KATHMANDU,
The Kathmandu District Court on Friday sent 16 people including
former ministers Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Bal Krishna Khand to jail after a hearing in a fake Bhutanese refugee scam.
A single bench of judge Prem Prasad Neupane passed the order after the end of a detention hearing that continued for around two weeks.
Deepak Dahal, information officer at the Kathmandu District Court,
told the Post that the bench sent 16 of the 18 defendants in the refugee scam to judicial custody.
But the court ordered the release of Tanka Kumar Gurung and Laxmi Maharjan on bails of Rs1 million and Rs500,000, respectively, he said. The court issued the order in the evening after lawyers from the two sides concluded their arguments on Friday afternoon. With the order, Rayamajhi will be suspended as a lawmaker.
Along with Rayamajhi and Khand, former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s security adviser Indrajit Rai, Khand’s personal secretary Narendra KC, former Nepali Congress lawmaker Aang Tawa Sherpa and Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal, among others, will remain in jail as their case continues in court.
Likewise, the scam’s accused masterminds Sanu Bhandari and Keshav Dulal will also remain locked up following the court order. Similarly, Sandeep Rayamajhi, the son of Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Shamsher Miya, Ram Sharan KC, Govinda Chaudhary, Sandesh Sharma,  Sagar Rai and Hari Bhakta Maharjan are the other defendants who will remain in jail.
The District Attorney Office Kathmandu on May 24 filed criminal cases at the District Court Kathmandu against 30 individuals accused in the scam. Of them, 12 including Prateek Thapa, son of CPN-UML vice-president Ram Bahadur Thapa and former home minister, are still at large.
They have been charged with four types of crimes—treason, organised crime, fraud and forgery. The accused have been charge-sheeted for collecting Rs288.17 million from 115 victims—ranging from Rs150,000 to Rs4.8 million each—by promising to send them to the US as Bhutanese  refugees.
“The court has issued the order we wanted, the crimes they are accused of, are grave,” said Achyut Neupane, chief of the Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office.
“We have argued that they cannot be released on bail as they are accused of serious crimes punishable by a sentence of imprisonment between over three years and 20 years.”
The court may remand a person believed to be guilty of any offence punishable by the sentence of imprisonment for life or any offence which is punishable by a sentence of imprisonment for a term exceeding three years, according to section 67 of the National Criminal Procedure (Code) Act, 2017.
Neupane, however, said that the defendants would still have the option to appeal at the High Court seeking release from jail on bail as per section 73 of the National Criminal Procedure (Code) Act, 2017.
As per the section, a petition may be filed to appeal a court hearing.
“A person who is not satisfied with the order of detention, bail/bond, guarantee or bank guarantee, may file a petition to appeal the decision, up to one level,” it says.
The hearing on remand, however, was prolonged because of the sheer number of lawyers who debated on behalf of the defendants.
After the case was registered on May 24, the court took statements from the arrested defendants with many providing statements that differed from the ones given to the police.  
Then, the government lawyers including Neupane, chief of the Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office, argued that hearings in the case should continue by keeping the defendants in prison because of the seriousness of the offences they have been charged with. They also showed evidence of monetary exchanges among the defendants.
Besides producing the evidence that was included in the charge sheet, lawyer Neupane had pointed out a letter sent by former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey to someone seeking political intervention to save him from prosecution.
“Police have seized a letter Pandey sent to someone requesting political support from leaders like UML chair KP Oli and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba,” said Neupane. “This also suggests involvement of Pandey and others in the scam.”
Besides Achyut Prasad Neupane, government lawyers including Mahesh Prasad Khatri, Janak Prasad Ghimire, Sitaram Aryal, Dinesh Bhattrai, Prakash Ghimire and Sur Bahadur Pariyar, Nirmala Marasini and Hira Lal Bholon argued on the behalf of the prosecutor, which is the government.

Some private lawyers also deliberated from the government’s side. On the other hand, over 100 lawyers debated on the behalf of the defendants and sought their release from detention.
Senior advocates including Harihar Dahal, Lalit Basnet, Mahadev Yadav, Raman Shrestha, Prem Bahadur Khadka, Sushil Pant and Ramesh Badal debated on the behalf of the defendants. As many as 34 lawyers defended former home minister Khand alone.
The majority of lawyers debating on behalf of the defendants argued that the government was prosecuting them on false charges and defendants were arbitrarily selected. They also argued that the accused were selectively prosecuted while some top leaders who were accused of involvement in the scam were not.
“Some people have been prosecuted because the accused named them while others have not been prosecuted even though they were similarly named,” said Shiva Prasad Rijal, a senior advocate, earlier told the Post. Rijal participated in the debate on behalf of Sanu Bhandari, one of the accused.
Recently, an audio tape appeared on social media suggesting former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s wife Arzu Rana also received cash from racketeers attempting to send fake Bhutanese refugees to the United States.
Ajaya Kranti Shakya, adviser to former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, also allegedly received Rs10 million, according to a defendant’s statement. Rana and Shakya have not been made defendants in the case.
Amid public uproar over alleged involvement of senior leaders of major parties, CPN-UML suspended its secretary and former deputy prime minister Rayamajhi, one of the accused in the case, from party position. But Khand continues to remain a central working committee member of the ruling Nepali Congress.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had closed the third-country resettlement of Bhutanese refugees in December 2016 after most of the refugees left for Western countries.  
But the resumption of the verification process by the government for the refugees who were left out of the resettlement programme was guided by a malafide intention, experts say.
In 2019, the then government led by KP Sharma Oli had formed a task force under then joint secretary Bal Krishna Panthi to recommend ways to manage the Bhutanese refugees who remained in Nepal after the third-country resettlement programme ended.
The taskforce submitted a report by including 429 Bhutanese refugees who had been left behind. Later, the racketeers, in collusion with some top officials, prepared another report and added hundreds of other people to the list of refugees.
“We cannot assume that the state was unaware of the impossibility of  third-country resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees left behind in Nepal,” Neupane, chief of the Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office earlier told the Post. “A malafide intent of some state actors who colluded with the racketeers is clearly evident here.”

KATHMANDU,
A new alliance of left leaning political parties is in the offing. The Socialist Front’s basic objective will be to establish ‘scientific socialism for the country’s overall transformation’. But with leaders claiming the new front will lead to a radical national transformation, the question is: can they deliver?
According to former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai, who chairs the Nepal Samajbadi Party, the new front is not a merger of like-minded leftist forces. “It is just a front for now and those who agree that a socialist movement is needed for the country’s rapid transformation will come on board,” Bhattarai told the Post.
At least five parties will join the new front whose basic commitment will be to federalism, democracy, republicanism, inclusion, and secularism—the five basic key features of the Constitution of Nepal, said party leaders involved in the negotiations.
“There are several models of socialism but we will develop our own to transform the country politically, economically and socially. It is not a regressive or a rightist force,” said the former prime minister. “The democratic, leftist, progressive and socialist parties and forces can join the front but we are not merging the parties. But, in due course, like-minded forces can even merge.”
To start with, the CPN (Maoist Centre), the CPN (Unified Socialist), the Janata Samajbadi Party, and the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand will form the front, according to party leaders.
The front’s concept paper was also prepared but its announcement is getting delayed as the parties concerned need to officially decide to join the front. On Friday, a secretariat meeting of the CPN (Unified Socialist) decided to do so.
But the country’s biggest leftist party, the CPN-UML, will not be part of the new front.
“We have not discussed incorporating the UML in the new front for various reasons,” said Unified Socialist spokesperson Jagannath Khatiwada.
“We need to wait and see what the UML does.
The objective of the new front would be to bring all leftist forces together in order to advocate socialism, establish the foundation of a socialist economy and make the government effective.”
With the dissolution of the Nepal Communist Party, which was considered to be the most powerful communist force in Nepal’s history, in early 2021, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was harping on the idea of forming the socialist centre. The new front is likely to have a total of 54 lawmakers in the lower house.
Bhattarai said the new front will not seek marginal changes in the left or the socialist movement in the country, suggesting that it will go for a major overhaul of national politics. “The new front will oppose authoritarianism and vouch for progressive and democratic principles. Its goal is to set up no less than a Nepali model of socialism,” said Bhattarai.
The Maoist Centre, the Unified Socialist and the Janata Samajbadi had formed a panel, tasking it with preparing a manifesto which
will be unveiled during the front’s announcement.
“Through the socialist front, we will take the initiative to revive the Nepal Communist Party,” Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has previously said.
As agreed, the leadership of the new front will rotate among the top leaders and its structure will go down to the local level. The new entity will have a separate secretariat, a member of the task force said.
“The idea of forming a new front is not bad, but they should learn from the failures of similar initiatives in the past,” said Professor Krishna Pokhrel.
He believes that so long as KP Sharma Oli leads the party, the UML will not join the front.
“The socialist front will have to make a clear distinction between the parties and the front to avoid duplication of work. As we are not going to elections soon, we will have to wait and see how the front fares in the next few years,” Pokhrel added.

