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Dipendra Dhakal is a 34-year-old international taekwondo referee from Nepal. Born in Kavrepalanchok, he has refereed at highly acclaimed championships around the world, including the Royal Spanish International Open Taekwondo Tournament, The German Open, The French Open, and The Belgian Open. He had received recognition in various national and international tournaments. He is now studying international refereeing while also working as a trainer at Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya in Bhaktapur and the Tribhuvan Army Club. In his hometown’s Laligurans Taekwondo Dojang, Dhakal began his Taekwondo training at a very young age. He moved to Kathmandu after receiving the black belt, seeking new opportunities, particularly to prepare for the national game. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue because of a leg injury. But taekwondo is all that Dhakal has ever known. “I didn’t want to waste my skills just because of an injury. So I kept training and began working as a referee,” he says. As a result, he now has a fifth Dan black belt in taekwondo. Dhakal attended his first international training and conference in Wuxi, China in 2018, as a step towards becoming a global referee. “I was the only participant from Nepal to be chosen out of six,” he says.  Eventually, in 2019, he refereed a game for the Military World Game, where 138 nations were competing against one another in Wuhan, China. It was his first time judging an international match. In 2020, he had the chance to officiate at both the G1 level World Ranking Game in Hamburg, Germany, and the G2 level World Ranking Game in France. He also took part in the Pakistan COAS Open International Taekwondo Championship as a referee. His career as a national referee, however, began in 2022. “In the context of national taekwondo refereeing, educational qualification isn’t given much importance,” he says. “To be eligible for international refereeing, one must possess basic level English speaking skills and other qualifications.” He thinks that as compared to other countries, Nepal’s national taekwondo competition uses outdated equipment, resources, and technology. “It might take Nepal more than a decade to catch up to the international level in the technical aspect,” he adds. Taekwondo, in his opinion, is the art of the hands and the limbs. “Taekwondo is  associated with kicking and punching methods, physical fitness, martial arts, and self defense,” he says. Dhakal sees taekwondo as a sport that empowers women as it teaches self defense. He also believes taekwondo is a methodical and disciplined sport that gives participants spiritual, mental, and physical strength. “But refereeing is a whole new ball game. It’s not as simple as it looks,” says Dhakal. Referees, according to him, need quick observation skills, excellent concentration, patience, and the ability to thrive well under pressure. “A referee has to watch the game carefully, track time, call out faults and communicate,” he says. He also clarifies that if a referee makes a mistake, the coach may appeal by showing cards, and any issues will be resolved by the jury’s decision. Missing one fault can affect the scoring of athletes and the outcome of the game. To avoid this, referees have to be very attentive and regulate matches with rules. “Referees have the power to maintain discipline in the game,” he adds, “They have the authority to take away a player’s point and give the opponent an advantage, as well as suspend the game in the case of aggressive behavior.” After having witnessed and taken part in numerous international matches, he’s content with how far he has come. He says that his initial exposure to international refereeing gave him momentum. He represented Nepal and won various awards both nationally and internationally. He was given an ‘Encouragement Award’ for Nepal’s first-ever involvement in international refereeing at the Military World Game in 2019. He received the ‘West Referee Award’ for the Spanish Open match in the 2022 World Ranking Jeeto Taekwondo Championship, which was held in Alicante, Spain. Dhakal also won the ‘National Talent Award 2023’ and a cash prize of Rs 100,000 from the Ministry of Youth and Sports for his performance at the national-level game. Dhakal is now qualified for a third class license after completing the seminar test, and recently, he obtained second class license after refereeing eight World Ranking Games in less than two years. He is now striving for the first class. If everything goes according to plan, he says that he’ll be in Australia for the 2023 Australia Open, 2023 Oceania Para Taekwondo Open Championship, and the 2023 WT President Cup (Oceania region) in July. Dhakal overcame several challenges and setbacks to achieve this success. Even though a referee is a crucial part of the game, he claims they aren’t given much respect in Nepal. “The service, incentives, and facilities for referees are extremely limited,”  he continues. “We must cover all of our costs and airfares, excluding lodging and meals, even if we are traveling for a big international game while representing Nepal.” Given that the individual will be representing Nepal, he expresses his opinion that the government should be taking care of that. “Like they have been doing for athletes, the government needs to set aside a platform, training, seminar, and equipment for referees as well,”  he says.

