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Two persons died after being swept away by a swollen river in Rukum West on Sunday.

Local Rama river swept away Sarjan Pun (50) of Musikot-4 and Nirmala KC Thapa (32) of Musikot-5 while they were on the way to Kanewang from Sankha village on a motorcycle (Ra 6 Pa 2961).

According to Inspector Bakhat Bahadur Shahi, Information Officer at the District Police Office,Rukum, police were informed about the incident only this morning.

The body of the woman was retrieved some 300 meters downstream while that of the man was found some 20 meters downstream and trapped in the motorcycle.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 152, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 152, 100 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,755 per tola.

Newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Ashok Raj Sigdel was conferred insignia on Monday.

President Ram Chandra Paudel conferred the insignia on Sigdel amidst a program organized in Sheetal Niwas this morning.

President Paudel also administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed Nepal Army Chief Sigdel.

There is a constitutional provision that the President is the supreme commander of the Nepal Army.

President Paudel on August 28 appointed Sigdel to the post, effective September 9.

Vice President Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Speaker Devraj Ghimire and National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Dahal among others were present on the occasion.

The third edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival concluded on Sunday at Hotel Himalaya in Lalitpur. The two-day event, themed “Nepal: The Gateway to Asian Art, Culture, and Literature,” featured over 50 sessions and ended on a high note, with the announcement that the fourth edition will be held on 13-14 Sept 2025.

During the event, legendary poet Dr. Bhuwan Dhungana was honored with the Yashaswi Sahitya Samman and Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, Sanjeev Sanyal, and Achyuta Samanta were honored with the Yashaswi Samman. Additionally, the Yashaswi Book Award 2081 was presented to six books across five categories. 

The awardees include Devvrat for his poetry collection ‘Aswasthamako Nidharbata Bagmati Bagchha’; Muna Chaudhary for her fiction ‘Laar’; and Momila Joshi for her non-fiction work ‘Prashnaharu Ta Baki Nai Rahanchhan’, an award she shares with Arun Gupta for ‘Sanskriti Chintan’. Additionally, Rohini Rana’s ‘The Nepal Cook Book’ (English) and Yagyaraj Upadhyay’s research work ‘Kali-Karnaliko Lok Sahitya Tatha Sanskriti’ were also recognized. Each recipient received a prize of Rs 20,000 along with the award.

The festival brought together over 300 writers from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian nations, fostering a rich exchange of literary and cultural traditions. “It was a grand celebration of literature, art, music, and culture, further strengthening Nepal’s role as a central hub for Asian cultural dialogues,” says the organization.

At the Festival, during the session titled ‘Life Dedicated to Nepalese Films,’ Rajesh Hamal, in conversation with Rupesh Shrestha, dismissed the notion that the Nepali film industry is stuck. “The Nepali movie industry is in its own moment, and when something is in the moment, there will, of course, be challenges ahead,” he said. “Some people may like the journey, others may not, but the industry is moving forward.”

Reflecting on his career, Hamal shared that when he first entered the film industry, very few movies were being made. “That period was crucial for expanding the industry, as it was necessary to grow the market to ensure sustainability,” he said, adding that his contribution to this expansion is one of his greatest achievements.

In the session titled “Nepal: The Gateway to Asian Art, Culture, and Literature,” the panelists included Dr Abhi Subedi, Uday Prakash, and Rohini Rana, with Chandra Dev Bhatta as the moderator. Dr Subedi highlighted that the people of this land have performed miracles in architecture since the Lichchhavi period, noting that “the architecture back then was inspired by faith and religion.” Meanwhile, Rohini Rana emphasized that food is also an essential part of art and culture.

During the session titled ‘Rethinking Development and Diplomacy in the Digital Age’, former Indian ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae, emphasized the importance of credibility in diplomacy. He noted that people play a central role in influencing government decisions, pointing to recent events in Bangladesh and the 2006 people’s movement in Nepal. “People are at the center of everything. Public diplomacy has played a huge role in India-Nepal relations, not always positively. It can work both ways,” Rae remarked.