KATHMANDU,
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City started removing the tangled mess of overhead cables with much fanfare over a month ago aiming to beautify the city. But the City is still unclear about what to do with the collected mess that is likely to weigh hundreds of tonnes by the time the campaign is completed.
Officials said that since the drive kicked off on May 8, the City has in a month collected over 50 truckloads of cables, which would be around 97 tonnes. The collected cables have all been dumped in an open area at the waste transfer station in Teku.
“We still don’t have a plan as to what to do with the cables,” Raju
Nath Pandey, chief of the municipal police, said, adding that since
nobody has shown an interest in buying or taking away the collected cables, managing them has become a ‘headache’ for the City.
“We have yet to remove hundreds of tonnes of tangled wires from poles, and we might soon run out of space at the Teku waste transfer station.”
Keeping all of the removed cables in Teku is a risky proposition.
Last year, in May, a fire had broken out at the same place where the City is dumping the cables.
“If the heap of cables at Teku catches fire, we won’t be able to douse it,” said Deputy Inspector of the municipal police Min Bahadur Thapa, who looks after solid waste management at the Teku waste transfer station.
He said that at present two city policemen have been deployed at Teku to guard the collected cables.
KMC officials said that earlier, during the tenure of former mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya, the City would give away the collected unwanted cables to brick kilns in Bhaktapur.
A City official who didn’t want to be named for fears of reprisal hinted that the KMC is keeping that option open.
Urban planners and environmentalists, however, say the City should not give those cables for brick kilns to burn, given the attendant risks of the move. “The Valley already has hazardous air quality, and if the City sells the discarded cables to brick kilns, it will be devastating,” said Suman Meher Shrestha, an urban planner.
The Kathmandu Valley has received the ignominy of being the world’s most polluted city multiple times with traditional brick kilns being the major contributors to it.
Bhushan Tuladhar, an environmentalist who closely follows urban issues including pollution, said the City could recycle the dumped cables. “If the City opts to recycle the cables, it might incur some cost, but it will be the best way out,” said Tuladhar.
He, too, said the KMC should not give the cables away to brick kilns. The plastic-covered wires when burnt emit toxic smoke that will exacerbate the air pollution, he said.
A World Bank Report in 2020 showed that traditional brick kilns continue to pollute air, take lives and cause huge financial losses. “Right now Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the Environment Department, is in Japan. But once he is back, he will make a decision,” said Thapa.
Meanwhile, assistant spokesman at the City, Deepak Adhikari, too, conceded the City’s inability to manage the cables. He said that earlier, the City had planned to give the cables to vegetable farmers to make frames for their plastic tunnels, but knowing its environmental effect as the cable coverings are not biodegradable, the City backtracked.
“This is going to be a serious challenge, so we are going to discuss the issue at our board meeting,” Adhikari said. “We may come up with some solution from there.”
Meanwhile, taking to social media on May 5, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah had expressed his dissatisfaction at the lack of support from government ministries and internet service providers, in his efforts to remove the unwanted cables.
After Shah wrote on social media that the City may unilaterally move ahead with its plans to remove the tangled cables, cable operators had joined the City’s initiative.
“The mayor’s intention is good but he should have made a proper plan for the disposal of the cable’s mess before starting the drive,” said planner Shrestha. “This drive may help control the visual pollution, but if not managed well, this will create another problem. Either the City can recycle those cables or find some other creative solution, but starting a job without any forward plan shows
immaturity.”
Until Tuesday, the City had collected unwanted cable wires from Maitighar to New Baneshwar and Thapathali to Tripureshwar, right up to Jamal. The City has also managed to clean the tangled cables from Ason and Indrachowk.
For its drive, the City has deployed 25 municipal police personnel in five different places where about 50 people from internet service providers have been working to remove the cables.
Officials say that it will take a minimum of three months to remove all the unwanted cables in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

KATHMANDU,
Earlier, the Koshi province was facing two problems—one related to its nomenclature and the other being the UML-led government has fallen into minority. And now, there is one more.
The Koshi provincial government, on Thursday, unveiled a Rs36.24 billion budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024 through an ordinance. Opposition parties that had earlier warned the chief minister against governing through ordinances, say they will not support the budget brought by bypassing the provincial assembly and have vowed to shoot it down.
Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki, who is also the Minister for Financial Affairs and Planning, announced the provincial government’s programmes for the coming fiscal year. The UML-led government had lost its majority after the CPN (Maoist Centre) withdrew its support this month.
Koshi Province Head Parshuram Khapung on Wednesday had prorogued the provincial assembly after the government presented its policies and programmes. A day later, on Thursday, Khapung authenticated the ‘Koshi Province Financial Ordinance 2023’ and ‘Koshi Province Appropriation Ordinance 2023’.
Indra Kumar Angdangbe, parliamentary party leader of the Maoist Centre in Koshi, said that the budget was brought through ordinances by going against the spirit of the constitution. “The ongoing session of the provincial assembly was prorogued all of a sudden just to bring the budget through ordinance,” he said.
Angdangbe said ordinance should be used as a last resort in difficult situations like an emergency.  
Binod Rai, a lawmaker from the Nepali Congress in Koshi, said the Nepali Congress does not at all support a budget brought through ordinances. “The chief minister has made a mistake, and we will not make another mistake by endorsing the ordinance.”
Article 207 of the constitution states that the provincial finance minister should present the annual budget at the provincial assembly.
Similarly, Article 202 (1) of the constitution states, “In case, at any time, except when the Provincial Assembly is in session, a circumstance exists which renders it necessary to take immediate action, the chief of the province may, on the recommendation of the provincial council of ministers, promulgate an ordinance.”
The Koshi government has allocated Rs14.39 billion for recurrent spending, which consists of regular expenses of salaries and allowances. It has set aside Rs18.23 billion for capital spending, Rs10 million for financial management and Rs3.60 billion for transfer to local governments.
“We will not endorse the budget. It will not pass the provincial assembly. Moreover, the chief minister will not win a vote of confidence,” said Angdangbe.  
There are doubts whether the provincial budget, brought by a minority government, will be implemented.
Article 202 of the constitution says ordinances become ineffective if they are not endorsed within 60 days from the first sitting of the new provincial assembly session.
In the 93-member provincial assembly, the UML has 40 seats, the Congress 29, the Maoist Centre 13, the RPP 6, the CPN (Unified Socialist) 4, and the Janata Samajbadi Party has one seat.
“The chief minister will not get the vote of confidence, and the ordinance too will lapse,” said Rai.
Provincial politics in Koshi was facing twin troubles—one is the flaring up of ethnic sentiments after the nomenclature of the province and others related to the tricky numerical strength of the parties in the assembly. Central alliance of political parties has been struggling to form a provincial government and the recent naming of the province has led to violent protests.
Rai, the Congress lawmaker, added that the chief minister has failed on moral grounds at a time the province is already facing other serious problems.
“Such an immoral act of bypassing the provincial assembly to bring the annual budget will further create problems and difficulties in delivery.”
CPN-UML provincial leaders say they were obliged to bring the budget through ordinance and according to them, those who claim they will shoot down the budget are opposed to constitutionalism.
“We would have brought the budget from the assembly if we had a clear majority. But at the same time, we did not want to push the province into an economic crisis by stalling the budget,” said Rewati Raman Bhandari, parliamentary party leader of the CPN-UML.
“Someone has to bring the budget. Whether we have a majority or not will be proven at the assembly floor.”

TAPLEJUNG: Flooding of the Kabeli River triggered by incessant rain since Wednesday evening has damaged bridges, houses and animal sheds in Sidingba and Sirijanga rural municipalities of Taplejung district. Raj Kumar Imwung, a ward member of Surumakhim in Sidingba Rural Municipality-1, said the motorable bridge connecting Surumakhim-Khewang-Yamfudin was destroyed by the flood. Man Kumar Rai, member secretary of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council, the flood in the Kabeli River has destroyed the house of one Jagat Bahadur Rai while Kanchenjunga Secondary School, Yamfudin police station, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area and a health post are at risk. The flood also swept away an animal shed belonging to one Dil Bahadur Magar while several houses in the area are at risk. Likewise, the warehouse of the Kabeli Hydropower Project has also sustained damage. A suspension bridge at Khewang has also suffered damage and affected the movement of people from Yamfudin. Bidur Gurung, the chairman of the School Management Committee of the Bal Kalyan Secondary School, informed that schools in Surumakhim in Sidingba have been closed until Sunday due to the flooding.

CHITWAN: Pradip Sharma, a 22-year-old pilgrim from Ayodhya, India, drowned in the Narayani River at Devghat in Chitwan district on Friday afternoon. According to DSP Bijayaraj Pandit, spokesman at the district police office, the incident occurred at around 1 pm while he was taking a holy dip in the river. It took the search and rescue team half an hour to recover his body from the river. There were 50 pilgrims who came by bus from India to Devghat to take bath in the holy river, said Pandit.

