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A long festive season is around the corner. Marigolds, chrysanthemums, makhmali (gomphrena globosa) and a myriad other flowers are in full bloom, as if in celebration. The air is full of our very own Mangal Dhun and Malshree. The kites flying high in the sky and crops ready for harvest in our fertile fields also seem to be suggesting us all to not worry too much. 

But our hearts are not as full of joy as they used to be in the midst of festivities, with several factors seeking to eat into our peace, bliss and happiness. Rising market prices have become a killjoy with the absence of the state in the market giving black marketers a free rein.  

 Apart from the utter lack of the rule of law in the market, the wounds from the recent killing of 10 Nepali students in attacks in Israel are still raw. 

As a peace-loving nation, which itself has been a victim of violence and terror, our prayers are for peace and tranquility all over the world. As a country that has been contributing to United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world, including in the restive Mideast, Nepal, the birthplace and tapobhumi (the place of meditation) of Gautam Buddha and numerous other enlightened souls like Rishis, Maharshis and Munis, should do its utmost for the cessation of hostilities. 

On the domestic front, the government should do far more than it has been doing to curb the literal exodus of hundreds of Nepalis to foreign shores every day, At the heart of this alarming brain and muscle drain is a growing feeling among the most productive age group, the youths, that the country is heading toward a dark abyss, thanks to a rudderless political leadership and a bureaucracy that has failed to act as the permanent government, by and large. 

Instead of taking concrete measures to stop this drain, the government itself seems to be aiding and abetting this exodus, driven by the lure of remittances, without giving a hoot about the multi-faceted negative impacts of this drain on Nepal. 

Learning lessons from the tragedies in Israel, Afghanistan and Iraq and high death rates of Nepalis working in subhuman conditions around the world, the government needs to adopt policies that create jobs and a favorable environment for doing business in the country. Only then will Nepal be able to get a population dividend, ushering the country in an era of peace, progress and prosperity.   

On their part, the youths would do well to stop searching for the proverbial land where milk and honey flows. The youths should realize that their motherland/fatherland needs them the most, especially at a time when it has been facing serious crises. They should ask themselves as to why they cannot make a living in Nepal even when lakhs of people from the neighborhood have been doing exactly the same.   

They should never forget that this country is too precious to be left to a bunch of rulers, who have their petty interests at heart, at the expense of the greater good of the country.  

Let Goddess Durga inspire us to reclaim our country and our destiny.   

On a small farm in Nepal, a weeping father mourns the lost dreams of his 25-year-old son, among the 10 Nepali agriculture students massacred in the Hamas assault on Israel.

It was only last month that Ashish Chaudhary’s family had been celebrating his hopes of building a better life, after he joined Israel’s 11-month ‘Learn and Earn’ work-study scheme.

“I thought... it would be good for him and his bright future,” his father Bejhulal Dangaura told AFP with tears in his eyes. “If I had known about this danger, I would have stopped him.”

Chaudhary was among the 10 Nepali students killed when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its Oct 7 attack on Israel, stabbing, shooting and burning to death more than 1,400 people. The attack—the worst in Israel’s history—sparked a retaliatory assault on Gaza that has killed around 3,000 people there, most of them civilians.

At Israel’s Kibbutz Alumim, close to the Gaza border, Chaudhary was among the 10 Nepali farming students killed by Hamas’s grenade explosions and intense gunfire.

Four other Nepalis were injured, and one student is missing. Distraught relatives in Nepal—a majority-Hindu Himalayan nation over 4,500 kilometers (2,795 miles) from the bloodshed—are reeling from the loss.

Chaudhary had planned to return home next year. His dream was to use his savings and the skills learned from Israel’s high-tech agriculture to launch a farming business in Nepal’s western Kailali district.

More than 3,000 Nepalis have joined the Israeli programme since its 2013 launch, being paid more in a year than what it would take a decade on average to earn at home.

Remittances are crucial for Nepal’s economy, equalling nearly a quarter of the country’s GDP last year, the ninth-highest rate globally, according to the World Bank.

‘River of blood’

Before the attack, around 4,500 Nepalis were estimated to be working in Israel, many as caregivers. About 200 students were on the ‘Learn and Earn’ program, which allows them to learn new skills while working on farms in Israel.

Parents who poured their life savings into educating their child—hoping they could then bring the whole family out of poverty—have had their dreams crushed.

