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

Meteorologist at the Division Saroj Pudasaini said although there is no significant weather system at play in Nepal at present, cold is increasing and hence the need to take precautions.

It is partly cloudy in the hilly region of the country and generally fair in the Tarai region, the Division said.

"There is partial influence of the westerly wind and impact of a big weather system is ruled out for some days," Pudasaini added.

The weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and generally clear in the rest of the regions today. It will be partly cloudy in the hilly region of Koshi and Gandaki provinces and generally fair in the rest of the regions tonight, the Division stated.

Dense fog had occurred in Biratnagar, Janakpur and Bhairahawa in the Tarai region in the morning today.

The minimum temperature in Kathmandu today was 5.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum 18 degrees Celsius. Cold has intensified in Kathmandu as the mercury has dropped. Although it is sunny towards noon, extreme cold is felt in the morning and evening.

Jumla recorded the lowest temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius throughout the country, the Division said.

Two persons died on the spot when a bus and motorbike collided with each other at Boharetar in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-3 of Sindhuli along the BP Highway on Monday.

According to Chiranjibi Dahal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, the bike rider and the pillion rider died in the incident.

The identity of the bike rider is yet to be ascertained while the pillion rider is identified as Munakala Rai (18) of Diktel Municipality-10, Khotang.

The bus (Ba Pra O1-006 Kha 4593) heading towards Kathmandu from Manthali, Ramechhap collided head-on with the two-wheeler (Ba 60 Pa 3545) this morning.

Police said that they have impounded the bus and arrested its driver Rupesh Adhikari (24) of Manthali Municipality-13, Ramechhap for investigation.

The Christian community is celebrating Christmas Day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.

Jesus Christ is believed to have been born in Bethlehem, Israel some 2022 years ago today, on December 25.

Today is celebrated as Love Day for those who came to love people, Peace Day for those who came to establish peace, and Liberation Day for those who came for liberation.

On the occasion, the government also announced a public holiday today.

Nepal is much better than it was three decades ago when democracy was restored. Poverty has substantially gone down, there is road access in remote regions, health system has improved, people live longer and healthier, and the quality of education has become better.

But over the past few years, the sense of pessimism among the people has increased. Many people, mostly the youth, believe that the things in the country will not change or become worse 10-20 years down the line. There aren't many optimists around. Even the wealthy folks, those with stable, well-paying jobs and businesses are glum. 

A few days back, a preeminent social worker and businessman said: “What surprises me is that even those people who have sufficient wealth and good career are pessimistic and leaving the country. It is hard to find any young people who are optimistic about their future these days. Most people do not want to stay in the country. Youths do not think about what will happen once they go abroad, they just want to leave this country.”

Nepali media are filled with the news stories of Nepalis illegally entering America through Panama Jungle, paying up to Rs 6m to manpower agents. There are also disturbing reports about Nepali men entering Russia on visit visas and joining the army to fight in the war against Ukraine. The government is now struggling to bring back the Nepalis serving in the Russian army, those held hostage by Ukraine and those killed in the war. According to the government's official figure, approximately 2,000 youths leave the country which does not include the people with visit visas.

Today if you meet college students, you can sense their disillusionment and frustration regarding the country and their future. Even those who are holding good jobs are disaffected. Scores of people who are in the civil service are leaving their job midway to go abroad. As for the professionals who are in their forties or fifties, they seem regretful for not leaving the country when they were young. Some of them are ready to go abroad, provided they get a good opportunity. Take one example of an established businessman in his fifties, who recently said: "My father is 93 years old, he recently suggested that I advise my children to go abroad so that I can also settle there later.”  It is not just the youths, even senior citizens do not see the future in this country.

So how did we get here? Political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta says those who are in their early twenties are the ones who feel most insecure and do not see better prospects in this country. 

“The collective insecurity has become a defining attribute of our young generation,” he says. “This sense of negativity among our youngsters has been building up for quite some time.”

He adds: “Many factors, including the politics of the country, should be held responsible for this. We have reached the point where every third person is waiting to board the next flight. Nepal is going through what scholars call a ‘polycrisis’. The permanent nature of such a crisis may push the country into ‘permacrisis’ or permanent state of crisis. This is the type of state and politics we have developed during the last couple of decades.” 

The reasons for unhappiness among Nepali citizens are innumerable. Since the 1990s, Nepal’s economic conditions have not been satisfactory. The country has come to a standstill with regard to job creation. Absence of production-based economy has increased Nepal’s dependency towards outside. 

“With more than 25 percent of national GDP, remittances have become the national lifeline. Remittances certainly have played a crucial role in reducing poverty in Nepal, but the stark reality that it produces is such that Nepal’s survival is connected with the global labor market,” says Bhatta.

Corruption is another big reason as to why Nepal and its citizens are not faring well. In fact, corruption runs so deep, from the center to the grassroots, that it is hard to imagine a government agency providing the simplest of services to a citizen without bribe money. Political parties and their loyalists have taken over high level government jobs, and their corrupt practices mostly go unpunished.

Only those who are close to the halls of power are getting job opportunities, while the rest are forced to leave the country to feed their families. “Nearly half of the population is associated with some political parties so that they can get opportunities to earn money. These people are content with the current situation of Nepal. The rest of the population do not see the future in the country,” says Bhatta.

At the heart of all these problems is a lack of political stability. Frequent government changes, and building and dismantling of coalitions among political parties have left ordinary Nepalis convinced that the country’s politics is never going to be stable enough to ensure development and economic prosperity. Political parties and their leaders are still engaged in petty power struggles and have not taken any measures to improve governance and economy.  

Growing pessimism, particularly among the youth population, is also posing a serious threat to democracy. They are gradually losing their faith in the power of vote and political parties. 

Ramesh Parajuli, a sociologist affiliated with the research institution, Martin Chautari, says the nature of pessimism runs at both individual and societal level. “Both privileged and underprivileged groups are agitated in this country. It is obvious for the underprivileged to be agitated, but the privileged group is also feeling the same way,” he says.

Nepal’s politics, Parajuli says, is in a quagmire that has failed to chart a clear course of action. 

“Politics has not taken a clear direction partially due to the electoral system we have adopted. The same set of parties and politicians are in power for decades and continue to take privileges. They are heavily involved in corruption, and this has hampered the economic growth and opportunities, thereby creating pessimism,” he adds.