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LaLiga, also known as the Primera Division, is Spain's top professional football league for men. It was founded in 1929 and is one of the oldest and most popular leagues in the world. The LaLiga season began in August and will conclude in May 2022. There are a total of 20 clubs competing in a Double Round-Robin format with each team playing 38 matches.

With the promotion and relegation system, a total of 380 league matches were played. One of the most intriguing facts about LaLiga is that the ‘El Clasico,' the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, is the most viewed sporting event in the world (650 million viewers). Some of the top teams of LaLiga are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and so on which is every famous club in European competition.

Dish Media Network Ltd. has obtained an exclusive broadcast right of LaLiga season 2021-22 for Nepal. Over 270 matches will be live telecasted on DishHome Action Sports HD2 in DishHome in DTH and OTT platform in course of 9 months spreading 38 footbal match weeks.

LaLiga will be exclusively broadcasted only on DishHome Action Sports HD2. It will be available for viewers on a “Season Ticket” scheme. The “Season Ticket” scheme will be available in DishHome DTH and OTT platforms. Customers can also enjoy LaLiga on SIM TV and Prabhu TV & OTT platforms.

Customers with DishHome can purchase season tickets to activate Action Sports HD2 by contacting customer support. Laliga is also available on the web and on the DishHome GO mobile app. Prabhu Pay is where you can get a DishHome Go Season Ticket. DishHome subscribers will have to pay Rs. 2000 for a Season ticket, while for non DishHome user Rs. 3000 for season ticket to activate LaLiga on DishHome OTT Platform. Along with all LaLiga matches, a LaLiga Season Ticket for the DishHome Go app gives you access to 69 TV channels and on-demand entertainment.

Nepal Teen Leaders, a group of teenagers, has performed a flash mob—‘Mahinawariko Mulya’—against the ‘luxury tax’ on mensturational products at Basantapur, Kathmandu on October 6. The street show included theme-related songs, dances, and drama.

“The one-hour program was successfully conducted as there were more spectators than we expected”, says Bishal KC, coordinator of the event.

Also read: What if… sanitary pads were made free?

Since the Nepali market has unofficially hiked the price of sanitary pads, different groups and activists are requesting the government to waive off the taxes on mensturational products.

Different other organizations—Career Point Education Pvt. Ltd., We Newars, Little Sisters Fund, Lions Club of Kathmandu Matribhumi, and Leo Club of Kathmandu Matribhum supported the event.

No surprise that the richest man in Nepal, Binod Chaudhary, finds himself in the company of 15 other Nepalis whose illegally stashed wealth abroad has been exposed. The Nepali Congress parliamentarian and the head of the Chaudhary Group (CG) likes to boast of his adeptness at using loopholes in Nepali laws to expand his business empire abroad. The latest exposé by the Washington DC-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) identifies CG and Golcha Organization, two of Nepal’s biggest conglomerates, as among the companies that have set up shells in international tax havens, apparently to launder money.

Chaudhary has built companies in the British Virgin Islands under his and family members’ names—his wife Sarika Devi, and three sons, Nirvana, Varun, and Rahul. Likewise, those related to Golcha Organization—chairman Lokmanya Golchha, his two brothers Mahendra Kumar Golchha and Diwakar Golchha, their cousin Chandra Kumar Golchha and Diwakar’s son Hitesh Golchha—set up similar companies in the BVI. Among other prominent names flagged by the ICIJ report are Ajeya Raj Sumargi Parajuli, Arjun Prasad Sharma, and Sudhir Mittal, all of whom have parked wealth outside the country by breaking Nepali laws.

Also read: Editorial: KP Oli’s misgivings

Despite such repeated exposures of their wrongdoing—before this, most famously in the 2016 Panama Papers—nothing happens. These ultra-rich businesspersons buy their way out of any kind of legal trouble. In the past decade, in particular, the influence of money in politics and even in the judiciary is getting pronounced. Members of the traditionally marginalized communities were supposed to be elected under the PR quota in national and regional parliaments yet many such seats are bought off by powerful businessmen, who invariably also finance the election campaigns of big political parties.

As Gerard Ryle, director of ICIJ, puts it: “The offshore world exacerbates poverty. It leads to inequality… there doesn’t seem to be a purpose to this system except to enrich some people.” This visible inequality fuels anger and resentment, which in turn offers the perfect platform for the rise of authoritarians. Such shameless wealth inequality, if left unaddressed, could well doom the nascent Nepali democracy.

