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The Secondary Education Examination has started throughout the country from 8 am on Thursday.

As many as 2, 057 exam centers have been determined for this year's SEE, the National Education Board Chairman Dr Mahashram Sharma said.

An examination center has been set up in Japan this year also.

The SEE will be conducted from March 28 to April 9.

According to him, around 500, 000 students are appearing in the SEE across the country this year.

CPN-UML former secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi is under the supervision of doctors at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center.

Leader Rayamajhi was admitted to the center on Wednesday due to heart-related complications.

Dr Chandramani Poudel, a senior cardiologist involved in his treatment, said Rayamajhi's health condition is stable and that he has been admitted to the center to monitor his heart rate.

An ECG of his heart was carried out and is under observation of the doctors, he said.

Kathmandu: Durga Phuyal had hoped to start anew when she landed in Croatia, but the Nepali migrant faced an uphill battle to adjust to life in the Balkan country.

Phuyal is among the tens of thousands of migrants who have flocked to Croatia from as far afield as Asia, as the small EU country desperately tries to overcome a chronic labor shortage.

Traditionally reliant on seasonal workers from Balkan neighbors, Croatia is increasingly counting on laborers from Nepal, India, the Philippines and elsewhere to bridge the gap.

Mass emigration and a shrinking population has created tens of thousands of vacant positions in construction and the service industry in the tourism-dependent country, famous for its picturesque beaches along the Adriatic sea.

But not everyone has put out the welcome mat, with migrants facing cramped and expensive housing, and occasional anti-immigrant rhetoric that has spiked ahead of elections.

In Nepal, Phuyal paid 7,000 euros in total for the various fees, documents and travel expenses before landing in Croatia.

But after barely a month after arriving, she had lost her job and was offered no assistance by the agency that helped hire her.

“It was very difficult,” the 27-year-old said of the two-month ordeal. “I had no job, no accommodation, no food.”

The country provided nearly 120,000 non-EU nationals with work permits in 2023, a 40 percent jump over the figure from the previous year.

But in the run-up to general elections in April, right-wing parties have accused migrants of threatening the country’s security and stealing jobs from Croatians.

Migrants have also been regularly pilloried online, with social media users mocking them for gathering during New Year’s festivities in Zagreb, calling the celebrations ‘Advent in Kathmandu’ and ‘Nepali New Year’.

Ethnic Croats comprise more than 90 percent of Croatia’s population—nearly 80 percent of whom are Roman Catholics—making it one of the more homogeneous societies in Europe.

Language barriers along with conservative attitudes toward outsiders have presented myriad obstacles to welcoming in the new labor force.

“Unlike countries that throughout their history had contacts with diverse cultures—like France or Britain—Croatia is facing for the first time a situation where it is encountering very different groups,” said Dragan Bagic, a sociologist at the University of Zagreb.

Not ‘mentally’ ready

According to forecasts by the Croatian Employers’ Association, the country of just 3.8m could need as many as 500,000 foreign workers by the end of the decade.

Newly-arrived migrants have been most vulnerable during their search for housing, according to experts.

An investigation in a local newspaper in the capital Zagreb said 32 foreign workers were found living in a cramped 83-square-meter apartment in the city.

Classified advertisements aimed at foreign workers typically offer tiny apartments with nearly a dozen beds, priced at $216 per person.

A Nepali workers representative said their wages in Croatia range between 560 and 1,000 euros per month.

To meet the challenge, the Croatian government is preparing to amend the law on foreigners to better regulate accommodation, provide language classes and oversee the growing number of temporary employment agencies.

Arcely Bhing, a 48-year-old Filipina who works at a printing company, said Croatia was not ‘physically or mentally’ ready for this wave of immigration.

Attending mass in English every Sunday in Zagreb, where she is joined by dozens of other Filipinos, has helped fight homesickness.

“It’s a big thing for us Filipinos because we are also a Catholic country, most of us go to church,” she said.

Andjelko Katanec, a priest at the Saint-Blaise church that has been holding mass in English since 2019, said integrating into Croatian society was a ‘big challenge’ for migrants. “They risk being isolated outside work,” he said. “The history of mankind is the history of migrations,” Katanec said. “We have to organize better ... to welcome the immigrants better, offer them more opportunities and better conditions.”

‘Good workers’

Many migrants came to financially support their families back home and often use Croatia as a starting point in Europe with an eye toward settling elsewhere.

Denson D’Cruz, who migrated from Kerala, India, said he chose Croatia because it is part of Europe’s Schengen passport-free travel area. The 30-year-old arrived last year to work as a mechanic but now runs his own import-export company.

He said he hopes to stay in Croatia for the foreseeable future because of its “climate and people who are friendly and speak English.” While some have sought to exploit the new arrivals, others have worked to help them find their footing.

After falling on hard times, Phuyal eventually found work at a temp agency and hopes to begin work in a beauty salon soon. “Nepalis are very good workers, adjustable, and want to learn quickly,” said the agency’s owner, Ruzica Kerepcic. 

AFP​​​​​​​

India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Tuesday discussed with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane security mechanisms between the two countries and the need for strengthening border management to check small crimes as well as human trafficking.

Srivastava paid a courtesy call on Lamichhane at the Home Ministry in Singhadurbar here and the two sides during the meeting discussed the “efforts needed to further consolidate deep, wide and diversified people to people relations between the two countries based on historical ties and geographical proximity,” according to the Home Minister’s secretariat.

The two sides agreed that criminal activities have come under control despite having an open border between the two countries through effective coordination between the security mechanisms of the two countries, a statement said.

Ambassador Srivastava underlined the need for strengthening border management mechanisms to check small crimes and human trafficking in the border area through coordinated efforts, it said.

