Nations reach 'historic' deal to protect nature

World lags on 2030 nature goals headed into UN COP16 talks

The world in 2022 reached its most ambitious deal ever to halt the destruction of nature by decade's end. Two years later, countries are already behind in meeting their goals.

The Rising Nepal 2 महिना पहिले

Editorial | The viral effect

Nepal will have to be better prepared to deal with the fast-changing nature of infectious diseases.

The Kathmandu Post भाद्र २०८०

Fighting Hangover

A hangover is a severe retribution awaiting anyone who has exceeded the alcohol limit at a party or during barbecues in nature. Reproaching yourself is a waste of time. It is much more important to put yourself in order. How to deal with a hangover safely for health - told psychiatrist-narcologist Tatyana Karpova.

The Rising Nepal बैशाख २०८०

Ruling Allies Facing Trust Deficit?

A sense of distrust has begun to afflict the partners of ruling alliance just 41 days after it was formed. The alliance between the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre was not only dramatic but also abrupt. It was made at the eleventh hour of the deadline that the President had given to the political parties to claim for the government with a majority vote of the federal parliament. Maoist Centre chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda rushed to the residence of UML chair KP Sharma Oli at Balkot to create a new alliance after the Nepali Congress backtracked from its promise to let him lead the government first. But the UML-Maoist Centre’s marriage of convenience is now experiencing a bumpy ride with some nasty political developments of late. The citizenship scam involving president of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former deputy prime minister and home minister Rabi Lamichhane sent shockwaves in the political spectrum. A Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court has stripped Lamichhane’s status as lawmaker and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home for holding an illegal citizenship certificate. After reacquiring the citizenship through due process, Lamichhane was restored to the party’s president and he is determined to be reappointed as the Home Minster at all cost, which has become a sticking point for Prime Minister Prachanda, who is not in a mood to grant this portfolio to Rabi until the full text of SC’s verdict is made public. New twist The row over the home ministry has taken a new twist. The RSP has made it a bottom line of its participation in the government. The other day, its joint meeting of party central committee and parliamentary wing has given a two-day ultimatum to PM Prachanda and Oli, who is the coordinator of high level political mechanism, to decide on whether they are ready to give the home portfolio to it. As the media reports go, the RSP was on the verge of quitting the government after it was denied the powerful ministry. PM Prachanda and Oli had talked with Rabi over the phone, requesting him not to pull out of the government. Although Rabi’s exit from the government does not cause immediate collapse of the government, it can put the national politics on a slippery slope. Rabi is still under investigation over his Nepali passport that he obtained in 2015 on the basis of his scrapped citizenship. As per Section 21 (a) of the Passport Act 2076 BS, a person is subject to a fine ranging from Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 500,000 or an imprisonment of one to three years or both if s/he obtains a passport or travel permit by furnishing false information to the concerned offices. Rabi has come under fire from different quarters over his irrational claim for the home ministry portfolio, which has weakened his moral ground. This has tarnished his image as a change agent intent on rooting out all anomalies attributed to misrule and corruption over the years. Rabi is no longer a lawmaker but wants to head the home ministry so as to influence or abort the investigation process on his passport, claim his detractors. This, of course, invites a conflict of interest and mocks our legal and investigation system. As a popular youth leader, he should not join the government until the investigation into his passport is over. Rather he should support the probe committee to come to its findings. It is the duty of all citizens to respect the rule of law, the basis of a democratic society. Rabi’s party has the right to stake claim to the home ministry portfolio as per consensus reached among the ruling allies prior to the formation of this government but it should rather send another lawmaker, not Rabi, to lead this ministry. However, voice is louder within the Maoist Centre that it should retain the home ministry for the PM’s party does not have powerful ministries such as home, finance, foreign affairs and law. Without the vital ministries, the Maoist Centre is unlikely to successfully execute pro-people programmes. Nonetheless, given the nature of coalition government, Prachanda is not in a position to decide on his own. Oli, who leads the largest constituent of the alliance, has pressed Prachanda to appoint Rabi as home minister. Prior to the formation of the government, the allies had agreed to allot the home ministry to the Maoist Centre but it had to give its claim on it after the RSP stuck to it with Oli’s backing. The Maoist Centre thinks Oli wants to flex his political muscle by bringing RSP and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) into his fold. RSP and RPP are said to be ‘satellite’ forces of UML that it uses to keep a firm grip on Prachanda’s activities. Manoeuvring In the party’s Standing Committee meeting, Prachanda has lamented that he was fed up with Oli’s continuous manoeuvring to ‘encircle’ his government and obstacles on its way to effective delivery from the day it was formed. This is a reason why he approached Nepali Congress to secure its support during the vote of confidence. Buoyed by the NC’s backing to his government, Prachanda and his colleagues began to emphasise on electing new president on the basis of national consensus. They have claimed that there was no deal on giving the presidential post to the UML. Now Oli has reasons to harbour suspicion whether the Maoist Centre will back down from its verbal agreement on awarding the post of president to his party. On the other hand, main opposition NC is elated by the widening distance among the ruling allies. It is fancying the breakdown of the current coalition and victory of its candidate in the presidential post. The NC’s wishful thinking may turn into a reality if the UML and Maoist Centre suffer from mutual suspicion and non-cooperation. The coalition government can sail smoothly if its partners rise above the parochial interests and demonstrate a true coalition culture. Internecine feud for post and power, monopoly and domination shall lead them to eventual downfall. (The author is Deputy Executive Editor of this daily.)

