Submit your Article

At least 17 persons were injured when a bus they were travelling in met with an accident in Kavre on Tuesday.

The District Police Office, Kavre informed that the bus (Pradesh 3, 001-005 Kha 9942) belonging to Araniko Travels was heading towards Okhaldhunga from Kathmandu when the incident occurred at Shardha Batase in Dhulikhel-10 along the BP Highway this morning.

The injured are undergoing treatment at the Dhulikhel Hospital.

There were 24 persons on board the ill-fated bus.

Police said that the driver and assistant driver are in critical condition.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 500 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 171, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 170, 800 per tola on Monday.

The price of silver, however, has dropped by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 870 per tola today.

The recent inclusion of Nepal in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘gray list’ presents both immediate challenges and opportunities for systemic reform for Nepal. The FATF Plenary that concluded in Paris on Friday decided to include Nepal and Laos on the list. This follows the Asia Pacific Group's mutual evaluation report which identified significant deficiencies in Nepal's anti-money laundering framework.
“In Feb 2023, Nepal made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and Asia Pacific Group (APG) to strengthen the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime,” the FATF said. “Since the adoption of its mutual evaluation report in Aug 2023, Nepal has made progress on some of the actions recommended in the report, including streamlining mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests and increasing the capabilities of the Financial Information Unit (FIU).”

The APG’s third mutual evaluation report of 2023 had highlighted various weaknesses in Nepal’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing controls. FATF has been evaluating the status of any country in controlling money laundering and terrorism financing based on 11 effectiveness indicators and 40 technical indicators. FATF has concluded that Nepal has not been able to demonstrate full effectiveness in any of the 11 prescribed effectiveness standards. According to APG’s latest report, Nepal has not been able to achieve full or substantial progress in any of these 11 indicators.
The gray-listing could have far-reaching implications for Nepal’s economy. International financial institutions now onwards are likely to implement enhanced due diligence measures for transactions involving Nepali entities. This can affect trade financing and remittance flows which are  very crucial components of Nepal’s economy. Likewise, the country might face increased transaction costs and delayed processing times for international transfers. More importantly, this could deter foreign investment at a time when the country is seeking to attract international capital for its development projects. The increased perception of risk could lead to higher borrowing costs and more stringent lending conditions in international markets.
The FATF, however, has provided Nepal with a clear, albeit challenging, pathway to exit the gray list by Jan 2027. The seven-point action plan encompasses comprehensive reforms, from enhancing public awareness about money laundering risks to strengthening technical compliance in preventing terrorism financing, improving risk-based supervision of commercial banks, higher risk cooperatives, casinos, dealers in precious metals and stones and the real estate sector, and demonstrating identification and sanctioning of hundi operators.
Suman Dahal, the director general of the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, says Nepal has already begun addressing these challenges. “Instead of getting entangled in many small financial crimes, we will now focus on major crimes. We will work by setting thresholds for this purpose," he added.
The focus appears to be on three critical areas: improving investigative capacity, increasing prosecutions of financial crimes and enhancing asset seizure mechanisms. One noteworthy intervention is the preparation to implement new technological solutions, including KYC software and integrated data management systems. These technological upgrades, if successfully implemented, could significantly improve Nepal’s ability to monitor and prevent financial crimes.
The success of Nepal’s efforts will largely depend on its ability to translate plans into action. The country’s previous experience with the gray list (2010-2014) should provide valuable lessons for implementing sustainable reforms rather than quick fixes.
The real measure of success will not merely be exiting the grey list but establishing a robust, transparent financial system that can effectively prevent and combat financial crimes. This could position Nepal as a more attractive destination for international investment and trade in the long term.

The second Central Committee meeting of the CPN (Unified Socialist) has demanded the government increase investment in industrial development so that the national economy would be made sustainable and employment-oriented.

During a press conference organized to make public the decision of the Central Committee meeting on Monday, General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal expressed worry over the exodus of youths. He urged the government to preserve agricultural practices and boost industrial development to retain youths within the country.

The government is further suggested to improve people's livelihood, create jobs and run income generating programs. General Secretary Bhusal said his party was for immediate action against those involved in frauds related to loan sharking, cooperatives and online service. The party also decided to go to people to collect their views on the current political situation.

Moreover, the CPN (Unified Socialist) drew the government's attention towards the death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Odisha, India. The party expressed tribute to the departed student and demanded the government to make adequate efforts to ensure a fear-free atmosphere for the Nepali students at KIIT and bring to book the culprit.

Other issues the opposition party raised were- need of intensifying reconstruction of houses for Jajarkot earthquake victims, reconstruction of the BP Highway which was damaged in several places in the rains occurred before Dashain, and the discussion with experts on the bills relating to school education and civil service.