DANG: One person died and nine were injured in a jeep accident in the Lahurechaur Road section under the Rapti Highway in Dang on Friday. According to DSP Rajan Gautam of the Tulsipur area police office, the jeep was heading for Gangadev Rural Municipality in Rolpa district from Tulsipur in Dang. The deceased was the driver of the vehicle, a 40-year-old Bishnu Pun Magar resident of Gangadev-1. “Among the injured, the condition of three is critical; they have been taken to Nepalgunj for treatment, whereas the other injured are receiving treatment at the Tulsipur Zonal Hospital. The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle, which fell some 100 metres from the road,” said Gautam.

Kathmandu,
Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah on Friday wrote to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology requesting the latter to stop screening of Indian movies in Nepal unless an objectionable statement from a recently-released one is omitted.
In the letter also forwarded to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Film Development Board, Shah urges the government to take diplomatic initiatives with India to remove the line.
The Hindi movie Adipurush released on Friday contains a line that states ‘Janaki is a daughter of India’. The part, however, has been removed in copies to be screened in Nepal.
Mentioning that Article 5 and Article 56 (6) of the Constitution have assigned the responsibility to federal, provincial and local governments for the protection of national interest, Shah has said the metropolis was concerned due to cultural encroachment by the movie.
The screening of the movie without omitting the dialogue will cause irreparable damage to Nepal’s national and cultural unity, according to Shah.
Shah on Thursday had warned that no Hindi films will be allowed to run in the Kathmandu metropolis until the controversial wording is removed not just in Nepal but also in India.
The morning shows of the movie were cancelled in some of the theatres in Kathmandu over security concerns.

KATHMANDU,
Nepal on Saturday confirmed its first case of monkeypox infection.
According to the Ministry of the Health and Population, a 60-year-old foreign national has tested positive for monkeypox infection.
“Health condition of the woman, who is a foreign national, is normal,” said Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, joint spokesperson of the Health ministry. “She is under observation of doctors at the isolation ward of a Kathmandu hospital.”
The ministry refused to disclose the nationality of the infected woman and the country she had been last time.
According to Adhikari, the woman keeps traveling to Nepal and other countries frequently.
Specimens of the woman’s body fluids were tested at the National Public Health Laboratory, which confirmed infection of the virus.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus and one in 10 infected persons can die. Most common in remote parts of central and west Africa, the disease has now been reported in at least 111 countries, including in Nepal. Its symptoms include fever, headache, swelling, body pains, exhaustion, and itchy rash on the face, hands, and feet.
As the disease primarily spreads through close person-to-person contact, public health experts recommend self-isolation and good hygiene to avoid it. The World Health Organization has designated the disease as a public health emergency of international concerns—which is the highest health alert.
More than 87,000 cases and 112 deaths from monkeypox have been reported in 2022, according to the UN health body.  
Public health experts say that even if monkeypox infection is usually mild and most people recover within weeks, authorities concerned should not underestimate the risks.
They stress taking precautions saying every disease seen in any corner of the world can come to Nepal due to high mobility.

KATHMANDU,
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has sought clarification from Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah for removing fencing wires from the Sinamangal premises of the Tribhuvan International Airport without prior notice.
According to the aviation authority’s spokesperson Jagannath Niraula, a team of city police, on Thursday, cut off fencing wires from areas belonging to the airport in ward 9 of the metropolis.
The ward office plans to build a public park in the area.
Friday’s bid to remove the fence is said to be for clearing the land for the purpose. CAAN claims the area.
Citing the municipal action as illegal, CAAN General Director Pradeep Adhikari demanded clarification from the mayor and three others.
“When asked for valid permission and information, municipal officials claimed that Mayor Shah had ordered the move and the aviation officials were asked to ‘talk to the mayor for answers’,” reads the notice sent to the mayor on Friday.
“Since your [Mayor Shah] involvement has been found in conducting the said task, the authority, as per Clause (7) of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Act, 1996, demands written clarification to be submitted within seven days.”
Along with Shah, the authority has also asked for written clarification from municipal force chief Rajunath Pandey and ward 9 head Ramji Bhandari to be submitted within a week.

KATHMANDU,
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday announced the launch of the USAID Auditor General Support Activity.
USAID Counselor Clinton White, who is on a three-day visit to Nepal, announced the collaborative partnership programme aimed at enhancing accountability and promoting transparency.
Speaking at the event, White said the programme, a joint effort of the Office of the Auditor General of Nepal and USAID, aims to provide training and technical assistance to the Office of the Auditor General to improve the quality of audits, and for effective communication of results, and sustainable capacity-building through coaching and mentoring.
“The common goal is to strengthen the ability of the Office of the Auditor General in fraud detection and enhance the implementation of the Government of Nepal’s policies and procedures to ensure transparency and accountability in public financial management,” White said.
The support programme is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing good governance in Nepal and fortifying the auditor general’s ability to uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and integrity in governance, the US Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement.

KATHMANDU,
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has banned transport operators from setting up bus ticket counters along the Ring Road and within the City’s jurisdiction starting Friday. Such counters will be allowed only inside the New Bus Park at Gongabu.
The Metropolitan City office in a notice published in June first week had announced that all public vehicles operating on long- and medium-routes need to be operated from New Buspark at Gongabu. The notice said all transport ticket counters along the Ring Road and outside the bus park would be removed.
The notice said all long- and medium-route vehicles including micro buses and jeeps should pick and drop their passengers only at the New Bus Park.
“We removed all the ticket desks and their sign boards outside the Gongabu bus park and at Kalanki,” said Raju Nath Pandey, chief of the City Police. When asked if the New Buspark has the capacity to accommodate all public transport vehicles, he said, “The vehicles do not stay at one place. They will be moving day and night, so there will be enough space,” said Pandey.
He said the City has already removed the ticket booths outside the Gongabu bus park and at Kalanki, and will clear all such booths from Balkhu, Balaju, Machhapokhari, Koteshwar and Gaushala areas.
Although many have welcomed the City’s drive as the roadside ticket counters caused crowding on the pavement, inconvenience for pedestrians and caused traffic jams, transport operators have opposed the City’s decision to bar long-route vehicles from picking and dropping passengers from bus stops inside the Ring Road.
“KMC’s decision to clear the messy counters is a welcome move. But the ban on long- and medium route vehicles from stopping inside the Ring Road is impractical,” said Saroj Sitaula, senior vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs.  
“We are in talks with the KMC seeking a compromise,” said Sitaula. He said Nepal Transport Independent Workers’ Organisation, Nepal Transport Workers’ Association and All Nepal Transport Worker’ Association are in talks with City officials.
Earlier, in February, after the City decided to remove ticket booths outside the Gongabu bus park, transport operators had organised a protest in the area that turned violent and saw at least two police vans and a temporary police station burnt.
Also the Lhotse Mall was vandalised and a mobile phone shop looted. Transport operators had criticised Lhotse Multipurpose Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the New Bus Park, for unilaterally deciding to remove the ticket booths.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City in 1999 had awarded the Gongabu bus park operation contract to the company for 45 years.

Kathmandu: Newly appointed Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki on Friday took an oath of office and secrecy from President Ramchandra Paudel.Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, among other top officials, was present at the oath ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the President’s Office. Earlier in the day, the President’s Office appointed Karki to the top judicial post after the Parliamentary Hearing Committee endorsed his name. The committee had held Karki’s hearing in two phases: first allowing him to present what qualities he possesses to become the chief justice, followed by a question-answer session with the lawmakers. As many as 29 complaints had been lodged by 38 people, including a sitting judge of a district court, against Karki. The complainants claimed that as Karki has failed to maintain the dignity of the position as the acting chief justice, he shouldn’t be appointed the chief of the judiciary. Karki will serve a short term in office as he retires on August 5.

MANDVI,
Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India on Friday before aiming its lashing winds and rain at part of Pakistan that suffered devastating floods last year.
A man and his son died trying to save their livestock in Gujarat state, where the storm came ashore late Thursday after more than 180,000 people took shelter in the two countries.
The storm made landfall a night earlier, packing windspeeds of 85 kph and gusting up to 105 kph through the coastal regions of western Gujarat. Pakistani authorities were on high alert after evacuating 82,000 people.
The full extent of the damage in western India wasn’t immediately known.
In addition to the two deaths, three people were injured in nearby Devbhumi Dwarka district, officials said. About 100,000 people who were evacuated in western India have been temporarily relocated to relief camps, authorities said.
The storm did other damage upon landfall, including uprooting trees and electricity poles. Officials in the coastal town of Mandvi said heavy winds threw some shipping containers into the sea at Mundra port, one of India’s largest ports.
The cyclone was expected to weaken later Friday and move toward the neighbouring Indian state of Rajasthan on its way to southern Pakistan, which is still recovering from deadly flooding last year.
People in that region lined up to receive food donated by charities, aid agencies and local authorities. Pakistan’s national disaster management agency said the cyclone was 125 kilometres south-southwest of Keti Bandar, a port in flood-hit Sindh province.
“The storm is expected to weaken first to a cyclonic storm and then to a depression by this evening,” it said.
The Indian Meteorological Department said Cyclone Biporjoy set a record for the longest lifespan over the Arabian Sea, more than 10 days. Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 had a life of nine days, it said.
The Gujarat government said it deployed 184 rapid action squads to rescue wild animals and clear fallen trees in Gir National Park, home to nearly 700 Asiatic lions.
Wind-driven rain pelted southern coastal towns in Pakistan for a second day Friday. The cyclone was expected to cause flash floods in southern Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Sindh province experienced one of the country’s deadliest floods last summer, partly induced by climate change. At least 1,739 people were killed and 33 million were displaced.
The World Health Organisation said on Thursday that it was supporting Pakistan’s efforts to deal with the impact of the cyclone. Pakistan’s government and local aid groups delivered free food and drinking water to displaced people. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said his government was protecting those in the storm’s path.
On Thursday, UNICEF warned that more than 625,000 children were at immediate risk in Pakistan and India.
“In Pakistan, Cyclone Biparjoy threatens a new crisis for children and families in Sindh, the province worst affected by last year’s devastating floods,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia.
A 2021 study found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, and experts say the increase will continue, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.

SEOUL,
The United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korea on Friday, a day after North Korea resumed missile tests in protest of the US-South Korean live-fire drills.
The USS Michigan’s arrival in South Korea, the first of its kind in six years, is part of a recent bilateral agreement on enhancing “regular visibility” of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear programme, according to South Korean officials.
With the deployment of the USS Michigan, the US and South Korean navies are to conduct drills on boosting their special operation capabilities and joint ability to cope with growing North Korean nuclear threats, the South Korean Defence Ministry said in a statement.
It said the US submarine arrived at the southeastern port city of Busan but didn’t say how long it would stay in South Korean waters.
The USS Michigan is one of the biggest submarines in the world.
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine can be armed with 150 Tomahawk missiles with a range of about 2,500 kilometres and is capable of launching special forces missions, according to the South Korean statement. The South Korean and US
militaries have been expanding their exercises in reaction to North Korea’s provocative run of missile tests since last year.
North Korea has argued it was forced to ramp up testing activities to deal with its rivals’ expanded military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal, but experts say the North ultimately aims to modernise its arsenal and increase its leverage in eventual diplomacy.
In April, after their meeting in Washington, President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed that the United States would enhance the “regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.”
Biden also stated that any North Korean nuclear attack on the US or its allies would “result in the end of whatever regime” took such action.
The two leaders also announced other steps to reinforce joint deterrence capabilities such as the docking a US nuclear ballistic missile submarine in South Korea periodically; bolstering joint training exercises; and the establishment of a new nuclear consultative group.
The nuclear ballistic missile submarine hasn’t come to South Korea.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, slammed the Biden-Yoon summit agreements, saying they revealed the two countries’ “most hostile and aggressive will of action” against the North. She threatened to further bolster her country’s nuclear forces.

TOKYO, 
Japan enacted a law on Friday meant to promote understanding of the LGBT community that critics say provides no human rights guarantees, though some conservative lawmakers said the measure is too permissive.
Japan, the only Group of Seven (G7) nation that does not have legal protection for same-sex unions, had originally pledged to pass the law before hosting a G7 summit last month.
However, wrangling over the bill meant it was only submitted to parliament for consideration on May 18, the day before the summit began.
The initial draft stipulated that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity should “not be tolerated” but was changed to “there should be no unfair discrimination”, which critics say may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination.
Despite the bill being watered down, some members of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party still broke ranks with party directives, boycotting or walking out of Tuesday’s vote in the lower house and the final vote in the upper house. “There have been crimes committed by impersonators in women’s restrooms,” former upper house president Akiko Santo told reporters after boycotting the vote in that chamber. “It would be a very serious problem if this bill passed and the trend became that it was normal to accept anything.” Business leaders say they fear Japan will not be able to remain internationally competitive without greater diversity, including representation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“As a financial institution, in order to achieve sustainable growth, it is essential to create an environment in which people with diverse backgrounds and values can play an active role,” Masahiko Kato, chairperson of the Japan Bankers association and president of Mizuho Bank, told a press conference this week.
Japan’s public broadly supports same-sex marriage, according to opinion polls, while local governments in most of the country allow same-sex partnership agreements that fall short of the rights guaranteed by marriage.
“Some 70 percent of the nation allows same-sex partnerships, and surveys have found more than 70 percent of people are in favour of same-sex marriage,” the activist group Marriage for All Japan said in a tweet after the bill passed.

KYIV,
At least two explosions rocked Kyiv on Friday and air raid sirens blared as African leaders began a peace mission, hoping to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
The peace delegation, including leaders from South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, the Comoros and Egypt, said it was pressing on with plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later on Friday, before talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday.
A Reuters journalist in central Kyiv heard two explosions.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported explosions in the central Podil district. Another Reuters correspondent saw the smoke trail of two missiles in the sky above the capital.
It was not clear if those missiles had been fired by Russia or Ukrainian air defences.
A Reuters television crew saw the leaders arriving in Kyiv in a convoy of cars and entering a hotel to use its air-raid shelter. The all-clear was later issued for Kyiv, and the South African presidency tweeted that the mission was “proceeding well and as planned”.
Ukraine’s air force said it had downed six “Kinzhal” ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and two drones. City authorities said they had received no reports of deaths or serious damage so far, but police said there were an unspecified number of casualties.
The air attack was the latest of many launched by Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has increased their frequency since Ukraine began preparations for a counteroffensive that is now under way.
“Putin ‘builds confidence’ by launching the largest missile attack on Kyiv in weeks, exactly amid the visit of African leaders to our capital,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace.”
Reuters was unable to confirm that it was the biggest air strike on the capital in weeks, and Russia did not immediately comment on the events in Kyiv. The African leaders had begun their trip by visiting Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Ukraine says Russian occupiers carried out executions, rapes and torture, and where international investigators are collecting evidence of war crimes. Russia denies the allegations.
The peace mission, which includes South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegalese President Macky Sall, could propose a series of “confidence building measures” during initial efforts at mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.

GUWAHATI: A federal Indian minister’s house was set on fire by a mob in the remote northeastern state of Manipur, which has been hit by
clashes between members of rival ethnic groups for over a month,
officials said on Friday. Junior foreign minister R K Ranjan Singh’s office confirmed that a mob vandalised and set fire to his house in the Manipur capital Imphal. “Fortunately none of the caretakers or family members were injured in the attack on the house,” said an aide to Singh in New Delhi. Singh is a federal minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Modi’s ruling party also governs the state of Manipur. The attack comes after weeks of violent clashes between members of the Kuki ethnic group, who mostly live in the hills, and Meiteis, the dominant community in the low lands of the state. Clashes between the two communities erupted on May 3, sparked by resentment over economic benefits and quotas for easy access to government jobs and education reserved for the Kukis.

DUBAI/PARIS: The United States is holding talks with Iran to sketch out steps that could limit the Iranian nuclear programme, release some detained US citizens and unfreeze some Iranian assets abroad, Iranian and Western officials said. These steps would be cast as an “understanding” rather than an agreement requiring review by the US Congress, where many oppose giving Iran benefits because of its military aid to Russia, its domestic repression and its support for proxies that have attacked US interests in the region. Having failed to revive a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Washington hopes to restore some limits on Iran to keep it from getting a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel and trigger a regional arms race. Tehran says it has no ambition to develop a nuclear weapon. The 2015 deal, which then-President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, had capped Tehran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent purity and its stockpile of this material at 202.8 kg—limits Tehran has since far exceeded.

KATHMANDU,
Six provinces on Friday unveiled their budgets for the next fiscal year 2022-23 beginning mid-July, all laying focus on reviving an ailing economy. Koshi province published its annual financial plan on Thursday.

Except for Karnali and Madhesh, all the provincial budgets are smaller than last year.

Most of the provinces have set aside a big chunk of their budgets for infrastructure development.

Bagmati has the largest budget of Rs62.7 billion, despite being Rs8 billion less than the previous year’s budget.
Bagmati has set aside Rs26.7 billion or 42.58 percent of the budget for recurrent expenditure and Rs35.5 billion or 56.62 percent for capital expenditure. The remaining 0.8 percent has been allocated for fiscal transfer to the local levels.

The province aims to collect Rs25.17 billion in tax revenues and Rs5.26 billion in non-tax revenues. The federal government has promised a fiscal transfer of Rs17.81 billion for Bagmati province.

Bahadur Singh Lama, Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning of Bagmati province, said Rs50 million has been earmarked to establish organic fertiliser plants.

Bagmati province aims to promote seeds and saplings of indigenous varieties of food. The province has announced providing farmers with identity cards in the next fiscal year.

Madhesh province has presented a budget of Rs46.92 billion for the next fiscal year, which is 0.08 percent less than the previous one. It has allocated Rs20.92 billion for recurrent expenditure and Rs20.92 billion for capital expenditure.

Gandaki published a budget of Rs33.42 billion in the Provincial Assembly on Friday. The budget for the next fiscal year is 7 percent smaller than the previous one.

Jeet Prakash Ale, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning of Gandaki province, said Rs20.19 billion has been allocated for capital expenditure and Rs12.13 billion for recurrent expenditure. The province will provide Rs500 million in fiscal transfers to the local levels.

Sudurpaschim province has announced a Rs29.26 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which is 20.35 percent smaller than the previous budget.

The province has allocated Rs17.02 billion for capital expenditure, which is 58.16 percent of the budget, and Rs9.59 billion for recurrent expenditure, which is 32.79 percent of the total budget. The province has allocated Rs30 million for fiscal transfers to the local levels.

Presenting the budget, Naresh Kumar Shahi, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning of Sudurpaschim province, said that Rs12.68 billion has been allocated for road infrastructure, energy, irrigation and river control and urban development.

The budget has laid a focus on agriculture. The financial plan contains a campaign to make the province self-sufficient in food production, and for this purpose, it has set aside Rs40 million to provide interest-free loans to farmers. Koshi province unveiled a Rs36.24 billion budget through an ordinance. Its budget for the next fiscal year is 8.78 percent less than the last one.

The Koshi provincial government has allocated Rs14.39 billion for recurrent spending, which consists of regular expenses like salaries and allowances. It has set aside Rs18.23 billion for capital spending, Rs10 million for financial management and Rs3.60 billion for transfer to the local levels.

A sum of Rs2.7 billion has been allocated to the agricultural sector with the goal of creating jobs by modernising farming. The budget has allocated Rs430 million for industry, Rs11.41 billion for physical infrastructure and Rs5.43 billion for water supply, irrigation and energy.

The provincial government has set aside Rs3.07 billion for health and Rs1.79 billion for social development. Lumbini province rolled out a Rs40.47 billion budget in the Provincial Assembly for the next fiscal year, which is 5 percent less than the previous budget.

The province has allocated Rs16.63 billion or 33.68 percent of the budget for current expenditure, Rs23.25 billion or 57.45 percent for capital expenditure, and Rs3.58 billion or 8.87 percent for fiscal transfers to the local levels.

Lumbini province has allocated Rs40 million for schemes to promote and develop skills, capital and technology.

The provincial government has targeted creating 200,000 jobs in the next two years through the Chief Minister Economic Development Programme. The government has allocated Rs20 million for the development of small and medium industries to create employment.

Karnali province has announced a budget of Rs33.37 billion for the next fiscal year, which is 2.33 percent higher than the previous one.

Bed Raj Singh, Minister for Economic Affairs, said that Rs9.20 billion has been allocated for recurrent expenditure and Rs19.97 billion has been allocated for capital expenditure. The province has set aside Rs4.80 billion for fiscal transfers to the local levels.

The province has earmarked Rs10.11 billion for physical infrastructure, transport and urban development. The province has allocated Rs210 million for the Karnali Ujyalo Programme. The province has allocated Rs850 million for the construction of a stadium in Birendranagar which is slated to be completed within a year.

SAN FRANCISCO,
Alphabet Inc is cautioning employees about how they use chatbots, including its own Bard, at the same time as it markets the programme around the world, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Google parent has advised employees not to enter its confidential materials into AI chatbots, the people said and the company confirmed, citing long-standing policy on safeguarding information.

The chatbots, among them Bard and ChatGPT, are human-sounding programmes that use so-called generative artificial intelligence to hold conversations with users and answer myriad prompts. Human reviewers may read the chats, and researchers found that similar AI could reproduce the data it absorbed during training, creating a leak risk.

Alphabet also alerted its engineers to avoid direct use of computer code that chatbots can generate, some of the people said. Asked for comment, the company said Bard can make undesired code suggestions, but it helps programmers nonetheless. Google also said it aimed to be transparent about the limitations of its technology.

The concerns show how Google wishes to avoid business harm from software it launched in competition with ChatGPT. At stake in Google’s race against ChatGPT’s backers OpenAI and Microsoft Corp are billions of dollars of investment and still untold advertising and cloud revenue from new AI programmes.

Google’s caution also reflects what’s becoming a security standard for corporations, namely to warn personnel about using publicly-available chat programmes. A growing number of businesses around the world have set up guardrails on AI chatbots, among them Samsung, Amazon.com and Deutsche Bank, the companies told Reuters. Apple, which did not return requests for comment, reportedly has as well. Some 43 percent of professionals were using ChatGPT or other AI tools as of January, often without telling their bosses, according to a survey of nearly 12,000 respondents including from top US-based companies, done by the networking site Fishbowl.

By February, Google told staff testing Bard before its launch not to give it internal information, Insider reported. Now Google is rolling out Bard to more than 180 countries and in 40 languages as a springboard for creativity, and its warnings extend to its code suggestions.

Google told Reuters it has had detailed conversations with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission and is addressing regulators’ questions, after a Politico report on Tuesday that the company was postponing Bard’s EU launch this week pending more information about the chatbot’s impact on privacy.

Such technology can draft emails, documents, even software itself, promising to vastly speed up tasks. Included in this content, however, can be misinformation, sensitive data or even copyrighted passages from a “Harry Potter” novel.

SHANGHAI,

Tesla’s ambitious plan to boost auto production in Shanghai, its most valuable plant globally, hinges on China’s approvals to develop 70 hectares of former farmland that is currently overgrown with wildflowers.

Once courted by Beijing to help spur the development of a domestic electric vehicle (EV) industry, Tesla may now be a victim of its own success in the world’s biggest auto market, challenging plans to use its cost advantage from Chinese production to power exports.

China’s state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), has been cautious about approving new electric vehicle (EV) production plans by all automakers because of concerns about overcapacity and a deepening price war launched by Tesla, according to executives at rival companies and analysts.

Bill Russo, the Shanghai-based founder and CEO of advisory firm Automobility, estimated that China had excess auto production capacity of about 10 million vehicles a year—equivalent to two-thirds of all North American output in 2022.

“You could argue that as Tesla, I’ve got new products, I need to have a new factory to build them in,” he said.
“But viewed from the China government’s point of view, all they see is a market that’s oversupplied.”

Tesla had detailed plans to add 450,000 vehicles of annual capacity at the new Shanghai site around 3 km from its current plant in an effusive May 2022 letter that thanked the local government for its support during the Shanghai lockdown over Covid-19. Based on retail values, the annual production would be worth more than $18 billion.

While it was not disclosed in official remarks by Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Chinese authorities, the topic of the expansion came up during his whirlwind visit to China at the end of last month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

After meetings with senior Chinese officials including Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, Musk told a small group of Tesla staff that he saw “positive progress” in discussions about the expansion without elaborating, said the person, who was not authorised to speak publicly.

Tesla and the NDRC did not respond to requests for comment.

“Tesla is doubling down on China, and while it’s hit some snags over the last year we believe Musk’s trip to China has soothed the situation over and we expect progress announcements over the coming months,” said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Construction of Tesla’s Shanghai plant took less than a year to complete after it broke ground on the site in 2019.

Tesla’s reliance on China is a complication in the United States, where Biden administration incentives reward automakers for producing batteries and vehicles locally.

But Tesla’s Shanghai plant, which produced almost 711,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles last year and has lifted annual maximum capacity to more than 1 million, has been crucial to its cost advantage over its rivals and propelled exports to Southeast Asia and Canada.

With a goal of selling 20 million cars globally by 2030, up from 1.31 million in 2022, Tesla has been in discussions with India about potential manufacturing investments and has been courted by governments including South Korea and Indonesia.

MYAGDI,

As the rainy season begins, the locals of Gurja, a village in the hilly district, march towards the forest to forage for wild red mushrooms.

The mushroom fetches a high price in the local market, and therefore, every year the majority of locals join the expedition to make some extra money.

The wild red mushroom is rich in protein, vitamins A, B, and C, minerals and calcium, says a study by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council. Some companies like DXN purchase them in bulk to make various medicinal products. Others buy it for its exotic taste.

Therefore, traders visit the villages and local markets to purchase freshly harvested mushrooms. The inhabitants of the villages have been collecting and consuming wild red mushrooms for ages. The skill to distinguish poisonous mushrooms from non-poisonous ones has been passed down through the generations and now demand for it is growing as well, locals said.

In addition to Gurja, the locals of Lulang, Mudi, Chim Khola, Kuine, Mangale, Ghaasi Kharkha, Ramche, Ghode Paani and other villages in the hilly regions are involved in the commercial collection and trading of the wild red mushroom.

The residents of Gurja collect the highest quantity of mushrooms in the district. One kilogram of the wild red mushroom sells for Rs600 in the village whereas, in Beni, the district headquarters, its sells for as much as Rs1,200 a kg. The villagers also sundry the mushrooms and sell them till mid-October. Each family in the region makes anywhere from Rs10,000 to Rs500,000 a year by collecting the mushrooms.

According to Nar Bahadur Chhetri, deputy forest officer of the Division Forest Office Myagdi, traders visiting the villages to buy the mushroom from locals pay a tax on purchases as well.

“The mushroom collected in the local forest is sold in Kathmandu and even exported,” said Chhetri. “This variety of mushroom is safe and no one has ever fallen ill by eating it.”

The Division Forest Office has not made a provision of taking a permit to collect the mushroom from the forest as they are ample in quantity, added Chhetri. This variety of mushrooms grows in fallen trees, tree stumps, empty grasslands and slopes.

According to Aak Kumar BK, chief of ward two in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality, the locals walk up to the base of the mountains to forage for mushrooms.

“I also gather mushrooms in my free time along with my family,” said BK. “There’s no trouble of the market.”

According to the Division Forest Office, the forests in Myagdi produce around 3,000 kg of wild red mushrooms in a season. However, only 500kg were collected last season.

The locals don’t need to pay the tax on the collection and sales of mushrooms within the district. Only the traders who buy in bulk of them to sell in Kathmandu and foreigners pay the tax, said BK.

NEW YORK: Micron Technology Inc is close to committing at least $1 billion towards setting up a chip packaging factory in India, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. An announcement could be made when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the US next week, according to the report, citing people with knowledge of the matter, one of whom said that the money promised could also rise up to $2 billion. Micron did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (REUTERS)

NEW YORK: US chip giant Intel will invest up to $4.6 billion to build a new site in Poland, creating around 2,000 jobs, the company said on Friday. Its new facility, to be located in the southern Polish city of Wroclaw, “will help meet critical demand for assembly and test capacity that Intel anticipates by 2027,” Intel said in a statement. The investment in Poland is aimed at helping the European Union develop a more resilient semiconductor supply chain and reducing dependence on Asia, the statement added. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hailed the announcement as an element of “cementing and consolidating transatlantic cooperation” with the US.  “From now on, from this investment by Intel, Poland will be a key part of the not-so-extensive supply system of these most advanced technologies,” Morawiecki told reporters in Wroclaw. Intel is one of the world’s leading semiconductor firms, making a wide range of products, including the latest-generation chips. (AFP)

PARIS: France hopes to give a “political boost” to a proposed tax on shipping emissions at a climate finance summit it is hosting next week, the French president’s office said on Friday. President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a conference on June 22-23 aimed at revamping the global development aid system to combat climate change and poverty. Two Pacific nations, the Marshall and Solomon islands, have been pushing for years for a $100-per-tonne carbon tax on the maritime industry, whose greenhouse gas emissions account for around three percent of the global total. “We hope that we will give a true political boost” to the proposal at the Paris summit, a Macron aide said on condition of anonymity. “We need new resources” to fight climate change and poverty as the “needs are so huge”, the aide said. (AFP)

DHAKA,
Afghanistan lost two quick wickets Friday, trailing Bangladesh by 616 runs at stumps after centuries from Najmul Hossain and Mominul Haque gave the hosts a third straight day ofdominance in their one-off Test.
Bangladesh declared their second innings at 425-4 an hour into the third session in Dhaka and could earn the distinction of cricket’s second-largest Test victory margin when play resumes.
With two full days left in the Test, the chances of a face-saving conclusion by Afghanistan immediately dimmed after Shoriful Islam trapped opener Ibrahim Zadran for a duck off the first ball of the innings.
Taskin Ahmed removed Abdul Malik for five to leave Afghanistan at 7-2, and the visitors suffered a further blow when skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was forced to retire hurt after being hit by a bouncer.
Rahmat Shah (10) and Nasir Jamal (5) were at the crease when bad light forced stumps with Afghanistan on 45.
Najmul on Friday became only the second Bangladeshi to score a century in each innings of a Test, making 124 to go with his first innings score of 146. Mominul, the other Bangladeshi to achieve that feat, was unbeaten on 121 alongside skipper Liton Das on 66 when the declaration was made.
It was the 12th Test century for Mominul, the highest tally by any Bangladeshi, with the left-hander smashing 12 fours and a six in his 145-ball innings.
Afghanistan toiled but could only take three wickets through the day, including two in the same over off leg-spinner Zahir Khan.
Zahir ended the prolific innings of Najmul, who gave a catch to Abdul Malik at short midwicket, ending a 151-ball knock with 15 boundaries.
Mushfiqur Rahim hit a six soon after coming to the crease but an attempted reverse sweep on the next ball brought his downfall for eight as Ibrahim Zadran took the catch at slip.
Mominul and Liton then frustrated Afghanistan with an unbroken 143-run fifth-wicket stand.
Resuming at 134-1 overnight, Najmul and Zakir Hasan batted with confidence before Afghanistan got an unexpected breakthrough against the run of play.
The duo made 173 runs before Zakir was run out for 71.
An edge from Najmul’s bat raced to the boundary line, where Nasir Jamal stopped the ball and relayed it to Ibrahim. Ibrahim’s direct hit found Zakir well short while running for his third, ending their free-flowing partnership. Zakir scored his second 50 in just his third Test.
Bangladesh scored 382 runs in the first innings and bowled out Afghanistan for 146.
Afghanistan won the only other Test between the two teams when they beat Bangladesh by 224 runs at Chittagong in 2019.

ENSCHEDE,
Spain’s Joselu pounced with two minutes remaining to snatch a 2-1 win over Italy on Thursday and set up a Nations League final clash against Croatia.
Luis de la Fuente’s side shaded a tight battle in Enschede to progress to Sunday’s final, where Zlatko Dalic’s outfit are lying in wait after beating hosts the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Yeremy Pino sent La Roja ahead after three minutes but Ciro Immobile netted from the penalty spot to level and the game seemed destined
for extra-time before Joselu prodded home from point-blank range to
win it.
The victory eases pressure on De la Fuente, who had been heavily criticised after March’s loss to Scotland, in what was only his second game in charge.
Joselu, who has three goals in three games under the new coach, who handed him his debut, managed to stay onside and convert after Rodri Hernandez’s effort was deflected into his path.
The poacher, 33, was relegated with Espanyol this season but netted 16 times in La Liga.
“I am very happy for everyone, the group and the coach deserve it,” Jesus Navas, who became Spain’s oldest ever player at 37, told Spanish broadcaster TVE.
“We played with great intensity, we’re delighted and we can be very proud of getting ourselves into the final. It’s a beautiful and hard-fought triumph, this is the way we have to go to achieve success.”
De la Fuente handed new “signing” Robin Le Normand his debut alongside another French-born centre-back, Aymeric Laporte, at De Grolsch Veste.
The Manchester City defender and his team-mate Rodri were playing after tasting Champions League success last Saturday, with the latter scoring the winning goal against Inter Milan in the final.
Mancini lined up with three at the back, giving veteran centre-back Leonardo Bonucci a start despite his patchy season with Juventus.
Italy immediately paid the price, with captain Bonucci robbed on the edge of his own box under pressure from Gavi and Yeremy Pino, with the latter driving into the box and firing past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However the Azzurri quickly pulled themselves level, when Le Normand handled Nicolo Zaniolo’s effort.
Striker Ciro Immobile dispatched the penalty, back with the side for the first time since their catastrophic World Cup play-off defeat by North Macedonia in March 2022.
Sassuolo midfielder David Frattesi ran onto Jorginho’s chip and slotted Italy’s second past Unai Simon, chosen in goal over Kepa Arrizabalaga, but it was ruled out for offside.
Alvaro Morata forced Donnarumma into a solid save down to his right as Spain played on the counter-attack, willing to go long to find the Atletico Madrid striker in an end-to-end affair, the 40th “Mediterranean derby”.
Spain thrashed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final and won in the 2021 Nations League semi-finals, while Italy won Euro 2020 after beating Spain on penalties in the semis.
 
Spain improve
Mancini sent on Inter Milan duo Federico Dimarco and Matteo Darmian at half-time, withdrawing Bonucci after his early mishap.
Spain emerged the steadier and Morata might have sent La Roja ahead again but fired fractionally wide on the turn just a few yards out after Donnarumma denied Mikel Merino.
Rodri almost followed up his Istanbul heroics with another strike, zipping an acrobatic effort narrowly over.
Italy hit back, with Simon pulling off a superb save to deny Fratessi from close range.
The final half hour slowed to a snail’s pace, with the long season taking its toll on weary legs.
De la Fuente turned to Ansu Fati and Joselu for a boost in attack, while Mancini brought on Juve forward Federico Chiesa.
In the end it was Joselu who made the difference, one of the players De la Fuente can claim as his own, the goal offering a double boost to the coach as it helped Spain through to the final in Rotterdam.
“Spain deserved the win even if they scored late on,” said Mancini. “Playing a slightly different way than usual tactically has probably cost us in the end.”

KATHMANDU,
Shankar Heishnan and Sunira Thapa clinched the Under-16 age group boys’ and girls’ singles titles of the Rising Star Open Tennis Championships at the Satdobato Tennis Court on Friday.
Heishnan overcame a first set deficit of 4-6 against Rajbir Pradhan to win 6-4, 6-1. Thapa saw off Shivali Gurung 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to deny the latter her second gold of the day.  
Boris Adhikari clinched the boys’ Under-14 gold. He saw off Brijesh Aryal in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, in the boys final. Under-16 runners-up Gurung clinched the U-14 singles gold defeating Swastika Bista in straight sets of 6-0, 6-1.
The veterans’ singles above 45 years age category gold went to Mohammad Yunus who edged out Rohit Sunwar, 6-4, 6-2. Thongwan Tuleshwor took the veteran men’s over 55 years category gold, defeating Raju Shrestha 6-0, 6-2.    
Former national champion Jeetendra Pariyar and Santosh Khatri secured the final berths in veteran’s above 35 years age category.
Pariyar secured a comfortable victory, 6-2, 6-0, over Dawa Sonam Sherpa while Khatri saw off Kamal Bahadur Bhandari 6-7, 7-5, 10-5, in the semi-finals.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Follow through on any creative ideas that find you this morning, dear Aries, as a series of support vibes encourage you to express yourself through artistic means. Lean into these vibes by celebrating your hobbies and special interests.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
The temptation to linger in bed will be real this morning, dear Taurus. Use this energy to catch up on your rest, and don’t feel guilty about spending a little extra time on your social media feeds before your feet hit the ground.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
The vibes will usher you into weekend fun, so don’t procrastinate when it comes to venturing out with your buds. Saturn begins its retrograde journey mid-morning, which may bring challenges to your professional life in the coming months.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)
Consider reaping the reward of success today, dear Cancer, as a series of supportive connections manifest overhead. These vibes are all about feeling empowered by the success you’ve built without coming across as entitled or out of touch.  

LEO (July 23-August 22)
Consider reaching out to your spiritual community this morning, dear Lion. Saturn begins its retrograde journey, threatening to bring setbacks throughout the next several months if you resist the process of transformation. Try not to get too carried away with your fantasies.  

VIRGO (August 23-September 22)
Thanks to a series of transformative aspects overhead, you’ll have a chance to hide away dear Virgo. Be super gentle with yourself while navigating this cosmic climate, and don’t be afraid to set boundaries or throw your phone on do not disturb.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
The vibes will be especially sweet as you awaken to another Saturday, dearest Libra, thanks to a series of supportive aspects overhead. Use this energy to focus on your most intimate bonds and spiritual fulfillment, temporarily relieving you of stress.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
The Gemini moon blows a kiss to Chiron this morning, giving you permission to forgo brunch with your pals in favor of tidying up your personal life. Luckily, you’ll find that it’s easy to set boundaries without letting other people down.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21)
You may begin to make changes within your domestic sphere once Saturn enters its retrograde journey, which could also inspire you to revisit old projects around the home. Use tonight as an excuse to set personal intentions around upgrading your self-care routines.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19)
You’ll feel like nesting around the house this morning, as the cosmos conspires to fill your space with warmth while putting you in the mood to release. You may also find yourself returning to certain studies that have fallen to the wayside.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18)
You should feel the love when you awaken this morning, dear Aquarius, as a series of helpful aspects form overhead. Allow yourself to move as you wish, prioritizing the people and activities that elevate your spirit most.

PISCES (February 19-March 20)
A nostalgic energy will come into play during the new moon this evening, marking the perfect opportunity to connect with your family or closest childhood friends. However, you may feel like hiding away when Neptune becomes active just before midnight.

Kathmandu
I look around and see the world flow in a rhythm. The next-door neighbour, the milkman, the paan shop vendor, the activist, and the bus driver go about their day in a certain rhythm. They don’t flow where the tide takes them, but they create their own symphony and choose for themselves the life they want to continue.
I look at every other life and think everyone has it sorted. From a small peephole of my life, I watch people be themselves, but I refuse to see them as imperfect souls looking for their missing puzzle pieces. I see them as achievers and doers. But for myself, I am less kind. Why do I say that? Because at times, it feels like I wake up and flow like a cut-off branch from a tree—crashing into rocks—on a river called life. This gets me down big time! Not stressed, just feeling heavy. My mind takes the weight and blocks out happy thoughts. But there are other things that get me down, too, like climate change, absent-minded drivers, stabbers with invisible knives that come in the form of relatives, and the scary rise of AI. However, none is scarier than self-sabotaging thoughts that bring about an immense load of insecurity and stress. How does one cope with what happens on the outside and on the inside?
For the outside, one should look into stoicism. This philosophy tells you how to block out the outside noise and not be bothered when an absent-minded rider yells at you when he is the one in the wrong lane. But for the inside storm, what has worked wonders for me is writing.
Ever since I was in 8th grade, I started writing stories in the Nepali language. I loved creating characters and stories. My imaginative brain finds a home in the words that I write. I used to write for fun, but recently that has changed. Ever since I stepped into my 20s, I realised that when I scribble down my thoughts on a piece of paper, I feel a sense of relief.
When colours are haphazardly thrown on a canvas, it makes no sense. But when an artist gives shape to those colours by moving his brushes on the same canvas and creates a subject of reality—then the observers can make some sense of it. My mind is that canvas where colours are thrown haphazardly—many thoughts, opinions, regrets, and aspirations are stuffed there without any shape, and the observer, which is me in this scenario, has difficulties realising what is going on in that head. I am the observer of my mind. So, to understand myself better, I start projecting my mind’s voice on paper. Then, my thoughts get a perspective. As I start writing, the paper tells me who I am and what I want. As I write, I start to feel light, as if a big invisible weight has melted away.
Normally, I sit down to write when I sense a scarcity of enthusiasm for everyday living. When the fear of the unknown, some old grudge, or hopelessness gets the better of me, that is when I grab a pen. After writing down what I am afraid of or what stresses me out, I question what I can do about the momentary trouble. I start writing down the solutions where I tell myself to toughen up. After that motivating message, I end the journal by writing, ‘It’s me vs me’, ‘You’ve got this, and ‘You’re good, Ghimire.’
Writing has no ending, you only stop momentarily. After I finish, I read from the beginning, and it hits me that I am not a wooden log. Like me, everyone is still figuring out a way to navigate life. After pouring my emotions, I understand that comparison is a thief of joy.
Our minds trick us into believing that we are the centre of the universe. We think we are being constantly observed, judged and looked at. When in reality, everyone has their own baggage and no one has time to wonder why there is a lentil soup stain on your shirt. Also, we are convinced that everyone has it all figured out, and that’s not true either. I realise these things after I am done ranting on the paper.
Writing for me is a healthy coping mechanism because it blocks out self-sabotaging thoughts, makes me aware of myself, and I end up feeling productive. Some go to the gym, some listen to songs, and some rant about life to their family and friends, and that’s okay, too—as long as it is healthy and makes you feel light in return.
A small line from one of my writings goes like this, ‘I love writing. It saves me from meaninglessness. It gives me a reason to keep going. It’s an escape from emptiness.’ For me, writing is not work. It’s just something I do passionately and naturally. Once, I edited my novel for continuously for two hours and got up from my chair feeling fresh and energised. If I had to do something else for two hours straight, you would never hear the end of it.

Pride Mela


Team Samavaya is organising a Pride Mela at Bhaktapur Durbar Square today. The event will feature stalls showcasing products from small businesses owned by the LGBT+ community and local businesses.
The student-led team organised a parade last year at Basantapur. This year they are doing so at Bhaktapur. Starting from Nyatapola Temple, the parade will end at Sallaghari.

Where: Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Bhaktapur
When: June 17
Time: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Entry: Free


Make It Funny Workshop with Aayush Shrestha



Join the ‘Make it Funny Workshop’ with Aayush Shrestha, a self-taught stand-up comedian, writer, host of Baanki Samachar, and aspiring screenwriter, for an engaging and laughter-filled comedy writing workshop.

Where: Tumbahalaya, Thamel, Kathmandu
When: June 18
Time: 11:00 am onwards  
Ticket: Rs500


Happiness Program with Dietitian Sukriti



Dietitian Sukriti Ghimire and Karuna Thapa from ‘The Art of Living’ wellness institute are organising a three-day-long happiness programme. The event will focus on yoga, meditation and inclusive discussions on stress management and healthy living. The link for registration is available on Dietitian Sukriti’s Facebook page.

Where: Saraswati Mandir, Chabahil, Kathmandu
When: June 22 to 24
Time: 6:30 am to 9:30 am
Ticket: Rs2,000


A Tribute to KK



Calm Tangalwood is hosting a tribute to the legendary Indian playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath ‘KK’, known for hits like ‘Aankhon Mein Teri’ and ‘Khuda Jane’, who passed away last year. Yugal Samal will open the show which will be followed by the tribute performance by The Last Ride.
 
Where: Calm Tangalwood, Naxal, Kathmandu
When: June 17
Time: 6:00 pm onwards  
Entry: Free


Sunflower Sessions: Live Music



Sunflower Sessions is organising a live music session featuring underrated artists. The artists performing and the venue are revealed once you buy the tickets online. The theme for this session is country pop/folk music.

