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Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) has released an in-depth analysis paper on the government’s proposed ‘Social Media (Usage and Regulation) Bill 2080’. The paper, which critiques and provides recommendations based on Nepal’s constitution, international human rights laws, and expert consultations, was formally presented on Oct 6 to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, by Santosh Sigdel, the Executive Director of Digital Rights Nepal.

During the handover ceremony, Secretary of the Ministry, Radhika Aryal, expressed that the analysis paper will be instrumental in finalizing the bill. The bill, organized into eight chapters and 64 sections, outlines provisions for establishing a Social Media Management Council and Center, registering platforms, and enforcing penalties for prohibited activities.

The analysis specifically scrutinizes vague prohibitive clauses on social media content, criminal defamation provisions, mandatory platform registration, and regulations on content removal. Additionally, it raises concerns about the criminalization of anonymous or pseudonymous identities, stressing the need to protect freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.

Sigdel emphasized that the Supreme Court recently instructed the government to draft laws on social media regulation, and the analysis paper offers valuable insights for developing rights-based and effective legislation. The full text of the analysis is available on the Digital Rights Nepal website.

Sowinska Agnieszka (23) from Poland died while trekking around the Suryakunda area, the border of Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts last night.

According to the Rasuwa District Police Office Chief Keshab Bhattarai, Agnieszka with passport number 'FE 3051811' died and her body was retrieved with the help of the Nepal Army Shreenath Battalion and the Nepal Police and brought to Gosaikunda before sending it to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) Maharajgunj on a helicopter for post-mortem examination.

The postmortem report is awaited to determine the cause of the death which may be due to altitude sickness or other factors, it has been learnt.

Firms with foreign direct investment repatriated Rs 10.07bn in fiscal year 2023/24. This represents a decline of 27.23 percent compared to fiscal year 2021/22, when foreign investors repatriated Rs 13.84bn.

According to Foreign Investment in Nepal-2024, published by the Department of Industry (DoI), 86.7 percent of the dividend in 2023/24, or Rs 9.34bn, was repatriated by investors in the manufacturing sector. Twenty manufacturing industries with FDI repatriated dividends during the year. Likewise, foreign investors in eight energy sector companies took home Rs 367.6m.

The report states that the number of manufacturing industries repatriating dividends reached 43, up from 41 in the previous fiscal year. Since a lion's share of FDI in Nepal is in the manufacturing sector, it tops the list of sectors in terms of dividend repatriation.

Eight service sector industries and five tourism firms reported Rs 277.91m and Rs 55.45m in dividends in the review year. In 2022/23, ten service firms repatriated Rs 1.12bn, while six tourism firms sent back Rs 81.34m.

Firms in the infrastructure and mineral sectors did not make any dividend repatriations this year, according to the report. In 2022/23, one infrastructure firm had repatriated Rs 19.89m.

The report states that agricultural firms have repatriated dividends for the first time in three years. Rijal Tashi Industries, which has FDI from Bhutan, repatriated Rs 25m in 2023/24.

Dividend repatriation by investors in the IT sector fell significantly to Rs 9.3m in the current fiscal year.

In fiscal year 2022/23, investors in the manufacturing sector repatriated Rs 8.80bn, followed by the ICT sector, with Rs 3.67bn in dividends repatriated.

In FY 2021/22, foreign investors repatriated Rs 13.68bn in dividends. Manufacturing sector investors took back Rs 8.63bn that year, while those in the ICT sector repatriated Rs 4.80bn. During the year, 38 firms with foreign investment repatriated dividends, according to the report.

Dabur Nepal and Unilever are among the manufacturing companies that repatriated high dividends during fiscal year 2023/24. Asian Paints, Berger, and KNP Nerolac also repatriated significant dividends during the review year, according to an official from the DoI.

Likewise, firms sent abroad Rs 2.79bn in royalties in the first eight months of fiscal year 2023/24. According to the report, 115 manufacturing firms sent Rs 2.47bn, followed by tourism and energy-based firms, which sent Rs 129.97m and Rs 123.18m, respectively.

