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			'id' => '20804',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half of the Commercial Banks not in a Position to Issue Dividends to Shareholders',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This has raised doubts whether the banks will be able to distribute dividends to the shareholders after the end of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the unaudited financial statements of the third quarter released by the banks, the distributable profit of 10 out of 20 commercial banks is negative. The distributable profit of Himalayan Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Nepal Bank, NMB Bank, Global IME Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank and Siddharth Bank is negative.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Bhuvan Dahal, an expert in the banking sector, commercial banks have not been able to make a profit of late because they have not been able to collect the accrued interest from the borrowers. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;As per the instructions of Nepal Rastra Bank, the amount equivalent to the interest that is yet to be collected cannot be taken into consideration as distributable profit as &#39;regulatory adjustment&#39; has to be done,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, under the regulatory adjustment, banks need to set aside the amount yet to recover from the borrowers for provisioning. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;With the slowdown in the country&#39;s economy, banks have been facing problems in loan recovery. As a result, bad loans are increasing, the central bank said. According to the data of Nepal Rastra Bank, the bad loans of commercial banks stood at 3.63 percent of the total loans as of mid-March.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Since the dividend distribution capacity of banks is assessed on the basis of distributable profits till the end of the year, the main challenge for banks is to improve the current situation by the next quarter.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, only 12 out of 20 banks have distributed dividends based on the profit earned in the previous year. Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Kumari Bank, Nepal Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Prabhu Bank and Krishi Bikas Bank have not given returns to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Prabhu Bank, Krishi Bikas Bank and Prime Commercial Bank have distributable profit but decided not to issue dividends to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Nepal Bank, Kumari Bank and Nepal Investment Mega Bank do not improve their distributable profit in the next three months by collecting interest, it seems that the investors of these banks will be disappointed in the next year as well.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Himalayan Bank&#39;s distributable profit for the third quarter is negative by more than Rs 5.24 billion. It is the highest among all banks. The distributable profit of Nepal Investment Mega Bank is negative by more than 5.8 billion and stands second among the banks in this segment. Siddharth Bank has the lowest negative distributable profit. Its distributable profit is negative by more than Rs 27.12 million.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Everest Bank is leading among 10 commercial banks with distributable profit. The distributable profit of Everest Bank, which has a paid-up capital of more than Rs 11.76 billion, is more than Rs 2.75 billion. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Standard Chartered Bank&#39;s distributable profit is the highest after Everest Bank. Its distributable profit is more than Rs 1.81 billion. Currently, the paid-up capital of this bank is above Rs 9.42 billion. Based on the distributable profit up to the third quarter, the dividend potential of Standard Chartered is 19.27 percent. In the history of dividend distribution, this bank has distributed a maximum of 105 percent, but in the last 2 years, it has only distributed cash dividends. This year Standard Chartered distributed 19 percent cash dividend.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20803',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Industry Minister says Nepal Failed to Secure Expected Benefits from WTO   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Speaking at a programme on &quot;expectations, achievements and future course of action in 20 years of Nepal&#39;s WTO membership&quot; organised by the Ministry on Tuesday, the minister said, &quot;There is no situation for least developed countries despite some exceptions to secure anticipated expectations from the WTO aiming to ensure benefits of the world economy to the developing countries and an increased market access for them.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He underlined the need to guarantee meaningful participation of government, private, and related research institutes and stakeholders concerned to ink a bilateral trade and investment agreement with nations with potential for exports from Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He advised Nepal should make efforts to explore potential for international trade and implement objective and country-wise export strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also pointed out the need for wider dialogues and discussions with the participation of public-private sectors to navigate ways for awareness in industrial and trade sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There is a wider discussion at the national level when expected achievements from the WTO remain unmet, according to the minister.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;We accept the WTO standards, but in the context of Nepal, such standards have not been implemented. We are overwhelmed by the burden of import trade. We have to liberate ourselves from this situation. The lack of Nepal&#39;s presence in world trade should be analyzed meticulously,&rdquo; he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Acknowledging Nepal&#39;s weak presence in world trade, Commerce Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire insisted on policy-level and strategic interventions toward that end. He stressed the need to increase domestic production.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Industry Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said Nepal could not secure the right benefits of WTO while other speakers including the Chairperson of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries, Umesh Prasad Singh; Vice Chair of Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal (FEEN) and Joint Secretary Leela Prasad Sharma expressed concerns over the country&#39;s increasing size of imports, thus leading to a ballooning trade deficit in the absence of lack of Nepal&#39;s access to the world trade market.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They called for replacing the import-based trade. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20802',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'President Paudel, Emir of Qatar Discuss Climate Change Impacts and Deepening Nepal-Qatar Ties   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel said so at a meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of the State of Qatar arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The common challenge of today&#39;s world is saving the earth from climate change; protecting our Himalayas; preserving the source of water and maintaining the environmental balance. Cooperation of all is imperative in these areas. This is an issue of human existence. I consider mostly the developing countries should be more serious in such issues,&rdquo; President&#39;s press advisor Kiran Pokharel quoted President Paudel as saying.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The president also said that the conflict in the Middle East has &#39;made us worried&#39;, Pokharel told the RSS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, President Paudel praised the role played by Qatar for peace building and wished for the end to the war and restoration of peace in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, the Emir of the State of Qatar Al Thani said the entire world is suffering from climate change impacts, and good results will come and a good environment will be created if all abided by the international agreements on climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also expressed the confidence that his visit would be fruitful to explore new areas of cooperation by further deepening Nepal-Qatar relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, the Emir of Qatar praised Nepali migrant workers stating that they have huge contributions to the development of Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of Qatar Al Thani viewed that new possibilities could be explored for investments in water resources, agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, President Paudel also expressed the confidence that the agreement and memorandum of understanding to be reached on Wednesday would unleash new potentials for investment in the areas such as water resource, agriculture and tourism in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal and Qatar have ever enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, President Paudel clarified that the relations between Nepal and Qatar are bound by the sense of friendship, mutual respect, trust and goodwill.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There has been a tradition of exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in a regular way which he claimed had played spectacular role in expanding the bilateral relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The historical visit has taken the Nepal-Qatar relations to a new height, he further said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal has moved towards the journey of economic development and prosperity now with the agenda of political transformation of late, he expressed his belief that there would be continuous support from Qatar to Nepal&#39;s efforts towards attaining development and prosperity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel further expressed his optimism that the bilateral cooperation and collaboration would be further deepened in coming days in the context when there are arrays of potential for partnership in trade, tourism and investment areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Qatar has been a prime and attractive destination of foreign employment for Nepali workers and Nepali workforce has also substantially contributed in the making of modern Qatar, he recalled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Expressing happiness over the sustainable development and prosperity of Qatar under the visionary leadership of the Emir, President Paudel lauded his far-reaching thinking and unswerving commitment to make Qatar a highly-developed nation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'keywords' => 'Qatar, Nepal, ties, friendly, climate, induced, impacts, Emir, Thani',
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			'id' => '20800',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Asia Worst Hit by Climate-Induced Disasters in 2023: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In a report published on Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region&#39;s future water security.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Floods and storms were the main cause of casualties and economic damage in 2023, the report added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It found that Asia has been warming faster than the global average, with temperature rises in 2023 averaging nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-90 average, Al Jazeera reported.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,&rdquo; WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Doha-based media network funded by Qatar, Saulo added that climate change &ldquo;exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events&rdquo;, calling the report&rsquo;s conclusions &ldquo;sobering&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, saying they would have serious repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region, AFP reorted.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Asia remained the world&#39;s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023,&quot; the WMO said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the report, the annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, at 0.91 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.87 C above the 1961-1990 average.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan, the report said, with Japan having its hottest summer on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">As for precipitation, it was below normal in the Himalayas and in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile southwest China suffered from a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels in nearly every month of the year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The High-Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. Over the last several decades, most of these glaciers have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate, the WMO said, with 20 out of 22 monitored glaciers in the region showing continued mass loss last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said 2023 sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean were the highest on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last year, 79 disasters associated with water-related weather hazards were reported in Asia. Of those, more than 80 percent were floods and storms, with more than 2,000 deaths and nine million people directly affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin,&quot; the WMO said, noting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural hazard events.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WMO said there was an urgent need for national weather services across the region to improve tailored information to officials working on reducing disaster risks.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times,&quot; AFP quoted Saulo as saying.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20799',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'IBN Approves List of Projects to be Showcased during the Investment Summit',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 58th meeting of the IBN chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday approved the list of projects, the state-owned RSS reported, adding that the IBN aims to seek letters of intent as well as showcase and carry out market sounding for these projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The IBN plans to showcase a total of 148 projects including government and private projects during the summit scheduled for April 28 and 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The meeting also decided to increase investment in two projects. The board meeting approved an additional investment worth Rs 6.63 billion for the Huaxin Narayani Cement Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, Dabur Nepal has proposed reinvestment of Rs 9.68 billion for capacity expansion and product diversification. The board gave the go ahead for negotiation process after receiving the project report and its assessment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Following the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal directed to work to make the investment summit more result-oriented rather than being limited to formalities. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to RSS, the prime minister also instructed the authorities to form a special unit to facilitate the mobilization of capital and credits from domestic, foreign and private sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Stating that the prosperity of the country will be achieved only through the partnership between the public and private sectors, Prime Minister Dahal said the government has initiated the work of amending laws to remove obstacles to investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board, Sushil Bhatta, shed light on the status of implementation of the decision of the previous board meeting and the preparations for the investment summit, RSS added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20798',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'FNCCI Welcomes Government's Decision to Amend Investment Laws ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">April 24: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">The umbrella organization said that despite being brought through ordinances, the amendments are seen as positive steps towards improving investment ambiance. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, FNCCI expressed confidence that the amendments made through ordinances in 12 laws and regulations by the government have created a conducive environment for investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&nbsp;Stating that Nepal was receiving&nbsp;only 0.2 percent foreign investment of total domestic production, FNCCI said that the government&#39;s step would help create an environment conducive to investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Targeting the investment summit, the government has made amendments in various laws including the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 2075, Industrial Enterprises Act 2076, Forest Act, and Land-related laws, focusing on attracting foreign investment and technology transfer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s step to define startup through the amendment of the law is positive,&rdquo; said FNCCI press statement. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20525',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 06:07:48',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20797',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Qatar Emir’s Visit Highlights Important Bilateral Agreements between Nepal and Qatar   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-profile visit of the Qatari Emir on the eve of the third Investment Summit in Nepal is expected to give a positive message about Nepal to the international community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on April 18 had approved the programme of state-visit of the Qatari Emir, agreed on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal leading the Nepali delegation for bilateral discussions with the Qatari delegation and MoU for cooperation for various bilateral agreements to be inked during the Qatari Emir&#39;s two-day visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma said that the Council of Ministers has already approved the MoU for cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on youth and sports sector as well as education and scientific research.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic relations on January 21, 1977. Nepal established its Embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 whereas Qatar set up its Embassy in Nepal in August 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Before that, Qatari Ambassador resident in New Delhi, India was concurrently accredited to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar both uphold similar views on many international agendas and issues. Both countries have been signatory to the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the United Nations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, both countries have been working in tandem at these international forums and have been playing crucial roles for the cause of peace, security and development n the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agreements have been inked for collaboration between the two countries in several sectors. Nepal had signed a Labour Agreement with Qatar on March 21, 2005 during the visit of then Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey to Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Fourth Labour Ministerial Joint Meeting of the two countries held on December 2 and 3, 2021 in Kathmandu agreed to review the Labour Agreement signed in 2005. However, the Agreement has not been reviewed so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The two countries also in 2005 signed an agreement related to economic, trade and technical collaboration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari investors have put in investment in the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy among the various sectors after Nepal in 2007 inked an agreement with Qatar for removal of dual taxation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, Nepal and Qatar signed an agreement on bilateral air service (civil aviation) on July 8, 2002. An agreement on collaboration in the tourism sector was reached between the two countries in 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The private sectors of the two countries have also been collaborating in different areas. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce had signed an agreement relating to bilateral cooperation in 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Doha Bank, one of the major banks of Qatar, opened its contact office in Kathmandu in December 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal&#39;s industrialists have also become organized in Qatar. An organisation called Nepali Business Association Qatar was registered with the Qatar Financial Authority in March 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There have been exchanges of high-level visits between Nepal and Qatar at various times. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, made an official visit to Qatar in 2011. Likewise, then President Bidya Devi Bhandari paid a state visit to Qatar from October 30 to November 2, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, visited Qatar on March 21-23, 2022. The then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited Qatar from November 20 to 22, 2019. Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara also visited Qatar from April 6 to 10 in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav paid a visit to Qatar on November 13-14, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat paid an official visit to Qatar in January 2017 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam visited Qatar from April 11 to 14, 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-level visits to Nepal from Qatari side include the visit of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, Dr Abdullah Bin Saleh Mubarak al-Khulafi from April 4 to 7 in 2015; the visit by Qatar&#39;s Environment Minister Abdullah Bin Mubarak Bin Abud Al-Midhadi from April 5-9 in 2012 and that of Qatar&#39;s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shekh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al Thani in 2009. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20524',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-23 19:35:02',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20796',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepalgunj-based ICP to Come into Operation in Two Weeks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">This facility, built by India and located at Nepalgunj transit along the Nepal-India border, has already been handed over to Nepal. &quot;Customs services will be available from the newly constructed facility in the next 10-15 days,&quot; said Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma, Chief of Nepalgunj Customs Office.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Once operational, the ICP will facilitate the check-pass of containers from the facility. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &#39;Prachanda&#39; and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the facility virtually during Dahal&#39;s visit to India (May 31 - June 3, 2023).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;India officially transferred the facility to Nepal on Monday, approximately one year after its inauguration. Spanning across 87 bigha of land (one bigha is equivalent to 6772.63 sq. meters), the land was acquired by the Government of Nepal with support from India.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ICP encompasses various amenities including customs offices, livestock and plant quarantine facilities, warehouses, food technology, quality control facilities, security barracks, and a bank counter. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The business community in Nepalgunj is eagerly anticipating the launch of ICP services, expecting it to streamline trans-border imports and exports.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former President of the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the anticipated convenience for businesses.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-04-23',