The Rising Nepal पौष २०७९

Cognitive limits of policymaking

Although public policy is a relatively new discipline in the academic discourse, it has attracted the keen attention of politicians, bureaucrats, economists, businessmen, and civil society organizations because of its diverse nature and complexities. Probably this is the only subject that does not deal with one or two single issues rather it deals with every […]

Khabarhub English आषाढ २०७९

Pressure grows for global deal to save nature

A global agreement to reverse the loss of nature and halt extinctions is inching closer, as talks in Geneva enter their final day. International negotiators are working on the text of a UN framework to safeguard nature ahead of a high-level summit in China later this year.

The Rising Nepal फाल्गुन २०७८

Prez, PM extend greetings on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, Maghi

KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari extended best wishes to all Nepalis sisters and brothers at home and abroad on the occasion of the Maghi festival/Maghe Sankranti observed on the first day of Magh month of Nepali calendar. In the message of best wishes given on Saturday, President Bhandari wished all Nepalis health, happiness, peace and prosperity. Stating that the Maghe Sankranti or Makar Sankranti is being observed with fervor among various ethnicities while Tharus mark the day as the New Year, President Bhandari viewed that the Maghi festival contributes to fostering national unity. The Head of the State urged all the Nepalis to take care of their health and well-being and celebrate the festival adhering to health safety protocols against COVID-19. According to her, Nepali society is a beautiful blend of nature and cultures and many of our festivals are interconnected to nature. It is said the Sun enters into the northern hemisphere from today. The President viewed that we should acknowledge that our practices and activities should be eco-friendly and we should conserve the environment. She further stated that Nepal's unique festivities handed over from generation to generation since ancient times have elated our lives and helped shape the unique identity of Nepal. President Bhandari also opined that such festivities would further boost communal goodwill and tolerance. The festival is celebrated eating delicacies like yam, edible roots, butter, molasses, comfit with sesame seeds, and taking bath in holy rivers and ponds. PM Deuba urges to comply with health safety protocol against COVID-19 Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also extended best wishes to all the Nepalis at home and abroad on the occasion of Maghi and Makar Sankranti that falls on Magh 1st of Nepali calendar every year. In a message of best wishes given today, PM Deuba wished everyone good health, happiness, peace and longevity. Deuba urged one and all to observe the festival adhering to health and safety protocols against COVID-19 since, he said, the new variant of COVID-19 had caused greater risk. "Although the preventive measures against COVID-19 taken by the government were effective, the new variant of COVID-19 has increased a great deal of risk. Hence, I urge one and all to celebrate the festival with fanfare but in serious consideration of all precautions against COVID-19," the PM appealed in the message. The Tharus and Magars among other ethnic communities mark Magh 1st as Maghi festival while Nepalis, in general, celebrate it as Maghe Sankranti or Makar Sankranti. It is believed that the Sun enters into the northern hemisphere from today onwards. Stating that our cultures and festivities possess distinct properties, PM Deuba reminded that unity in diversity and social amity are our cultural assets. Furthermore, he expressed his confidence that the festival would help in further strengthening the bond among the Nepalis as well as the mutual goodwill and tolerance in the Nepali society.