Reflecting on his tenure as ambassador during a challenging period, Rae recalled, “I was in Nepal during the constitution-writing process and the protests in Tarai.” He also mentioned his book, ‘Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties’, which he wrote to address misconceptions about India’s role in Nepal.

In another session titled ‘Writing as Aspiration’, Rae stressed the importance of self-research on regional history and heritage. “What is written about us in the West need not align with our own narratives. It is up to us to research and write about our history,” he said.

In the session titled ‘The Art of Storytelling in Film’, Sujit Bidari, director of ‘Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali’, shared his experiences and offered advice to aspiring filmmakers. “You have to revise the same film a thousand times. You can’t judge what’s happening at the moment. It’s impossible to remain objective after watching repeatedly,” he explained. “So much energy, budget, and time have been spent. If you can’t make a judgment even at that point, what will your state of mind be?” Bidari emphasized that to become a filmmaker, the more content you consume, the more creative ideas you generate. He noted, “The more you reflect and look inward, the more creative content you uncover. Detachment from oneself is the first condition. Once you’re detached, you start seeing stories everywhere.”

In the session titled ‘Voices of Tomorrow: Emerging Literary Talents of South Asia’, panelists included Badri Narayan, Ranjan Adiga, Sumit Sharma Sameer, and Mahendra P Joshi, with Prof. Kamala Kanta Dash moderating. Ranjan Adiga addressed common misconceptions about younger generations: “I won’t generalize today’s generation, but there are variations in all generations. The idea that Gen Z isn’t reading much is a myth.” He added, “While attention spans may have decreased, platforms like social media and Netflix have actually helped this generation engage with literature, art, and culture. Literature has always struggled to find an audience, but that’s not new.”

Sumit Sharma Sameer emphasized that today’s generation still enjoys movies and books, but only those that stand out. “Writers and producers must ensure they are creating exceptional works. The same old methods might not attract audiences like they used to.”

Badri Narayan noted that while education and social concerns are evolving, writers still hold importance and credibility. Mahendra P. Joshi highlighted the significance of marketing to capture the attention of younger readers. “Writers should understand what the new generation likes,” he said. “Writing about the US for a young American audience might not resonate, so in my book ‘Rockin’ Rollin’ Rolpa: Know America, Explore Nepal’, I focused on Rolpa, Nepal. The story follows a 24-year-old from rural Rolpa on his travels, connecting rural Nepal with America, and it struck a chord with the audience.”

On the second and final day of the festival, around 30 sessions were held, including ‘Diaspora and The Craft of Writing and Literature’, ‘Mythilak Nari in Cultural Communication’, ‘Charting the Future if Civilizational Dialogue’, ‘Child Psychology in Children Literature’, ‘Gorkha Identity: Opportunities and Blues Panelists’, ‘Beauty with Brains and Social Responsibility’, ‘Gajapati: The King without Kingdom’, and ‘How does literature empower women’ among others.

On the first day, 27 sessions took place, including ‘Laws for Women: Differences Between the Constitution and Treatment’, ‘To the Moon and Back’, ‘Bridging Heritage: Cultural Synergies’, ‘Media, Literature, and Social Responsibility’, ‘Bridging Worlds: The Art of Publishing and Translation’, ‘The Role and Future of Literature in the Age of AI’, ‘Recent Developments in Literature Translations from Nepal’, ‘How Significant are Literature Festivals?’, and ‘Nepal Bhasa Script and Literature: Past and Present’, among others.

According to Ranjana Niraula, Director and Founding Member of KLF-Kathmandu, “The Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival celebrated the longstanding cultural ties between Nepal, India, and South Asia, while offering a platform for deep discussions on the evolution of global cultures.”

Rashmi Ranjan Parida added that the festival serves as a common platform for cultural exchange between Nepal and India. He remarked, “It’s hard to pinpoint when Nepal and India’s shared journey began, and it continues today.”

The 79th United Nations General Assembly begins in New York tomorrow.

The UNGA is taking place this year from 10th to 30th September under the theme 'Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations'.

Although the General Assembly starts tomorrow, the high-level general discussion will be held from September 24. According to the UNGA agenda, the discussion will be held until September 28 and will conclude on September 30.