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			'keywords' => '',
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			'sortorder' => '20523',
			'image' => '20240423043126_collage (63).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-04-23 16:30:01',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20794',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of Women as Bank Director Negligible',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. Some commercial banks lack any female directors. This decline is attributed to banks&#39; failure to implement the Companies Act provision. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Section 86 (2) stipulates that a public company&#39;s board should consist of at least three members and at most 11 members, with at least one female director for companies with female shareholders. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The annual supervision report of Nepal Rastra Bank highlights commercial banks&#39; failure to adhere to this mandate.&nbsp; The report mentions that some banks do not have women directors as per the Companies Act.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data collected by New Business Age reveals that four out of the 19 commercial banks currently in operation have no female directors. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among these banks, two have foreign investment (Standard Chartered and Himalayan) and two have only domestic investment (Global IME and Prabhu Bank). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, 13 banks have only one female director each. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Government-invested commercial banks each have one woman on their boards. Among them, Gita Subedi is an expert director in Agricultural Development Bank, Romila Dhakal Upreti in Rastriya Banijya Bank and Sadhana Ghimire is a representative of the government in Nepal Bank Limited.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among the private banks, Nepal SBI Bank and Laxmi Sunrise have two women each on the board of directors. Jayanti Banshal is the chairman of Nepal SBI Bank and Apsara Upreti is the director of the same bank. Similarly, Swati Rungta and Bidya Basnet are the directors of Laxmi Sunrise Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The rest of the banks have one female director. Among them, Asha Rana Adhikari is a director at Nabil Bank, Meena Kumari Sainju at Siddharth Bank, Taradevi Chitrakar Bank Prime Bank, Manju Basnet at Nepal Investment Mega Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, on behalf of general shareholders, Bandana Karki is a director of Machhapuchhre Bank, Bijaya Swar at NIC Asia Bank, Gayatri Thapa at Sanima Bank, Simran Aggarwal at Kumari Bank, Urmila Shrestha at Everest Bank and Sharmila Hardi at NMB Bank.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The proposed amendment to the Banks and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) aims to increase female representation by requiring two women on bank boards&mdash;one from the shareholders and one from the expert group.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20793',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of the precious yellow metal dropped by Rs 2,700 per tola (11.66 grams) compared to the previous trading day.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixed the price of hallmark gold at Rs 135,500 per tola on Tuesday. Hallmark gold was traded for Rs 138,200 on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the price of worked gold has also fallen by Rs 2,700 per tola. Worked gold, which was traded at Rs 137,500 per tola on Monday is being traded at Rs 134,850 on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 45 per tola compared to its price on Monday, according to the federation. Silver was traded for Rs 1,705 per tola on Monday while its price has dropped to Rs 1,660 on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The price of gold had been rising steadily in the past few weeks, reaching an all-time high of Rs 139,200 per tola on April 16.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the Nepali month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), the price of gold increased eleven times in the domestic market of Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The recent geopolitical tension due to the Israel&rsquo;s offensive in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war as well as tensions between Israel and Iran have led to investors to invest in gold considering it as a safe haven in times of turmoil.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, analysts say that the price has dropped slightly due to the de-escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-04-23',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20792',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Changes Finance Secretary in the Midst of Budget Preparation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. The practice of changing the finance secretary after the change of government has prevailed since the past one decade.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The incumbent Finance Minister Barshman Pun has also given continuity to this tradition. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">At a time when the Finance Ministry is in intense discussion to finalize the discussion of the budget is going on, Finance Minister Pun has appointed Madhu Kumar Marasini, who was recently acquitted by the Special Court in a corruption case, as the new finance secretary. The Special Court had recently acquitted Marasini in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of the National Payment Gateway.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pun removed Dr Krishna Hari Pushkar, who was preferred by the then Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, and appointed Marasini in his place.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was appointed as the finance secretary for the second time in last August. Before that, Arjun Prasad Pokharel was served as the finance secretary. Pokharel, who was appointed to the post on May last year, was able to work only for six months.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It clearly shows that the Ministry of Finance had three secretaries in a single year. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Marasini took charge of the finance secretary Monday on the same day that the Council of Ministers decided to appoint him to the post.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on Monday decided to transfer Marasini to Finance Ministry and Pushkar to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Marasini has prior experience of serving as the finance secretary. Finance Minister Barshman Pun said that changes in responsibilities should be taken as normal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was not an expert hand in affairs related to the Ministry of Finance. Before being appointed as the finance secretary, he worked in agencies under other ministries and also worked with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He joined the Ministry of Finance only on September 4, 2021 as the revenue secretary. Former Chief Secretary Lokdarshan Regmi and Arjun Pokharel, who also served as the finance secretaries, were also not experts on matters related to the Finance Ministry.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Chief Secretary Bimal Koirala says that the political leadership have made civil servants including the finance secretary as their puppets in recent years.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is wrong for the political leadership to use and dump civil servants. It will not create a conducive environment for work under any circumstances,&quot; he said. Koirala said that if the civil servants are destabilized, they will not be able to work properly and it will have a big impact on the overall development of the country.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to him, other countries give importance to the stability of employees. It is not customary to remove a person once appointed to the post of finance secretary unless he is accused of serious charges. But Koirala says that two to three finance secretaries are changed here in a year and this is not a good practice.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Koirala argues that if the post of finance secretary is made weak and unstable, it will affect the morale of the private sector as well as the relationship with development partners. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Finance Minister Dr Mahat had also removed almost all of the officials at the Finance Ministry. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last month, Minister Pun made a comprehensive reshuffle of the heads of departments and divisions under the ministry. When he made Shivlal Tiwari the Director General of the Inland Revenue Department, he gave Dhundi Niraula the responsibility of the Department of Customs. Ritesh Kumar Shakya, who was the head of the revenue management division, has been transferred to the budget and program division. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Uttar Kumar Khatri of Budget Division was transferred to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division and Dhani Ram Sharma was made the head of Revenue Management Division.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Pun transferred Shobhakant Poudel, who was the Director General of the Department of Customs, to the Public Finance Management Training Center and the head of training there, Ram Prasad Acharya, was brought to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary play a major role in preparing budget. That is why Finance Minister Pun wanted to bring a person who is suitable to him as finance secretary. Upon his recommendation, the government has given Marasini the responsibility of finance secretary. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, confusion has arisen due to the sudden change of the top officials of the finance ministry when the ministry and other developmental ministries were actively working to prepare the budget.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the constitutional provisions, the government should announce the budget on 15<sup>th</sup> of Jestha (May 28 this year). A lot of work needs to be done before that. After the principles and priorities of the budget presented in the parliament are passed, the government should bring policies and programs. After that the policies and programs are passed, the government will then announce the budget. However, when the secretary changes at the last minute, it will take time for the new secretary to understand everything, said a senior official. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20795',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Capital City gets a Facelift to Welcome Qatar’s Emir for a State Visit to Nepal   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari Emir is arriving on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The city has been adorned with welcome gates and banners along major roads and intersections in honor of the high-profile dignitary&rsquo;s visit from Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office has undertaken the cleaning and decoration of roads stretching from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to various key areas including Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Tripureshwar, Kalimati, Jamal and Lainchaur.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nabin Manandhar, the spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolis, the decorated roads proudly display the national flags of both Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Moreover, banners featuring the names of President Ram Chandra Paudel and the Emir of Qatar, along with a portrait of Kumari, the Living Goddess, have been placed with the Namaste gesture, indicate the cultural richness and diversity of the Kathmandu Valley. Such banners read &quot;Hearty welcome to the Emir from Qatar&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security arrangements along the designated route for the VVIP from Qatar have been intensified, with each welcome gate being guarded by security personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, key areas such as Shital Niwas (the Office of the President), Soaltee Hotel where the Emir will be staying, and Dwarika Hotel where various visit-related events are scheduled to take place have been beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal have also prepared welcome gates to extend greetings to the Emir.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In light of the Emir&#39;s visit, the government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday, suggesting the diplomatic significance of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security beefed up&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Meanwhile, the Nepalese Army has said it has mobilized a security mechanism in various venues where visit-related events ranging from welcome and other ceremonies to farewell are scheduled to take place. The security arrangements are in place on a need basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In coordination with the NA Chief of General Staff, a Lieutenant General, various security squads comprising security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department have been mobilized.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to TIA General Manager, Jagannath Nirauala, all flights at TIA will remain halted for 15 minutes each during the arrival and departure of the Qatari Emir, bearing in mind the security sensitivity of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The visit is expected to help elevate the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar to a new height. The Qatari Emir&#39;s visit marks the first highest-level visit from the entire Middle East to Nepal. Qatar serves as one of the major labour destinations for Nepal. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20791',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'DFIs Invest USD 1.1 Billion in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Although the World Bank&#39;s International Finance Corporation (IFC) started investing in the private sector of Nepal only some time ago, other DFIs have been investing in the private sector of Nepal since a few years ago.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">They have been investing through some commercial banks, private equity funds and also directly. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;Until now, DFIs have invested USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">.</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span> <span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">billion in the private sector of Nepal,&quot; Bivek Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Invest for Impact Nepal, said in a press conference held on Monday. &quot;Of this amount, more than USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">600</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> million have been mobilized through commercial banks.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Invest for Impact Nepal was established through the joint effort of various DFIs. Invest for Impact Nepal coordinates their activities in Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">British International Investment, Dutch International Development Bank, Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets among others established the Invest for Impact Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">A team of DFIs is currently in Kathmandu and they are participating in a seminar. Shrestha said that most of the DFI representatives will also participate in the upcoming investment summit announced by the government for April 28 and 29.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Shrestha said that the DFIs are currently investing mainly through commercial banks but are also considering the idea of investing through development banks and micro finance.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;During this seminar, there will also be a discussion on how to cooperate between DFIs and donor agencies to increase investment in Nepal,&quot; he said.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20790',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ''Staggering' Number of Workers Facing Climate Change-Induced Health Hazards: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the French news agency, the UN&rsquo;s International Labour Organization on Monday warned that the existing regulations offered inadequate protection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace and these figures are only likely to get worse,&quot; the ILO said in a report.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farm workers and others who carry out heavy labour in hot climates especially &quot;may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards&quot;, the ILO added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report further stated that these hazards include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals. Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;Workers are among those most exposed to climate change hazards yet frequently have no choice but to continue working, even if conditions are dangerous,&quot; the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">It pointed out that in 2020 -- the last year for which statistics are available -- 2.4 billion workers, or more than 70 percent of the global workforce, were estimated to be exposed to excessive heat at some point.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That marks &quot;a clear increase&quot;, Manal Azzi, the ILO&#39;s senior specialist on occupational safety and health, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The number of exposed workers had ballooned by 35 percent over two decades, and even adjusting for the growing global population, the percentage of the labour force affected had swelled by 8.8 percent since the year 2000, she said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&#39;Huge issue&#39; </span></strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;This is a huge issue,&quot; Azzi said, warning that &quot;workers are often forgotten when we&#39;re talking about climate change, and the health impacts are very severe&quot;.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nearly 23 million occupational injuries attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing, on estimate, nearly 19,000 lives annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And those numbers do not include more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress, the ILO said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Furthermore, the impact of global warming on workers goes well beyond heat exposure.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report noted that numerous dangerous health conditions in workers had been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the ILO said 1.6 billion workers worldwide were estimated to be exposed to UV radiation each year, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths annually from non-melanoma skin cancer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Another 1.6 billion people were likely to be exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than 870 million agricultural workers are meanwhile likely to be exposed to pesticides, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning each year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And 15,000 work-related deaths each year are attributed to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases, the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It&#39;s clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,&quot; Azzi said in a statement.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must be become part of our climate change responses -- both policies and actions.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ILO said climate change hazards could require countries to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations to protect workers properly.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The agency will next year host an expert meeting with representatives of employers, labour and governments to discuss the issue, with the aim of coming up with fresh policy recommendations, AFP quoted Azzi as saying.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20789',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'MFD Warns of Excessive Heat in Tarai, Urges Public to Remain Safe from Heat Wave   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a special public bulletin on Monday, the department has asked one and all to remain cautious since the maximum temperature in some parts of Lumbini, Madesh and Sudurpaschim provinces was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius or more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The department stated that excessive heat is likely for some days in the Tarai areas and has urged all to apply precautions or make necessary preparations. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;These areas could witness a heat wave from April 22 to 26. People are requested for needed precautions to keep themselves safe from the impact of the heat wave,&quot; the department&#39;s special bulletin states.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the division has urged people to remain inside their homes in the day time when there is excessive heat, avoid traveling, cover their head while going out from home, wear cap, drink water and juice frequently, and stay in contact with the health workers in case of health issues. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20804',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half of the Commercial Banks not in a Position to Issue Dividends to Shareholders',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This has raised doubts whether the banks will be able to distribute dividends to the shareholders after the end of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the unaudited financial statements of the third quarter released by the banks, the distributable profit of 10 out of 20 commercial banks is negative. The distributable profit of Himalayan Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Nepal Bank, NMB Bank, Global IME Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank and Siddharth Bank is negative.