies, democratic inclusion, and democratic life.

Speaking at a program organized to mark the sixth anniversary of Media Action Nepal(MAN), a research-based media rights advocacy group, the Envoy said that Israel is very proud of what it has achieved in the last 73 years in the bilateral relation, Ambassador Goder added. Appreciating Nepal’s independent and inclusive media, he lauded Nepal’s press freedom.  The 6th anniversary was celebrated in Kathmandu on December 21 with a dialogue program on the foundations of independent and inclusive media.

Speaking at the same program, Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Murari Prasad Kharel, said that the state was not seen as liberal in granting freedom of the press even though it was mentioned in the constitution.

Chairperson of the National Women Commission Kamala Parajuli, said that the media sector was the carrier of inclusive social and gender transformation and that it should disseminate news in a fair and independent manner.

Chief Commissioner of the National Information Commission (NIC) Mahendra Man Gurung pointed out that a handful of journalists are exercising their right to seek information. He said that the media houses had failed to ensure the freedom of the press and inclusion guaranteed by the constitution of Nepal.

Laxman Datt Pant, MAN Chairperson stated that the organization has conducted various programs for the benefit of more than ten journalists since its inception. It has provided training and fellowships to more than 700 journalists since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

Career Point Education Services Pvt Ltd, in association with Texas College, Presidential Business School, and IIMS College, organized Career Fest 2021, third of its kind, on 21 December 2021 at Rastriya Sabha Griha. The annual one-day event was focused on connecting +2 graduated students with various colleges and national-international curriculums so that students can pursue their further studies in Nepal.  

The event consisted of two sessions—an educational expo and a seminar. 

The first session, educational expo was inaugurated by Nepali Congress leader Pradip Paudel. 

Similarly, the seminar was inaugurated by the former finance minister and vice-chairman of CPN (UML) Surendra Pandey. CEO of Nabil Bank Anil Keshary Shah, Miss Nepal 2019 Anushka Shrestha were the key speakers where comedian Subodh Gautam and singer Almoda Rana Uprety gave their performances. 

Agile Education, in collaboration with Leaps and Bonds, an initiation of LeapNetwork–a community run by Leapfrog Technology Inc–organized its first ever “Agile Education Meetup” on 18 December 2021. 

The Agile Education Program, powered by Scrum Inc, was launched to provide individuals and organizations with a clear path to implement Scrum in a way that delivers results. With a vision of leaving a positive, lasting impact in the world of technology, Scrum Inc. initiated the Agile Education Program to create high-quality Scrum training that aligns with the teachings of Dr Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum and signatory of the Agile Manifesto and also to partner with dedicated, experienced Scrum educators to deliver the training and course curriculum worldwide.

Around 25 participants comprising tech professionals and enthusiasts attended the meetup. 

Query

I am a 19-year-old female Bachelor’s-level student. I struggle with my looks. I’m never satisfied with my body and feel insecure about how I look. I constantly compare myself to people I see online. At times, it reaches a point where I feel like I’m worthless and it directly affects my self-esteem, making me less confident about everything I do. What do I do?  -S

Answer by Kapil Sharma, Counseling psychologist

You may be suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, which can be a result of certain childhood experiences, and that in turn can be amplified on social media.

At first, it is important to recognize what triggered your insecurity towards your body. For instance, it can be peer-bullying in school, unnecessary social judgment, relationship issues, emotional conflict during childhood, or something else. Those experiences can later be enhanced by the concept of the ‘perfect’ that we see in magazines and social media. The problem is that you start seeking validation inside that small small circle.

We need to focus on the root cause. What led you not to accept yourself and your body? At what point in your life did that happen? How did it affect you back then? How is it affecting you right now? Healing old wounds will be hard but it is what will help you recognize yourself and what your body and your mind needed back then, and what you can give it now to feel better about yourself.

Second, you are growing and you will soon be stepping into your early adulthood. Try educating yourself about the psychological process of getting through your struggle. Try to stay away from what makes you insecure and try to notice, over time, what difference it makes on how you feel. Make peace with what triggers you. Social media validation is an endless cycle and one way to get out of that cycle is to seek validation with yourself and only yourself.

Group therapy is another great option. Having a conversation with other people who go through similar feelings, listening to each other’s stories, can make things easier and contribute to self-love and acceptance.

Lastly, see a physician if you feel like it. Learn about your body, what it’s going through. If there is something you can do to make any of your health problems better, devote yourself to that. It will signal that you prioritize—and can take care of—yourself. 

If there is a mental health issue you struggle with, email it to us at [email protected]. We will get your query answered by a trained psychiatrist/psycho-social counselor in the upcoming issue.

Senior director Bimal Paudel announced his new sequel-film ‘The PremPooja 2’ in debut with Actor Safal Paudel and Alija Shrestha.

According to director Paudel, the movie will be shot in Dhorpatan, Nepal and Belgium, by next month.

Publishing the poster of the film on Tuesday, Paudel said that the film will try to restart the entire Nepali film industry from the pandemic crisis. “We aim to break the hazards of Nepali Film with new story and taste”, Paudel said at the press meet ceremony.

Paudel has proved himself a successful director by making movies like Kisan, Janayudhya, Nagarik, Pokharaki Kali, etc.

Along with Safal and Alija, Rajani KC, Subas Gajurel, Babi Roja Dhakal, Sabita Karki, Laxman Nepal, Dinesh Kunwor, Manisha KC will also be a part of acting. Meanwhile, Dayaram Dahal and Hari Bhusal will lead the music and song. Binaya Gautam will be the chief-assistant director and Mahendra Thapa as the cinematographer.

‘B company’ will produce the film, in presentation with ‘Caravan Nepal.’ ‘PremPooja’ was a very popular Nepali film during the 90s.

The main opposition CPN-UML’s continued obstruction of the federal lower house is unseemly. UML has been holding the house hostage since September, accusing Speaker Agni Sapkota of bias. UML has been demanding that Sapkota take action against its 14 renegade MPs who split to form CPN (Unified Socialist)—or resign. But Sapkota refused to do so after the Election Commission registered the new party, thus validating the split. Moreover, the case is sub judice in the Supreme Court.

Surely, UML lawmakers are aware that the house cannot take up a sub judice case. But that is a technical matter. More importantly, as representatives of one of the two oldest running democratic parties in the country, it is hard to believe they don’t understand the parliament’s sanctity. That disrupting this place for deliberation of vital national issues for months on end hampers governance and slows development works.

UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli is smarting from his ouster as prime minister back in July, when the Supreme Court invalidated his decision to dissolve parliament and ruled that Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba takes his place as prime minister. He wants to exact revenge on the ex-UML MPs whose support now underpins the Deuba government. It is sad to see a national leader of his stature get so petty, and impede deliberations in ‘people’s chamber’ for what is a personal agenda.

Also read: Editorial: What to expect of Deuba? 

Oli says he wants elections at the earliest and voters will vindicate his decision to dissolve the house and call for a fresh vote. If so, why are he and his party so hung up on settling personal scores through the parliament? Why don’t they rather help the government clear all hurdles to timely polls? The federal government, after all, is bound to hold all three levels of election within a year.

This suggests Oli is unsure of his electoral prospects. Or he would not try so desperately to besmirch the image of his opponents to make himself look good. To reclaim power, Oli and his party should be busy finalizing their electoral agenda rather than resorting to such undemocratic shenanigans.