As per agenda shared, the head of the Nepali delegation, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, will address the General Assembly on September 26.

Heads of state and government of the world will participate in the General Assembly in various stages of discussion focusing on the complex situation of the war that has emerged globally and its impact on the world, post-COVID inflation and poverty, climate change and the sustainable development goals.

According to the New York-based Nepali Mission, Nepal will also give high priority to participation in high-level political forums and discussions with its development partners in the sideline meetings.

Nepal has also given high priority to work according to its commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

As a result, Nepal will inform the global community about its achievements in the SDGss so far in the 'Summit of the Future 2024', which is taking place in New York from September 22 to 23.

A total of 1,065 people have been infected with dengue in Koshi Province in the past two years.

During this period, two people died in Jhapa due to dengue infection. Bimala Dahal Paudel (42) of Haldibari-3 and eight-year-old Alok Jung Basnet of Birtamod-4 have died of dengue in Jhapa, according to Birendra Das, dengue focal person of the health office.

The number of people infected with dengue has reached 128 people in Jhapa in the past two months.

Koshi, Morang tops the list of infected with 532 followed by Jhapa, Dhankuta and Sunsari at 81, 80 and 70 respectively.

According to Surakchya Khatri, Focal Person of Health Directorate, Dhankuta, 69 in Udayapur, 68 in Bhojpur, 67 in Sankhuwasabha, 29 in Okhaldhunga, 21 in Panchthar, six in Solukhumbu, five in Ilam, four in Khotang and two in Terhathum have been infected with dengue.

In Jhapa district, 22 people have been infected with dengue in Damak, seven in Haldibari and five in Bhadrapur.

The 111th birth anniversary of BP Koirala, the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal, is being celebrated by organizing a variety of events across the country today.

Koirala was born on Bhadra 24, 1971 BS. He led the establishment of Nepali National Congress in 2003 BS during his exile in India to end the then autocratic Rana regime. This played an important role in the establishment of democracy in 2007 BS.

While in exile in India, BP participated in India's freedom struggle and was active in it with a vision that after the independence of India it would be easy to establish democracy in Nepal.

After the success of the 2007 revolution, BP became the Home Minister in the Rana-Congress government led by Mohan Shumsher. Koirala then became the first elected Prime Minister after the Congress won a two-thirds majority in the 2015 general elections. During his premiership, he abolished the land tenure system and introduced progressive land reforms with the notion that the land should belong to the tiller.

However, on Poush 1, 2017 BS, the popularly elected government was overthrown by the then King, putting Koirala and other leaders in jail.

Koirala was released from prison for medical treatment in 2025 and then lived in exile in India for eight years. He returned to Nepal with the policy of national unity and reconciliation on 16 Poush 2033 BS. His policy led to a referendum on the choice between multi-party system or reformed Panchayat system three years later. However, the democrats lost amidst allegations of rampant fraud by the then ruling side. BP however accepted the referendum results. He passed away on Saun 6, 2039 BS due to throat cancer.

Apart from his contribution to the field of politics, BP Koirala is also a very popular figure in the field of Nepali literature. He has more than 18 creations to his credit, including novels like the very popular 'Tin Ghumti', 'Modi Ain', 'Hitler and Jew', and 'Sumnima'. Similarly, he has two collections of stories 'Shwet Bhairavi' and 'Doshi Chashma'.

The Sundarijal Prison, where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Ministers of the first elected government were imprisoned, is now serving as a BP museum. The museum has various collections depicting the life and contributions of the late leader.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of BP Jayanti, the Nepali Congress, its sister and well-wishing organizations and the BP Museum are scheduled to host a variety of programs to commemorate the life and contributions of late BP Koirala.

Imagine you are standing in the supermarket pondering the choice between two brands of biscuits. In any case, this shouldn’t be a big problem because you’ll choose the one that tastes best, or if you want to be economical, you’ll choose the one that is less expensive. But inside this seemingly inconsequential choice lies a lattice of intricate neural processes that neuroeconomics—the field of intersection of neuroscience, economics, and psychology—has been working to unravel.