“I did not let anything go missing from his life since his childhood. All love their children and want to give them a good education. We brought him to this point,” his father Dangaura said.

Dangaura had taken out loans to send his son to college, using his home and small shop as collateral. Students like Chaudhary expect to earn up to $15,000 for their work in Israel, a lucrative opportunity with Nepal’s annual average income just $1,400.

His death came just as “he wanted to earn and take care of us”, Dangaura said.

“He was happy. He had many dreams... He used to tell me: ‘Don’t worry, I will take care of everything,’” his sister Amrita Devi Dangaura said, as she burst into tears while consoling her parents.

“We are left with neither any business nor farmland nor our family’s son.” Durga Neupane, aunt of another student Narayan Prasad Neupane killed, said she would struggle to comprehend his death until she saw his dead body.

“It feels like it’s not real,” she said. “He used to say that he would return home and build a concrete house. Now, even his body is not here.”

Nepal last week sent a rescue flight for 254 citizens, with 200 others waiting to return.

Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary, 26, injured by a grenade blast, was among those who returned. He saw his friends shot dead and others bleed to death. “I can’t sleep well at night,” he told reporters as he arrived at the airport in the capital Kathmandu. “I dream of my friends. I only see blood, I see a river of blood.”

AFP

President Ram Chandra Paudel is to offer tika to VIPs and members of the general public on Bijaya Dashami, the main day of Dashain festival.

According to a press release issued by the President’s Office, President Paudel will offer Dashain tika from 2 pm to 5 pm at Sheetal Niwas.

The President’s Office said that President Paudel is scheduled to offer Dashain tika to VIPs from 2 pm to 3 pm and the general public from 3 pm to 5 pm.

The VIPs include deputy prime ministers and ministers, heads of states, judges, members of the federal parliament, officials of constitutional bodies.

Civil servants, Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel among others can also receive tika from the President.

The President’s Office has urged one and all to put on decent clothes while coming to receive Dashain tika.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is arriving on a four-day official visit to Kathmandu on October 29.

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday has decided to approve the official visit of United Nations Secretary General Guterres to Nepal from October 29 to November 1.

Though he was scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on October 13, he postponed the visit owing to the Palestine-Israel war.

The Foreign Ministry had said that the new date would be set at Guterres' convenience.

During his stay in Nepal, he is scheduled to call on President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Dahal. He will also hold meetings with leaders of various political parties.

According to a source, he will also hold a meeting with conflict victims.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) index has been enduring a prolonged period of decline over the past two years.

The benchmark index soared to an all-time high of 3,198.60 points on 18 Aug 2021. But now, two years later, the Nepse index languishes below the 1,900-point threshold. Daily transactions on the exchange reached Rs 21.64bn on that record-breaking day in August 2021. It plummeted to just above Rs 1bn as of Tuesday. Moreover, the total market capitalization—the total worth of shares listed on the secondary market—has declined from Rs 4.46trn in Aug 2021 to slightly over Rs 1trn on Tuesday. This substantial decrease equates to a loss of Rs 3.5trn in the value of listed shares over just two years, resulting in significant losses for investors.

However, it’s not just investors who have suffered losses; government revenue from the stock market has also seen a considerable drop during this period. According to data from CDS and Clearing Limited, the government collected Rs 14.13bn through capital gains tax (CGT) on share transactions in 2020/21. Such collection decreased to Rs 10.35bn in 2021/22 and further to a mere Rs 2.97bn in 2022/23. The government levies a CGT of 5 percent on profits from shares held for more than a year and 7.5 percent on those held for less than a year. The rates for institutional investors go as high as 10 percent.

Data provided by CDS & Clearing Ltd shows the government’s CGT revenue from share transactions grew from Rs 500.76m in 2017/18 to Rs 61.2m in 2018/19 and reached Rs 98.52bn in 2019/20. During the bull market, rising share prices led to increased investor profits, resulting in higher CGT revenue. However, with most investors now facing losses on share transactions, CGT revenue collection has suffered.

The benchmark Nepse index has been on a consistent downward trajectory since reaching its all-time high of 3,198.60 points on 18 Aug 2021. According to the stock investors, the stock market is not reviving because of the central bank's policy of capping mortgage loans. In the Monetary Policy for Fiscal Year 2022/23, the central bank said that investors could avail margin loans of up to a maximum of Rs 40m from one financial institution and Rs 120m in total. This provision compelled investors to settle loans exceeding the new ceiling, creating selling pressure on the market. This ultimately caused the stock market decline.

