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When we think of décor and interiors, we think of plush couches, fancy cabinets, wine racks, and gorgeous textiles. While having all those can be nice and convenient, you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot or give your space a complete overhaul to make it look nice or change things up a bit. A little creativity and elbow grease can go a long way in giving your home a stylish personal touch. Here are some ways you can personalize your space without having to dip into your savings.

Look for hand-me-downs 

Your grandparent’s or parent’s store room can be a great place to get some items that you can repurpose to use around the house. Old pieces of furniture usually just need a fresh coat of paint to look brand new. Ask your friends if they have anything they are willing to part with—not only is this a great idea to save some money, but you will also have a piece of them with you at home. This way, many of the things you own will have a story to it and your home will feel all the more charming because of it.

 Learn some DIY skills 

Knowing how to build things is not only a handy skill to have but you can take pride in the things you end up making for your home. Learn some basics of pottery, woodwork, and some other creative tidbits to craft your own masterpieces. There are many things that you can do around the house that don’t require fancy skills and equipment. You can make bookshelves out of fruit crates by stacking and hot-gluing them together. You can paint glass bottles and make nifty flower vases and pots. There’s just a lot you can do with some simple supplies and skills.

Sell what you don’t want

Our homes accumulate things, and we don’t use most of them. They find themselves tossed in some storage unit or unused corner of the house. Why not sell items that you don’t need to buy something that you have been eyeing for a while? These days, with Facebook Marketplace and Instagram, you can sell things without any hassle. Simply upload a picture of it on social media, name your price, and wait for someone to contact you to get it off your hands. You will clear clutter as well as be able to use the proceeds from it to buy something you actually like.

Shop secondhand

We’d like to share a little secret: One of our colleagues got a 10-feet long metal plant stand for just Rs 4000. She was planning to commission someone to make it and he had quoted Rs 17,000 for the same thing. She got it secondhand from Facebook Marketplace. A coat of paint and the stand was as good as new, she said. All in all, she spent a maximum of Rs 5500 on it, including paint and transport charges. You can find almost everything at cheaper rates with a little hunting and internet research. Don’t dismiss thrift stores and secondhand items. Most of the items on sale are in good condition. Someone just doesn’t want them anymore.

Buy some spray paint  

It’s human nature to get bored of what you have and want new things. The same goes for home décor items. The novelty runs out and the things you once loved start looking drab. Don’t toss away décor knickknacks when you’ve had them for a while. Instead, give them a new lease of life with some spray paint. There isn’t anything else that will give you as much of a bang for your money as spray paint. Buy some gold, silver, and black spray paint at any hardware store in town and give your dated accessories a facelift to change the look and feel of your home.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Sunday demolished illegal structures in Gaushala.

The metropolis dismantled houses and shops built on the roadside against the set guidelines at Gaushala chowk.

The metropolis informed that the houses built against the set standards would be demolished on a regular basis.

The Metropolitan City had issued a 35-day notice to remove the structures built by encroaching the road.

The houses were bulldozed in the presence of Nepal Police and KMC officers after the owners did not demolish the houses on their own.

Earlier on Friday, the metropolis demolished the houses constructed illegally in-and-around Bhatkekopul, Chabahil.

A mountainous country, Nepal, has long been raising voice in the international forums on the impact of climate change on the Himalayas.

As a result of this, the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP-28) held last year for the first time incorporated in its decision the impact of climate change on the Himalayas, and has been emphasizing on the effective implementation of the responses to lessen this impact.

In this connection, Nepal is hosting an 'International Dialogue' on May 22 and 23 in Kathmandu to anchor this issue internationally under its own leadership. 

Experts from 23 countries are participating in the two-day event that aims to strengthen coordination and prioritize mountain-centric priorities and actions within the broader context of climate change. The theme of the dialogue is, “Mountains, People, and Climate Change”.

More than 200 delegates from the mountainous countries including Nepal and the island nations, the international community, development partners, the international non-governmental organizations, the private sector as well as the representatives of civil society will take part in the dialogue.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Dr Maheshwar Dhakal said that the objective of this dialogue of experts on climate change issues is to prioritize and strengthen in a coordinated way works related to the mountain ecosystem-based climate resilience.

"Climate change is a global agenda and mountainous countries like Nepal have been facing more problems related to it. We have prepared to establish the issue of adverse impact of climate change on mountainous countries under Nepal's leadership, further internationalizing this topic through the dialogue," he said. 

Joint Secretary Dhakal also said the dialogue aims to enhance the negotiating capacity of mountainous countries on climate change and to exert pressure on the international community to mobilize sources required for climate adaptation and reduction of climate change impacts.

"The climate change incidents are increasing day by day. They are comparatively more in the mountainous and hilly regions. Therefore, this International Dialogue will also be useful for raising institutional voice in a stronger manner," he added.