Srivastava expressed India’s willingness to provide grant assistance for reconstruction works in earthquake-hit Jajarkot and Rukm West districts of western Nepal and provide specialized training to Nepal Police.

Lamichhane underlined the need to expand and upgrade mechanisms in the border area for testing pesticide contents in fruits and vegetables imported from India, according to sources from the Home Ministry.

The Ministry of Health and Population has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) today to join the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (GPACCM). The GPACCM is an initiative by St Jude Global and WHO to increase access to lifesaving childhood cancer medicines in low and middle-income countries.

As a member of the platform, Nepal will receive 35 types of childhood cancer medicines free of cost for four years. The WHO will provide technical support to strengthen the supply chain system and healthcare facilities to ensure the effective distribution of the medicines.

It may be noted that UNICEF is the procurement partner of the GPACCM Platform and will be involved in the procurement of the medicines and delivering them to the port of entry.

The first batch of medicines is expected to arrive in the country by the third quarter of 2024 and will be used for the treatment of childhood cancer in the four participating health institutions namely, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, BP Koirala Cancer Hospital, Kanti Children’s Hospital, and Patan Hospital. It will be expanded to the shared care center hospitals as need arise in the future, according to a statement released by WHO Nepal office here today.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population Dr Roshan Pokhrel said with the signing of this agreement Nepal has formally joined the GPACCM platform, which will make a great difference in improving the treatment of children suffering from cancer in the country.

Likewise, WHO Representative to Nepal Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav said this innovative platform will help enhance access to cancer care by addressing medicine availability issues and ensure that children who need essential cancer medications can access them, while also helping reduce the financial burden placed upon parents and families of children with cancer.

Each year, an estimated 900 children are reportedly diagnosed with cancer in Nepal. However, only about one-third of childhood cancer cases receive treatment, primarily due to constraints such as limited access to services and resource scarcity, resulting in increased deaths, according to WHO.

Nepal is one of the six countries worldwide and the only one in the WHO South-East Asia Region selected by the GPACCM platform to participate in this novel initiative.

Nepal stepped into the global spotlight in 2020 as a focus country for the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) which aims to improve outcomes for children with cancer around the world and reach at least 60 per cent survival rate for children with cancer by 2030. At present, the survival rate of children with cancer is only 20-30 per cent in low and middle-income countries compared to over 80 per cent in high-income countries.

The Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, the first of its kind, was launched in 2021 as part of the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. Developed jointly by St Judes Global and WHO, the platform aims to provide an uninterrupted supply of quality-assure cancer medicines to approximately 120 000 children in low and middle-income countries between 2022 and 2024, with the expectation to scale up in future years.

This platform will provide end-to-end support-consolidating global demand to shape the market, assisting countries with the selection of medicines, development of treatment standards and building information systems to track that effective care is being provided and to drive innovation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has denied any involvement in the cooperative fraud.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the Parliament today, DPM Lamichhane argued that although his name is linked to the cooperative fraud, no evidence could prove that.

"My name is allegedly linked to the cooperative fraud. There is nothing except my name. My signature is not there. I have not also given my thumb impression on any related document. I have also not received any letter. There is no case against me," he said, adding that there was no other evidence to prove his involvement in the scam. I am also not named as the defendant in the case filed in the court as well, he asserted.

Similarly, Inspector General of Police Basanta Kunwar said that although a complaint has been lodged with the police regarding the cheating of cooperatives, Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane is not implicated in that complaint.

"There is no evidence in the complaint related to the cooperative swindling scam linking the Home Minister's name. Although the complaint has come in his name in a symbolic way, there is no evidence," IGP Kunwar said.

Lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu urged the meeting to clarify the matter as the DPM's name was linked to the cooperative swindling scam.

"A name called Rabi Lamichhane has been linked with the cooperative cheating case. This name matches with the name of our honorable Home Minister. Is it you? If yes, it calls for a fair investigation. If the investigation is to be made credible, it is better you keep yourself aloof from the post of Home Minister," Badu reiterated.

The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) has instructed not to operate online pharmacies.

Director General of the Department, Narayan Prasad Dhakal, said that he ordered disclosure of online pharmacies after the online pharmacies were found to sell medicines through false and misleading advertising.

According to Dhakal, no pharmacies had obtained permits from the Department for running online pharmacies so far and drugs were being sold illegally offering discounts in the name of online pharmacies through social networking sites.

He explained that drugs were being sold in the name of online pharmacies with deceptive marketing gimmicks. The Drugs Act-2034 BS's Clause 19 mandates that there should not be false and misleading advertising of the medicines.

The government is going to establish the National Cyber Security Center to fulfill the aspirations of the 'Digital Nepal Framework 2076 BS'.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 23 this year had decided to set up the Center.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology is going to establish the Center to conduct digital forensic investigation and to act as a focal point for research and development on cyber security, promotion of cyber security, public awareness enhancement, identification of challenges, prevention, response and recovery.

Joint-Secretary of the Ministry and Center's Chief, Anil Kumar Dutta, said, "The establishment process of the National Cyber Security Center has reached a final stage. A structure comprising 12 employees has been formed to operate the Center and the office will be set up within a few days."

He shared that the Center was going to be instituted in view of the increasing cyber insecurity in various countries in the recent days and more so in the context of Nepal.

"As cyber insecurity is increasing and in the context of Nepal, not all know how to use computers. Wi-Fi is available unchecked. We need to go places to streamline it," said Dutta.

According to him, the Center will monitor the sensitive information infrastructures round-the-clock, assess cyber incidents and evaluate risk, and form an emergency support group with technical human resources to address cyber risk that occur suddenly. Such groups will be formed in all local levels as well, he said.