Although the central bank has recently relaxed this provision, allowing investors to avail margin loans of up to Rs 150m and institutions to avail loans of up to Rs 200m, it has failed to boost investor confidence. Market participants are advocating for the complete removal of the loan cap altogether.

Nepal hammered Hong Kong by six wickets in their second match of the T20 International Triangular Series on Thursday.

Nepal reached the target of 95 runs set by Hong Kong in 13.5 overs.

In the match played at the Mulpani Ground in Kathmandu this afternoon, Hong Kong scored 94 runs in 19.3 overs losing all the wickets.

Chasing the target of 95 runs, Asif Sheikh scored highest 42 runs off 36 balls hitting six fours for Nepal.

Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 25 runs and Gulsan Jha unbeaten 14.

Yasim Murtaza of Hong Kong scored 36 runs and Zeeshan Ali added 17 runs to the scoreboard while other batsmen failed to score in double digits.

Karan KC of Nepal took four wickets.  Similarly, Sompal Kami and Abhinas Jha claimed two wickets each and Kushal Malla and Mausam Dhakal took one wicket each for Nepal.

Earlier, Nepal had won the toss and invited Hong Kong to bat first.

In their first match, Nepal defeated the UAE by seven wickets.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has briefed the Cabinet meeting today about the health condition of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

In a cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar, Prime Minister Dahal briefed about the health condition of DPM Shrestha, shared Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma. DPM Shrestha is on an official visit to China.

The Deputy Prime Minister suffered a mild heart attack on Wednesday night. He is receiving treatment at Peking Union Medical College in Beijing.

Also the spokesperson of the government, Minister Sharma, said DPM Shrestha is out of danger. "Prime Minister Dahal has been enquiring about Shrestha's health condition with the Nepali Ambassador to China. DPM Shrestha will stay in Beijing for a few days for treatment," said Minister Sharma.

Similarly, the Cabinet has given permission in principle to formulate a draft of the bill designed to make arrangements regarding the National Human Rights Commission.

The meeting also extended best wishes among all Nepalis in the country and abroad on the occasion of national festivals-- Dashain, Tihar, Nepal Sambat and Chhath.

A milestone is being marked with the inclusion of esports as an official medal event at the Asian Games, currently underway in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, ChinaDaily reported.

The eyes of players from across Asia are firmly focused on the Games, with many of them viewing this inclusion as the latest boost to esports development.

Speaking in July at the 2023 Global Esports Summit in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, said: "The Asian esports industry is booming, and has already unleashed its huge potential. It has the power to connect people from different backgrounds, cultures, countries and regions."

Esports was included in the Asian Games for the first time as a demonstration sport at the 2018 edition in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, with China winning two gold medals and a silver.

As an official medal sport this year in Hangzhou, esports features seven competitions: Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, Street Fighter V, and EA SPORTS' FIFA-branded soccer game.

Team China is taking part in six of the seven events, the exception being Street Fighter V. The 31 players on the Chinese team were selected from 125 candidates, while the five national team coaches for the six squads were selected from 27 contenders, according to ChinaDaily.

Zhu Kai, head coach of the Chinese League of Legends squad, said: "Since 2012, I have worked with League of Legends for 11 years, and I have coached many professional clubs that have won competitions. However, coaching the League of Legends national team at the Asian Games is a special honor and responsibility for me.

"All I need to do is ensure that our players have the best possible conditions for the Asian Games. We made careful plans before the start of our program, based on our experience in 2018 at the Asian Games in Jakarta and in the professional leagues."

Zhu said his players train for an average of 10 hours a day, and they have to abide by an extremely strict program and take adequate rest.

"During our training camp, we made many preparations for the players, including psychological counseling, training for major sports events, and even character tests," Zhu added.

Such experiences are new to the young players, most of whom have joined the national team for the first time.

This generation of players has experienced the dramatic growth of esports during the past decade. A mature professional league system, enthusiastic support for the national team, and a fast-growing industry were unimaginable for many of these players when they first took up esports.