The Chairperson of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will also attend the dialogue. Similarly, the representatives of the UNFCCC Secretariat and the representatives of UN agencies, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other agencies will also participate in the discussions.

The Dialogue has the goal of forging collaboration among the mountainous countries and the stakeholders in the programs under the UNFCCC.

Chief of the Ministry's Climate Change Management Division, Joint Secretary Dr Buddhi Sagar Poudel said this conference will help in understanding the issues of climate change impact in the Himalayan region and their solution at a deeper level.

"Our conclusion is that this Dialogue will contribute to integrate the expertise and experiences on the topic and also to develop mountain climate resilience strategy along with common resolve," Poudel added.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is scheduled to inaugurate the Dialogue featuring nine sessions covering three major thematic issues. These sessions will focus on climate change science, mountaineering facts and data, measures for mountaineering resilience based on nature, and the exploration of potential sources and opportunities for the protection of mountain regions.

The Dialogue will delve into the impact of climate change, its crisis and risks, climate change policies for prosperity, climate change adaptation in local leadership, climate change justice, gender equality, and local concerns. Moreover, it will press for the promotion of investment in clean and green energy, climate finance accessibility, and the enhancement of international and regional partnerships to tackle climate change issues.

Dr Popular Gentle, Climate Change and Environment Advisor to Prime Minister Dahal, hopes that the Dialogue will provide a platform to discuss and highlight the impact of climate change and its risks in mountainous regions.

It aims to identify common climate agendas and problems faced by mountain countries, by advocating for the rights of communities residing in or depending on the Himalayan region regarding climate change matters, he added.

The event also aims to minimize the loss caused by climate change in mountain communities' lives and livelihoods by promoting adaptation measures, clean energy, innovations, and research exploration. Capacity enhancement for mountain communities and the promotion of multi party cooperation and partnership on climate change finance will be stressed.

The Dialogue aims to prepare a substantive roadmap and strategies for the 60th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Body for Implementation (SB 60) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany, scheduled for June 3-13.

The mountain region serves as a primary host for over 15 percent of the world's population's needs for food, shelter, and clothing, as well as habitats for over 15 percent of wildlife, including plants. However, mountain countries have been deprived of the expected benefits from this because they have either failed to raise their issues and concerns strongly in international forums or have not received international recognition.

The issue of mountains was accepted by the global community for the first time at the Dubai Conference. The COP-28 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12 decided for the first time about the climate crisis surfacing in the mountainous region. The conference was instructed to organize an "expert dialogue on mountains, humans and climate change" at the 60th meeting of UNFCCC's "SBSTA" to be held in June.

Ever since the COP-15 in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009, the effect of climate change on the Himalayan ecosystem has been drawing the world's attention. In most of the conferences since then, Nepal has been raising the issue of Himalayas with a high priority, but relatively little has been achieved in this regard. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, mentioned Nepal's name at the opening ceremony of the COP-28, mentioning the impact on the mountains due to the increase in global temperature.

The secretary general also visited Everest and Annapurna base area last November on the eve of the conference. His visit also made it easier for Nepal to raise the issue of the Himalayas in the global arena. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Dahal, Nepal organized a high-level round-table meeting for the first time with the presentation of the issue of mountain regions in the COP-28.

According to the Paris Agreement, the world community has agreed not to allow the temperature of the earth to rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. It is estimated that before 2050, the temperature of the Himalayan region will exceed 1.8 degrees Celsius. The increase in temperature has increased the risk of melting two-thirds of the glaciers of the mountains in this region.

Analyzing the data of the previous decade, the temperature in the mountains is increasing at a ratio of zero.05 degrees Celsius per decade. With the increase in temperature, the melting of glaciers is also increasing. Its direct impact is from the ecosystem of the Himalayan region to the island nation.

Due to the increase in temperature during the period from 1980 to 2010, the area of the glacier has decreased by 25 percent. According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), there are currently 2,700 glaciers in Nepal and 21 of them are at risk, while 25 glaciers in the Autonomous Region of China and one in India are at risk.

Nepali nationals living in Kyrgyzstan have been urged to exercise caution, and remain indoors until the situation returns to normal.

The request comes following reports of mob violence targeting foreign students in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad, Pakistan has stated that around 280 Nepalis living in and around Bishkek are reported to be safe.

For any kind of information and support, the Embassy has requested to contact the Embassy's phone number +92512610321 (including WhatsApp) and email at [email protected].

The Kyrgyz foreign ministry on Saturday assured that the situation was under control. “From the moment information about the incident was received, law enforcement agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic took prompt measures to detain persons involved in the event, both foreign citizens and citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic,” the Kyrgyz foreign ministry said in a statement.