Submit your Article

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m losing control of my mind. I’m 22 and I can’t seem to remember things I’ve done just moments ago. It’s very hard to keep up with college stuff, and I’m even considering dropping out, but I’m trying my best as I’m in my final year. Even simple tasks feel difficult to focus on. I’m so scared of what might happen if things get worse. Forgetting important things in life is my biggest fear right now. I’m trying my best, but it feels like nothing’s working. It’s not that I completely forget, but it takes a long time to remember things. What can I do?

Answered by Tashi Gurung, counseling psychologist

I’m really sorry to hear that you’re going through this. It sounds extremely difficult and understandably frightening to feel like you’re losing control of your mind, especially at such a young age. I appreciate that you’re reaching out for support and sharing what you are going through.

I’m curious as to whether you’ve faced this before as a child too. You mentioned taking a long time to remember stuff. It might be a difference in learning styles: visual learners tend to absorb information through visual cues, rather than verbal or written. When a visual learner wants to take in information through writing, that’s where the difficulty might lie. Knowing your learning style can also be a good way to start getting more clarity.

You might have heard about mnemonics? When we create associations between new information and existing knowledge or experiences, it becomes easier to remember. For example, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles” is a very common example used to remember the order of the planets in the solar system (Mercury, Venus, and so on).

Chunking can also be very helpful. I used it a lot as a student, breaking down large amounts of information into smaller, more manageable chunks. If I have to remember a large number, let’s say, 456345123, it’s much easier to remember three chunks of numbers as 456-345-123. This makes the information more digestible and easier to remember.

You can also try spacing out your study time to reinforce memory retention. Even a short break of 10 to 15 minutes can help your brain consolidate the information more effectively. Also, try your best to limit distractions while studying or trying to remember information. Having a quiet, comfortable space can do wonders to focus your full attention on the task at hand.

Also, I wanted to ask: Are you feeling stressed? How is your sleep? Do you feel you are doing ok mentally? Memory and concentration issues tend to be associated with a lot of factors, especially mental health issues. Aim for at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night to optimize your brain’s ability to retain and recall information. If you’re experiencing stress, practicing stress relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation can help calm your mind and improve focus.

Please remember that everyone’s memory works differently, and it’s normal to take longer to remember certain things than others. Be patient with yourself and experiment with different techniques to find what works best for you. If you continue to struggle with memory issues despite trying these strategies, please consider seeking guidance from a mental health professional for further support.

The economy is expected to experience improvement in the current fiscal year 2023/24, particularly with the expansion of the service sector, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said in its economic forecasts for the current fiscal year.

In its preliminary national accounts estimates, the NSO has forecast a 3.87 percent economic growth (based on market prices) for the current fiscal year. Nepal's gross domestic product at consumer prices is estimated to reach Rs 5,704 bn in the current fiscal year. Likewise, the NSO has revised the size of the country’s economy in the previous fiscal year to Rs 5,348 bn.

The projections for the current fiscal year were based on the data of the first eight months of fiscal year 2023/24 and on assumption that the economy will continue to progress normally in the remaining period, according to the NSO.

The estimates, which have categorized the economy into 18 sectors, show progress in most sectors compared to the previous fiscal year.  The NSO has revised the economic growth rate of the previous fiscal year to 1.95 percent.

The service sector is forecast to experience the highest growth rate in the current fiscal year. Contributing an estimated 62.9 percent to the economy, the sector is projected to grow by 4.50 percent which is higher than the overall growth forecast.

Additionally, the primary sector, comprising agriculture and mining, is expected to grow by 3.03 percent. In the previous fiscal year, this sector's growth rate was estimated at 2.72 percent. Likewise, the secondary sector, which encompasses production, is projected to have the lowest growth rate of 1.20 percent, even lower than the previous fiscal year's estimate of 1.40 percent.

However, the industry and construction sectors are anticipated to experience negative growth in the current fiscal year. The industry sector's growth rate is forecast at -1.60 percent. Similarly, the construction sector is projected to have a negative growth rate of -2.07 percent in the current fiscal year.

Among other sectors, accommodation and food services are expected to record the highest growth rate of 21.84 percent percent, followed by electricity and gas with 17.44 percent, transportation and storage services with 11.89 percent, financial and insurance services with 7.80 percent, and human health and social work activities with 5.52 percent. The remaining sectors are projected to have growth rates below 5 percent.