Ratopati English मंसिर २०७८

One Language for All: Empathy

We require translators to apprehend the spoken and written language of others but we need no translators to realize others' feelings and expectations. What we require is respect, a minute to wait and internalize, and a big heart to appreciate the emotion and its inevitable consequences. Recognition of human beings from the start of civilization has not been kindness alone. We have hunted, fought, won over, lost to and assimilated in various circumstances and epochs. No matter how we acted, we have been able to pull our ingenuity hitherto. Surpassing biological changes, migrating from unfavorable to favorable geographies, establishing groups and molding communities and societies, Homo Sapiens rules the planet, at least from our view. The scientific community is still making studies on how human civilization has successfully written its history in the land. The more modern and technical we are getting, the more thorough findings we are making about ourselves. Apart from all the distinguishable differences from animals, we are specially built up with a cognitive capacity to mutually communicate- language. Though debatable, there are nearly 8,000 spoken languages around the globe at present. Originating from the ability to imitate nature, more often considered the supreme gift of the creator, language is the richest characteristic that has helped us to convey ideas, spread messages and get organized with intent and plan. Historically, utterances and signs were registered as written symbols in Phoenician period which gradually got into scripts according to the places and people. Cultural values, traditions, innovations and discoveries are all but possible because of the standard function and contribution of language. Today, languages are also a matter of dominance, diplomacy and global relation. Each country attempts to make its national languages more flourished and recognized. Language possesses core expressions of human feelings like love, anger, command, sympathy, apprehension et al. It won't be otherwise to say the coexistence of billions of people in the world is interwoven with exchange of ideas and understanding each other though we do not speak the same language. So, how do we all share singular human psychology and feeling of survival amidst distinct languages we speak and write? The only possible response could be - empathy! Universal give and take are always not even since economic stratification determines the position of a specific clan or a community where countries locate themselves in different economic positions from rich to poor. But again, we are rich when we are tolerant, of course socially. As it is understood that war is inevitable for establishing peace, cruelty has also played an inevitable role while developing kindness inside us. The brutal past of our ancestors taught us the lesson of benevolence. Many chapters in the history of humankind will not have been written without anger, revenge and avenge. Periodic problems and intervallic complications were dealt with muscular and mechanical might in several stages of civilization. But today, we all have understood, after fighting with each other and blaming each other that our singular challenge is eventually 'our own existence'. The greatest evil resides nowhere but within ourselves. Thus, to deal with this most updated problem, to mitigate this postmodern challenge, we are developing a natural principle of safeguarding, i.e. empathy. We humans can easily speculate the pathos and griefs of another member of the same kind. We require translators to apprehend the spoken and written language of others but we need no translators to realize others' feelings and expectations. What we require is respect, a minute to wait and internalize, and a big heart to appreciate the emotion and its inevitable consequences. Empathy is the unspoken yet tangible property of human language in common. A minor act of kindness values immensely in a dire drought of conciliation. Peace is brought via free and open arms not firearms, we have already understood. Stability and permanence is invited via justice and right, not conflict and might, we already accepted. Technically, we articulate and craft thousands of languages, creoles and scripts and undoubtedly we will keep on doing so. At the same time, we are responsible to develop a universal language for all that does not demand school, paper, ink and keyboards, and empathy in us to prove that we humans are not only ruling the planet but are raring it with our emotion and mutual compassion.

Ratopati English श्रावण २०७८

Nations reach 'historic' deal to protect nature

सम्बन्धित सामग्री

The world in 2022 reached its most ambitious deal ever to halt the destruction of nature by decade's end. Two years later, countries are already behind in meeting their goals.

Nepal will have to be better prepared to deal with the fast-changing nature of infectious diseases.

A global agreement to reverse the loss of nature and halt extinctions is inching closer, as talks in Geneva enter their final day. International negotiators are working on the text of a UN framework to safeguard nature ahead of a high-level summit in China later this year.