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Bhuvan Dahal, an expert in the banking sector, commercial banks have not been able to make a profit of late because they have not been able to collect the accrued interest from the borrowers. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;As per the instructions of Nepal Rastra Bank, the amount equivalent to the interest that is yet to be collected cannot be taken into consideration as distributable profit as &#39;regulatory adjustment&#39; has to be done,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, under the regulatory adjustment, banks need to set aside the amount yet to recover from the borrowers for provisioning. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;With the slowdown in the country&#39;s economy, banks have been facing problems in loan recovery. As a result, bad loans are increasing, the central bank said. According to the data of Nepal Rastra Bank, the bad loans of commercial banks stood at 3.63 percent of the total loans as of mid-March.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Since the dividend distribution capacity of banks is assessed on the basis of distributable profits till the end of the year, the main challenge for banks is to improve the current situation by the next quarter.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, only 12 out of 20 banks have distributed dividends based on the profit earned in the previous year. Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Kumari Bank, Nepal Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Prabhu Bank and Krishi Bikas Bank have not given returns to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Prabhu Bank, Krishi Bikas Bank and Prime Commercial Bank have distributable profit but decided not to issue dividends to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Nepal Bank, Kumari Bank and Nepal Investment Mega Bank do not improve their distributable profit in the next three months by collecting interest, it seems that the investors of these banks will be disappointed in the next year as well.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Himalayan Bank&#39;s distributable profit for the third quarter is negative by more than Rs 5.24 billion. It is the highest among all banks. The distributable profit of Nepal Investment Mega Bank is negative by more than 5.8 billion and stands second among the banks in this segment. Siddharth Bank has the lowest negative distributable profit. Its distributable profit is negative by more than Rs 27.12 million.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Everest Bank is leading among 10 commercial banks with distributable profit. The distributable profit of Everest Bank, which has a paid-up capital of more than Rs 11.76 billion, is more than Rs 2.75 billion. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Standard Chartered Bank&#39;s distributable profit is the highest after Everest Bank. Its distributable profit is more than Rs 1.81 billion. Currently, the paid-up capital of this bank is above Rs 9.42 billion. Based on the distributable profit up to the third quarter, the dividend potential of Standard Chartered is 19.27 percent. In the history of dividend distribution, this bank has distributed a maximum of 105 percent, but in the last 2 years, it has only distributed cash dividends. This year Standard Chartered distributed 19 percent cash dividend.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20803',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Industry Minister says Nepal Failed to Secure Expected Benefits from WTO   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Speaking at a programme on &quot;expectations, achievements and future course of action in 20 years of Nepal&#39;s WTO membership&quot; organised by the Ministry on Tuesday, the minister said, &quot;There is no situation for least developed countries despite some exceptions to secure anticipated expectations from the WTO aiming to ensure benefits of the world economy to the developing countries and an increased market access for them.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He underlined the need to guarantee meaningful participation of government, private, and related research institutes and stakeholders concerned to ink a bilateral trade and investment agreement with nations with potential for exports from Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He advised Nepal should make efforts to explore potential for international trade and implement objective and country-wise export strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also pointed out the need for wider dialogues and discussions with the participation of public-private sectors to navigate ways for awareness in industrial and trade sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There is a wider discussion at the national level when expected achievements from the WTO remain unmet, according to the minister.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;We accept the WTO standards, but in the context of Nepal, such standards have not been implemented. We are overwhelmed by the burden of import trade. We have to liberate ourselves from this situation. The lack of Nepal&#39;s presence in world trade should be analyzed meticulously,&rdquo; he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Acknowledging Nepal&#39;s weak presence in world trade, Commerce Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire insisted on policy-level and strategic interventions toward that end. He stressed the need to increase domestic production.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Industry Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said Nepal could not secure the right benefits of WTO while other speakers including the Chairperson of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries, Umesh Prasad Singh; Vice Chair of Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal (FEEN) and Joint Secretary Leela Prasad Sharma expressed concerns over the country&#39;s increasing size of imports, thus leading to a ballooning trade deficit in the absence of lack of Nepal&#39;s access to the world trade market.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They called for replacing the import-based trade. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20802',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'President Paudel, Emir of Qatar Discuss Climate Change Impacts and Deepening Nepal-Qatar Ties   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel said so at a meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of the State of Qatar arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The common challenge of today&#39;s world is saving the earth from climate change; protecting our Himalayas; preserving the source of water and maintaining the environmental balance. Cooperation of all is imperative in these areas. This is an issue of human existence. I consider mostly the developing countries should be more serious in such issues,&rdquo; President&#39;s press advisor Kiran Pokharel quoted President Paudel as saying.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The president also said that the conflict in the Middle East has &#39;made us worried&#39;, Pokharel told the RSS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, President Paudel praised the role played by Qatar for peace building and wished for the end to the war and restoration of peace in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, the Emir of the State of Qatar Al Thani said the entire world is suffering from climate change impacts, and good results will come and a good environment will be created if all abided by the international agreements on climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also expressed the confidence that his visit would be fruitful to explore new areas of cooperation by further deepening Nepal-Qatar relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, the Emir of Qatar praised Nepali migrant workers stating that they have huge contributions to the development of Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of Qatar Al Thani viewed that new possibilities could be explored for investments in water resources, agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, President Paudel also expressed the confidence that the agreement and memorandum of understanding to be reached on Wednesday would unleash new potentials for investment in the areas such as water resource, agriculture and tourism in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal and Qatar have ever enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, President Paudel clarified that the relations between Nepal and Qatar are bound by the sense of friendship, mutual respect, trust and goodwill.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There has been a tradition of exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in a regular way which he claimed had played spectacular role in expanding the bilateral relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The historical visit has taken the Nepal-Qatar relations to a new height, he further said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal has moved towards the journey of economic development and prosperity now with the agenda of political transformation of late, he expressed his belief that there would be continuous support from Qatar to Nepal&#39;s efforts towards attaining development and prosperity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel further expressed his optimism that the bilateral cooperation and collaboration would be further deepened in coming days in the context when there are arrays of potential for partnership in trade, tourism and investment areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Qatar has been a prime and attractive destination of foreign employment for Nepali workers and Nepali workforce has also substantially contributed in the making of modern Qatar, he recalled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Expressing happiness over the sustainable development and prosperity of Qatar under the visionary leadership of the Emir, President Paudel lauded his far-reaching thinking and unswerving commitment to make Qatar a highly-developed nation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20800',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Asia Worst Hit by Climate-Induced Disasters in 2023: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In a report published on Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region&#39;s future water security.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Floods and storms were the main cause of casualties and economic damage in 2023, the report added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It found that Asia has been warming faster than the global average, with temperature rises in 2023 averaging nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-90 average, Al Jazeera reported.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,&rdquo; WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Doha-based media network funded by Qatar, Saulo added that climate change &ldquo;exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events&rdquo;, calling the report&rsquo;s conclusions &ldquo;sobering&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, saying they would have serious repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region, AFP reorted.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Asia remained the world&#39;s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023,&quot; the WMO said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the report, the annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, at 0.91 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.87 C above the 1961-1990 average.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan, the report said, with Japan having its hottest summer on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">As for precipitation, it was below normal in the Himalayas and in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile southwest China suffered from a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels in nearly every month of the year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The High-Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. Over the last several decades, most of these glaciers have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate, the WMO said, with 20 out of 22 monitored glaciers in the region showing continued mass loss last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said 2023 sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean were the highest on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last year, 79 disasters associated with water-related weather hazards were reported in Asia. Of those, more than 80 percent were floods and storms, with more than 2,000 deaths and nine million people directly affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin,&quot; the WMO said, noting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural hazard events.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WMO said there was an urgent need for national weather services across the region to improve tailored information to officials working on reducing disaster risks.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times,&quot; AFP quoted Saulo as saying.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20799',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'IBN Approves List of Projects to be Showcased during the Investment Summit',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 58th meeting of the IBN chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday approved the list of projects, the state-owned RSS reported, adding that the IBN aims to seek letters of intent as well as showcase and carry out market sounding for these projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The IBN plans to showcase a total of 148 projects including government and private projects during the summit scheduled for April 28 and 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The meeting also decided to increase investment in two projects. The board meeting approved an additional investment worth Rs 6.63 billion for the Huaxin Narayani Cement Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, Dabur Nepal has proposed reinvestment of Rs 9.68 billion for capacity expansion and product diversification. The board gave the go ahead for negotiation process after receiving the project report and its assessment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Following the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal directed to work to make the investment summit more result-oriented rather than being limited to formalities. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to RSS, the prime minister also instructed the authorities to form a special unit to facilitate the mobilization of capital and credits from domestic, foreign and private sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Stating that the prosperity of the country will be achieved only through the partnership between the public and private sectors, Prime Minister Dahal said the government has initiated the work of amending laws to remove obstacles to investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board, Sushil Bhatta, shed light on the status of implementation of the decision of the previous board meeting and the preparations for the investment summit, RSS added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '20526',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 10:50:56',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20798',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'FNCCI Welcomes Government's Decision to Amend Investment Laws ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">April 24: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">The umbrella organization said that despite being brought through ordinances, the amendments are seen as positive steps towards improving investment ambiance. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, FNCCI expressed confidence that the amendments made through ordinances in 12 laws and regulations by the government have created a conducive environment for investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&nbsp;Stating that Nepal was receiving&nbsp;only 0.2 percent foreign investment of total domestic production, FNCCI said that the government&#39;s step would help create an environment conducive to investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Targeting the investment summit, the government has made amendments in various laws including the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 2075, Industrial Enterprises Act 2076, Forest Act, and Land-related laws, focusing on attracting foreign investment and technology transfer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s step to define startup through the amendment of the law is positive,&rdquo; said FNCCI press statement. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20525',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 06:07:48',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20797',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Qatar Emir’s Visit Highlights Important Bilateral Agreements between Nepal and Qatar   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-profile visit of the Qatari Emir on the eve of the third Investment Summit in Nepal is expected to give a positive message about Nepal to the international community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on April 18 had approved the programme of state-visit of the Qatari Emir, agreed on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal leading the Nepali delegation for bilateral discussions with the Qatari delegation and MoU for cooperation for various bilateral agreements to be inked during the Qatari Emir&#39;s two-day visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma said that the Council of Ministers has already approved the MoU for cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on youth and sports sector as well as education and scientific research.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic relations on January 21, 1977. Nepal established its Embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 whereas Qatar set up its Embassy in Nepal in August 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Before that, Qatari Ambassador resident in New Delhi, India was concurrently accredited to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar both uphold similar views on many international agendas and issues. Both countries have been signatory to the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the United Nations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, both countries have been working in tandem at these international forums and have been playing crucial roles for the cause of peace, security and development n the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agreements have been inked for collaboration between the two countries in several sectors. Nepal had signed a Labour Agreement with Qatar on March 21, 2005 during the visit of then Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey to Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Fourth Labour Ministerial Joint Meeting of the two countries held on December 2 and 3, 2021 in Kathmandu agreed to review the Labour Agreement signed in 2005. However, the Agreement has not been reviewed so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The two countries also in 2005 signed an agreement related to economic, trade and technical collaboration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari investors have put in investment in the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy among the various sectors after Nepal in 2007 inked an agreement with Qatar for removal of dual taxation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, Nepal and Qatar signed an agreement on bilateral air service (civil aviation) on July 8, 2002. An agreement on collaboration in the tourism sector was reached between the two countries in 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The private sectors of the two countries have also been collaborating in different areas. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce had signed an agreement relating to bilateral cooperation in 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Doha Bank, one of the major banks of Qatar, opened its contact office in Kathmandu in December 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal&#39;s industrialists have also become organized in Qatar. An organisation called Nepali Business Association Qatar was registered with the Qatar Financial Authority in March 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There have been exchanges of high-level visits between Nepal and Qatar at various times. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, made an official visit to Qatar in 2011. Likewise, then President Bidya Devi Bhandari paid a state visit to Qatar from October 30 to November 2, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, visited Qatar on March 21-23, 2022. The then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited Qatar from November 20 to 22, 2019. Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara also visited Qatar from April 6 to 10 in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav paid a visit to Qatar on November 13-14, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat paid an official visit to Qatar in January 2017 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam visited Qatar from April 11 to 14, 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-level visits to Nepal from Qatari side include the visit of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, Dr Abdullah Bin Saleh Mubarak al-Khulafi from April 4 to 7 in 2015; the visit by Qatar&#39;s Environment Minister Abdullah Bin Mubarak Bin Abud Al-Midhadi from April 5-9 in 2012 and that of Qatar&#39;s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shekh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al Thani in 2009. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20796',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepalgunj-based ICP to Come into Operation in Two Weeks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">This facility, built by India and located at Nepalgunj transit along the Nepal-India border, has already been handed over to Nepal. &quot;Customs services will be available from the newly constructed facility in the next 10-15 days,&quot; said Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma, Chief of Nepalgunj Customs Office.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Once operational, the ICP will facilitate the check-pass of containers from the facility. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &#39;Prachanda&#39; and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the facility virtually during Dahal&#39;s visit to India (May 31 - June 3, 2023).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;India officially transferred the facility to Nepal on Monday, approximately one year after its inauguration. Spanning across 87 bigha of land (one bigha is equivalent to 6772.63 sq. meters), the land was acquired by the Government of Nepal with support from India.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ICP encompasses various amenities including customs offices, livestock and plant quarantine facilities, warehouses, food technology, quality control facilities, security barracks, and a bank counter. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The business community in Nepalgunj is eagerly anticipating the launch of ICP services, expecting it to streamline trans-border imports and exports.