- Saturday, 11 April 2026
TRN Online
Landslips affect seven hydropower projects in Myagdi
Seven hydropower projects in the Myagdi district have been affected by landslides. Landslides have caused road blockage thus making it difficult to supply construction materials and fuels for the projects, said projects officials.
Local people unite to change river course to save settlements in Kanchanpur
Local people have joined forces to change the course of the local Machhaleli river at Krishnapur Municipality-2 in the district after it burst embankments advancing to the settlements along.
Nilgiri Hydro tunnel makes breakthrough
The tunnel of Nilgiri Second Cascade Hydroelectricity Project under construction in Narchyang of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi district has achieved a breakthrough.
Daisy Edgar-Jones on ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ and the ‘Strangeness’ of Stardom
One of the breakout stars of the pandemic, Daisy Edgar-Jones, was finally out and about at Locarno Film Festival, where she picked up the Leopard Club Award and introduced her latest film “Where the Crawdads Sing,” based on a novel by Delia Owens.
Houses, health posts destroyed by landslides in Rukum West
Continuous rains have caused damage to different physical infrastructures in Rukum West.
Merger For Stability
With the introduction of Nepal Rastra Bank’s acquisition and merger policy, banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have been merging with each other, instilling a new confidence in the financial sector of the country. As the merger consolidates the financial position of banks, they contribute to form capital and spur growth. Banks accumulate savings of public and supply this amount to run business and industries in the form of loans. Investment in the productive sector helps generate jobs for the unemployed and tax for the government. In this economic cycle, the financial sector needs to be strong and stable. If the banks face problem of liquidity and fall short of money to lend to individuals and commercial entities, the national economy will also feel the heat. Increase in the number of BFIs is not bad as long as they sustain well and are able to maintain stability.
Quad In A Quandary
Loud and clear, the current big power race is for greater multilateralism enabling countries a fairer share in global decision making. Existing contradictions in the Quad community submit a case in point. A nation with a population of 14.5 billion and one of the largest military powers, India is a reviewing its bilateral and multilateral relations, in addition to its security strategies for appropriate preparedness. In this regard, suggestions floated by several Indian political and defence analysts who urge the Narendra Modi government to ensure that India does not become a pawn for proxy wars that other existing powers keenly pursue. In focus is the Quad comprising Australia, Japan, India and the United States. Basically an idea of the US to checkmate its nearest economic and military power, it has not made much headway simply because India has begun to sense that it would be the frontline partner exposed to China in the event of the worse of conflict. Should Quad be activated in a conflict with China, India would be exposed to the biggest risks among the grouping’s partners. Money and machine the others might provide just as they are supporting Ukraine since February, but India would be the one on the frontline facing the situation. Brunt-bearingThe equipment and military hardware coming from Quad partners would not enable India to wish away the inevitability of having to bear the brunt of the battle that could drag on for years. It is not for nothing that Australia declares that it is against war with China. Describing Quad as Washington’s desperate move “to contain China’s rise”, Sunil Sharan, writing in the Strategic Insights, does not mince words: “India must forthwith leave the Quad. Land battles will be entirely between India and China and not between the US and China or Japan.” Economists anticipate if India remains focused on growth, it will be the No. 3 economic power, next to China and the US within the next 15 years. Such projection would collapse if India were to be involved in any major war, especially with a superpower that is newly established. Editor-in-Chief of Freedom Gazette, Mohamed Zeeshan, too, finds India as “the odd one out on several critical geopolitical issues”, which might be the reason for India keeping away from its Quad partners. After all, New Delhi does not see eye to eye with the partners on several “critical geopolitical issues, including Myanmar, Ukraine, and North Korea”. During Quad ministerial meeting in Melbourne earlier this year, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said India does not agree with Western sanctions on Myanmar, which neighbours both India and China. And Myanmar’s longstanding report with its neighbour China carries an important dimension to any military alliance designed by rivals within and outside the region. Unlike the rest of the Quad quartet, India has remained reticent on making any compelling comment on the Ukraine war. Jaishankar reacted strongly to sharp suggestions from the US not purchase Russian oil.India’s issue with China basically emanates from its border dispute in the northern region. It has distanced itself firmly away from the other partners’ positions on the Muslims in Xinjiang, the pro-change campaigners in Hong Kong and Beijing’s stance on Taiwan. Pragmatism plays a crucial role in matters of geo-political strategy, as underscored by the fact that India maintains an embassy in nuclear-power North Korea unlike the absence of the other three Quad members.M.K. Bhadrakumar, another noted Indian analyst, recommends: “India should quit Quad now!” He insists that “hedging between superpowers — United States, Russia and China — was never the smart thing to do”. India’s differences with China are basically confined to border dispute — something India has had with