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In 2003, a song by the Black Eyed Peas called Where Is the Love won people’s hearts as it resonated with what they were seeing globally. The song was about the prevalent racism, terrorism, killings, discrimination, animosity, and hatred. Through their song, the band urged for greater unity and solidarity among people and nations. Twenty years have passed since the release of the song but has the world become any better? 

Just on Saturday, reports of aerial attacks by Hamas on Israel shocked the world. More than 350 people have been killed so far with some Nepalis seriously injured. A week before that, more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians from Azerbaijan were reported fleeing to Armenia because of what has been termed as ethnic cleansing launched by Azerbaijan. The Russia-Ukraine war does not seem to end any time sooner, and people on both sides continue to be killed and important infrastructures continue to fall. Tensions between our immediate neighbor India and Canada have also risen and each country has asked the other’s diplomats to return from their duty stations. India has even suspended visa issuance to Canadians.  

Whether in the name of religion, economy, natural resources, or ethnic cleansing, the global citizens are seeing rising levels of tensions and unrest. These result in death, displacement of people, separation from family members, mental trauma, disconnect from one's culture and so on. After the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, people left their countries in millions as reported by media and international organizations.  The issue of managing refugees is not just complex but also sensitive. Not all countries have the capacity or the resources needed to take care of the displaced population. And, not all refugees or immigrants are welcome by the citizens of the host countries. 

Even then, fighting between groups, government atrocities, and other issues force people to leave their home and embark on dangerous journeys such as traveling by boats in the vast oceans that often meet with accidents. They don’t fear the illicit movement and walk the road-less jungles and rainforests of Panama to enter the US for instance. Reports said 400,000 migrants were heading to the US from Panama’s Darien jungle. US President Joe Biden who earlier opposed the idea of building a wall is actually building a section of it. 

Why is this happening and will this ever end? Failing economies, lack of security, and threats to lives are rampant. Our world that has faced two big wars is continuing to see scattered wars. While some people are becoming more vulnerable, others are being less tolerant. Humanitarian organizations and the United Nations have more responsibilities than ever to protect the citizens of the world.  There was a time when we would hear mostly terrorist groups inflicting the damage. Now, we are seeing countries and their head of states taking the lead. Their ego and their display of military strength has taken lives of the innocent. It also seems that the societies are being hostile. 

The shootings in a gay club in the US; targeted activities against religious groups in India, Pakistan, or Israel-Palestine; and military coups in Africa are only a handful examples of how divided the societies are.  It may be hard to change the minds of indoctrinated people but it should be possible to use diplomacy tactfully to maintain amicable relations with fellow countries and make peace but that unfortunately seems to be a distant possibility! 

The government has opened advance ticket booking for long and medium routes from today targeting passengers going to their homes in districts outside the Kathmandu Valley and vice-versa for the upcoming Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.

However, ticket booking for short routes will be opened from Ghatasthapana, the first day of the 15-day Dashain festival, which falls on October 15 this year, said authorities.

The ticket booking has been opened targeting those who are leaving Kathmandu for festivals, it has been said. Six days remain for Ghatasthapana, with the opening of the advance ticket booking, there has been a flood of passengers buying tickets at the New Bus Park since this morning.

The number of passengers at the bus park has increased this year as opposed to previous years, it has been said. Ticket counters at the bus park have been crowded with passengers going to places like Darchula, Dadeldhura, Dhangadhi, Tikapur, Bajhang, Bajura, Salyan, Rukum, Puythan and Rolpa in the west and Taplejung, Ilam, Kakadvitta, Udayapur and other places in the east.

Dipak Rawal, who was heading to Darchula with his four family members, reached the bus park from Lalitpur at 3 am to book a ticket. He wanted to book a ticket for 19 October to go to his home to celebrate Dashain. But he could not get one until 8:30 in the morning. "As there are few buses going to Darchula, there is a problem getting a ticket. Buses should be added during Dashain," he said. One-way transport fare from Kathmandu to Darchula has been fixed at Rs 4,600 per person.

Devraj Ojha, who reached the bus park to book a ticket for Dhangadhi, was waiting to buy a ticket. Ojha, who works for Universal College in New Baneshwor as a supervisor, wants tickets for five people from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi. He had been in a queue since 5 am.

If the government makes arrangements for booking tickets online, you can book tickets online, removing problems and inconvenience being faced by passengers, he viewed.

