Submit your Article

Belauri Municipality in Kanchanpur district has decided to close all schools for two days in a bid to avoid scorching heat. The local level said the schools would remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday in the wake of rising temperatures.

The decision was made considering the health of school teachers, students and employees, according to Mayor Potilal Chaudhari. The school closure will be adjusted with summer holidays. 

He added that all community and institutional schools would be closed for two days. 

It has been difficult for some days to walk outside owing to increasing temperature. People's movement is limited during the day time. The health workers also informed that the locals were complaining of nausea, conjunctivitis and fever of late. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that Gaza’s healthcare system is “extremely fragile” amid ongoing Israeli bombardment and blockade.

The ICRC's field hospital in Rafah has carried out mass casualty procedures 12 times in the last two weeks, treating a huge number of patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Most were reportedly harmed while attempting to reach aid distribution points, according to Al Jazeera.

According to Gaza's Government Media Office, at least 125 Palestinians have been killed and 736 injured near the sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by the United States and Israel.

Most farmers in Nawalparasi have already sown rice seeds, and many more are preparing to plant in the coming weeks. However, a persistent shortage of fertilizer has added stress—especially for those relying on pump sets for irrigation due to the lack of proper irrigation infrastructure.

This problem recurs annually. Subsidized fertilizers sent by the government are distributed through cooperatives, based on data provided by local authorities. In the district’s seven local units, fertilizers are distributed through 80 cooperatives.

Rabindranath Chaubey, head of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, said the supply of chemical fertilizers in the district covers less than two-thirds of the total cultivable land. Out of 41,000 hectares of arable land, rice is cultivated on about 21,000 hectares. To meet full demand, the district requires 18,398 tons of urea, 10,657 tons of DAP, and 8,145 tons of potash annually. However, since August, only 3,890.4 tons of urea and 1,684 tons of DAP have been received from the Agriculture Inputs Company and Salt Trading Corporation. That leaves a shortfall of around 15,000 tons of urea and 9,000 tons of DAP.

Tara Prasad Khanal, head of the Agriculture Inputs Company’s Parasi branch, said subsidized fertilizers are sold through cooperatives at Rs 794 per 50kg bag of urea, Rs 2,244 for DAP, and Rs 1,644 for potash. Cooperatives add transport costs to these prices. Although some additional supplies are expected from the company’s provincial office, they have yet to arrive, even as the rice planting season nears peak.

Ramgram Municipality needs 4,256 tons of urea and 1,652 tons of DAP annually. So far, it has received 760.355 tons of urea and 329.13 tons of DAP. Bardaghat Municipality requires 3,462 tons of urea and 1,860 tons of DAP. It has received 493.979 tons of urea and 213.82 tons of DAP.

While Sunwal Municipality needs 1,885 tons of urea and 943 tons of DAP, it has only received 535.773 tons of urea and 231.92 tons of DAP. Palhinandan Rural Municipality requires 1,762 tons of urea and 789 tons of DAP. It has received 418.243 tons of urea and 181.13 tons of DAP.

Similarly, Pratappur Rural Municipality needs 3,340 tons of urea and 2,141 tons of DAP. So far, it has received 631.243 tons of urea and 273.33 tons of DAP. Sarawal Rural Municipality requires 2,733 tons of urea and 1,932 tons of DAP. It has received 549.369 tons of urea and 237.80 tons of DAP. Susta Rural Municipality needs 1,620 tons of urea and 1,340 tons of DAP. It has received 501 tons of urea and 216.88 tons of DAP.

According to the Agricultural Knowledge Center, the significant gap between demand and supply is threatening to affect rice production across the district.

A new non-fiction title chronicling Nepal’s contemporary political history has hit the stands, drawing attention from readers and analysts alike. Contours of Change in Nepal: Politics, Power and Paradox, authored by Tika P. Dhakal and published by Alchemy Publications, was officially released on May 23 and is reportedly performing well in bookstores.

The book looks into a range of critical themes that have shaped the Nepali polity in recent years, including the constitution-drafting process, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, evolving Nepal-India relations, regional diplomacy, and the country’s transitional justice mechanisms. It offers a broad yet incisive account of how these issues intersect to influence Nepal’s political and geopolitical trajectory.

Structured into eighteen sections, the volume combines previously published articles—many of which are re-edited and accompanied by new postscripts—with entirely new and unpublished chapters. Several entries are bolstered by the inclusion of original and unreleased documents, enhancing the book’s utility for researchers and students of Nepal’s recent history.

As a semi-academic non-fiction work, the book appears to resonate well with English-language readers seeking a deeper understanding of Nepal’s shifting political contours.

Author Tika P. Dhakal is no stranger to Nepal’s political discourse. He served as an advisor to former President Bidya Devi Bhandari for nearly three years and has been recently appointed as a Commissioner to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the high-level body tasked with investigating conflict-era human rights violations.

By knitting analysis with documentary evidence, Dhakal’s Contours of Change in Nepal positions itself as a timely and substantive contribution to the study of Nepal’s contemporary socio-political landscape.