Spices are essential in many cuisines around the world. They greatly enhance the taste and aroma of food, add flavor, and also have potential health benefits. There are many different types and varieties of spices to choose from, so it’s important to experiment until you find the perfect combination of spices for the dish you are making. I personally love rosemary and garlic. It’s also considered a classic spice combination. I believe chili, garlic, and coriander also work very well together. The spices used in various cuisines around the world are distinct from one another, and provide the different aromas, textures and flavors. For example, in South Asian dishes there is generally heavy use of ginger, garlic, cumin, mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, curry leaves, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, etc. Spices in French cuisine are limited to ground white or black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger among a few others. Chinese spices include Schezwan peppercorn, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, clove and in the USA, dry mustard, paprika, celery salt, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg, ginger, clove, mace, cardamom, and allspice are used. The distinct use of spices produces different flavor combinations. That is why a Filipino chicken adobo tastes very different from Indian butter chicken. It’s all in the spices. Spices also have an interesting history. Once upon a time, empires that had control over the spice trade ruled the world. Spice routes traveled by maritime routes from India, South East Asia to Africa and Europe. Spice was so precious that European countries sent sailors to Asia and Africa to bring back these natural money minting entities. Spice trade from India is one of the reasons the Dutch and British East India companies fought for colonizing India. It could be said that what motivated the European colonizers to colonize many parts of Asia and Africa was the greed to control spices trade routes around the world. Black peppercorns were traditionally found in Asia, but were so favored in European cuisine that they were considered exotic. They were transported in huge quantities, and this spice business was very profitable. When spices weren’t niche commodities anymore, the downfall of these European empires became eminent. Today, as a reminiscence of these spice traders, there are various spice markets around the world in countries such as India, Morocco, Iran, Turkey, etc. which are popular tourist attractions. In addition to their flavor-enhancing properties, spices are also known for their potential health benefits. For example, turmeric, a spice commonly used in Indian cuisine, contains a powerful anti-inflammatory compound called curcumin. Turmeric is often referred to as the ‘golden spice’ due to its vibrant yellow color, which comes from curcumin. Curcumin is also responsible for many of the health benefits associated with turmeric, such as its anti-inflammatory properties. It is considered one of the healthiest spices because in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects, turmeric might also have antioxidant properties and has been studied for its potential to improve brain function and lower the risk of certain chronic diseases. Turmeric has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and cooking, particularly in South Asian cuisine. It’s often used to flavor and color curry dishes and is also used in many other dishes around the world. I love how Malaysian cuisine uses turmeric in fresh form in their dishes. However, it’s important to note that more research is needed to fully understand the health benefits of turmeric and curcumin. Overall, turmeric is a versatile and flavorful spice that can add a pop of color to many dishes, while amping up its health quotient. Similarly, cinnamon has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels. It is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger is another spice that is known for its anti-inflammatory effects and it has been used for centuries to help ease nausea and stomach discomfort.  Saffron is said to enhance sleep, better mood, and relieve PMS symptoms. Rosemary and oregano help fight diseases such as obesity, liver problems, and asthma. Spices have long been used as herbal medicines in many Asian cultures. South Asian ayurveda makes use of many local spices, herbs, and medicinal plants. Ayurveda emphasizes the use of spices in enhancing digestion, increasing and stimulating appetite, and nourishment through various antioxidants, minerals, vitamins etc. Ashwagandha, ginger, turmeric, fennel seeds, amla are some of the widely used herbs and spices in Ayurvedic medicine. Similarly, traditional Chinese medicine also makes use of various herbs and spices. Licorice, ginger, ginseng root, etc. have been used for medicinal purposes for years. Cooking with unknown spices can seem intimidating, especially when you haven’t experienced how certain spices work with certain dishes. The ground rule when experimenting with spices is to start with small amounts and gradually increase it until you achieve the desired flavor. It’s also a good idea to use fresh spices whenever possible, as they have a stronger flavor and aroma than older dried and powdered spices. Overall, incorporating a variety of spices into your cooking can not only make your food taste better but can also provide potential health benefits. So don’t be afraid to be creative and innovative in experimenting with spices in different combinations to find your perfect flavor profile.