also a number of other neighbouring countries. Whereas Australia, Japan and the US do not share such concerns — away as they are thousands of miles away across vast oceans — India’s case is different. The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explicitly threatened China in an interview with CNN, a day before a meeting with China’s top diplomat and Politburo Member Yang Jiechi in Rome: “There will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions’ evasion efforts or support to Russia. We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”Practical planeSuch warning will wear off as far as India is concerned, considering that two-thirds of its weaponry come from Russia since some five decades. Even as the US-led European powers begin their strategies to contain China’s growth — military as well as economic — Russia and India are reviewing their relations since the early 1990s when the world was described as a unipolar one after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. The oil price concessions that Moscow recently offered to New Delhi are a pointer to this. The world’s largest country that Russia is, and the two most-populous nations, China and India, find some areas of common interest. Their combined territorial reach, population size at 3.15 billion and economy — existing and potential — account for a staggering strength. To cap it, China shares long common borders with both India and Russia — an advantage the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, among others, do not have with one another. This, too, has prodded India to review and revise its role in Quad. The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US is apparently an outcome of the grouping’s search for an alliance more dependable than Quad in the Indo-Pacific region for common security interests. Some trust deficiency between India and the rest of Quad partners is obvious. India might not fill the intended bill and hence the more exclusive club. New Delhi realises the need to go for and deepen alliances that serve its interests best with minimal risks to its core interests. It needs to make choices without inordinate delay by weighing all aspects of existing conditions and their long-term implications in a world witnessing change in power equation from the West to the East. (Professor Kharel specialises in political communication.)
Message From Political Cartoons
Some are sphinx like — half man and half animal. Some are hairy like orangutans. Some look clownish — small body size but big head and big belly. Some look transgendered in their outfits, for example a male politician is dressed up in a Sari and blouse, the other in a T-shirt and mini skirt. These are political cartoons. Cartoons are funny and satirical. Wilfrid Wood says, “Wonderful-looking people can be boring as hell. Mouldy old potatoes can have a lot going for them.”
Wash Hands To Avoid COVID
Hand-washing is the second best way to prevent getting an infection. There is a need to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of washing hands with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save our lives. The habit of proper hand washing is directly linked to one’s health especially among school going children. Hands contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in several ways. Experts recommend that people wash their hands for a full 20 seconds to clean off bacteria. We can stop the spread of killer coronavirus by washing our hands properly.
Nepalis feel unsafe in border area in Dang
Nepalis living near Dashgaja, the ‘No Man’s Land’ at the border of Nepal and India, are living a difficult life. On the north side of Dashgaja, there are small thatched houses. The Nepalis living in those houses prefer to identify themselves as border residents and their place as border. Most of the Nepalis living in the border area rely on the neighbouring territories of India.
'No Horn' campaign to be enforced strictly
The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office (KVTPO) and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) have announced that they would strictly implement the 'No Horn' campaign across the valley. The authorities have requested the vehicle drivers not to blow their horn unless essential, stating that inspection would now be in place to control the unnecessary blowing of the horns.
Jumla farmers told not to pick, sell unripe apples
The Agricultural Development Office of Jumla has launched an awareness programme at the local level to stop the export of unripe apples from the district. It has initiated the programme to educate and aware the farmers and other concerned stakeholders as unripe fruits started arriving in the market. Ganesh Adhikari, Acting Head of the office, said that in the third week of July, the heads of the agriculture departments of all the eight local levels of Jumla, large farmers and traders held a meeting for the marketing and export of apples. The meeting had decided not to pick apples until they ripe.
Don’t consume mushrooms collected from wild: Experts
On Friday, eight individuals from two families got sick after consuming wild mushrooms in Salyan district. A child died while seven others are receiving treatment. A family of four got sick after consuming mushroom in Sharada Municipality while another family got ill in Bangad-Kupinde Municipality. Mina Basnet, 40; Pabitra Basnet, 25; John Basnet, 9; and Joshana Basnet, 4 of Ward No. 4 of Sharada were rushed to Surkhet-based Provincial Hospital. However, four-year-old Joshana died at the hospital.
Prachanda praises diaspora's role in building prosperous Nepal
Likewise, Prachanda appealed to provide best possible support from all to ensure good-governance in the country, which he argued, was the base for development and prosperity.
Pokhara Regional Int'l Airport to operate on 1 January 2023
The approximately 22 billion project has seen the completion of a 98 percent construction works so far, he said, adding that a flight calibration would take place in coming October.