However, Punya Prasad Sitaula, Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs, claimed that passengers easily get tickets during Dashain. "Due to damaged roads, it takes some time for public vehicles to reach their destinations. But no passengers are left behind without a bus," he said.

The government is at work to open road permits for traffic in all areas of the country for Dashain. Every year, around 2.2 million passengers leave Kathmandu for their home during Dashain.

Meanwhile, Lhotse Multipurpose Pvt. Ltd. has added 24 booking counters at the bus park in collaboration with transport entrepreneurs. It has also opened advance ticket booking.

Ticket booking counters have been added to systematically provide tickets to the passengers going home for Dashain, said the Lhotse spokesperson Pankaj Malla. "Now, we have added 24 ticket booking counters. We can add more as per need," he said.

From the bus park, around 1,000 public vehicles commute between Kathmandu and more than 68 districts outside on a daily basis, said transport entrepreneurs.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court in Kathmandu against former finance minister of Madhes Province Bijay Kumar, the then finance secretary of Madhes province, Prem Kumar Shrestha, Lalbandi Municipality mayor Man Bahadur Khadka and four others in connection with the establishment of a snake venom collection and processing center in the name of Jhalanath Khanal Institute of Health Sciences (presently known as National Health Sciences Foundation). . 

In the fiscal 2020/21, the provincial government had released a budget along with a grant, received from the federal government for the establishment of a center for collecting and processing snake venom for the production of anti-snake venom. 

More than three years into the release of the funds, the anti-corruption agency has blamed the then minister Yadav, Lalbandi Municipality mayor Khadka and others for going beyond their jurisdiction and demanded recovery of Rs 179.8 million along with fine and imprisonment for those involved as per the Corruption Prevention Act 2002.

The CIAA has sought a longer jail term for minister Yadav, citing section 24 of the Corruption Prevention Act 2002, which has stipulated additional years for senior public office-holders involved in such crimes. 

The authority has accused the then finance secretary of the province, Shrestha, of submitting a grant proposal to the Provincial Planning Commission by falsely stating that the foundation had abundant financial, physical and human resources to execute the project. Based on his proposal, the federal government had released Rs 30.27m as supplementary grants to the foundation.

CIAA has demanded that Shrestha be imprisoned for 8-10 years and Rs 30.27m recovered from him along with a fine of more than Rs 10m.

The CIAA has also pointed fingers at president of the foundation Rewati Prasad Pant, General Secretary Navaraj Bhandari, Treasurer Niraj Bhandari and member Devendra Rai. Per CIAA, the foundation’s Chair Pant had signed a partnership agreement with the government to receive government funding in the name of the foundation, which has zero cost sharing in the project, and had withdrawn Rs 179.8m. The agency has accused the foundation’s board of directors of spending government funds contrary to its objectives and approved programs.

The authority has also made the foundation a defendant demanding confiscation of its land in Lalbandi Municipality-1 along with a jeep.

The government has decided to keep an aircraft on standby to repatriate the bodies of Nepalis who died following the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel and to rescue the injured.

A meeting of the coordination mechanism held under the headship of Foreign Minister NP Saud on Monday decided to keep an aircraft on standby to repatriate the bodies as soon as possible and to coordinate with the Israeli government.

The meeting has also decided to find a way to safely relocate Nepali citizens living in Israel.

Around 4,500 Nepalis are currently employed as caregivers in Israel. Additionally, there are 265 Nepali students studying there as part of the ‘Learn and Earn’ program of the Israeli government, Foreign Minister Saud had said in the Parliament meeting on Sunday.

Ten Nepali students enrolled in educational institutions in the southern region of Israel have lost their lives in the attack by Hamas on Israel.

According to Nepali Ambassador to Israel Kanta Rijal, the deceased have been identified as Narayan Prasad Neupane and Ashish Chaudhary of Kailali, Ganesh Kumar Nepali of Bajhang, Dipesh Raj Bist and Lokendra Singh Dhami of Darchula, Anand Sah of Dhanusha, Rajesh Kumar Swarnkar of Sunsari, Rajan Phulara of Doti, Padam Thapa and Prabesh Bhandari of Salyan.

Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary from Tikapur, Himanchal Kattel from Gorkha, and Bidhan Sejuwal from Salyan were injured in the attack. They are receiving treatment at a local hospital. Reports suggest that one of the injured is in a critical condition. A person is still missing.