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former President of the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the anticipated convenience for businesses.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20794',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of Women as Bank Director Negligible',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. Some commercial banks lack any female directors. This decline is attributed to banks&#39; failure to implement the Companies Act provision. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Section 86 (2) stipulates that a public company&#39;s board should consist of at least three members and at most 11 members, with at least one female director for companies with female shareholders. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The annual supervision report of Nepal Rastra Bank highlights commercial banks&#39; failure to adhere to this mandate.&nbsp; The report mentions that some banks do not have women directors as per the Companies Act.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data collected by New Business Age reveals that four out of the 19 commercial banks currently in operation have no female directors. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among these banks, two have foreign investment (Standard Chartered and Himalayan) and two have only domestic investment (Global IME and Prabhu Bank). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, 13 banks have only one female director each. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Government-invested commercial banks each have one woman on their boards. Among them, Gita Subedi is an expert director in Agricultural Development Bank, Romila Dhakal Upreti in Rastriya Banijya Bank and Sadhana Ghimire is a representative of the government in Nepal Bank Limited.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among the private banks, Nepal SBI Bank and Laxmi Sunrise have two women each on the board of directors. Jayanti Banshal is the chairman of Nepal SBI Bank and Apsara Upreti is the director of the same bank. Similarly, Swati Rungta and Bidya Basnet are the directors of Laxmi Sunrise Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The rest of the banks have one female director. Among them, Asha Rana Adhikari is a director at Nabil Bank, Meena Kumari Sainju at Siddharth Bank, Taradevi Chitrakar Bank Prime Bank, Manju Basnet at Nepal Investment Mega Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, on behalf of general shareholders, Bandana Karki is a director of Machhapuchhre Bank, Bijaya Swar at NIC Asia Bank, Gayatri Thapa at Sanima Bank, Simran Aggarwal at Kumari Bank, Urmila Shrestha at Everest Bank and Sharmila Hardi at NMB Bank.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The proposed amendment to the Banks and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) aims to increase female representation by requiring two women on bank boards&mdash;one from the shareholders and one from the expert group.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20793',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of the precious yellow metal dropped by Rs 2,700 per tola (11.66 grams) compared to the previous trading day.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixed the price of hallmark gold at Rs 135,500 per tola on Tuesday. Hallmark gold was traded for Rs 138,200 on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the price of worked gold has also fallen by Rs 2,700 per tola. Worked gold, which was traded at Rs 137,500 per tola on Monday is being traded at Rs 134,850 on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 45 per tola compared to its price on Monday, according to the federation. Silver was traded for Rs 1,705 per tola on Monday while its price has dropped to Rs 1,660 on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The price of gold had been rising steadily in the past few weeks, reaching an all-time high of Rs 139,200 per tola on April 16.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the Nepali month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), the price of gold increased eleven times in the domestic market of Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The recent geopolitical tension due to the Israel&rsquo;s offensive in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war as well as tensions between Israel and Iran have led to investors to invest in gold considering it as a safe haven in times of turmoil.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, analysts say that the price has dropped slightly due to the de-escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20792',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Changes Finance Secretary in the Midst of Budget Preparation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. The practice of changing the finance secretary after the change of government has prevailed since the past one decade.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The incumbent Finance Minister Barshman Pun has also given continuity to this tradition. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">At a time when the Finance Ministry is in intense discussion to finalize the discussion of the budget is going on, Finance Minister Pun has appointed Madhu Kumar Marasini, who was recently acquitted by the Special Court in a corruption case, as the new finance secretary. The Special Court had recently acquitted Marasini in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of the National Payment Gateway.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pun removed Dr Krishna Hari Pushkar, who was preferred by the then Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, and appointed Marasini in his place.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was appointed as the finance secretary for the second time in last August. Before that, Arjun Prasad Pokharel was served as the finance secretary. Pokharel, who was appointed to the post on May last year, was able to work only for six months.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It clearly shows that the Ministry of Finance had three secretaries in a single year. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Marasini took charge of the finance secretary Monday on the same day that the Council of Ministers decided to appoint him to the post.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on Monday decided to transfer Marasini to Finance Ministry and Pushkar to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Marasini has prior experience of serving as the finance secretary. Finance Minister Barshman Pun said that changes in responsibilities should be taken as normal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was not an expert hand in affairs related to the Ministry of Finance. Before being appointed as the finance secretary, he worked in agencies under other ministries and also worked with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He joined the Ministry of Finance only on September 4, 2021 as the revenue secretary. Former Chief Secretary Lokdarshan Regmi and Arjun Pokharel, who also served as the finance secretaries, were also not experts on matters related to the Finance Ministry.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Chief Secretary Bimal Koirala says that the political leadership have made civil servants including the finance secretary as their puppets in recent years.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is wrong for the political leadership to use and dump civil servants. It will not create a conducive environment for work under any circumstances,&quot; he said. Koirala said that if the civil servants are destabilized, they will not be able to work properly and it will have a big impact on the overall development of the country.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to him, other countries give importance to the stability of employees. It is not customary to remove a person once appointed to the post of finance secretary unless he is accused of serious charges. But Koirala says that two to three finance secretaries are changed here in a year and this is not a good practice.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Koirala argues that if the post of finance secretary is made weak and unstable, it will affect the morale of the private sector as well as the relationship with development partners. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Finance Minister Dr Mahat had also removed almost all of the officials at the Finance Ministry. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last month, Minister Pun made a comprehensive reshuffle of the heads of departments and divisions under the ministry. When he made Shivlal Tiwari the Director General of the Inland Revenue Department, he gave Dhundi Niraula the responsibility of the Department of Customs. Ritesh Kumar Shakya, who was the head of the revenue management division, has been transferred to the budget and program division. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Uttar Kumar Khatri of Budget Division was transferred to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division and Dhani Ram Sharma was made the head of Revenue Management Division.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Pun transferred Shobhakant Poudel, who was the Director General of the Department of Customs, to the Public Finance Management Training Center and the head of training there, Ram Prasad Acharya, was brought to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary play a major role in preparing budget. That is why Finance Minister Pun wanted to bring a person who is suitable to him as finance secretary. Upon his recommendation, the government has given Marasini the responsibility of finance secretary. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, confusion has arisen due to the sudden change of the top officials of the finance ministry when the ministry and other developmental ministries were actively working to prepare the budget.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the constitutional provisions, the government should announce the budget on 15<sup>th</sup> of Jestha (May 28 this year). A lot of work needs to be done before that. After the principles and priorities of the budget presented in the parliament are passed, the government should bring policies and programs. After that the policies and programs are passed, the government will then announce the budget. However, when the secretary changes at the last minute, it will take time for the new secretary to understand everything, said a senior official. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20795',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Capital City gets a Facelift to Welcome Qatar’s Emir for a State Visit to Nepal   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari Emir is arriving on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The city has been adorned with welcome gates and banners along major roads and intersections in honor of the high-profile dignitary&rsquo;s visit from Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office has undertaken the cleaning and decoration of roads stretching from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to various key areas including Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Tripureshwar, Kalimati, Jamal and Lainchaur.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nabin Manandhar, the spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolis, the decorated roads proudly display the national flags of both Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Moreover, banners featuring the names of President Ram Chandra Paudel and the Emir of Qatar, along with a portrait of Kumari, the Living Goddess, have been placed with the Namaste gesture, indicate the cultural richness and diversity of the Kathmandu Valley. Such banners read &quot;Hearty welcome to the Emir from Qatar&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security arrangements along the designated route for the VVIP from Qatar have been intensified, with each welcome gate being guarded by security personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, key areas such as Shital Niwas (the Office of the President), Soaltee Hotel where the Emir will be staying, and Dwarika Hotel where various visit-related events are scheduled to take place have been beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal have also prepared welcome gates to extend greetings to the Emir.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In light of the Emir&#39;s visit, the government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday, suggesting the diplomatic significance of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security beefed up&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Meanwhile, the Nepalese Army has said it has mobilized a security mechanism in various venues where visit-related events ranging from welcome and other ceremonies to farewell are scheduled to take place. The security arrangements are in place on a need basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In coordination with the NA Chief of General Staff, a Lieutenant General, various security squads comprising security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department have been mobilized.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to TIA General Manager, Jagannath Nirauala, all flights at TIA will remain halted for 15 minutes each during the arrival and departure of the Qatari Emir, bearing in mind the security sensitivity of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The visit is expected to help elevate the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar to a new height. The Qatari Emir&#39;s visit marks the first highest-level visit from the entire Middle East to Nepal. Qatar serves as one of the major labour destinations for Nepal. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20791',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'DFIs Invest USD 1.1 Billion in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Although the World Bank&#39;s International Finance Corporation (IFC) started investing in the private sector of Nepal only some time ago, other DFIs have been investing in the private sector of Nepal since a few years ago.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">They have been investing through some commercial banks, private equity funds and also directly. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;Until now, DFIs have invested USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">.</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span> <span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">billion in the private sector of Nepal,&quot; Bivek Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Invest for Impact Nepal, said in a press conference held on Monday. &quot;Of this amount, more than USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">600</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> million have been mobilized through commercial banks.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Invest for Impact Nepal was established through the joint effort of various DFIs. Invest for Impact Nepal coordinates their activities in Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">British International Investment, Dutch International Development Bank, Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets among others established the Invest for Impact Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">A team of DFIs is currently in Kathmandu and they are participating in a seminar. Shrestha said that most of the DFI representatives will also participate in the upcoming investment summit announced by the government for April 28 and 29.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Shrestha said that the DFIs are currently investing mainly through commercial banks but are also considering the idea of investing through development banks and micro finance.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;During this seminar, there will also be a discussion on how to cooperate between DFIs and donor agencies to increase investment in Nepal,&quot; he said.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20790',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ''Staggering' Number of Workers Facing Climate Change-Induced Health Hazards: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the French news agency, the UN&rsquo;s International Labour Organization on Monday warned that the existing regulations offered inadequate protection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace and these figures are only likely to get worse,&quot; the ILO said in a report.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farm workers and others who carry out heavy labour in hot climates especially &quot;may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards&quot;, the ILO added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report further stated that these hazards include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals. Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;Workers are among those most exposed to climate change hazards yet frequently have no choice but to continue working, even if conditions are dangerous,&quot; the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">It pointed out that in 2020 -- the last year for which statistics are available -- 2.4 billion workers, or more than 70 percent of the global workforce, were estimated to be exposed to excessive heat at some point.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That marks &quot;a clear increase&quot;, Manal Azzi, the ILO&#39;s senior specialist on occupational safety and health, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The number of exposed workers had ballooned by 35 percent over two decades, and even adjusting for the growing global population, the percentage of the labour force affected had swelled by 8.8 percent since the year 2000, she said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&#39;Huge issue&#39; </span></strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;This is a huge issue,&quot; Azzi said, warning that &quot;workers are often forgotten when we&#39;re talking about climate change, and the health impacts are very severe&quot;.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nearly 23 million occupational injuries attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing, on estimate, nearly 19,000 lives annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And those numbers do not include more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress, the ILO said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Furthermore, the impact of global warming on workers goes well beyond heat exposure.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report noted that numerous dangerous health conditions in workers had been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the ILO said 1.6 billion workers worldwide were estimated to be exposed to UV radiation each year, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths annually from non-melanoma skin cancer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Another 1.6 billion people were likely to be exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than 870 million agricultural workers are meanwhile likely to be exposed to pesticides, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning each year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And 15,000 work-related deaths each year are attributed to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases, the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It&#39;s clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,&quot; Azzi said in a statement.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must be become part of our climate change responses -- both policies and actions.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ILO said climate change hazards could require countries to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations to protect workers properly.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The agency will next year host an expert meeting with representatives of employers, labour and governments to discuss the issue, with the aim of coming up with fresh policy recommendations, AFP quoted Azzi as saying.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => 'MFD Warns of Excessive Heat in Tarai, Urges Public to Remain Safe from Heat Wave   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a special public bulletin on Monday, the department has asked one and all to remain cautious since the maximum temperature in some parts of Lumbini, Madesh and Sudurpaschim provinces was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius or more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The department stated that excessive heat is likely for some days in the Tarai areas and has urged all to apply precautions or make necessary preparations. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;These areas could witness a heat wave from April 22 to 26. People are requested for needed precautions to keep themselves safe from the impact of the heat wave,&quot; the department&#39;s special bulletin states.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the division has urged people to remain inside their homes in the day time when there is excessive heat, avoid traveling, cover their head while going out from home, wear cap, drink water and juice frequently, and stay in contact with the health workers in case of health issues. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'Half of the Commercial Banks not in a Position to Issue Dividends to Shareholders',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This has raised doubts whether the banks will be able to distribute dividends to the shareholders after the end of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the unaudited financial statements of the third quarter released by the banks, the distributable profit of 10 out of 20 commercial banks is negative. The distributable profit of Himalayan Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Nepal Bank, NMB Bank, Global IME Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank and Siddharth Bank is negative.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Bhuvan Dahal, an expert in the banking sector, commercial banks have not been able to make a profit of late because they have not been able to collect the accrued interest from the borrowers. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;As per the instructions of Nepal Rastra Bank, the amount equivalent to the interest that is yet to be collected cannot be taken into consideration as distributable profit as &#39;regulatory adjustment&#39; has to be done,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, under the regulatory adjustment, banks need to set aside the amount yet to recover from the borrowers for provisioning. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;With the slowdown in the country&#39;s economy, banks have been facing problems in loan recovery. As a result, bad loans are increasing, the central bank said. According to the data of Nepal Rastra Bank, the bad loans of commercial banks stood at 3.63 percent of the total loans as of mid-March.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Since the dividend distribution capacity of banks is assessed on the basis of distributable profits till the end of the year, the main challenge for banks is to improve the current situation by the next quarter.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, only 12 out of 20 banks have distributed dividends based on the profit earned in the previous year. Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Kumari Bank, Nepal Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Prabhu Bank and Krishi Bikas Bank have not given returns to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Prabhu Bank, Krishi Bikas Bank and Prime Commercial Bank have distributable profit but decided not to issue dividends to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Nepal Bank, Kumari Bank and Nepal Investment Mega Bank do not improve their distributable profit in the next three months by collecting interest, it seems that the investors of these banks will be disappointed in the next year as well.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Himalayan Bank&#39;s distributable profit for the third quarter is negative by more than Rs 5.24 billion. It is the highest among all banks. The distributable profit of Nepal Investment Mega Bank is negative by more than 5.8 billion and stands second among the banks in this segment. Siddharth Bank has the lowest negative distributable profit. Its distributable profit is negative by more than Rs 27.12 million.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Everest Bank is leading among 10 commercial banks with distributable profit. The distributable profit of Everest Bank, which has a paid-up capital of more than Rs 11.76 billion, is more than Rs 2.75 billion. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Standard Chartered Bank&#39;s distributable profit is the highest after Everest Bank. Its distributable profit is more than Rs 1.81 billion. Currently, the paid-up capital of this bank is above Rs 9.42 billion. Based on the distributable profit up to the third quarter, the dividend potential of Standard Chartered is 19.27 percent. In the history of dividend distribution, this bank has distributed a maximum of 105 percent, but in the last 2 years, it has only distributed cash dividends. This year Standard Chartered distributed 19 percent cash dividend.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20803',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Industry Minister says Nepal Failed to Secure Expected Benefits from WTO   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Speaking at a programme on &quot;expectations, achievements and future course of action in 20 years of Nepal&#39;s WTO membership&quot; organised by the Ministry on Tuesday, the minister said, &quot;There is no situation for least developed countries despite some exceptions to secure anticipated expectations from the WTO aiming to ensure benefits of the world economy to the developing countries and an increased market access for them.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He underlined the need to guarantee meaningful participation of government, private, and related research institutes and stakeholders concerned to ink a bilateral trade and investment agreement with nations with potential for exports from Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He advised Nepal should make efforts to explore potential for international trade and implement objective and country-wise export strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also pointed out the need for wider dialogues and discussions with the participation of public-private sectors to navigate ways for awareness in industrial and trade sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There is a wider discussion at the national level when expected achievements from the WTO remain unmet, according to the minister.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;We accept the WTO standards, but in the context of Nepal, such standards have not been implemented. We are overwhelmed by the burden of import trade. We have to liberate ourselves from this situation. The lack of Nepal&#39;s presence in world trade should be analyzed meticulously,&rdquo; he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Acknowledging Nepal&#39;s weak presence in world trade, Commerce Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire insisted on policy-level and strategic interventions toward that end. He stressed the need to increase domestic production.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Industry Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said Nepal could not secure the right benefits of WTO while other speakers including the Chairperson of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries, Umesh Prasad Singh; Vice Chair of Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal (FEEN) and Joint Secretary Leela Prasad Sharma expressed concerns over the country&#39;s increasing size of imports, thus leading to a ballooning trade deficit in the absence of lack of Nepal&#39;s access to the world trade market.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They called for replacing the import-based trade. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20802',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'President Paudel, Emir of Qatar Discuss Climate Change Impacts and Deepening Nepal-Qatar Ties   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel said so at a meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of the State of Qatar arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The common challenge of today&#39;s world is saving the earth from climate change; protecting our Himalayas; preserving the source of water and maintaining the environmental balance. Cooperation of all is imperative in these areas. This is an issue of human existence. I consider mostly the developing countries should be more serious in such issues,&rdquo; President&#39;s press advisor Kiran Pokharel quoted President Paudel as saying.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The president also said that the conflict in the Middle East has &#39;made us worried&#39;, Pokharel told the RSS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, President Paudel praised the role played by Qatar for peace building and wished for the end to the war and restoration of peace in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, the Emir of the State of Qatar Al Thani said the entire world is suffering from climate change impacts, and good results will come and a good environment will be created if all abided by the international agreements on climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also expressed the confidence that his visit would be fruitful to explore new areas of cooperation by further deepening Nepal-Qatar relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, the Emir of Qatar praised Nepali migrant workers stating that they have huge contributions to the development of Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of Qatar Al Thani viewed that new possibilities could be explored for investments in water resources, agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, President Paudel also expressed the confidence that the agreement and memorandum of understanding to be reached on Wednesday would unleash new potentials for investment in the areas such as water resource, agriculture and tourism in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal and Qatar have ever enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, President Paudel clarified that the relations between Nepal and Qatar are bound by the sense of friendship, mutual respect, trust and goodwill.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There has been a tradition of exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in a regular way which he claimed had played spectacular role in expanding the bilateral relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The historical visit has taken the Nepal-Qatar relations to a new height, he further said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal has moved towards the journey of economic development and prosperity now with the agenda of political transformation of late, he expressed his belief that there would be continuous support from Qatar to Nepal&#39;s efforts towards attaining development and prosperity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel further expressed his optimism that the bilateral cooperation and collaboration would be further deepened in coming days in the context when there are arrays of potential for partnership in trade, tourism and investment areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Qatar has been a prime and attractive destination of foreign employment for Nepali workers and Nepali workforce has also substantially contributed in the making of modern Qatar, he recalled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Expressing happiness over the sustainable development and prosperity of Qatar under the visionary leadership of the Emir, President Paudel lauded his far-reaching thinking and unswerving commitment to make Qatar a highly-developed nation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'keywords' => 'Qatar, Nepal, ties, friendly, climate, induced, impacts, Emir, Thani',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20529',
			'image' => '20240424123325_RS_KTM_1713871958865(1).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 12:32:17',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20800',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Asia Worst Hit by Climate-Induced Disasters in 2023: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In a report published on Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region&#39;s future water security.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Floods and storms were the main cause of casualties and economic damage in 2023, the report added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It found that Asia has been warming faster than the global average, with temperature rises in 2023 averaging nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-90 average, Al Jazeera reported.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,&rdquo; WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Doha-based media network funded by Qatar, Saulo added that climate change &ldquo;exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events&rdquo;, calling the report&rsquo;s conclusions &ldquo;sobering&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, saying they would have serious repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region, AFP reorted.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Asia remained the world&#39;s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023,&quot; the WMO said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the report, the annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, at 0.91 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.87 C above the 1961-1990 average.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan, the report said, with Japan having its hottest summer on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">As for precipitation, it was below normal in the Himalayas and in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile southwest China suffered from a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels in nearly every month of the year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The High-Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. Over the last several decades, most of these glaciers have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate, the WMO said, with 20 out of 22 monitored glaciers in the region showing continued mass loss last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said 2023 sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean were the highest on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last year, 79 disasters associated with water-related weather hazards were reported in Asia. Of those, more than 80 percent were floods and storms, with more than 2,000 deaths and nine million people directly affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin,&quot; the WMO said, noting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural hazard events.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WMO said there was an urgent need for national weather services across the region to improve tailored information to officials working on reducing disaster risks.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times,&quot; AFP quoted Saulo as saying.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20527',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 11:20:19',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20799',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'IBN Approves List of Projects to be Showcased during the Investment Summit',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 58th meeting of the IBN chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday approved the list of projects, the state-owned RSS reported, adding that the IBN aims to seek letters of intent as well as showcase and carry out market sounding for these projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The IBN plans to showcase a total of 148 projects including government and private projects during the summit scheduled for April 28 and 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The meeting also decided to increase investment in two projects. The board meeting approved an additional investment worth Rs 6.63 billion for the Huaxin Narayani Cement Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, Dabur Nepal has proposed reinvestment of Rs 9.68 billion for capacity expansion and product diversification. The board gave the go ahead for negotiation process after receiving the project report and its assessment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Following the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal directed to work to make the investment summit more result-oriented rather than being limited to formalities. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to RSS, the prime minister also instructed the authorities to form a special unit to facilitate the mobilization of capital and credits from domestic, foreign and private sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Stating that the prosperity of the country will be achieved only through the partnership between the public and private sectors, Prime Minister Dahal said the government has initiated the work of amending laws to remove obstacles to investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board, Sushil Bhatta, shed light on the status of implementation of the decision of the previous board meeting and the preparations for the investment summit, RSS added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20526',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 10:50:56',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20798',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'FNCCI Welcomes Government's Decision to Amend Investment Laws ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">April 24: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">The umbrella organization said that despite being brought through ordinances, the amendments are seen as positive steps towards improving investment ambiance. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, FNCCI expressed confidence that the amendments made through ordinances in 12 laws and regulations by the government have created a conducive environment for investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&nbsp;Stating that Nepal was receiving&nbsp;only 0.2 percent foreign investment of total domestic production, FNCCI said that the government&#39;s step would help create an environment conducive to investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Targeting the investment summit, the government has made amendments in various laws including the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 2075, Industrial Enterprises Act 2076, Forest Act, and Land-related laws, focusing on attracting foreign investment and technology transfer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s step to define startup through the amendment of the law is positive,&rdquo; said FNCCI press statement. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20525',
			'image' => '20240424060924_collage (64).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 06:07:48',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20797',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Qatar Emir’s Visit Highlights Important Bilateral Agreements between Nepal and Qatar   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-profile visit of the Qatari Emir on the eve of the third Investment Summit in Nepal is expected to give a positive message about Nepal to the international community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on April 18 had approved the programme of state-visit of the Qatari Emir, agreed on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal leading the Nepali delegation for bilateral discussions with the Qatari delegation and MoU for cooperation for various bilateral agreements to be inked during the Qatari Emir&#39;s two-day visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma said that the Council of Ministers has already approved the MoU for cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on youth and sports sector as well as education and scientific research.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic relations on January 21, 1977. Nepal established its Embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 whereas Qatar set up its Embassy in Nepal in August 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Before that, Qatari Ambassador resident in New Delhi, India was concurrently accredited to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar both uphold similar views on many international agendas and issues. Both countries have been signatory to the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the United Nations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, both countries have been working in tandem at these international forums and have been playing crucial roles for the cause of peace, security and development n the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agreements have been inked for collaboration between the two countries in several sectors. Nepal had signed a Labour Agreement with Qatar on March 21, 2005 during the visit of then Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey to Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Fourth Labour Ministerial Joint Meeting of the two countries held on December 2 and 3, 2021 in Kathmandu agreed to review the Labour Agreement signed in 2005. However, the Agreement has not been reviewed so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The two countries also in 2005 signed an agreement related to economic, trade and technical collaboration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari investors have put in investment in the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy among the various sectors after Nepal in 2007 inked an agreement with Qatar for removal of dual taxation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, Nepal and Qatar signed an agreement on bilateral air service (civil aviation) on July 8, 2002. An agreement on collaboration in the tourism sector was reached between the two countries in 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The private sectors of the two countries have also been collaborating in different areas. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce had signed an agreement relating to bilateral cooperation in 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Doha Bank, one of the major banks of Qatar, opened its contact office in Kathmandu in December 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal&#39;s industrialists have also become organized in Qatar. An organisation called Nepali Business Association Qatar was registered with the Qatar Financial Authority in March 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There have been exchanges of high-level visits between Nepal and Qatar at various times. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, made an official visit to Qatar in 2011. Likewise, then President Bidya Devi Bhandari paid a state visit to Qatar from October 30 to November 2, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, visited Qatar on March 21-23, 2022. The then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited Qatar from November 20 to 22, 2019. Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara also visited Qatar from April 6 to 10 in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav paid a visit to Qatar on November 13-14, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat paid an official visit to Qatar in January 2017 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam visited Qatar from April 11 to 14, 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-level visits to Nepal from Qatari side include the visit of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, Dr Abdullah Bin Saleh Mubarak al-Khulafi from April 4 to 7 in 2015; the visit by Qatar&#39;s Environment Minister Abdullah Bin Mubarak Bin Abud Al-Midhadi from April 5-9 in 2012 and that of Qatar&#39;s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shekh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al Thani in 2009. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20796',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepalgunj-based ICP to Come into Operation in Two Weeks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">This facility, built by India and located at Nepalgunj transit along the Nepal-India border, has already been handed over to Nepal. &quot;Customs services will be available from the newly constructed facility in the next 10-15 days,&quot; said Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma, Chief of Nepalgunj Customs Office.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Once operational, the ICP will facilitate the check-pass of containers from the facility. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &#39;Prachanda&#39; and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the facility virtually during Dahal&#39;s visit to India (May 31 - June 3, 2023).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;India officially transferred the facility to Nepal on Monday, approximately one year after its inauguration. Spanning across 87 bigha of land (one bigha is equivalent to 6772.63 sq. meters), the land was acquired by the Government of Nepal with support from India.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ICP encompasses various amenities including customs offices, livestock and plant quarantine facilities, warehouses, food technology, quality control facilities, security barracks, and a bank counter. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The business community in Nepalgunj is eagerly anticipating the launch of ICP services, expecting it to streamline trans-border imports and exports.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former President of the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the anticipated convenience for businesses.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20794',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of Women as Bank Director Negligible',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. Some commercial banks lack any female directors. This decline is attributed to banks&#39; failure to implement the Companies Act provision. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Section 86 (2) stipulates that a public company&#39;s board should consist of at least three members and at most 11 members, with at least one female director for companies with female shareholders. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The annual supervision report of Nepal Rastra Bank highlights commercial banks&#39; failure to adhere to this mandate.&nbsp; The report mentions that some banks do not have women directors as per the Companies Act.