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Jake Larson, a US Army veteran of World War II and beloved TikTok storyteller known as “Papa Jake,” has died at the age of 102, BBC reported.

Larson served in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, later gaining a large following by sharing his wartime memories on social media. He passed away peacefully on July 17, his granddaughter McKaela Larson confirmed, saying he was joking until the end.

Just weeks before his passing, Larson received an Emmy alongside journalist Christiane Amanpour for a D-Day anniversary interview, according to BBC.

Studies show one in five people are chronic procrastinators. We’ve done it at least once—putting off homework thinking there is sufficient time till the due date. This act of delaying work is called procrastination. While it might just feel like laziness, the science behind it is far more complicated.

Procrastination actually is a tug-of-war between two parts of the brain—the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system is the brain’s emotional center, responsible for immediate pleasure and avoiding discomfort. On the other hand, the prefrontal cortex handles planning, self-control, and logical thinking. In the game of tug-of-war which happens in our brain, the limbic system, which craves quick rewards, often wins out over the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for long term thinking. This is the reason why we end up binge-watching a show instead of studying for an exam despite knowing we’ll regret it later.

Physiologists explain that procrastination often occurs when the task feels boring or difficult. This gives rise to feelings of stress and self-doubt which we try to escape by avoiding the task itself. This is called emotional regulation failure, where we put off the task not because we can’t do it, but because we want to avoid the negative feelings associated with it. But, the longer we delay, the more anxious we become due to the guilt of avoiding the task. Stress makes this worse by weakening the prefrontal cortex which makes us likely to seek short-term relief rather than pushing ourselves through discomfort.

Research shows that procrastination may have once served as an evolutionary purpose. Our ancestors couldn’t have survived if they had prioritized long-term planning rather than immediate needs like finding food. But today, this completely backfires. Studies also reveal that chronic procrastinators often have less activity in the prefrontal cortex, making it harder to avoid distractions.

The good news is that we can overcome procrastination with the help of some simple science-based techniques. One effective strategy is using the “five-minute rule”—committing to a work for the five minutes—which helps to break the initial resistance that makes you procrastinate. Another approach is by making the task more rewarding—for example, imagining the relief after you finish the work. But these techniques can be difficult due to distractions. You can try turning off notifications or making your device’s screen black and white which will lower your temptations preventing you from getting distracted.

In conclusion, procrastination isn’t just poor time management—it’s a battle between emotions and reasoning. We can be more self-aware and prevent procrastinating by understating the science behind it. By recognizing why we delay and experimenting with science-based techniques, we can take control of our time and prevent last-minute stress.

Divya Prakash Sah

Kathmandu Model College, Bagbazar

Growing up, I thought “agriculture” meant two things: mud on your slippers and the smell of fresh cow dung. The word alone evoked green fields, earthy scents, and the image of a farmer wiping sweat with pride under the sun. We were told it’s our culture, our dignity, our roots. But no one ever said it could be our career. Our future. Our innovation. Our enterprise.

And if we keep treating it as a sentimental artifact instead of a strategic powerhouse, we’ll keep losing both crops and common sense. When I tell people I study agriculture, I often get two reactions. One: “Oh... so you didn’t get into MBBS?” Two: “Who studies agriculture for four years just to become a full time dung manager?”

I smile politely. But let’s be honest, it’s frustrating. See, if someone wants to be a doctor, they study medicine. You want to be a bank manager? You take finance. A food technologist? You go to food tech. But agriculture? Somehow, that’s everyone’s Plan B. The backup of all backup plans. The “If nothing works I’ll just do farming” mindset. And the very thing we depend on every single day, for our food, economy, and festivals is the one thing we prepare for the least.

And young people, they’re running away from it like it’s contagious. Every year, thousands migrate abroad chasing jobs, because they see no future in farming. Not because agriculture is broken but because we’ve failed to make it aspirational. We've told them farming is for those who had “no better option,” not those with big ideas. So instead of staying to transform it, they leave. And the fields they leave behind grow emptier with crops, hope, and innovation all drying up together. We still frame agriculture as a poor man’s job. Something to escape from. We don’t encourage curiosity, creativity, or ambition in this field.

When we say “agriculture is our culture,” it often becomes an excuse to keep things traditionally stuck in time, manually driven, and underfunded. I’ve seen farmers invest years of hard labor, only to watch their harvest rot in the sun for lack of cold storage. I’ve watched relatives plant the same crop season after season because “that’s what we’ve always done” even as market prices crash. No data. No diversification. No business model. Because no one told them farming also needs a strategy.

Meanwhile, other countries are turning agriculture into high-performing industries powered by data, AI, satellite imaging, and precision irrigation. They’re building vertical farms, investing in cold chains, weather forecasting, and market access. Look at Israel, a desert nation, or the Netherlands, a country with limited land; both have transformed their agricultural sectors into export powerhouses through strategic investment and innovation.