Reforms for digital development seem to be expanding in Nepal–foreign direct investment (FDI) is being allowed into domestic payment companies, the new budget has proposed to lower the FDI threshold for digital companies, while subsidized start-up funding is finally set to resume. Yet the track record of Nepali bureaucracy has always been mixed. Are these initiatives enough? Can they really provide the building blocks for rapid digital transformation of the economy? What is within the capabilities of the government? We need bolder steps, and I suggest three ways in which our imagination for such reforms must change. The payments ecosystem needs depth and more opportunities to open the local financial markets for digital services. We need higher-quality FDI that will bring in strong capabilities, not low-quality FDI, which has a risk of being tainted with money laundering issues. And finally, our start-ups need international market access and international know-how to be able to compete globally. If that market failure is addressed, I believe that the financing space will open. Depth in the payment ecosystem Recent reforms by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) have raised the paid-up capital requirements for payment companies and opened up to 15 percent FDI in such companies. However, these measures appear insufficient to build depth in the financial ecosystem and expand financial inclusion. The first reform is a risk-based approach suitable for traditional financial companies, but inappropriate for technology-oriented companies. Why not create a fintech regulatory sandbox to enable the payments ecosystem to expand the scope of opportunities? Nepal’s digital payment ecosystem is saturated with companies all of which do the same thing. We have 10 Payment Service Operators and 27 Payment Service Providers, with little differentiation among them. This is expected: The country’s consumer base is of low value and there is little space for innovation. Our digital ecosystem has yet to see unique services such as escrow-based debiting or push payments, which can significantly accelerate e-commerce. A prominent player in the ecosystem has introduced payday loans, EMI loans, and buy-now-pay-later loans through a banking partner, and this is a good starting point. However, the NRB needs to open more opportunities to improve the capabilities of our banking ecosystem and deepen financial inclusion. The second reform—the FDI threshold of 15 percent in payment companies—falls into no-man’s land. For foreign strategic investors, a 15 percent stake is too low of an allocation in the capitalization table to impact company governance. While for financial investors, a 15 percent stake does not present much of a financially appealing investment in Nepal’s competitive payments industry. Remittance capture cannot be the only domain for players to compete in. The focus must shift toward improving access to existing financial and insurance services, introducing newer more appropriate products, and improving the services to consumers to cover the breadth of their transactions and over their lifecycle. High quality FDI, not sources for AML risks The new announcement for a lower FDI threshold for technology companies is welcome, and we will wait for whether NRB and other government agencies can execute this. Government bodies haven’t been able to execute past FDI commitments and have failed to attract FDI into the country even after recently lowering the minimum FDI threshold from Rs 50m to Rs 20m. FDI flows sharply declined over the current fiscal year. Even committed capital is weary to enter the country, while new FDI pledges have dropped drastically. Global macroeconomics alone is not responsible for this scenario. Nepal needs high-quality FDI to help bring in strong standards and connectivity to the rest of the world. I believe that near-term goals for the local digital ecosystem should be to attract small to mid-sized technology companies, which are willing to invest $5 million to $10 million in Nepal to set up research labs, build local teams, and set up offshore implementation offices. Ideally, most of this allocation will go toward high-value activities such as research and development, training, and technology transfer, and less toward buying property. Such high-quality FDI also helps set strong precedents for Nepali officials to understand technology companies and investments in the digital domains. The lower FDI limit, and potentially lower limit for technology companies, may help international entrepreneurs experiment in Nepal, but I worry that it will introduce significant money laundering risks. Nepal’s international reputation for managing such risks have seriously deteriorated over the past year, and the public has not had any reassurances from the NRB that they have boosted their global anti-money laundering capabilities. If our government is serious about encouraging global investors and operators to come and invest in Nepal’s digital economy, it also needs to improve the immigration system. Work visas for foreigners are notoriously difficult to get. Bringing international talent to come work in Nepal is one of the best ways of technology transfer, but we need to make it easier for international talent to come and discover Nepal’s technology scene, the companies, and possibilities, before expecting them to make sizable investments and consider Nepal as their base. Market access and global exposure Startups have long been promised loans of up to Rs 2.5m at 3 percent interest, yet the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS) has been unable to execute this program. It needs to be re-imagined. Undoubtedly, Nepali digital companies need concessionary support. Many young companies in the world need this concessionary support to build their products, acquire customers, expand, and thrive. There can be a better way to mobilize concessionary support. We have private equity fund managers in the country, who have pioneered impact investing. Such investors prioritize the impact created by their investments alongside financial returns. Start-up funding can be more effectively channeled through impact fund managers, and Nepal can focus on bringing in international experts in impact investing from Asia, Europe, and the US to scale this ecosystem. Improving this investment ecosystem will not only spur new ventures, but also help digital companies become more competitive. More sophisticated fund managers can help local companies compete globally. They can inform and lobby the government to identify reforms that can move the needle, such as helping technology companies sell their products and services globally. This means allowing companies to set up branches overseas, letting them make payments to consultants and employees internationally, and enabling partnerships with other technology companies in South Asia or across the world. Helping digital companies become more globally competitive will eventually create a virtuous cycle to improve the venture financing ecosystem in the country, as founding team members of successful companies recycle capital domestically. Nepal needs higher-quality reforms to improve the state of our digital ecosystem. Some reforms that are floating around such as negligible FDI thresholds for technology companies, higher capital requirements for payment companies, and government concessional financing programs sound progressive. However, if the government wants to be taken seriously, more substantive efforts are needed. Some of these efforts include building regulatory sandboxes for payment companies, sourcing-in higher-value FDI into the country, and enabling market access for digital companies with the help of local fund managers. The author, a Senior Fellow with the Nepal Economic Forum, leads the Digital Chautari, a platform to facilitate conversations on creating a Digital Nepal

