Submit your Article

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is to address the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit today.

The PM will address the Summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by virtual means, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Heads of Government of various countries, including PM Modi, are scheduled to address the Summit. The theme of the Summit is - “Global South: Together for One Future”.

Bananas worth Rs 40 million have been imported from India in Janakpurdham, the capital of Madhes province, alone for the Chhath festival.

Banana is a must-have fruit for performing the various rituals associated with the Chhath festival. The people observing the Chhath fasting make an offering of a single banana comb to the Sun god.

The demand for bananas is high during the Chhath and the supply is not enough to meet this demand and hence bananas have to be imported every year, said Bishweshwar Yadav, president of Janakpur Fruits and Vegetables Traders' Committee.

According to him, although the soil in the Tarai-Madhes of Nepal is good for banana cultivation, the local production is not enough to meet the growing demand every year.

"Last year, bananas worth 17.5 million were imported in Janakpur. This year, nearly 70 truckloads of bananas have entered the provincial capital," he said.

The Gopal and Bansibhog varieties of banana have been brought to Janakpur from Bhardaha, Bhantabari and Inaruwa of Saptari district of Nepal while the Malbhog, Mirichman, Chini Champa varieties of banana have been imported from Assam, Guwahati, Bangal, Hazipur, Thakurgunj and Champaran of India, said Bhuwaneshwar Purbe, the Committee Secretary.

He said that the price of bananas has increased by 25 percent amidst Chhath this year compared to the last year.  "The demand for bananas has been growing as the number of people observing the Chhath festival increases every year. This year, 15 to 20 more trucks of bananas have been imported as compared to the previous year to meet the demand," he said.

Yadav, the Committee president, said there are 1,200 combs of bananas loaded in a truck having 10 wheels.  The transportation cost per truck up to Janakpur is Rs 600,000.

Each banana comb is sold in the range of Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 in the market.

The local varieties of banana are grown in every place in Nepal. Some of the popular varieties grown in Nepal are the Malbhog, Jhapali Malbhog, and William hybrid robusta, among others.

The banana traders and cultivators say that although there is immense prospect for banana farming, banana production has not increased in the country due to technical problems.

At least six writ petitions have been filed at the Supreme Court against the government's decision to ban TikTok.

On the first day of the opening of the court after the Tihar holiday, legal practitioners filed writ petitions challenging the government's decision.

Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi and advocate Swagat Nepal among others filed separate writ petitions.

They have demanded that the government’s decision to ban TikTok be scrapped at the earliest.

Saying that the decision has caused irreparable damage to the people, they have demanded that an interim order be issued in their petitions.

The government on November 13 had decided to ban TikTok in Nepal over what it says is disturbing “social harmony”.

Meanwhile, the preliminary hearing on the writ petitions filed at the SC against the government’s decision to ban social media platform will be held on Monday.

A writ has been filed at the Supreme Court against the government’s decision to ban TikTok in Nepal.

Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi filed the writ at the apex court soon after the office opened on Friday.

The government on November 13 had decided to ban TikTok in Nepal over what it says is disturbing “social harmony”.

The petitioner has demanded that the Supreme Court annul the decision of the government to ban the social media app.

The decision of the government to ban TikTok is unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary and against the international human rights law, advocate Tripathi said.

“The decision of the government is against the spirit of the Constitution. This is an open and clear violation of the Constitution,” he said.

In the writ, advocate Tripathi had demanded that the apex court issue a mandamus order to quash the government’s decision to ban the platform.

The government has warned of taking action against those found using TikTok in an illegal way.

A Cabinet meeting held on November 13 had decided to ban the social media app in Nepal over what it says is disturbing “social harmony”.

However, even after four days of the government's decision, TikTok has not been totally banned in Nepal.

People are found using TikTok through VPN easily.

Some internet service provider companies have supported the government’s move to ban TikTok.

The concerned organizations have even protested the government’s decision to ban TikTok, which has been very popular in recent times.

But, various political and social figures have said that it is the good job of the government to ban TikTok in Nepal.

Nepal Telecommunication Authority Director and spokesperson Santosh Paudel said that the authority has already started an initiative to ban TikTok.

“In order to implement the government’s decision, the authority has directed all the concerned internet and mobile service providers by using the rights given by Telecommunications Act 2053 (15),” he said.

Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said that personal details will not be secured if people use TikTok by downloading illegal apps.

He claimed that action would be taken against those found using TikTok by downloading illegal apps.

The government’s move to ban TikTok has drawn mixed reactions from the people.

The Chhath festival has begun in the Mithila region. People's mobility has increased in and around the region ahead of the four-day grand festival where the 'Sun God' is worshiped with devotion. The devotees begin the festival from today onward with 'Nahay Khay'.

The devotees have adopted the 'Araba Arabain' method on Thursday by giving up impure food such as boiled rice, millet, lintel and flesh on the third day of Kartik Shukla. There is a tradition that the fasting starts on the third day after consuming a regular meal. Songs are being chanted signifying the Sun God and Chhathi Devi (Goddess) now in the Mithila region.