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data collected by New Business Age reveals that four out of the 19 commercial banks currently in operation have no female directors. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among these banks, two have foreign investment (Standard Chartered and Himalayan) and two have only domestic investment (Global IME and Prabhu Bank). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, 13 banks have only one female director each. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Government-invested commercial banks each have one woman on their boards. Among them, Gita Subedi is an expert director in Agricultural Development Bank, Romila Dhakal Upreti in Rastriya Banijya Bank and Sadhana Ghimire is a representative of the government in Nepal Bank Limited.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among the private banks, Nepal SBI Bank and Laxmi Sunrise have two women each on the board of directors. Jayanti Banshal is the chairman of Nepal SBI Bank and Apsara Upreti is the director of the same bank. Similarly, Swati Rungta and Bidya Basnet are the directors of Laxmi Sunrise Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The rest of the banks have one female director. Among them, Asha Rana Adhikari is a director at Nabil Bank, Meena Kumari Sainju at Siddharth Bank, Taradevi Chitrakar Bank Prime Bank, Manju Basnet at Nepal Investment Mega Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, on behalf of general shareholders, Bandana Karki is a director of Machhapuchhre Bank, Bijaya Swar at NIC Asia Bank, Gayatri Thapa at Sanima Bank, Simran Aggarwal at Kumari Bank, Urmila Shrestha at Everest Bank and Sharmila Hardi at NMB Bank.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The proposed amendment to the Banks and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) aims to increase female representation by requiring two women on bank boards&mdash;one from the shareholders and one from the expert group.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20793',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of the precious yellow metal dropped by Rs 2,700 per tola (11.66 grams) compared to the previous trading day.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixed the price of hallmark gold at Rs 135,500 per tola on Tuesday. Hallmark gold was traded for Rs 138,200 on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the price of worked gold has also fallen by Rs 2,700 per tola. Worked gold, which was traded at Rs 137,500 per tola on Monday is being traded at Rs 134,850 on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 45 per tola compared to its price on Monday, according to the federation. Silver was traded for Rs 1,705 per tola on Monday while its price has dropped to Rs 1,660 on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The price of gold had been rising steadily in the past few weeks, reaching an all-time high of Rs 139,200 per tola on April 16.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the Nepali month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), the price of gold increased eleven times in the domestic market of Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The recent geopolitical tension due to the Israel&rsquo;s offensive in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war as well as tensions between Israel and Iran have led to investors to invest in gold considering it as a safe haven in times of turmoil.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, analysts say that the price has dropped slightly due to the de-escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20792',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Changes Finance Secretary in the Midst of Budget Preparation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. The practice of changing the finance secretary after the change of government has prevailed since the past one decade.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The incumbent Finance Minister Barshman Pun has also given continuity to this tradition. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">At a time when the Finance Ministry is in intense discussion to finalize the discussion of the budget is going on, Finance Minister Pun has appointed Madhu Kumar Marasini, who was recently acquitted by the Special Court in a corruption case, as the new finance secretary. The Special Court had recently acquitted Marasini in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of the National Payment Gateway.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pun removed Dr Krishna Hari Pushkar, who was preferred by the then Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, and appointed Marasini in his place.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was appointed as the finance secretary for the second time in last August. Before that, Arjun Prasad Pokharel was served as the finance secretary. Pokharel, who was appointed to the post on May last year, was able to work only for six months.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It clearly shows that the Ministry of Finance had three secretaries in a single year. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Marasini took charge of the finance secretary Monday on the same day that the Council of Ministers decided to appoint him to the post.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on Monday decided to transfer Marasini to Finance Ministry and Pushkar to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Marasini has prior experience of serving as the finance secretary. Finance Minister Barshman Pun said that changes in responsibilities should be taken as normal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was not an expert hand in affairs related to the Ministry of Finance. Before being appointed as the finance secretary, he worked in agencies under other ministries and also worked with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He joined the Ministry of Finance only on September 4, 2021 as the revenue secretary. Former Chief Secretary Lokdarshan Regmi and Arjun Pokharel, who also served as the finance secretaries, were also not experts on matters related to the Finance Ministry.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Chief Secretary Bimal Koirala says that the political leadership have made civil servants including the finance secretary as their puppets in recent years.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is wrong for the political leadership to use and dump civil servants. It will not create a conducive environment for work under any circumstances,&quot; he said. Koirala said that if the civil servants are destabilized, they will not be able to work properly and it will have a big impact on the overall development of the country.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to him, other countries give importance to the stability of employees. It is not customary to remove a person once appointed to the post of finance secretary unless he is accused of serious charges. But Koirala says that two to three finance secretaries are changed here in a year and this is not a good practice.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Koirala argues that if the post of finance secretary is made weak and unstable, it will affect the morale of the private sector as well as the relationship with development partners. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Finance Minister Dr Mahat had also removed almost all of the officials at the Finance Ministry. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last month, Minister Pun made a comprehensive reshuffle of the heads of departments and divisions under the ministry. When he made Shivlal Tiwari the Director General of the Inland Revenue Department, he gave Dhundi Niraula the responsibility of the Department of Customs. Ritesh Kumar Shakya, who was the head of the revenue management division, has been transferred to the budget and program division. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Uttar Kumar Khatri of Budget Division was transferred to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division and Dhani Ram Sharma was made the head of Revenue Management Division.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Pun transferred Shobhakant Poudel, who was the Director General of the Department of Customs, to the Public Finance Management Training Center and the head of training there, Ram Prasad Acharya, was brought to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary play a major role in preparing budget. That is why Finance Minister Pun wanted to bring a person who is suitable to him as finance secretary. Upon his recommendation, the government has given Marasini the responsibility of finance secretary. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, confusion has arisen due to the sudden change of the top officials of the finance ministry when the ministry and other developmental ministries were actively working to prepare the budget.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the constitutional provisions, the government should announce the budget on 15<sup>th</sup> of Jestha (May 28 this year). A lot of work needs to be done before that. After the principles and priorities of the budget presented in the parliament are passed, the government should bring policies and programs. After that the policies and programs are passed, the government will then announce the budget. However, when the secretary changes at the last minute, it will take time for the new secretary to understand everything, said a senior official. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20795',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Capital City gets a Facelift to Welcome Qatar’s Emir for a State Visit to Nepal   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari Emir is arriving on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The city has been adorned with welcome gates and banners along major roads and intersections in honor of the high-profile dignitary&rsquo;s visit from Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office has undertaken the cleaning and decoration of roads stretching from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to various key areas including Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Tripureshwar, Kalimati, Jamal and Lainchaur.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nabin Manandhar, the spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolis, the decorated roads proudly display the national flags of both Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Moreover, banners featuring the names of President Ram Chandra Paudel and the Emir of Qatar, along with a portrait of Kumari, the Living Goddess, have been placed with the Namaste gesture, indicate the cultural richness and diversity of the Kathmandu Valley. Such banners read &quot;Hearty welcome to the Emir from Qatar&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security arrangements along the designated route for the VVIP from Qatar have been intensified, with each welcome gate being guarded by security personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, key areas such as Shital Niwas (the Office of the President), Soaltee Hotel where the Emir will be staying, and Dwarika Hotel where various visit-related events are scheduled to take place have been beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal have also prepared welcome gates to extend greetings to the Emir.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In light of the Emir&#39;s visit, the government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday, suggesting the diplomatic significance of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security beefed up&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Meanwhile, the Nepalese Army has said it has mobilized a security mechanism in various venues where visit-related events ranging from welcome and other ceremonies to farewell are scheduled to take place. The security arrangements are in place on a need basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In coordination with the NA Chief of General Staff, a Lieutenant General, various security squads comprising security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department have been mobilized.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to TIA General Manager, Jagannath Nirauala, all flights at TIA will remain halted for 15 minutes each during the arrival and departure of the Qatari Emir, bearing in mind the security sensitivity of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The visit is expected to help elevate the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar to a new height. The Qatari Emir&#39;s visit marks the first highest-level visit from the entire Middle East to Nepal. Qatar serves as one of the major labour destinations for Nepal. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20791',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'DFIs Invest USD 1.1 Billion in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Although the World Bank&#39;s International Finance Corporation (IFC) started investing in the private sector of Nepal only some time ago, other DFIs have been investing in the private sector of Nepal since a few years ago.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">They have been investing through some commercial banks, private equity funds and also directly. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;Until now, DFIs have invested USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">.</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span> <span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">billion in the private sector of Nepal,&quot; Bivek Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Invest for Impact Nepal, said in a press conference held on Monday. &quot;Of this amount, more than USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">600</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> million have been mobilized through commercial banks.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Invest for Impact Nepal was established through the joint effort of various DFIs. Invest for Impact Nepal coordinates their activities in Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">British International Investment, Dutch International Development Bank, Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets among others established the Invest for Impact Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">A team of DFIs is currently in Kathmandu and they are participating in a seminar. Shrestha said that most of the DFI representatives will also participate in the upcoming investment summit announced by the government for April 28 and 29.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Shrestha said that the DFIs are currently investing mainly through commercial banks but are also considering the idea of investing through development banks and micro finance.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;During this seminar, there will also be a discussion on how to cooperate between DFIs and donor agencies to increase investment in Nepal,&quot; he said.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20790',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ''Staggering' Number of Workers Facing Climate Change-Induced Health Hazards: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the French news agency, the UN&rsquo;s International Labour Organization on Monday warned that the existing regulations offered inadequate protection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace and these figures are only likely to get worse,&quot; the ILO said in a report.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farm workers and others who carry out heavy labour in hot climates especially &quot;may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards&quot;, the ILO added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report further stated that these hazards include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals. Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;Workers are among those most exposed to climate change hazards yet frequently have no choice but to continue working, even if conditions are dangerous,&quot; the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">It pointed out that in 2020 -- the last year for which statistics are available -- 2.4 billion workers, or more than 70 percent of the global workforce, were estimated to be exposed to excessive heat at some point.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That marks &quot;a clear increase&quot;, Manal Azzi, the ILO&#39;s senior specialist on occupational safety and health, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The number of exposed workers had ballooned by 35 percent over two decades, and even adjusting for the growing global population, the percentage of the labour force affected had swelled by 8.8 percent since the year 2000, she said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&#39;Huge issue&#39; </span></strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;This is a huge issue,&quot; Azzi said, warning that &quot;workers are often forgotten when we&#39;re talking about climate change, and the health impacts are very severe&quot;.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nearly 23 million occupational injuries attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing, on estimate, nearly 19,000 lives annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And those numbers do not include more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress, the ILO said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Furthermore, the impact of global warming on workers goes well beyond heat exposure.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report noted that numerous dangerous health conditions in workers had been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the ILO said 1.6 billion workers worldwide were estimated to be exposed to UV radiation each year, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths annually from non-melanoma skin cancer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Another 1.6 billion people were likely to be exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than 870 million agricultural workers are meanwhile likely to be exposed to pesticides, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning each year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And 15,000 work-related deaths each year are attributed to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases, the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It&#39;s clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,&quot; Azzi said in a statement.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must be become part of our climate change responses -- both policies and actions.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ILO said climate change hazards could require countries to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations to protect workers properly.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The agency will next year host an expert meeting with representatives of employers, labour and governments to discuss the issue, with the aim of coming up with fresh policy recommendations, AFP quoted Azzi as saying.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => 'MFD Warns of Excessive Heat in Tarai, Urges Public to Remain Safe from Heat Wave   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a special public bulletin on Monday, the department has asked one and all to remain cautious since the maximum temperature in some parts of Lumbini, Madesh and Sudurpaschim provinces was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius or more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The department stated that excessive heat is likely for some days in the Tarai areas and has urged all to apply precautions or make necessary preparations. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;These areas could witness a heat wave from April 22 to 26. People are requested for needed precautions to keep themselves safe from the impact of the heat wave,&quot; the department&#39;s special bulletin states.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the division has urged people to remain inside their homes in the day time when there is excessive heat, avoid traveling, cover their head while going out from home, wear cap, drink water and juice frequently, and stay in contact with the health workers in case of health issues. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20804',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half of the Commercial Banks not in a Position to Issue Dividends to Shareholders',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: The distributable profits of half of the commercial banks operating in Nepal have been negative as of the third quarter of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This has raised doubts whether the banks will be able to distribute dividends to the shareholders after the end of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the unaudited financial statements of the third quarter released by the banks, the distributable profit of 10 out of 20 commercial banks is negative. The distributable profit of Himalayan Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Nepal Bank, NMB Bank, Global IME Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank and Siddharth Bank is negative.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Bhuvan Dahal, an expert in the banking sector, commercial banks have not been able to make a profit of late because they have not been able to collect the accrued interest from the borrowers. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;As per the instructions of Nepal Rastra Bank, the amount equivalent to the interest that is yet to be collected cannot be taken into consideration as distributable profit as &#39;regulatory adjustment&#39; has to be done,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nepal Rastra Bank, under the regulatory adjustment, banks need to set aside the amount yet to recover from the borrowers for provisioning. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;With the slowdown in the country&#39;s economy, banks have been facing problems in loan recovery. As a result, bad loans are increasing, the central bank said. According to the data of Nepal Rastra Bank, the bad loans of commercial banks stood at 3.63 percent of the total loans as of mid-March.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Since the dividend distribution capacity of banks is assessed on the basis of distributable profits till the end of the year, the main challenge for banks is to improve the current situation by the next quarter.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, only 12 out of 20 banks have distributed dividends based on the profit earned in the previous year. Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Kumari Bank, Nepal Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Prabhu Bank and Krishi Bikas Bank have not given returns to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Prabhu Bank, Krishi Bikas Bank and Prime Commercial Bank have distributable profit but decided not to issue dividends to the investors this year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If Himalayan Bank, NMB Bank, Nepal Bank, Kumari Bank and Nepal Investment Mega Bank do not improve their distributable profit in the next three months by collecting interest, it seems that the investors of these banks will be disappointed in the next year as well.