At 80, US President Joe Biden is eyeing a second term. If he wins the 2024 election, he will be 85 by the time he completes the term. Biden was the oldest president sworn in at 78 years 61 days. John F. Kennedy was the youngest elected president at 43 years and 236 days. On average, American presidents are sworn in at 55 years old. Chinese President Xi Jinping is nearing 70 years and Russian President Vladimir Putin is already 70. Both Xi and Putin are likely to stay in power for an unlimited period. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is 72, is likely to retire after the 2024 elections. Various polls held in various countries suggest that people want a maximum age limit for their leaders. But there are only a few countries that have imposed the age bar. In Nepal, too, discourse on the age limit of leaders crop up every now and then, only for the senior leaders, both in rank and age, to dismiss it. Top leaders of major parties in Nepal have already crossed 70, and yet they have shown no indication of retiring from active politics. This week, the issue of age limit caught headlines once again after the secretariat meeting of  CPN-UML announced to remove the age limit for the party leader. The UML was the first party to come up with such a policy and now it is planning to do away with it. The final decision in this regard will be taken by the party’s policy convention, and there is a high likelihood that it will be endorsed. Removal of the age threshold will not only pave the way for the party chairman, KP Oli, to seek reelection for a third term, it will also provide the aging second-rung leaders the shot at party leadership. Inside the Nepali Congress, some youth leaders have been demanding an age limit for the party president, but their voices have gone unheard. The NC has long been a party led either by a septuagenarian or an octogenarian leader. Its current leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, is 77. The NC party statute has capped the term limit for the party president for only two terms. Deuba will be 80 by the time the party holds its next general convention in 2026. Previous NC presidents Sushil Koirala and Girija Prasad Koirala also remained at the party’s helm till their 80s. As for the CPN (Maoist Center), its leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal pretty much enjoys the role of a supremo, with no one to challenge his position in the foreseeable future. While many other countries are also run by old leaders, there is one stark difference between them and Nepal: the same set of leaders have been running the country for over the past three decades. “When the same set of leaders reach the helm of power time and again, there should at least be a term limit to break this cycle,” says NC’s Bhupendra Jung Shahi. “What matters the most in a leader is vision, dynamism and management capacity, not age. If someone in their seventies comes up with a new vision, they should be given the opportunity to lead.” Shahi adds there cannot be a comparison between Nepali leaders and other world leaders because the context is completely different.  In the case of Nepal, most youth politicians raise the issue of age limit, but they downplay the issue as they turn old, stating that it is the ideology that matters not the age. But some argue that there should be an age limit for politics just like in bureaucracy, police and army. They are of the view that  old age also affects one's ability to lead. But old-age top politicians do not agree. CPN-UML leader Lal Babu Yadav claims that it is the vision and quality matters, not the age of a leader. “When China’s Deng Xiaoping took charge, he was 73 and it is because of his vision that China has emerged as a superpower next to the US.  Similarly, Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan are other leaders who transformed their country with their outstanding visions even at an advanced age.” Yadav adds Nepal’s former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala was nearing 80 when he played a vital role in bringing the Maoist party to mainstream politics. “Had Koirala retired from active politics due to age limit, we can hardly imagine the initiation of the peace process,” he says In developing countries, politicians often undergo regular cognitive tests to find whether they are fit to perform the tasks. Such tests are not performed in Nepal. When it comes to constitutional provision of age limit in Nepal, there is only a floor not the ceiling. Article 87 of the constitution says one who has completed the age of 25 years is eligible to become a member of the House of Representative and 35 years for the National Assembly. But the constitution does not talk about the ceiling age. UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel argues the age limit policy does not ensure the leadership change issue in political parties. Compared to other parties, he adds UML is the only party which has witnessed a periodic change in leadership. “We have a very clear position that by raising the age limit we should not create problems in the party’s leadership and the 70-year age limit does not guarantee a change in leadership.” Sociologist Pranab Kharel says imposing an age limit is a new way to elevate the new generation in party politics, but in the context of South Asia and Nepal, it does not appear relevant. “To impose such a provision, there should be practice of intra-party democracy and installation of necessary mechanisms.” Kharel notes that Nepal’s politics revolves around insecurity and as a result, top leaders do not want to take retirement till the end of their life. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Pranaya SJB Rana told ApEx in a recent interview that the narrative of young and old in politics is wrong. “For contesting parliamentary polls, experience and knowledge in policy making and research should be the criteria. It’s about qualification—not about age.” He gave the example of US Senator Bernie Sanders who at 81 is still highly engaged in policy research and advocacy. “His constituents, especially the youths, can relax and enjoy their private life. We should establish a narrative of qualification for politicians, not age.”