Preliminary estimates suggest that exports will account for 7.94 percent of Nepal's gross domestic product in 2023/24, an improvement from the revised estimate of 6.96 percent in the previous fiscal year. Similarly, imports are estimated to constitute 33.70 percent of the GDP, compared to the revised estimate of 34.68 percent in the previous fiscal year. Likewise, remittances are expected to account for 22.96 percent of the gross domestic product in 2023/24, while the revised estimate for 2022/23 was 22.82 percent.

Per capita income reaches Rs 195,000

The annual average income of Nepalis is estimated to reach approximately Rs 195,000 in the current fiscal year. In US dollar terms, per capita income is projected to rise to 1,456, a rise of $51 compared to the previous fiscal year.  Nepalis are expected to spend 92.38 percent of their total income on consumption in the current fiscal year, according to the report.

Police have arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in swindling foreign job aspirants.

Rajan Shrestha aka Narayan Bahadur Rai and Ishwori Pandey alias Parba Raj Pandey were arrested for allegedly swindling 219 persons of Rs 30 million with fake promises of sending them to Japan for lucrative jobs.

The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office made public the duo amidst a press conference on Friday.

Shrestha was detained from Anamnagar and Shrestha from Bista Gaun, Kageshwori-Manohara.

Police said that they have been sent to the Department of Foreign Employment for necessary action.

The 27th general convention of the Federation of the Nepali Journalists (FNJ) kicked off today.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the general convention.

National council members of different chapters of FNJ across the country are attending the general convention.

Earlier, a morning procession was organized at the initiative of FNJ today itself on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day and FNJ general convention. 

The morning rally set out from Ratnapark Shantibatika and concluded after reaching the National City Hall, the venue of the 27th general convention.  

FNJ President Bipul Pokharel, office-bearers, former presidents, and journalists associated with different media had participated in the morning rally. Office-bearers and members of Nepal Press Union, Press Chautari Nepal, Press Centre Nepal, Socialist Press Organization, had also participated in the morning rally.

Dr. Satoru Nagao is a fellow (nonresident) at Hudson Institute, based in Tokyo, Japan. From December 2017 through November 2020, he was a visiting fellow at Hudson Institute, based in Washington, DC. Dr. Nagao's primary research area is US-Japan-India security cooperation. He was awarded his PhD by Gakushuin University in 2011 for his thesis, "India's Military Strategy," the first such research thesis on the topic in Japan.

Dr. Nagao also holds numerous other research positions, including director at the International Security Industry Council, senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, specially-appointed research fellow at the Japan Forum on International Relations,  research fellow at the Security and Strategy Research Institute for Japan, senior fellow at the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka, and senior research fellow of the Indian Military Review. In this interview with the ApEx, Dr. Nagao talks about Japan-Nepal relationship, Nepal's foreign policy, Indo-Pacific Strategy, China and more.

What is Japan's Indo Pacific outlook ?

The pioneer of the idea of Indo-Pacific instead of Asia-Pacific was former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In 2007, he addressed the Indian Parliament where he proposed the idea of both Indo-Pacific and QUAD. Since then, these two have been the main strategy of Japan’s foreign policy. 

The integrated concept of Indo-Pacific is better than Asia-Pacific because this region is under threat of China’s domination. Indo-Pacific is better than Asia-Pacific when people talk about counter China strategy. QUAD, meanwhile, is a group of all influential powers in the Indo-Pacific, except China. 

Viewing these original reasons that Indo-Pacific and QUAD were formed to prevent China’s domination in the rising region, Japan decided to cooperate with the Indian Ocean region, especially India. The purpose of these concepts is strategic. China’s infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) created huge debt for recipients and expanded China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. China’s project does not purely support local recipients, and it is dangerous for development in this region. A typical example was Hambantota port in Sri Lanka. China’s interest rate was too high, and Sri Lanka could not pay. As a result, Sri Lanka gave China the right to control the port for 99 years. A similar situation happened in Djibouti, and China set up a huge naval base there. There are many similar cases in the Indo-Pacific. 

Thus, Japan has focused on tackling China by suggesting alternative choices for countries. One of the examples was the Matarbari port project in Bangladesh. When China suggested the Sonadia port project, Japan suggested the Matarbari port project to Bangladesh. In this case, the Bangladesh government accepted Japan’s Matarbari port project. Thus, if there is an alternative choice, governments should be careful and avoid falling in the debt trap of China. 