&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Himalayan Bank&#39;s distributable profit for the third quarter is negative by more than Rs 5.24 billion. It is the highest among all banks. The distributable profit of Nepal Investment Mega Bank is negative by more than 5.8 billion and stands second among the banks in this segment. Siddharth Bank has the lowest negative distributable profit. Its distributable profit is negative by more than Rs 27.12 million.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Everest Bank is leading among 10 commercial banks with distributable profit. The distributable profit of Everest Bank, which has a paid-up capital of more than Rs 11.76 billion, is more than Rs 2.75 billion. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Standard Chartered Bank&#39;s distributable profit is the highest after Everest Bank. Its distributable profit is more than Rs 1.81 billion. Currently, the paid-up capital of this bank is above Rs 9.42 billion. Based on the distributable profit up to the third quarter, the dividend potential of Standard Chartered is 19.27 percent. In the history of dividend distribution, this bank has distributed a maximum of 105 percent, but in the last 2 years, it has only distributed cash dividends. This year Standard Chartered distributed 19 percent cash dividend.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'title' => 'Industry Minister says Nepal Failed to Secure Expected Benefits from WTO   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, has said Nepal failed to secure expected benefits from international trade despite the completion of 20 years of its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Speaking at a programme on &quot;expectations, achievements and future course of action in 20 years of Nepal&#39;s WTO membership&quot; organised by the Ministry on Tuesday, the minister said, &quot;There is no situation for least developed countries despite some exceptions to secure anticipated expectations from the WTO aiming to ensure benefits of the world economy to the developing countries and an increased market access for them.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He underlined the need to guarantee meaningful participation of government, private, and related research institutes and stakeholders concerned to ink a bilateral trade and investment agreement with nations with potential for exports from Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He advised Nepal should make efforts to explore potential for international trade and implement objective and country-wise export strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also pointed out the need for wider dialogues and discussions with the participation of public-private sectors to navigate ways for awareness in industrial and trade sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There is a wider discussion at the national level when expected achievements from the WTO remain unmet, according to the minister.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;We accept the WTO standards, but in the context of Nepal, such standards have not been implemented. We are overwhelmed by the burden of import trade. We have to liberate ourselves from this situation. The lack of Nepal&#39;s presence in world trade should be analyzed meticulously,&rdquo; he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Acknowledging Nepal&#39;s weak presence in world trade, Commerce Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire insisted on policy-level and strategic interventions toward that end. He stressed the need to increase domestic production.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Industry Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said Nepal could not secure the right benefits of WTO while other speakers including the Chairperson of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries, Umesh Prasad Singh; Vice Chair of Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal (FEEN) and Joint Secretary Leela Prasad Sharma expressed concerns over the country&#39;s increasing size of imports, thus leading to a ballooning trade deficit in the absence of lack of Nepal&#39;s access to the world trade market.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They called for replacing the import-based trade. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'sortorder' => '20530',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 13:29:13',
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	(int) 2 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20802',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'President Paudel, Emir of Qatar Discuss Climate Change Impacts and Deepening Nepal-Qatar Ties   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: President Ram Chandra Paudel has urged Qatar to deepen cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on issues of common interests like saving the earth from the impacts of climate change, protecting the Himalayas, preserving the sources of water, and maintaining environmental balance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel said so at a meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of the State of Qatar arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The common challenge of today&#39;s world is saving the earth from climate change; protecting our Himalayas; preserving the source of water and maintaining the environmental balance. Cooperation of all is imperative in these areas. This is an issue of human existence. I consider mostly the developing countries should be more serious in such issues,&rdquo; President&#39;s press advisor Kiran Pokharel quoted President Paudel as saying.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The president also said that the conflict in the Middle East has &#39;made us worried&#39;, Pokharel told the RSS.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, President Paudel praised the role played by Qatar for peace building and wished for the end to the war and restoration of peace in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, the Emir of the State of Qatar Al Thani said the entire world is suffering from climate change impacts, and good results will come and a good environment will be created if all abided by the international agreements on climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also expressed the confidence that his visit would be fruitful to explore new areas of cooperation by further deepening Nepal-Qatar relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, the Emir of Qatar praised Nepali migrant workers stating that they have huge contributions to the development of Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Emir of Qatar Al Thani viewed that new possibilities could be explored for investments in water resources, agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, President Paudel also expressed the confidence that the agreement and memorandum of understanding to be reached on Wednesday would unleash new potentials for investment in the areas such as water resource, agriculture and tourism in Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal and Qatar have ever enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, President Paudel clarified that the relations between Nepal and Qatar are bound by the sense of friendship, mutual respect, trust and goodwill.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There has been a tradition of exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in a regular way which he claimed had played spectacular role in expanding the bilateral relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The historical visit has taken the Nepal-Qatar relations to a new height, he further said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Noting that Nepal has moved towards the journey of economic development and prosperity now with the agenda of political transformation of late, he expressed his belief that there would be continuous support from Qatar to Nepal&#39;s efforts towards attaining development and prosperity.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">President Paudel further expressed his optimism that the bilateral cooperation and collaboration would be further deepened in coming days in the context when there are arrays of potential for partnership in trade, tourism and investment areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Qatar has been a prime and attractive destination of foreign employment for Nepali workers and Nepali workforce has also substantially contributed in the making of modern Qatar, he recalled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Expressing happiness over the sustainable development and prosperity of Qatar under the visionary leadership of the Emir, President Paudel lauded his far-reaching thinking and unswerving commitment to make Qatar a highly-developed nation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'keywords' => 'Qatar, Nepal, ties, friendly, climate, induced, impacts, Emir, Thani',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20529',
			'image' => '20240424123325_RS_KTM_1713871958865(1).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 12:32:17',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20800',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Asia Worst Hit by Climate-Induced Disasters in 2023: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 24: Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, the United Nations weather agency has said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In a report published on Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region&#39;s future water security.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Floods and storms were the main cause of casualties and economic damage in 2023, the report added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It found that Asia has been warming faster than the global average, with temperature rises in 2023 averaging nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-90 average, Al Jazeera reported.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,&rdquo; WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Doha-based media network funded by Qatar, Saulo added that climate change &ldquo;exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events&rdquo;, calling the report&rsquo;s conclusions &ldquo;sobering&rdquo;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, saying they would have serious repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region, AFP reorted.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Asia remained the world&#39;s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023,&quot; the WMO said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the report, the annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, at 0.91 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, and 1.87 C above the 1961-1990 average.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan, the report said, with Japan having its hottest summer on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">As for precipitation, it was below normal in the Himalayas and in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile southwest China suffered from a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels in nearly every month of the year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The High-Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. Over the last several decades, most of these glaciers have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate, the WMO said, with 20 out of 22 monitored glaciers in the region showing continued mass loss last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said 2023 sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean were the highest on record.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last year, 79 disasters associated with water-related weather hazards were reported in Asia. Of those, more than 80 percent were floods and storms, with more than 2,000 deaths and nine million people directly affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin,&quot; the WMO said, noting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural hazard events.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WMO said there was an urgent need for national weather services across the region to improve tailored information to officials working on reducing disaster risks.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times,&quot; AFP quoted Saulo as saying.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20527',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 11:20:19',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20799',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'IBN Approves List of Projects to be Showcased during the Investment Summit',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has approved the list of projects to be showcased in the upcoming Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 58th meeting of the IBN chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday approved the list of projects, the state-owned RSS reported, adding that the IBN aims to seek letters of intent as well as showcase and carry out market sounding for these projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The IBN plans to showcase a total of 148 projects including government and private projects during the summit scheduled for April 28 and 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The meeting also decided to increase investment in two projects. The board meeting approved an additional investment worth Rs 6.63 billion for the Huaxin Narayani Cement Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, Dabur Nepal has proposed reinvestment of Rs 9.68 billion for capacity expansion and product diversification. The board gave the go ahead for negotiation process after receiving the project report and its assessment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Following the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal directed to work to make the investment summit more result-oriented rather than being limited to formalities. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to RSS, the prime minister also instructed the authorities to form a special unit to facilitate the mobilization of capital and credits from domestic, foreign and private sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Stating that the prosperity of the country will be achieved only through the partnership between the public and private sectors, Prime Minister Dahal said the government has initiated the work of amending laws to remove obstacles to investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Board, Sushil Bhatta, shed light on the status of implementation of the decision of the previous board meeting and the preparations for the investment summit, RSS added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-04-24',
			'modified' => '2024-04-24',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '20526',
			'image' => '20240424105133_20160513034506_editor.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 10:50:56',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20798',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'FNCCI Welcomes Government's Decision to Amend Investment Laws ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">April 24: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has welcomed the amendments made in the laws regarding investment, even though they were introduced through ordinances prior to the Third Investment Summit.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">The umbrella organization said that despite being brought through ordinances, the amendments are seen as positive steps towards improving investment ambiance. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, FNCCI expressed confidence that the amendments made through ordinances in 12 laws and regulations by the government have created a conducive environment for investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&nbsp;Stating that Nepal was receiving&nbsp;only 0.2 percent foreign investment of total domestic production, FNCCI said that the government&#39;s step would help create an environment conducive to investment.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">Targeting the investment summit, the government has made amendments in various laws including the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 2075, Industrial Enterprises Act 2076, Forest Act, and Land-related laws, focusing on attracting foreign investment and technology transfer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:15.0pt">&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s step to define startup through the amendment of the law is positive,&rdquo; said FNCCI press statement. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '20525',
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			'article_date' => '2024-04-24 06:07:48',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20797',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Qatar Emir’s Visit Highlights Important Bilateral Agreements between Nepal and Qatar   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-profile visit of the Qatari Emir on the eve of the third Investment Summit in Nepal is expected to give a positive message about Nepal to the international community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on April 18 had approved the programme of state-visit of the Qatari Emir, agreed on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal leading the Nepali delegation for bilateral discussions with the Qatari delegation and MoU for cooperation for various bilateral agreements to be inked during the Qatari Emir&#39;s two-day visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma said that the Council of Ministers has already approved the MoU for cooperation between Nepal and Qatar on youth and sports sector as well as education and scientific research.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar established diplomatic relations on January 21, 1977. Nepal established its Embassy in Doha, Qatar on July 11, 2000 whereas Qatar set up its Embassy in Nepal in August 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Before that, Qatari Ambassador resident in New Delhi, India was concurrently accredited to Nepal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal and Qatar both uphold similar views on many international agendas and issues. Both countries have been signatory to the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the United Nations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, both countries have been working in tandem at these international forums and have been playing crucial roles for the cause of peace, security and development n the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agreements have been inked for collaboration between the two countries in several sectors. Nepal had signed a Labour Agreement with Qatar on March 21, 2005 during the visit of then Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey to Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Fourth Labour Ministerial Joint Meeting of the two countries held on December 2 and 3, 2021 in Kathmandu agreed to review the Labour Agreement signed in 2005. However, the Agreement has not been reviewed so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The two countries also in 2005 signed an agreement related to economic, trade and technical collaboration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari investors have put in investment in the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy among the various sectors after Nepal in 2007 inked an agreement with Qatar for removal of dual taxation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, Nepal and Qatar signed an agreement on bilateral air service (civil aviation) on July 8, 2002. An agreement on collaboration in the tourism sector was reached between the two countries in 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The private sectors of the two countries have also been collaborating in different areas. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce had signed an agreement relating to bilateral cooperation in 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Doha Bank, one of the major banks of Qatar, opened its contact office in Kathmandu in December 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Nepal&#39;s industrialists have also become organized in Qatar. An organisation called Nepali Business Association Qatar was registered with the Qatar Financial Authority in March 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">There have been exchanges of high-level visits between Nepal and Qatar at various times. The first President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, made an official visit to Qatar in 2011. Likewise, then President Bidya Devi Bhandari paid a state visit to Qatar from October 30 to November 2, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, visited Qatar on March 21-23, 2022. The then Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited Qatar from November 20 to 22, 2019. Then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara also visited Qatar from April 6 to 10 in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav paid a visit to Qatar on November 13-14, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The then Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat paid an official visit to Qatar in January 2017 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam visited Qatar from April 11 to 14, 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The high-level visits to Nepal from Qatari side include the visit of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar, Dr Abdullah Bin Saleh Mubarak al-Khulafi from April 4 to 7 in 2015; the visit by Qatar&#39;s Environment Minister Abdullah Bin Mubarak Bin Abud Al-Midhadi from April 5-9 in 2012 and that of Qatar&#39;s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shekh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Al Thani in 2009. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20796',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Nepalgunj-based ICP to Come into Operation in Two Weeks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: The newly established Integrated Customs Point (ICP) in Nepalgunj is set to commence operations within the next two weeks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">This facility, built by India and located at Nepalgunj transit along the Nepal-India border, has already been handed over to Nepal. &quot;Customs services will be available from the newly constructed facility in the next 10-15 days,&quot; said Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma, Chief of Nepalgunj Customs Office.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Once operational, the ICP will facilitate the check-pass of containers from the facility. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &#39;Prachanda&#39; and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the facility virtually during Dahal&#39;s visit to India (May 31 - June 3, 2023).</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;India officially transferred the facility to Nepal on Monday, approximately one year after its inauguration. Spanning across 87 bigha of land (one bigha is equivalent to 6772.63 sq. meters), the land was acquired by the Government of Nepal with support from India.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ICP encompasses various amenities including customs offices, livestock and plant quarantine facilities, warehouses, food technology, quality control facilities, security barracks, and a bank counter. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The business community in Nepalgunj is eagerly anticipating the launch of ICP services, expecting it to streamline trans-border imports and exports.