Ji Xing, head coach of the Chinese League of Legends squad, which won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, told Xinhua News Agency: "Ten years ago, when I joined my first esports club, I felt as though I had walked into an internet cafe hidden away in an old neighborhood. But look at what we have now. The industry is developing so fast that some clubs even have their buildings."

Since joining the sector in 2012, Ji has taken on many roles, including tactical analyst, coach, team leader and club manager. His most memorable career memory to date is the 2018 Asian Games, when he steered the Chinese team to gold in the demonstration event.

"I had seen sports champions win honors for our nation, but never thought that one day I would do the same. It's a great honor to make a contribution to the sector," Ji said.

A key reason for the popularity of esports is the fast-growing games industry.

A development report released for the 2023 Global Esports Summit and Tencent Esports Annual Conference in July said global esports audiences are expected to reach 574 million by the end of this year, and in 2025, the figure will likely grow to 641 million. By the end of this year, global esports revenue is forecast to reach $1.8 billion, the report said.

In February, a report released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association's electronics sports committee said Chinese esports audiences and players totaled 488 million last year.

Mars Hou, vice-president of Tencent Games and general manager of Tencent Esports, said, "Esports is a booming new industry in the digital era, and we have millions of esports players and spectators.

"We expect to have further communication and cooperation with more partners in sectors such as international communication, talent selection and nurturing, digital sports studies, and industry standardization."

Dreams come true

The inclusion of esports at a major event is a dream come true for many people who work in the sector, including Ji, former head coach of the Chinese League of Legends squad, who believes it will further boost the industry's global growth.

"The inclusion of esports at the Asian Games will allow more people in Asia and the world to familiarize themselves with esports, and more of them will probably decide to join this big family," Ji said.

In addition to the Asian Games, esports has attracted attention elsewhere. For example, the Olympic Esports Series, which was staged in March, is a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, in collaboration with international federations and games publishers.

In June, the first-ever Olympic Esports Week was staged in Singapore. The four-day festival showcased a number of quality virtual sports and the latest simulated sports technologies and innovations. This event is designed to support the development of esports within the Olympic Movement and to engage with the competitive games community.

Different from the esports events at the Asian Games, the 10 games at the Olympic Esports Week were chosen by international federations to represent their sports, which are mostly simulations of traditional sports such as baseball, cycling and tennis.

IOC President Thomas Bach said in May, "Our approach to esports is to prioritize virtual sports — meaning reality sports — where there is physical activity, such as cycling and rowing. In the meantime, there is even an electronic form of taekwondo, along with a number of other sports.

"The physical activity of these athletes is on the same level as those engaged in traditional sports. Whether you're doing a leg of the Tour de France on your cycle at home, or doing the real leg, the physical activity and the challenges are the same."

In 2021, the IOC unanimously approved the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which includes encouraging the development of virtual sports and engaging further with video games communities. But there are some "red lines".

Bach said, "When it comes to e-games, there is a very clear red line. Games that are contradictory to Olympic values, such as killer games or those that are discriminatory, are absolutely taboo to the Olympic Movement."

More than players

While many young esports enthusiasts can only dream of becoming top players, the industry is not solely about those who shine on the stage, as it comprises a variety of talent, including games designers, team managers and broadcasters.

Ji said: "Esports is an industry that can cooperate with many other sectors. In the future, it will be connected to more industries, which will create increased opportunities.

"For example, there is a need for experts to transform coaches' tactics and decisions into data and visual information so that we can better analyze our tactics. We need more talent."

Ji added that there are extremely high standards for professional players, but not all those who love esports will make it to the top.

"Truly talented professional players are not addicted to games. They have to be highly efficient and complete their tasks quickly. Moreover, becoming a successful professional player requires a lot more than merely having good skills. A player needs to have a strong mentality and know how to cooperate well with the team," Ji added.

One such example is commentator Guan Zeyuan, who has done well in esports, but not as a player.

"I wanted to become a professional player, but it was obvious that I'm not talented enough," said Guan, whose passionate style of commentary has attracted more than 7.5 million followers on social media.

"I want to continue being involved with esports. I remember the first time that I went to Brazil to work as a commentator in 2017. I was deeply impressed by the passion of the spectators. It was the first time I felt that the level of passion for esports could be as high as that for a soccer match, ChinaDaily reported.

"Esports has taught me a lot, including the need to be persistent, which is key to being successful. In this industry, I have met many great people, who have taught me a lot."