How do you see Japan's engagement with South Asian countries? 

Japan’s support projects in the South Asian region are based on good motivation, which contributes to the development of locals. But at the same time, currently, Japan is taking care of many projects worldwide and cannot share enough money to support locals. Due to global free trade and China’s intended manipulation of currencies, many factories have relocated to China. As a result, factories in other countries lost competition with factories in China. 

The size of China’s contribution is bigger than Japan’s. Therefore, Japan needs to coordinate with the US, Australia, EU, and India now. Japan believes that India’s influence in this region is necessary. For example, when we check the geographical situation, the Chinese side of Nepal is mountainous and difficult to trade, but the Indian side is flat and easy to trade. In this case, the development of Nepal's economy relies on India. Thus, Japan cooperates with India, and Japanese cooperation can contribute to Nepal's economy.

What are Japan's key priorities in Nepal? 

Japan wants to develop the Indo-Pacific as a stable and peaceful region, including Japan as a regional member. Japan does not have any national interest in building the Nagdhunga Main Tunnel. It is an honor for Japan to contribute to the people of Nepal. Cooperation with India has also been strategic for Japan. In this region, India’s influence is strong. However, China has not cooperated with any foreign countries. That is why China’s projects have created conflicts with India. Japan does not want to create such conflicts. Japan’s projects are contributing to the people of Nepal without spending time and resources on conflicts.

How does Japan view China’s engagement with Nepal?

An opinion poll in Japan indicates that 90% of Japanese people have a negative image of China. The Japanese view of Chinese engagements with other countries like Nepal is also very bad. While Japan wants to develop the Indo-Pacific as a stable and peaceful region, China intends to exploit the poor conditions of developing countries for its own gain. Nepal’s cooperation with China is also breaking India's trust. In the long run, China-Nepal cooperation will not be beneficial for both Nepal and India.

What are your suggestions to Nepal in the conduct of foreign policy ?

Nepal wants to be an independent country. That is why Nepali people worry about India’s strong influence sometimes. It is understandable. But in my opinion, cooperating with China was the wrong choice. What happened in Japan can be a good example. After WWII, Japan chose the US side for about 80 years. This is why the US started to trust Japan. A long-term stable relationship can bring mutual benefits. The US decided to export 400 of the latest Tomahawk cruise missiles to Japan, whilst knowing that long-range missiles could be a threat to the US itself. This was possible because of the trustworthy relations between the two nations. 

In South Asia, India-Bhutan relationship is similar. Bhutan gets much support from India because they have stable and trustworthy ties.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 135, 400 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 136, 000 per tola on Thursday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 134, 750 per tola. It was traded at Rs 135, 850 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,645 per tola today.

India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party has invited eighteen political parties from 10 countries, including Nepal, “to get first-hand experience and insights into BJP’s election campaign”. Apart from witnessing the election campaign, they will also meet India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other leaders. From Nepal, BJP has invited representatives from the Nepali Congress, Janamat Party, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center) and Rastriya Swatantra Party.

BJP has also invited parties from Australia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Israel, Uganda, Tanzania, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius for the event. According to BJP, the visit is part of the global outreach program titled ‘Know BJP’, which was launched last year. The Nepali delegation to India includes Uday Shumsher Rana from the NC, Bishnu Rimal from UML, Matrika Yadav from the Maoist Center, Shishir Khanal from RSP, and Jayakant Raut from the Janamat Party. India is holding its 17th Lok Sabha election, which will conclude on June 1.

Over the past few years, BJP has been engaging with Nepal’s political parties and several senior leaders, including prime ministers, have visited the BJP headquarters. The invite comes amid forecasts that BJP will return to power for the third consecutive term with continuation of Narendra Modi as prime minister. BJP is suggesting Nepal’s political parties to scrap secularism and go for the Hindu state.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal has extended a message of best wishes to the media fraternity and all on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day stating that a matured and robust democracy cannot be imagined without press freedom.

In a message today, Chairman Dahal has expressed condolences to all the martyrs who got martyrdom while practicing journalism for freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

The NA Chairman has said the role performed by the press in establishing democracy by ending totalitarianism in the country is significant.

Chairman Dahal has stated that this day should be considered for making a commitment to abiding by professional ethics.