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The Nepali Congress has expressed its dissatisfaction over the expansion of the Cabinet in Lumbini Province.

Chief Minister Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary on Saturday appointed Krishna KC from CPN (Maoist Center) as the Minister of Water Supply, Rural and Cooperatives Development and Saroj Thapa of Nepali Congress as the Minister of Tourism and Transport.

Province Committee officer bearers expressed their dissatisfaction arguing that Chief Minister Chaudhary appointed a junior person as the minister without holding consultations with the party.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Board has been called at Deukhuri on Monday morning to discuss the issue of ministers’ appointment.

Saying that the Chief Minister appointed the minister without holding consultations with the party, Congress Lumbini Province General Secretary Bikram Khanal said that it will not benefit the party.

“There are people who have been contributing to the party for a long time. The person should be finalized by holding discussions with the leaders in the party,” he said, adding, “It seems like that the Chief Minister ignored the party.”

Three houses have been turned into ashes in  a fire that broke out at the Bhutanese refugee camp in Beldangi of Damak Municipality-3, Jhapa on Sunday.

DSP Khagendra Prasad Rijal of the District Police Office, Jhapa said that the fire started from the house of Bhim Bahadur Ghimire due to an electric short circuit at around 3 am today.

He said that property worth around Rs 500, 000 was destroyed in the fire.

Police said that the fire was taken under control with help of a fire engine of Damak Municipality, police personnel and locals.

Lumbini Province Chief Minister Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary expanded his Cabinet on Saturday after seven months.

He inducted two ministers into his Cabinet.

Krishna KC from CPN (Maoist Center) has been appointed as Minister of Water Supply, Rural and Cooperatives Development while Saroj Thapa of Nepali Congress has been appointed as Minister of Tourism and Transport.

Lumbini had a seven-member Cabinet including the Chief Minister. With the addition of two ministers on Saturday, there is now a nine-member Cabinet in Lumbini.

Music Myth & Melody

Dhrubesh Chandra Regmi

Music | History

The rulers of different dynasties in Nepal have linked music with religion and harnessed the power of music as a tool to govern the country. The kings, royal palaces, and temples functioned as cradles as well as patrons and connoisseurs of religion, culture, and musical activities. With solid foundations laid in the Lichcchavi period, the cultural activities in and around the Kathmandu Valley during the Malla period followed by Shah and Rana period helped elevate Nepal’s musical and cultural traditions to greater heights.

This book takes you on a journey through the rich history of Nepali classical music. Based on authentic historical facts and evidence, the book explores the classical and folk forms of music, dance, and socio-cultural traditions in different periods that have bound the country and its people for many centuries.

Adman Madman

Prahlad Kakar

Memoir 

In this no-holds-barred memoir, Prahlad serves up scoops of his most unforgettable experiences, peppered with viciously funny anecdotes from his personal life and seasoned with lessons on how to tell a riveting story in thirty seconds.

Learn secrets of the trade to create memorable brands. Travel behind the scenes of celebrated advertisements that launched the careers of models who then went on to become famous Bollywood actors. Hear about the genesis of this accidental serial entrepreneur. And, above all, learn how to live life with complete abandon. As the man who wears many hats, literally and figuratively, Prahlad tips his hat to life’s incidental wisdom with raucous laughter.

Same as Ever

Morgan Housel

Psychology 

When planning for the future we often ask, “What will the economy be doing this time next year?” Or, “What will be different ten years from now?” But forecasting is hard. The important events that will shape the future are inherently unpredictable. Instead, we should be asking a different question: What will be the same ten years from now? What will be the same one hundred years from now? Knowledge of the things that never change is more useful, and more important than an uncertain prediction of an unknowable future. In Same As Ever, bestselling author Morgan Housel shares 24 short stories about the ways that life, behavior, and business will always be the same.

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Police have arrested a man on the charge of forcing girls into sex trade.

Police mobilized from the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, Babarmahal arrested 24-year-old Suman Tamang of Tandi Rural Municipality-6, Nuwakot as well as rescued four girls, based on information that Tamang lured the girls to join the flesh trade and sexual activities at various hotels and guest houses at New Buspark area in Kathmandu.

Police Headquarters stated that investigation revealed Tamang targeted girls from economically poor families, lured them with the promise of finding them jobs as waitress and cleaning staff at hotels and guest houses before forcing them into the sex trade. The girls were not even allowed to come out of the hotels and guest houses since the last five years, it is said.