The second full meeting of the Central Committee held on February 21-22 witnessed the presence of 298 committee members. The event passed a political report, party's regulation, by-regulation and directives. The leaders dwelt on review of party general convention, immediate action plan and the organizational and political issues.

The Nepali Embassy in Bangkok has requested the foreign job aspirants to receive labor permits from the government before leaving the country for jobs.

The Embassy informed that the rescue of the Nepalis stranded in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand had been difficult due to not having labor permits with those involved in various works.

Recently, the Nepali Embassy in Thailand rescued some Nepalis forced to work in online scamming. They returned to Nepal on Monday.

They were set free from Myawaddy, a town in the southeastern belt of Myanmar.

The Nepali mission has further requested everyone willing to have foreign jobs not to be lured by hefty income but carry verified document, including work permits.

The filming of ‘Pahad’, directed by veteran filmmaker Tulsi Ghimire, has resumed after being temporarily halted due to his health issues. The shooting, which began on Feb 4 with a formal inauguration, was paused from the second day following Ghimire’s illness. After his recovery, the production resumed on Feb 21 in Gorkha as per the pre-planned schedule.

According to Ghimire, who is also the writer of the film, ‘Pahad’ portrays the harsh realities of depopulated mountain regions due to youth migration, along with the social and economic consequences it brings. “The film captures the story of uninhabited highlands, depicting our responsibilities and the country’s needs. We have carefully selected actors to align with the theme, and I am excited to work with talents from both the old and new generations,” he said.

Now back on set, Ghimire expressed his enthusiasm for the project with renewed energy. The film is produced by Ojaswi KC, while Pramod Pradhan handles cinematography. Pradhan, who has previously worked on films, web series, and television productions in India, collaborated with Ghimire in Anyaya, Koseli, Chino, and Dakshina. After 30 years, Pradhan has returned to Nepal for this film project.

The filming schedule includes 25 days in Gorkha and surrounding areas, followed by 15 days in India, according to Ghimire. Under the Bhagyaratna Films banner, the movie features a star-studded cast, including Bipin Karki, Sunil Thapa, Madan Krishna Shrestha, Renunath Yogi, Arun Kshetri, Ravindra Singh Baniya, and Salona Bajracharya.

A special highlight of ‘Pahad’ is the debut of Panchami Ghimire, the director’s youngest daughter, in a lead acting role. Additionally, his eldest daughter, Bhavana Ghimire, serves as the film’s production designer.

The movie’s technical team includes Ranjit Gazmer as the music director and Bharati Ghimire as the creative director. Rimpoche Lama Thing and Suresh Lama Thing are co-producers, while the film’s Nepal distribution will be handled by Venkatesh Entertainment, and Seven Seas International Films will manage its international release. Royal Bhimsen and Trident Concept are responsible for publicity design.

Following his last directorial venture, Darpan Chhaya 2, Ghimire had taken a brief hiatus from filmmaking. ‘Pahad’ marks his much-awaited comeback as a director.

Bhawana Music Solution has premiered a new Lok Dohori song, ‘Mero Yaad Aaunnara’, capturing the essence of love and longing. Released on Feb 14, the song has already garnered around 200,000 views.

The song, featuring vocals by Samikshya Adhikari and Arjun Sapkota, is penned by Bimal Adhikari and composed by Arjun Sapkota. The music arrangement is done by Kamal Saurag, with Kumar Rana handling the mixing and mastering.

Directed by Bimal Adhikari, the music video stars Bimal Adhikari, Anu Bhandari, Ramesh Adhikari, Sanjeev Bishwokarma, and Adhinayak Man Serchan. Cinematography is done by Rajesh Ghimire, while Shiva Paudel takes charge of editing and color grading. Produced under Bhawana Music Films, the song is available on Bhawana Music Solution’s official YouTube channel.

Director General of Commerce Department of Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, Chen Jung, and Consul General of Nepal in Lhasa, Laxmi Prasad Niraula, held a meeting today at latter's office.

During the meeting, they discussed various issues including relations between the two countries as well as business, commerce, transit, trade fair and trade facilitation committee meetings, according to the Consulate General of Nepal, in Lhasa.

Stating that the two countries have historic relations, Consul General Niraula extended gratitude for China's continuous support to Nepal.

He expressed the belief that Nepal will get such type of support in the days to come as well.

Lauding the role played by the Consulate General of Nepal to strengthen relations between the two countries, Director General Chen said China was always ready to support in strengthening relations between the two countries and in Nepal's development.

In the meeting, both sides agreed to further strengthen Nepal-China trade, commerce and transit sector as well as to take initiatives to export Nepal's agro products to China.

Similarly, commitments were made to take initiatives to resolve problems seen in checkpoints, developing physical infrastructures there, exchanging visits, participating trade fairs and festivals to be organized in both countries and moving ahead in a coordinative manner for people's welfare, added the Consulate General of Nepal.