Four years ago, when the poster of the ‘Rudane: Bidroha ko Nepali nam’ was made public, it was highly appreciated, not only because it would be a movie based on the life of Rup Chandra Bista, the promoter of the Thaha movement, but also because of actor Divyadev’s looks.

But the film got stuck for various reasons and could not start its shooting on time. Meanwhile, there were rumors that film production would not be completed. After four years, the film’s teaser has been made public, and like the poster, it has gotten a lot of attention. 

The movie is co-written and directed by Amit Kishor Subedi and Vikas Dhakal. Alongside Divyadev, Namrata Shrestha, Ravi Giri, Subhash Gajurel and Amar Subedi are in the lead roles.

As you enter the Kirtipur area, through the bustling streets, welcoming you is the majestic aroma of baked goodies of Eliz Chautari Cafe. Located under the chautari of Nayabazar, Kirtipur, this outdoor cafe is the perfect blend of a traditional Nepali hangout and good, affordable food.

Eliz Chautari Cafe has been in business for seven years and its lively spirit, delightful setting, and reasonable prices have won many hearts over time. It has unique recipes of baked goods and other food that stand out from most other eateries. From hot baked items with tea in the morning to a quiet evening bite of a luscious burger with friends, this cafe has it all. There is sufficient parking as well.  

Eliz Chautari Cafe

Chef’s Special Dishes:

Crispy Fried Chicken Burger
Brownies
Custard Bun 

Opening time: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Location: Nayabazar, Kathmandu 
Meal for two: 400
Phone pay: Yes
Pre-order: Yes

Leapfrog, an IT company based in the country, is conducting a survey to understand how tech professionals in Nepal are entering the world of technology, right from when they get their first computer.

“The goal is to figure out the shortcomings of academic courses in Nepal and how they lack in preparing the students for their career in real life,” says Kailash Bijayananda, CTO of Leapfrog Tech. Students of computer science, working professionals and under graduates in the subject, are requested to take part in this survey.

Click here for the survey form.

Nepal SBI Bank employees have accused the bank of misappropriating their funds in the name of social security.

The bank enrolled its employees with the Social Security Fund without their consent and deposited money in their name without their knowledge, an employee told ApEx requesting anonymity.

The bank pressed ahead with its decision to participate in the fund’s programs during the last month of previous fiscal year even as a petition filed by employees of various banks remains sub-judice.

Also read: Complaint against suspected insider trading

After the Supreme Court issued a stay on the case, the bank had agreed to refund the employees, but it didn’t do so, employees say.

Before the government rolled out the SSF, Nepal SBI employees participated in the Employees’ Provident Fund. But the bank has also stopped sending money to the fund.

The employees’ union has levelled other charges against the bank management as well. It has accused the bank of not maintaining accurate records of money sent to the Employees’ Provident Fund, not transferring employees working in rural areas to urban areas for a long time and cutting down on different perks to employees.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli feels aggrieved that the media does not do enough to rein in the excesses of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government. In a meeting with editors on September 28, he said the previous government he led had benefited from the media’s scrutiny. It is thus incumbent on the media to similarly hold the new government to account. He was particularly unhappy about the ‘little’ media coverage on the Deuba government’s undemocratic ordinance brought with the sole purpose of ‘splitting’ the UML party.

But the mainstream and even smaller media outlets have mostly condemned Deuba’s bypassing of the parliament in his introduction of an ordinance that made it easier for political parties to split. The common theme in these reported pieces and editorials is that the Deuba government appears no better than its error-prone predecessor. Post-1990, Nepali media have always been critical of the incumbent government, irrespective of the parties in power. And rightly so, as the rulers over the years have invariably trampled on democratic norms in the pursuit of personal goals.

Also read: Editorial: PM Deuba, missing in action

Frankly, given the excesses of the Oli government—including its disbanding of the parliament on dubious constitutional grounds, twice—Deuba’s mistakes seem benign by comparison. It’s common knowledge that Deuba as government head has many failings. But while people had high expectations of the two-thirds government Oli led, they expect little from Deuba. Doubts are already creeping in about whether Deuba can successfully conduct the three-tier elections, which was his only mandate.

Oli crying wolf at Deuba’s wrongdoings would have been more credible had his own government heeded the media’s voice. Whatever the opinion-makers and media houses said, PM Oli was determined to have his way. So rather than asking the media to do its job, Oli, as the leader of the main opposition, should play a more constructive role in ensuring that the parliament resumes its business and this government successfully conducts the elections. Dissolving the parliament now, which Oli seems intent on, would only invite more uncertainty, and make timely polls less, not more, likely.