We forget that agriculture isn’t just soil and seeds. It’s a multi-layered game of politics, economics, science, and survival. And sadly, we’re still playing it barefoot while the rest of the world shows up in boots, drones, and data dashboards. Agriculture employs around 60 percent of Nepal’s population, yet contributes only 25 percent to our GDP. You see the mismatch? It’s like sending the whole village to build a bridge without giving them a blueprint or tools. Everyone’s working, sweating, committed… but the bridge still collapses.

We’re working hard but not necessarily smart. Think of agriculture not as a field to work on, but as a battlefield of ideas, innovation, and policy. Countries that treat agri as strategy are building food independence, export empires, and tech-driven supply chains. Meanwhile, countries that treat it like folklore are even importing garlic. And one more thing, climate change doesn’t care about your culture. Neither do pests, nor market volatility.

They respond to strategy. If your strategy is tradition alone, you’re not farming. You’re gambling. Agriculture is culture, yes. But that’s only half the story. The other half is power. Food is power. Land is power. And whoever controls it not just physically but strategically writes the next chapter of national development. It’s time to shift our mindset from sentiment to strategy, from preservation to progress. It’s a call to policymakers, educators, and young change makers to see our fields not as fading traditions, but as the foundation of a new future.

Culture makes us proud. Strategy makes us unstoppable. And between pride and progress, I’d like to have both, please with a side of sustainability.

Reetu Shrestha

BSc Agriculture Student, IAAS Lamjung, TU

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged the general public to refrain from non-essential travel and stay in safe areas.

His appeal comes amidst the Weather Forecasting Division’s prediction of heavy and widespread rainfall across the country while directing the security personnel to remain on alert.

He also urged the concerned authorities of the federal, provincial and local governments to remain active in minimizing the damage caused by potential disasters including floods, landslides and inundation.

Taking to social media, Prime Minister Oli said, “The Meteorological Forecasting Division has predicted heavy rain in various parts of the country this afternoon. He urged the people to stay informed through updates from the security agencies to take necessary precautions to avoid monsoon-induced disasters. I would like to request all to avoid unnecessary travel and direct the security agencies to remain on alert.”

Earlier, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority had urged the people to be cautious, saying that there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in various parts of the country from July 19-21.  

The UK Ministry of Defence has said it will not compensate thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked in 2022 but who were not evacuated. Over 19,000 names were exposed, sparking fears of Taliban retribution, according to BBC.

An independent review found it unlikely that being on the leaked list alone would make someone a target. Defence Secretary John Healey has since lifted a super-injunction that had kept the breach confidential.

Law firm Barings Law is preparing legal action on behalf of over 1,000 affected Afghans. One former UK military worker, now in Britain, said his family—still in Afghanistan—remains in hiding and urged the government to prioritise their relocation.

More than 16,000 people were deemed at risk from the leak. The UK has spent £400m on Afghan resettlement so far, with total costs expected to rise to £6bn, BBC reported.

New Zealand and Canada have resolved a dairy trade dispute under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), with the deal expected to boost New Zealand’s dairy exports by up to NZ$157m (US$93.8m) annually, according to Xinhua.

The dispute began in 2022 over Canada’s import restrictions, which a dispute panel found breached CPTPP rules. Canada agreed to revise its dairy quota system after New Zealand threatened tariffs in 2024.

The new arrangement improves market access, allows reallocation of unused quotas, and introduces penalties for misuse. New Zealand’s Trade Minister Todd McClay said the outcome reinforces fair trade and welcomed Canada’s cooperation, Xinhua reported.

At least 20 people were injured, some critically, after a vehicle struck a crowd outside a music venue on West Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood early Saturday.

The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. near the Vermont nightclub. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, four to five victims are in critical condition, while others sustained moderate to minor injuries, BBC reported.

Footage from the scene showed debris and the wreckage of a grey car scattered across the road, as emergency crews responded swiftly. The vehicle involved has not yet been identified.

Netflix has used generative AI to create visual effects in its Argentine sci-fi series The Eternaut — a first for the streaming platform. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the technology helped produce a building collapse scene in Buenos Aires, completing it ten times faster and at lower cost than traditional methods, BBC reported.

Sarandos noted that such effects would have been too costly for the show’s budget without AI. While the results were praised by the creators, the use of AI remains controversial in the industry due to concerns over job security and creative ownership.

Netflix also reported a 16 percent rise in quarterly revenue to $11bn, boosted by the final season of Squid Game, which has drawn 122m views, according to BBC.

Industry voices acknowledge AI’s growing role in visual effects, especially for smaller studios, but stress that creative control still lies with the artists.