For more than decades, human choices were thought to be solely influenced by self-interest, curiosity, and the desire to maximize benefit, as explained by traditional theory of economics. In another way, it was inferred that human beings are rational; it is anything but. Today, the field of neuroeconomics is emerging to explain how the brain responds to decision-making and how that mechanism occurs. How can the two completely different fields—Neuroscience and Economics—intersect, and what does that intersecting point imply? This article tries to explain this phenomenon.

What happens in the brain when we try to make a decision?

Understanding the structure and function of the brain is one of the most perplexing yet intriguing aspects of modern science. While most people know the general functions of the brain: memory, balance, perceptions, emotions, personality, and so on, very few people understand how the decision-making process happens in the brain, ranging from simpler customer choices to stupendous financial investments. The emergence of tools such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides crucial information about what happens in the brain when we make decisions. The discovery of the brain’s reward system props up our understanding along with these tools. Studies have found that the parts of the brain—the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the striatum—play crucial roles in decision-making. When making decisions, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) helps evaluate and integrate various factors, such as costs and benefits. The striatum signals the brain’s expectation of reward, influencing whether we perceive the choice as satisfying or not. The perfect balance between these organs is what decision-making is about.

What drives us to make choices that align with our best interests, and why do we sometimes make decisions that go against them?

There is one famous theory behind its science called ‘reward error prediction theory’, which explains how the brain reacts when our expectations fall short or when our expectations exceed. It says that if we expected the profit from the investment, but unfortunately if we didn’t get it, the brain sends the negative signal. Conversely, when we receive a reward, i.e., our expectations meet or exceed, the brain releases a large amount of dopamine—a neurotransmitter linked with pleasure and reward—motivating us to make riskier or emotionally attacked decisions, such as buying luxury items despite having little money or chasing a stock market on high stakes.

What role do emotions play in decision-making?

Traditional economic theories treated the emotions as unwanted distractions; however, the emergence of neuroeconomics says that emotions play a huge role in the decision-making process. There is a peanut-sized organ called the amygdala on our brain whose functions are 100 times superior to its size, as it is the major processing center of emotions. For example, if you fear loss, the amygdala is triggered, and it stops you from making risky decisions. In one of the neuroeconomic studies, the participants were given the option of choosing between guaranteed small payouts and unguaranteed large payouts. Brain scans revealed that when participants chose guaranteed payouts, amygdala was more active. This explains the extent to which emotions play a role in decision-making, which looks miniscule but is, in reality, a much more complex phenomenon.

Why is the knowledge of neuroeconomics important among Nepali people and leaders?

Though not a single university in Nepal has neuroeconomics as their education program, it is fundamental to understand the concept of neuroeconomics in the context of Nepal. It is quite straightforward that many Nepalese people prioritize short-term benefits over long-term investments, like education and entrepreneurship. Understanding neuroeconomics can explain why people prioritize short-term benefits. In addition to this, Nepal has a plethora of breathtakingly rural parts, particularly in the midwestern and hilly areas. In such areas, decision-making is heavily influenced by traditions, social cohesion, and emotions; expanding the concept of neuroeconomics can increase the financial literacy among such groups of people. Today, the trend of involvement in the financial stock market is increasing among Nepali people. The neuroeconomics can explain why some people take unnecessary risks and why some people don’t. It can also explain why many Nepalese leaders are emotionally driven in implementing large financial-based projects and how it has affected the country’s economy.

Although neuroeconomics is still a young study, it has contributed much to economic theory and psychology. By expanding the knowledge of neural mechanisms on decision-making, simple or complex, it has explained behavioral choices, investment ideas, and financial-based policy. From cognitive biases to error prediction theory, and from the brain reward system to the amygdala's role on emotions, neuroeconomics offers new insights in the fields of cognitive science, psychology, and economics, which in the near future could explain everything from public policy to international relations. As a country navigating through economic disparities and financial illiteracy, neuroeconomics can certainly increase the financial literacy at the individual and national level and can also help the government make more rational policy. 

Ashish Banjara

St Xavier’s College, Maitighar