Police are carrying out an investigation, taking permission from the District Court Kathmandu for extension of custody against Tamang in a case related to human trafficking.

Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF) organized a round table discussion on ‘Small Scale Aid in Borderlands and Cross-border Ties’, reflecting on two of its publications: “Dynamics of Small-Scale Foreign Aid in Nepal’s Borderlands” and “Evolving Nepal-China Cross Border Relations and Its Impact on Borderland Citizens.”

The Executive Chair of CESIF, Vijay Kant Karna reflected in his opening remarks the importance of research on Nepal’s trade and border relations with China and India.

Madhav Sapkota, Member of Infrastructure Development Committee (HoR), Hon’ble Samjhana Thapaliya, Member of International Relations and Tourism Committee (HoR), Former Secretary Krishna Gyawali, Former Secretary Lal Shankar Ghimire and Secretary of Ministry, Commerce and Supplies, Madhu Marasini were the prominent speakers during the discussion, reads a statement issued by CESIF.

Presenting the findings on “Dynamics of Small-Scale Foreign Aid in Nepal’s Borderlands,” Milan Acharya, a researcher at CESIF, said that China’s small-scale aid focuses solely on the northern frontier districts bordering Tibet Autonomous Region. Of late, India’s small-scale aid and projects have increased in the northern region. The research found that China has a tendency to override state mechanisms and procedures and its small-scale aid is unregulated compared to that of India’s.

Sharing the findings of the research “Evolving Nepal-China Cross Border Relations and Its Impact on Borderland Citizens,” Prabisha Basnet, a researcher at CESIF said, “The Dalai Lama issue remains a major obstacle, with China viewing reverence as a security threat. Unilateral border closures, stringent checks, and declining trade also impacted cross-border marriages and cultural exchanges.”

The dialogue brought together diverse views from the parliamentarians and experts, according to the statement.

Sapkota, representing a northern bordering district Sindhupalchowk, shared his experience of China’s aid in Nepal. He specified an example of the high maintenance cost of a school constructed by China.

Samjhana Thapaliya raised concerns about the border issues with India in Saptari which need to be resolved by both neighbors, India and Nepal.

Former Secretary Krishna Gyawali congratulated CESIF for the findings and further commented on small aid in Nepal.

He said that although small aid assistance is very important, its sustainability after the departure of donors’ funding also needs to be taken into account. He saw lobbying from politicians as the most important factor for small scale funds at the local level.

Secretary Gyawali noted that the objective of small-scale aid must be aligned with national interest, with appropriate monitoring, operation maintenance and accountability mechanisms. Former Secretary Lal Shankar Ghimire expressed his concern on Nepal having an agreement with Tibet, a province of China instead of its central government.

Overall, the participants were united in expressing that small scale aid is important from both India and China. However, it needs to be regulated by the Nepali state mechanism. For this to go ahead, there has to be an institutional cohesion between ministries. 

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister M. U. M. Ali Sabry paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the latter’s office in Sheetal Niwas on Friday.

Issues related to bilateral relations, mutual interests and cooperation between Nepal and Sri Lanka  were discussed in the meeting, the President’s Office said.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Meteorological Forecasting Division has urged people to take necessary precaution against cold as the temperature is on a decreasing trend across the country.

Cold has increased with the drop in mercury throughout the country, including in the Kathmandu Valley. The minimum temperature in Kathmandu today is 4.5 degrees Celsius and the maximum 19 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Kathmandu is between 4 to 5 degrees Celsius and the maximum in the range of around 17 to 19 degrees Celsius since the last three to four days.

Extreme cold has intensified in Kathmandu due to the fall in temperature. Although the days are sunny, much cold is experienced in the morning and evening.

The lowest temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius is recorded in Jumla and minus 3.5 degrees Celsius in Jomsom, the Division said.

The Westerly wind has partial impact in Nepal at present and the weather is partly cloudy to generally fair due to this weather system. It will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and partly cloudy to generally fair in the rest of the provinces tonight.

The weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region of the above provinces and partly cloudy to mostly fair in the rest of the provinces tomorrow (December 23). There are chances of light rain in one or two places of the hilly regions of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces.

The Division stated that there is a possibility of light snowfall in one or two places of the high-hilly and mountainous region of Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces.