Nepal is a country with a rich history and culture. But unfortunately, it is also one that has been plagued by the evils of caste-based discrimination for centuries. Even today the caste system finds continuity in a strong way.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has taken action against nearly 8,000 traders in eight months of the current fiscal year, who were found to be cheating unsuspecting consumers by tampering with weighing instruments.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire has made a very lowly remark against the free press in Nepal, to say the least. Speaking to a delegation of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) on Friday, Speaker Ghimire said – "Journalists are not doing journalism as responsibly as they should have done. The practice of yellow journalism is equally alarming now. Whatever the reason, they [journalists] are biased. In other words, journalists are for sale." These comments made by Speaker Ghimire are deeply concerning and a clear attack on the freedom of the press. His statement that "journalists are for sale" is not only a derogatory remark that undermines the integrity of journalists, but it also has serious implications for the ability of journalists to do their job without fear of reprisal.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has made significant progress in reducing electricity leakage over the past year. According to NEA's reports, the overall electricity leakage has dropped to 12.59 percent, a decrease of 2.79 percentage points from the previous year. This achievement is a result of the NEA's aggressive campaign to curb technical and non-technical losses in the system.

Nepal’s national cricket team has made history with a stunning victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC World Cup League-2 triangular ODI series. In the final match of the series, the team beat the UAE by nine runs according to Duckworth-Lewis method, securing a place in the ODI World Cup qualifiers. Nepal’s success in this match was all the more remarkable considering that they were chasing a mammoth target of 311 runs.

The government has recently announced measures to tackle the widening budget deficit caused by low revenue collection. The budget deficit as of eight months of the current fiscal year 2022/23 has surpassed Rs 156.44 billion, with the government having spent Rs 779.23 billion of its budget as of mid-March this year, while the revenue collection stood at Rs 622.78 billion.

The recent warning from the Banchare Danda Landfill Affected Area Concern Committee that they will not allow the dumping of the Kathmandu Valley’s waste at the landfill site after mid-May if their demands are not met, has raised concerns about the garbage management problem that the valley is likely to face after a couple of months.

The news report of the government failing to meet the revenue collection target for the first eight months of the current fiscal year is alarming. The government's inability to generate enough revenue indicates that it may not be able to fund its development projects and maintain its regular operations.

In a display of blatant disregard for the rule of law, various Maoist factions and splinter groups, including the ruling CPN (Maoist Center), convened a joint press conference on Sunday to launch a venomous attack against the judiciary. It is unconscionable for anyone, particularly those who claim to uphold the rule of law, to harbor such bitterness towards the country's judicial system. Under the law, everyone is equal, regardless of their status or position, including the prime minister and other high-ranking officials. The latest constitution of the country makes it clear that implementing the rule of law must be impartial and fair to all citizens.

China’s decision to include Nepal in its list of outbound destinations for its citizens in the second batch of countries for outbound travel is a welcome relief for Nepal’s ailing tourism industry. Nepal is among the 40 countries in the list of outbound destinations released by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, making it the third South Asian country to be included in the list of outbound destinations for Chinese tourists.