Dashain is synonymous with food, lots and lots of food. Everywhere you go, you are offered tasty delicacies that you might not be able to say no to. It’s not unusual for most of us to gain weight during festival time, followed by an urgent need to go on a strict diet when the festivities are over. But do we really need to put ourselves through the ordeal yet again? Isn’t there anything we can do to ensure we don’t let ourselves go overboard and eat mindfully during Dashain this year? Don’t fret. We bring to you some simple ways you can be kinder to yourself and your gut this festive season.

Drink water

It’s important to stay hydrated, especially during festival times when everywhere you go, you will be offered juices, sodas, teas, etc. It’s a good idea to drink a few glasses of water as soon as you wake up and carry a bottle around with you. This way you will not be tempted to reach for sugary drinks when you get thirsty. If plain water is too boring, add some lemon or cucumber slices and make your own infused water. A dash of rock salt with some lemon squeezed in will also lend a nice flavor to plain water. 

Set a daily quota

Don’t go around eating everything you are offered everywhere you go. Set a daily limit for sweets, meat, and other Dashain treats. For instance, tell yourself that you only get to have one laddu or peda each day, then choose when you want to have that, and say no to them after you have had your daily dose. This is also a great way to exercise some discipline and make sure you don’t end up gorging on unhealthy things. But you also won’t have to completely deprive yourself during a time when everyone around you seems to be eating to their heart’s content. 

Have a light meal before you go

One of the biggest mistakes we make during festival time is starving ourselves and then stuffing ourselves when we get to the party or get-together venue. This way we often end up overeating or munching on random snacks to fill us up. Consider having a light meal before you head out. It could be some fruits and yogurt, or eggs on toast—just something that won’t make you extremely hungry and thus less likely to serve yourself huge portions when it’s finally time for lunch or dinner. 

Don’t skip exercise

As we rush from chore to chore and house to house, our daily routines and rituals go for a toss. We end up compromising on our wellness routines like meditation and exercise to be able to squeeze in all the obligations that the festival demands from us. However, it’s best not to skip your regular ritual as these instill a sense of discipline in your days. You are more likely to be mindful of what you eat when you are exercising and taking care of yourself. 

With data confirming the worst ecological crisis facing coral reefs, amidst the ongoing fourth and most extensive coral bleaching event on record, an emergency special session has been called for October 30 on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Cali, Colombia.

The session will address the unfolding crisis and call for bolder actions and strategies before irreversible damage occurs—threatening over a billion people and more than quarter of marine life worldwide. This affects all the coral countries, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Special emergency sessions on non-humanitarian issues are rare, highlighting the severity of the situation. As of late August, more than 75 percent of coral reefs worldwide are affected, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).

The third global coral bleaching event (2014-2017) was previously considered the longest, most widespread, and most damaging on record, affecting 65.7 percent of the world’s coral reefs.

Led by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson, the session will discuss the rapidly escalating threats to coral reefs, coastal communities, and marine life that depend on these vital ecosystems.

“I am deeply concerned about the ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event, the most extensive on record, affecting over 75 percent of coral reefs worldwide,” said Ambassador Peter Thomson. “Healthy coral reefs are crucial for the well-being of 25 percent of all marine life and over a billion people, including vulnerable coastal communities. These ecosystems provide essential services like food security, coastal protection, and livelihoods. Yet, they are on the brink of collapse.”

While corals can survive bleaching events, stress and impacts increase mortality risks and reduce reproductive rates. However, scientific studies show that interventions addressing local threats can support resilience and recovery. With the window for protecting these ecosystems rapidly closing, scaling up integrated strategies to support resilience and avert ecosystem collapse is critical.

The availability of financing remains a major constraint in bolstering resilience of the remaining reefs.

“Without transforming coastal economies through a blend of grant and impact investments, even the most resilient coral reefs risk dying out,” said Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, UNCDF’s Executive Secretary. “Public financing and aid alone will not be enough to create sustainable financial mechanisms to catalyze the shift of coastal economies towards nature-positive models. We are championing innovative financial mechanisms through the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) to de-risk investment opportunities for the private sector, leveraging public and philanthropic capital.”

Representatives from coral states, leaders in coral reef action, renowned scientists, and representatives from the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and GFCR will take the stage during the COP16 Emergency Special Session on Coral Reefs. The session will deliberate clear action points, integrated strategies, and scalable resilience initiatives offering the best chances of thwarting functional extinction, including efforts to protect climate refugia. The session will also outline critical paths and urgent calls to action for public and private leaders to scale up transformative conservation actions to prevent the functional extinction of coral reefs.