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&nbsp;Krishna Prasad Shrestha, former President of the Nepalgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the anticipated convenience for businesses.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20794',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Number of Women as Bank Director Negligible',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: Although the government has mandated public companies to appoint women directors, female representation on bank boards remains negligible. Some commercial banks lack any female directors. This decline is attributed to banks&#39; failure to implement the Companies Act provision. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Section 86 (2) stipulates that a public company&#39;s board should consist of at least three members and at most 11 members, with at least one female director for companies with female shareholders. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The annual supervision report of Nepal Rastra Bank highlights commercial banks&#39; failure to adhere to this mandate.&nbsp; The report mentions that some banks do not have women directors as per the Companies Act.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data collected by New Business Age reveals that four out of the 19 commercial banks currently in operation have no female directors. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among these banks, two have foreign investment (Standard Chartered and Himalayan) and two have only domestic investment (Global IME and Prabhu Bank). </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, 13 banks have only one female director each. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Government-invested commercial banks each have one woman on their boards. Among them, Gita Subedi is an expert director in Agricultural Development Bank, Romila Dhakal Upreti in Rastriya Banijya Bank and Sadhana Ghimire is a representative of the government in Nepal Bank Limited.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Among the private banks, Nepal SBI Bank and Laxmi Sunrise have two women each on the board of directors. Jayanti Banshal is the chairman of Nepal SBI Bank and Apsara Upreti is the director of the same bank. Similarly, Swati Rungta and Bidya Basnet are the directors of Laxmi Sunrise Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The rest of the banks have one female director. Among them, Asha Rana Adhikari is a director at Nabil Bank, Meena Kumari Sainju at Siddharth Bank, Taradevi Chitrakar Bank Prime Bank, Manju Basnet at Nepal Investment Mega Bank. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, on behalf of general shareholders, Bandana Karki is a director of Machhapuchhre Bank, Bijaya Swar at NIC Asia Bank, Gayatri Thapa at Sanima Bank, Simran Aggarwal at Kumari Bank, Urmila Shrestha at Everest Bank and Sharmila Hardi at NMB Bank.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The proposed amendment to the Banks and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) aims to increase female representation by requiring two women on bank boards&mdash;one from the shareholders and one from the expert group.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20793',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The price of gold has declined in the domestic market on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of the precious yellow metal dropped by Rs 2,700 per tola (11.66 grams) compared to the previous trading day.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixed the price of hallmark gold at Rs 135,500 per tola on Tuesday. Hallmark gold was traded for Rs 138,200 on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, the price of worked gold has also fallen by Rs 2,700 per tola. Worked gold, which was traded at Rs 137,500 per tola on Monday is being traded at Rs 134,850 on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased by Rs 45 per tola compared to its price on Monday, according to the federation. Silver was traded for Rs 1,705 per tola on Monday while its price has dropped to Rs 1,660 on Tuesday. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The price of gold had been rising steadily in the past few weeks, reaching an all-time high of Rs 139,200 per tola on April 16.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the Nepali month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), the price of gold increased eleven times in the domestic market of Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The recent geopolitical tension due to the Israel&rsquo;s offensive in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war as well as tensions between Israel and Iran have led to investors to invest in gold considering it as a safe haven in times of turmoil.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, analysts say that the price has dropped slightly due to the de-escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel. </span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20792',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Changes Finance Secretary in the Midst of Budget Preparation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The post of Finance Secretary, which is considered as the most important after the post of chief secretary, has always been destabilized by political leadership. The practice of changing the finance secretary after the change of government has prevailed since the past one decade.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The incumbent Finance Minister Barshman Pun has also given continuity to this tradition. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">At a time when the Finance Ministry is in intense discussion to finalize the discussion of the budget is going on, Finance Minister Pun has appointed Madhu Kumar Marasini, who was recently acquitted by the Special Court in a corruption case, as the new finance secretary. The Special Court had recently acquitted Marasini in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of the National Payment Gateway.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pun removed Dr Krishna Hari Pushkar, who was preferred by the then Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, and appointed Marasini in his place.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was appointed as the finance secretary for the second time in last August. Before that, Arjun Prasad Pokharel was served as the finance secretary. Pokharel, who was appointed to the post on May last year, was able to work only for six months.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">It clearly shows that the Ministry of Finance had three secretaries in a single year. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Marasini took charge of the finance secretary Monday on the same day that the Council of Ministers decided to appoint him to the post.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cabinet meeting on Monday decided to transfer Marasini to Finance Ministry and Pushkar to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Marasini has prior experience of serving as the finance secretary. Finance Minister Barshman Pun said that changes in responsibilities should be taken as normal.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Pushkar was not an expert hand in affairs related to the Ministry of Finance. Before being appointed as the finance secretary, he worked in agencies under other ministries and also worked with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He joined the Ministry of Finance only on September 4, 2021 as the revenue secretary. Former Chief Secretary Lokdarshan Regmi and Arjun Pokharel, who also served as the finance secretaries, were also not experts on matters related to the Finance Ministry.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Chief Secretary Bimal Koirala says that the political leadership have made civil servants including the finance secretary as their puppets in recent years.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;It is wrong for the political leadership to use and dump civil servants. It will not create a conducive environment for work under any circumstances,&quot; he said. Koirala said that if the civil servants are destabilized, they will not be able to work properly and it will have a big impact on the overall development of the country.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to him, other countries give importance to the stability of employees. It is not customary to remove a person once appointed to the post of finance secretary unless he is accused of serious charges. But Koirala says that two to three finance secretaries are changed here in a year and this is not a good practice.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Koirala argues that if the post of finance secretary is made weak and unstable, it will affect the morale of the private sector as well as the relationship with development partners. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Former Finance Minister Dr Mahat had also removed almost all of the officials at the Finance Ministry. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Last month, Minister Pun made a comprehensive reshuffle of the heads of departments and divisions under the ministry. When he made Shivlal Tiwari the Director General of the Inland Revenue Department, he gave Dhundi Niraula the responsibility of the Department of Customs. Ritesh Kumar Shakya, who was the head of the revenue management division, has been transferred to the budget and program division. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Uttar Kumar Khatri of Budget Division was transferred to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division and Dhani Ram Sharma was made the head of Revenue Management Division.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Pun transferred Shobhakant Poudel, who was the Director General of the Department of Customs, to the Public Finance Management Training Center and the head of training there, Ram Prasad Acharya, was brought to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary play a major role in preparing budget. That is why Finance Minister Pun wanted to bring a person who is suitable to him as finance secretary. Upon his recommendation, the government has given Marasini the responsibility of finance secretary. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, confusion has arisen due to the sudden change of the top officials of the finance ministry when the ministry and other developmental ministries were actively working to prepare the budget.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Nirmala UI&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the constitutional provisions, the government should announce the budget on 15<sup>th</sup> of Jestha (May 28 this year). A lot of work needs to be done before that. After the principles and priorities of the budget presented in the parliament are passed, the government should bring policies and programs. After that the policies and programs are passed, the government will then announce the budget. However, when the secretary changes at the last minute, it will take time for the new secretary to understand everything, said a senior official. </span></span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20795',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Capital City gets a Facelift to Welcome Qatar’s Emir for a State Visit to Nepal   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 23: The federal capital, Kathmandu, is preparing to warmly welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who is scheduled to arrive late this afternoon on a State visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Qatari Emir is arriving on a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Ram Chandra Paudel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The city has been adorned with welcome gates and banners along major roads and intersections in honor of the high-profile dignitary&rsquo;s visit from Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office has undertaken the cleaning and decoration of roads stretching from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to various key areas including Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Tripureshwar, Kalimati, Jamal and Lainchaur.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Nabin Manandhar, the spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolis, the decorated roads proudly display the national flags of both Nepal and Qatar.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Moreover, banners featuring the names of President Ram Chandra Paudel and the Emir of Qatar, along with a portrait of Kumari, the Living Goddess, have been placed with the Namaste gesture, indicate the cultural richness and diversity of the Kathmandu Valley. Such banners read &quot;Hearty welcome to the Emir from Qatar&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security arrangements along the designated route for the VVIP from Qatar have been intensified, with each welcome gate being guarded by security personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Furthermore, key areas such as Shital Niwas (the Office of the President), Soaltee Hotel where the Emir will be staying, and Dwarika Hotel where various visit-related events are scheduled to take place have been beautifully decorated for the occasion. The Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Qatar Embassy in Nepal have also prepared welcome gates to extend greetings to the Emir.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In light of the Emir&#39;s visit, the government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday, suggesting the diplomatic significance of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Security beefed up&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Meanwhile, the Nepalese Army has said it has mobilized a security mechanism in various venues where visit-related events ranging from welcome and other ceremonies to farewell are scheduled to take place. The security arrangements are in place on a need basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In coordination with the NA Chief of General Staff, a Lieutenant General, various security squads comprising security personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department have been mobilized.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to TIA General Manager, Jagannath Nirauala, all flights at TIA will remain halted for 15 minutes each during the arrival and departure of the Qatari Emir, bearing in mind the security sensitivity of the visit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The visit is expected to help elevate the bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar to a new height. The Qatari Emir&#39;s visit marks the first highest-level visit from the entire Middle East to Nepal. Qatar serves as one of the major labour destinations for Nepal. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20791',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'DFIs Invest USD 1.1 Billion in Nepal',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">April 23: At a time when the private sector of Nepal is facing challenges to raise financial resources from the international market, the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) established by different countries have stepped forward to invest loans and shares in the private sector of Nepal.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Although the World Bank&#39;s International Finance Corporation (IFC) started investing in the private sector of Nepal only some time ago, other DFIs have been investing in the private sector of Nepal since a few years ago.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">They have been investing through some commercial banks, private equity funds and also directly. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;Until now, DFIs have invested USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">.</span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">1</span> <span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">billion in the private sector of Nepal,&quot; Bivek Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Invest for Impact Nepal, said in a press conference held on Monday. &quot;Of this amount, more than USD </span><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">600</span><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> million have been mobilized through commercial banks.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The Invest for Impact Nepal was established through the joint effort of various DFIs. Invest for Impact Nepal coordinates their activities in Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">British International Investment, Dutch International Development Bank, Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets among others established the Invest for Impact Nepal. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">A team of DFIs is currently in Kathmandu and they are participating in a seminar. Shrestha said that most of the DFI representatives will also participate in the upcoming investment summit announced by the government for April 28 and 29.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Shrestha said that the DFIs are currently investing mainly through commercial banks but are also considering the idea of investing through development banks and micro finance.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;ekmukta&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&quot;During this seminar, there will also be a discussion on how to cooperate between DFIs and donor agencies to increase investment in Nepal,&quot; he said.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20790',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => ''Staggering' Number of Workers Facing Climate Change-Induced Health Hazards: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">April 23: A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, AFP reported citing the United Nations.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the French news agency, the UN&rsquo;s International Labour Organization on Monday warned that the existing regulations offered inadequate protection.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace and these figures are only likely to get worse,&quot; the ILO said in a report.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farm workers and others who carry out heavy labour in hot climates especially &quot;may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards&quot;, the ILO added.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report further stated that these hazards include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals. Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;Workers are among those most exposed to climate change hazards yet frequently have no choice but to continue working, even if conditions are dangerous,&quot; the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">It pointed out that in 2020 -- the last year for which statistics are available -- 2.4 billion workers, or more than 70 percent of the global workforce, were estimated to be exposed to excessive heat at some point.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">That marks &quot;a clear increase&quot;, Manal Azzi, the ILO&#39;s senior specialist on occupational safety and health, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The number of exposed workers had ballooned by 35 percent over two decades, and even adjusting for the growing global population, the percentage of the labour force affected had swelled by 8.8 percent since the year 2000, she said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&#39;Huge issue&#39; </span></strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;This is a huge issue,&quot; Azzi said, warning that &quot;workers are often forgotten when we&#39;re talking about climate change, and the health impacts are very severe&quot;.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nearly 23 million occupational injuries attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing, on estimate, nearly 19,000 lives annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And those numbers do not include more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress, the ILO said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Furthermore, the impact of global warming on workers goes well beyond heat exposure.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The report noted that numerous dangerous health conditions in workers had been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the ILO said 1.6 billion workers worldwide were estimated to be exposed to UV radiation each year, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths annually from non-melanoma skin cancer.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Another 1.6 billion people were likely to be exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers annually.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than 870 million agricultural workers are meanwhile likely to be exposed to pesticides, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning each year.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">And 15,000 work-related deaths each year are attributed to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases, the report said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It&#39;s clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,&quot; Azzi said in a statement.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&quot;It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must be become part of our climate change responses -- both policies and actions.&quot;</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The ILO said climate change hazards could require countries to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations to protect workers properly.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The agency will next year host an expert meeting with representatives of employers, labour and governments to discuss the issue, with the aim of coming up with fresh policy recommendations, AFP quoted Azzi as saying.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20789',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'MFD Warns of Excessive Heat in Tarai, Urges Public to Remain Safe from Heat Wave   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">April 22: The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in most parts of the country have increased in the past few days resulting in hotter days.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a special public bulletin on Monday, the department has asked one and all to remain cautious since the maximum temperature in some parts of Lumbini, Madesh and Sudurpaschim provinces was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius or more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The department stated that excessive heat is likely for some days in the Tarai areas and has urged all to apply precautions or make necessary preparations. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;These areas could witness a heat wave from April 22 to 26. People are requested for needed precautions to keep themselves safe from the impact of the heat wave,&quot; the department&#39;s special bulletin states.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the division has urged people to remain inside their homes in the day time when there is excessive heat, avoid traveling, cover their head while going out from home, wear cap, drink water and juice frequently, and stay in contact with the health workers in case of health issues. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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