With the advent of the Chhath, the Mithila-based ponds and river premises having religious importance are decorated as bride. Though there is a traditional belief that devotees, irrespective of gender, can observe fasting in the Chhath, mostly women are seen taking fast and worshiping the Sun God.

On the day today that marks the beginning of the Chhath celebrations, devotees take their holy dip and only eat pure food items with a resolution for rigorous fasting. This method is named 'Nahay Khay'. The festival has increased the busy mobility of the people in market places and public areas.

 Devotees are seen busy in managing materials for Chhath celebrations across the Mithila region. The Chhath festival is observed as a common cultural symbol of Tarai/Madhes. The festival is dedicated to the Sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting Sun.

It is observed for four days, from Kartik Shukala Chaturthi to Kartik Shukla Saptami as per the lunar calendar. The Sun, considered as the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. This year, the festival will conclude on coming Monday with the rising sun.

The ritual of Chhath festival includes taking holy bath, fasting and worshiping the Sun for a long time and offering prasad and argha (curd) to the 'Rising and Setting Sun'. Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshiping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket.

The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun, and then the rising sun in celebrating its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. It is seen as the most glorious form of Sun worship.

Poachers killed two rhinos in the Chitwan National Park.

Two female rhinos were found dead with their horns removed in the area, 3.5 kilometers south-east of Chaparchuli Post under the east sector of the CNP, said the CNP information officer Ganesh Tiwari.

They were killed by trapping them into ditches, he said.

"One of the deceased rhinos was six-year-old and another 18 years old. The horn of the six-year-old rhino was cut, and the horn of another one was removed."

It has appeared that the six-year-old rhino was trapped to death in a new ditch some three days ago, and another into an old ditch some 10 days ago, he said. Investigations have been launched after taking details of the incident on Thursday evening, he said.

This year, five rhinos died natural death. Last year, poachers killed two rhinos in the Amaltari area.

Following the decision of the government to ban TikTok in Nepal, the TikTok has expressed its concerns through an email to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA).

TikTok on Monday had sent a letter addressing NTA Chairman Purushottam Khanal.

The government on November 13 had decided to ban TikTok in Nepal over what it says is disturbing “social harmony”.

The TikTok was informed about the decision on October 27 through the authority.

In response, Tiktok said that it was surprised by the government’s decision and asked the real reasons for imposing the ban.

“It is with great concern that we acknowledge the email received from your office today regarding the Government of Nepal's decision to block/ban TikTok,” reads the email sent to Khanal by Ferdous Mottakin, the Head of Public Policy and Government Relations for South Asia on November 13.

 “We were as surprised as we’re sure the millions of Nepal citizens were, who have been a part of our community expressing their creativity and joy through the platform.”

“In a very short span of time, we have been embraced by people of all regions, cultures, and socio-economic strata in Nepal who utilize our platform to get informed, entertained, and inspired.

“This ban will not just hamper our investment plans, it will also have a severe economic impact on our Nepali content creators, especially young adults. Nepali businesses, who have relied heavily on TikTok, use our platform to market their products and keep their businesses afloat. As a result of this ban, these businesses will be significantly affected as well.”

"User safety is TikTok's top priority. We are committed to promoting a safe and welcoming environment for our community,” it said. “As a global platform, we have thousands of people across the globe where TikTok operates working to maintain a safe environment for our users. We address content and behavior that violate our Community Guidelines through a combination of policies, technology, and moderation, which may include removing contents and accounts.”

The email further states that a team of TikTok had visited Nepal on November 3, 2023 and held a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs for Cyber Crime Control and Cyber Security.

During the meeting, the team presented detailed working progress, moderation process and collaboration commitment with the government of Nepal.

“We conducted an Internet Safety Summit in Kathmandu on October 5, 2023 in presence of a wide range of stakeholders including non-profits, TikTok creators, civil society, law enforcement officials and government representatives,” the email further reads.

“We signed an MoU with Nepal Telecommunications Authority on October 5, 2023 to jointly conduct an internet safety awareness campaign in Nepal.”

“We opened up the access of the ‘Trust and Safety Enforcement Tool’ to the Government of Nepal on June 7, 2023 to ensure the government can report any content that they find is violative of local laws.”

It also stated that TikTok was registered as a Digital Service Tax payer in Nepal on August 29, 2023.

“We proactively removed 2.98 million videos from our platform in Nepal between October 2022 to June 2023 for violating our Community Guidelines.”

“We conducted multiple physical workshops for NTA, CIB and Cyber Bureau to enhance their knowledge and understanding of our platform. We also opened up the ‘Trust and Safety Enforcement Tool for Cyber Security recently,” according to the letter.

“Furthermore, the decision to ban TikTok contradicts the Government of Nepal’s current continued engagement with us.”