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Collection of yarsagumba or Cordyceps sinensis has been affected after Manang district witnessed snowfall.

With the snowfall in the region, the collectors have returned for failing to collect yarsagumba.

Milan Tamang, a collector from Dhading district, said they are now back towards lowland after a snowfall in Bhatrang hill.

Likewise, Yekka Tamang( 46) of Dhading shared that the collectors have returned to Chame after food shortage and facing hardships in the highland while staying there for almost one and half months.

The collectors shared that a contractor has hired them to collect yarsagumba and are paid Rs 400 per piece. Generally, March to first week of June is considered an appropriate time for yarsagumba collection in the highlands of Manang district. The medicinal herb is collected through organisation after submitting the approval letter given in the last fiscal year.

The collectors have said they plan to return to the highlands by taking foodstuffs once the snowfall is over.

Collection of yarsagumba, the medicinal herb, is also one of the key income sources for the people in Manang.

Earlier on April 6, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Area Office in Manang had decided to issue approval for the collection of yarsagumba through a committee.

For the local people from Manang, approval for yarsagumba collection is issued by submitting their citizenship or other official documents in case they have migrated from Manang.

Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale has requested European Ambassador to Nepal Nona Deprez to lift ban on Nepal from the EU's safety list.

A discussion was held between Minister Ale and Ambassador Deprez regarding the matter at the ministry today, according to the minister's personal secretary Manoj Adhikari.

Minister Ale reminded the EU ambassador that Nepal's aviation sector was safe now.

He further said Nepal's score was 70.1 per cent on implementation of safety in eight categories set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which Minister Ale argued, was above average.

"Nepali aviation is safe as per the ICAO's indicators.

Now, the EU is requested to lift the ban on Nepal's aviation," he underscored.

The EU had blacklisted Nepal's aviation sector reasoning poor safety eight years ago. However, the ICAO has already lifted the ban on Nepal with its improved safety indicators. The EU had demanded further qualification and training of Nepali pilots to meet international standard.

On the occasion, Director General at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, engineer Pradip Kumar Adhikari informed the ambassador that Nepal had managed training and qualification of pilots in line with the international criteria.

Currently, Nepal Airlines, Buddha Air and Himalaya Airlines are ready for international flights and are awaiting the EU's nod.

Nepal must urgently remove the restrictive statute of limitations on cases of rape and other sexual violence through amendment as it continues to be a barrier for survivors in access to justice, said Amnesty International today.

It has also expressed solidarity with the ongoing protests that are demanding swift justice for victims of sexual violence and reform of rape laws in Nepal.

Activists in Nepal have taken to the streets after a survivor on 18 May through social media made public the allegations of rape that was committed eight years ago, when she was 16 years old. Under the 2017 penal code of Nepal, complaints of rape must be filed within one year from the date of the commission of crime.

This is grossly restrictive as it prevents many victims from accessing legal remedy effectively, in particular, victims of child rape. As a result of the pressure from the protests and in light of one-year limitation, the police arrested the alleged perpetrator on 21 May under Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2007, the AI said in a press release today.

"Time and again we have seen courageous survivors are denied justice because of the outdated and harmful one-year limit for filing rape complaints. The current provision is grossly restrictive, unfair and unmindful of the state the survivor might be in. In its current form, such provisions allow many perpetrators of rape to get away with their crimes," said Yamini Mishra, South Asia Regional Director at Amnesty International.

The grossly restrictive and inadequate length of limitation fails to take into account the stigma that women and girls face when reporting cases of sexual and gender-based violence and prevents them from accessing legal remedy, therefore, fosters impunity for such crimes.

"The provision in its current form should be repealed immediately to guarantee sufficient time to ensure effective access to remedy that is in line with international obligations. The Nepal government should consider amending the provision to allow the statute of limitation for a period of time that is sufficient and commensurate with the gravity of the offence in question. This needs to be done in consultation with civil society and survivors so as to take into account the stigma that women and girls face when reporting cases of sexual and gender-based violence," said Yamini Mishra.

The Department of Passport under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to provide services even on public holiday, Sunday.

The Department made this decision on Wednesday in line with the government’s policies and programmes of providing electronic passport in an easy manner.

It is providing the passport to the service-recipients in an easy and smooth manner by operating service even on a public holiday in view of the increasing numbers of service seekers coming to the Department.

The Department said today that it will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday every week from this May 29 until alternative arrangement is made.

It will be providing the passport-related services during that time to the service seekers who have applied for passport and booked the date and time of the day concerned.

Nepal and China have agreed to promote cooperation in various sectors including trade, transit, connectivity, investment, health, tourism, poverty alleviation, disaster management, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

The two countries agreed on this during the 14th meeting of the Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism held virtually Wednesday afternoon.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Wu Jianghao led their respective delegations to the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.

On the occasion, the two sides took stock of Nepal-China relations and exchanged views on further promoting bilateral relations and cooperation for mutual benefit.

During the meeting, the two sides underscored the importance of exchange of high-level visits and stressed the need for timely implementation of the agreements and understandings reached between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal thanked the Chinese Government for the generous support of life-saving vaccines and medical supplies to Nepal during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Minister Wu assured the Foreign Secretary of China’s support for the improvement of health infrastructures as well as for the capacity building of medical personnel of Nepal.

The two sides also agreed to activate bilateral mechanisms to enhance cooperation and partnership in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also emphasized the need for timely completion of China-assisted projects.

Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu has said the Consumer Protection Council would be made active by making and amending the related act, rules and policies (if any).

The minister, also chair of the Council, made this statement at a meeting of the Council that took place four years after the formation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2018. The Council was formed to make policy on the matter of protection and implementation of the rights of consumers

Highlighting the current matters like that of inflation and price increment of daily essentials, he said the government at all levels, private sector and consumers should be responsible, disciplined and cautious to end such things. "The citizens have been raising questions regarding the lack of efficacy of government mechanism to stop unusual inflation and other malpractices in the market.

The government at all levels, its bodies and offices should regularly monitor the market with utmost dedication and discipline to end the problems and help from all is the need of the hour," he said.

Among other matters discussed in the meeting were the need for the Department and all federal regulatory bodies to coordinate with all the stakeholders, including the provincial government regarding the matter of laws amendment, supply management, consumer protection and market monitoring so as to grant authority to the market monitoring mechanism at the provincial and local levels.

The Nepali idols stolen from different parts of country have been repatriated from the United States of America.

Among the repatriated idols are Standing Buddha that was lost from Kwaya Bahi, Lalitpur, Padmapani Lokeswora, Chaturmukhi Shivalinga (Panchadeval Temple, Pasupati), Uma Maheswori (Ga: Hiti, Lalitpur) and Nagaraja (Bhagawan Bahal, Naxal).

As informed, Uma Maheswora sculpture has been repatriated from the Denver Museum, while Chaturmukhi Shivalinga from the Art Institute of Chicago and remaining three statues from the James & Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, USA.

The government has decided to take over the remaining construction works of the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Chitwan district.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari, unveiling the policies and programmes of the incumbent government for the upcoming fiscal year 2022/23 at the meeting of the federal parliament on Tuesday, said that the government will coordinate and facilitate the remaining works of the Stadium.

Similarly, BP Koirala International Sports Village will be built in Gaindakot in Chitwan while the government will also build Fapla International Cricket Ground in Kailali district.

Furthermore, the new policies and programme include construction of international stadium with coaches in all seven provinces.

The sports villages will be built in every local level. Feasibility study will be conducted for establishing Sports University and further process will be taken forward.

Various international events will be organized to promote adventurous and mountaineering related sports.