Novelist Suman Barsha’s story collection ‘Abhyantar’ was launched on Thursday at a program held at the Parijat Hall of the Nepal Academy. The event featured prominent guests including chief guest Abhi Subedi, Gyanu Pandey, Nayanraj Pandey, Jagat Timilsina, Binod Chandra Pant, and Pushpraj Poudel.

Chief guest Subedi discussed Barsha’s storytelling, highlighting its uniqueness and her commendable efforts to introduce new themes. While Barsha, who teaches English, has stories that may seem simple at first glance, they exhibit influences from Western storytelling. Subedi noted that her collection stands out due to its inclusion of social issues, science fiction, environmental themes, and robotic tales, and added that Barsha has written some stories from different perspectives and styles, demonstrating a high degree of authorial freedom.

Similarly, in her remarks, Pandey pointed out that Barsha’s stories portray the realities of society by addressing various societal issues. She mentioned that Barsha’s collection provides a good depiction of society, stating, “Writers are the psychotherapists of society. They expose the inner wounds of society through literature and show paths for healing.”

Another speaker, Pandey, shared his reading reflections on Barsha’s collection, mentioning that some of her stories present diverse themes and styles. He described her as a courageous storyteller who effortlessly depicts various subjects and narratives in her works.

Other guests, including Jagat Timilsina, Binod Chandra Pant, and Somika Basnet, also shared their thoughts. Barsha, in her authorial remarks, discussed the inspirations and influences behind the stories in her collection. The two-hour program was chaired by Pushpraj Poudel, the Founder of Shikha Books, and was conducted by writer Ranjana Niroula.

Previously, Shikha Books had published Barsha’s novel ‘Antatah Yantrana’.

In honor of World Cleanup Day on Sept 20 and World River Day on Sept 21, communities across Nepal participated in a week-long River Cleanup Campaign. This initiative, aimed at tackling river pollution, saw local residents, youth groups, and prominent figures come together to promote environmental awareness. Major cleanup efforts took place in areas including Lalitpur, Hetauda, Bharatpur, Ichchakamana, and Gajuri.

The campaign came at a critical time as recent floods caused by the overflowing Bagmati River on Sept 28 and 29 left behind significant debris and plastic waste along the riverbanks. The floodwaters, which also resulted in the tragic loss of over 236 lives, including 40 fatalities in Lalitpur, exposed the growing issue of plastic pollution in Nepal's rivers. Similar scenes were observed in Saptakoshi, where plastic bottles clogged the dam.

Throughout the cleanup campaign, over 1,500 kg of waste was collected. Lalitpur led the efforts with 900 kg removed by 74 volunteers, while other cities, including Hetauda, Bharatpur, and Gajuri, also contributed significantly to the campaign. The involvement of local leaders, such as Lalitpur's Deputy Mayor, Manjali Shakya Bajracharya, highlighted the importance of community participation in these efforts.

The initiative also focused on youth empowerment through the VFC (Volunteer for Change) Youth Cohort program, a project by CREASION that promotes plastic waste collection and recycling. Twelve young leaders were selected from 187 applicants to spearhead local advocacy efforts, with grants supporting their activities to create lasting environmental change.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak today visited the Roshi Bazaar area in Kalanti Bhumidanda of Panauti Municipality-12 and Partikharka, Salandubagar and Chalal Ganeshthan of Bethanchowk Rural Municipality-4 in Kavrepalanchowk.

The areas were severely affected by the recent flooding and landslides.

During the visit, he interacted with the locals who survived the devastating flood from the Roshi River.

Panauti Municipality Mayor Ram Sharan Bhandari briefed the minister about the losses from the disaster, its consequences on people's lives including food and health needs, and the local government's efforts to address the post-disaster situation.

Similarly, at Bethanchowk, Rural Municipality Chair Bhagawan Adhikari updated the minister about the adversity the locals are enduring after the disasters and the measures implemented by the local government to address the situation. He said search, rescue, food supplies, health services, and transport facilities are the priorities of the local government in the wake of the disasters.

He is scheduled to attend a meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee today itself and visit the Chaukidanda in Namobuddha Municipality and the Katunje section of Roshi Rural Municipality along the BP Highway to assess the disaster losses.