When: June 16
Time: 6:00 pm onwards
Entry: Rs800


‘Lost In Transition II’ and ‘Awaiting’ exhibitions



Siddhartha Art Gallery is hosting two exhibitions: ‘Lost in Transition II’ by artist Mann Gurung and ‘Awaiting’ by Riti Maharjan. Gurung’s exhibition will take place at the gallery’s annexe, whereas Maharjan’s display is set at the main gallery. Both exhibitions are set to have soft openings on Sunday.

Where: Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babarmahal, Kathmandu
When: June 18
Time: 4:00 pm onwards
Entry: Free

Kathmandu
Aasis Giri is a simple man. “I like to spend my time as I used to as a kid, with my old friends,” he says. He likes working out, playing music and walking around Hanuman Dhoka in his free time. He is also Aasis Beats, a prominent music producer, representing Nepal in the global music sphere by producing songs that have featured in global charts and collaborating with top artists like Lil Durk and Seth G.
Aasis has been working in the industry for the past 7 years. From the beginning, he wanted to place himself in the global market and was drawn more to the global music production culture. “I started by listening to people like Juice WRLD. I was always more attracted by the innovations abroad.”
In comparison, the Nepali hip-hop sphere always felt limiting. “The Nepali music industry isn’t that good on the Hip-hop side. The producers aren’t given recognition or treated well.” Because of this, Aasis entered music production with the mindset of working with foreign talents.
The initial days were not easy. “There was pushback from my family. A lot of people especially believe that hip-hop music is for ‘bad kids’,” he says. He was always more inclined towards music than studying and recalls playing a keyboard while in school. “What I used to do to appease my parents was to make do with the basic equipment I had and not impose any extra expenses,” he recalls. In 2017, Aasis started his own youtube channel called Aasis Beats, and since then, he hasn’t looked back.
Despite only being 26, Aasis has achieved a lot in his seven years in the industry. “I started working with artists like Seth G and soon got a steady income while staying in Nepal. I was approached by big producers like Mantra, too,” he says. Mantra, a multi-platinum producer, has collaborated with popular artists like Rihanna and Dua Lipa. With another artist Nicky Bondz, Aasis worked on ‘Satellites’, which sold over a million records in the US alone, going ‘platinum.’
An important part of his job is maintaining contacts. Aasis believes that the internet made it easier for him to reach the international market. “If a producer has to recognise and collaborate with someone, communication is key. With Instagram, Twitter and such platforms, it is easier to do that on a large scope,” he says. For him, politeness is key, but putting oneself out there is also incredibly important. “Some rejections will definitely come, but if you don’t put yourself out there, getting that recognition is difficult,” he claims.
“A producer creates the beats and works extensively on the song before the artists receive it and add their lyrics and perform it,” says Aasis. Yet, music producers aren’t given nearly as much recognition as singers. While this is also a case globally, up-and-coming producers like Metro Boomin make music production much more accessible through their larger-than-life personalities. “That is yet to happen in Nepal, as the hip-hop genre itself is new here, but I believe I can help bring change in how music producers are seen here,” he says.
An important element for every creator is a comfortable workspace, which is even more essential for a music producer. “I need a quiet environment to work early in the morning with my laptop, keyboard, and synthesisers,” he says. “Even while working from home, I have to give eight to ten hours daily just to keep on time with my work. I have to treat it as a full-time job for maximum efficiency,” he says, as the job is hectic and fast-paced, with massive, regular commitments needed.
Aasis recently worked with Universal Music Group and Unbound Entertainment, the latter known for their links with prominent Korean bands and artists. “For the future, I might work from abroad, or even work on my existing record label in Nepal, and give more exposure to local artists and music producers,” he says. His biggest goal now is to put Nepal on the global musical map through his work and show that hip-hop has a solid scope here. “We have very few producers here, and hip hop is stigmatised already. I want to change that narrative,” he says.
Producers like Aasis represent a new revolution in Nepali music. Having already achieved so much at such a young age, and that too globally, Aasis is an example of a talented, outgoing and ambitious bunch of young creators who won’t stop until they reach the top. “We haven’t had global award winners and trendsetters in music from Nepal. I want to be that person,” he says.

Outlander stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are grateful for the gift of time. The show returns for its seventh season Friday, with an eighth season on the horizon that will be its last.
Balfe says there was a time when the powers that be considered wrapping up the epic in a truncated seventh season.
“There was a conversation where it might have wrapped up in two episodes in season seven, and that just didn’t feel like the right way to do things,” she said. Instead, there are 16 episodes in season seven and season eight will have 10.
“We’re just happy that we also get the opportunity to actually come back and have one more stab at it,” added Heughan.
Balfe and Heughan star as Claire and Jamie Fraser, who meet in season one after Claire, a British nurse, encounters a set of magic stones while visiting Scotland that transport her from the post-World War II era to the 1800s when Scotland and England are at war. Claire begrudgingly marries Jamie, a Highland warrior and the two fall in love, embarking on an epic romance with Claire choosing to live in the past to be with the man she loves.
In these new episodes, Claire and Jamie are navigating life during the American Revolution. Their adult daughter Breanna and her husband Roger MacKenzie (played by Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin) are expecting their second baby.
Skelton says these two sets of couples are complete opposites, giving the audience “two different types of relationships”
to watch.
“Jamie and Claire have this beautiful love story that’s almost like this fairy tale romance, which is wonderful to get lost in. But then Roger and Brianna give this completely opposite dynamic, which is against all odds, they kind of survive as a couple. I think that they mess up a lot. They don’t always communicate. They’re realistic. They’re both flawed, and their relationship is flawed, but... they’ve come so far.”
The story is based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon, who has published nine out of 10 planned novels. Balfe says in season seven, they “incorporate parts of books seven and eight” and that overall, the series has only “diverged slightly” from the books.
How season eight will reflect Gabaldon’s story framework with more books than seasons is unclear. Balfe says that’s up to the writers who are tied up with the writers strike.
Beyond what happens on screen, Heughan says it will strange to not always have “Outlander” to come back to.

– Associated Press

Kathmandu
Five young female travellers, Binita Jirel, Menuka Gurung, Juliana Shrestha, Rejina Tamang, and Shanti Rai, noticed a gap in the outdoor industry for a women-specific platform. So, they set out to build a platform that would encourage and empower women to travel the world and launched Duluwa Outdoors in 2021.
The organisation’s social media posts generate much interest from women who want to travel alone but haven’t yet. The platform has become a hub for women to connect and share experiences. Shrestha discussed the possibilities of solo travelling for women in Nepal and her tips to individuals who are just starting their journey with the Post.

Is travelling alone safe in Nepal?
Since it has long been a well-liked vacation spot (for international tourists), Nepal has seen a lot of solo travellers. Besides the large number of foreigners exploring the Himalayas during their gap years, many Nepalis also travel the country solo. Most of them finish their journeys safely. So yes, Nepal is pretty safe for solo travelling.
An example many overlook while talking about females travelling solo in Nepal is women travelling from their house to their parent’s house alone. This has been happening for decades and is a common thing most married women do multiple times in their lives.
I say everyone should try travelling by themselves at least once in their life. I’m happy to see many young people travelling solo these days.

What are some good solo travel destinations in Nepal?
It’s tough to pick out just ten, as preferences vary from person to person. If you’re new to travelling alone, consider starting small with activities like going to the movies or having dinner alone. You could also begin hiking to places like Shivapuri, Namo Buddha, or Champadevi in Kathmandu.
As you become more comfortable with solo travel, you can take short trips, like a long weekend in Pokhara-Bandipur. Make sure you consider nearby resources and the availability of transportation before you start your trips. When you return, I encourage you to reflect on your journey and see what you’ve learned—about yourself and the world.
Then challenge yourself a little bit more. Nepal has so much to offer from trekking in the mountains. The Annapurna area is a great place to start. The trails are accessible and well-maintained, with plenty of facilities. You’ll also find other trekkers to connect with along the way. For those interested in exploring the valleys and towns along the hills, try places like Illam, Dharan-Dhankuta, and Palpa.
Finally, for those looking to experience Nepal’s rich wildlife, destinations like Chitwan, Bardiya, and Shuklaphanta are all great choices.

What are your tips for people who are just starting to travel alone?
Plan at all times! Do your research on the fundamentals of travel, including transportation, lodging, connectivity, risk assessment, and activities.
It’s also crucial to understand the type of trail or journey you’re taking so that you can dress appropriately and prepare for any potential risks, such as altitude sickness or accidents.
Remember to budget appropriately and always have an emergency fund and research prices of essentials to avoid getting ripped off.

What are some travel safety tips you swear by?
Safety is a personal and situational concern that frequently arises when women travel alone.
If you are just starting out, I’d advise you to get to a settlement before it gets dark—by 4:30-5:00 pm—when you are on long treks. Stay there overnight and continue on your journey the next morning. Be wary of wild animal attacks or possible natural disasters when you’re out in the wilderness. I would also suggest you consider taking a wilderness first aid course.
Most importantly, be wary of other people. Trust your gut. If you think someone is suspect, keep your distance. Keep your loved ones, friends, or anyone else in your support network informed of your whereabouts, especially if you’re going to be in a place without service. Let them know when you might get service again so they won’t worry.