National
ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Monday, September 16
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (September 16, 2019).Post Report
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (September 16, 2019).
Despite study warning risks of Zika, officials are woefully unprepared to tackle it
Last year, a risk assessment survey carried out with technical and financial support from the World Health Organisation showed that Nepal was a high-risk country for dengue and Zika outbreaks.
Two WHO officials who visited Nepal and inspected places across Kathmandu in July-end also said that eggs, larvae and pupae of A aegypti and A albopictus mosquitoes were found in huge numbers in various places of the Valley. Dengue virus is spread by female Aedes mosquito—the same vector that carries Zika virus.
Since the first case of dengue was reported in May, the virus now has spread to 56 districts. At least seven people have died and nearly 9,000 hospitalised. The rapid spread of dengue suggests a high concentration of the vector, which officials say is a cause for concern as it could also mean a Zika risk.
Asian firms oppose e-passport bid process, saying conditions favour American and European companies
The Department of Passports’ call for global tenders for the printing of five million biometric passports has been criticised by a number of Asian firms for favouring American and European firms in their tender specifications.
At least three Asian firms have communicated their grievances to the Department of Passports, saying that the bidding process lacks a level-playing field and favours European and American firms.
How young videographers are breaking the mould
With the rise of social media platforms, many young videographers have emerged in recent years, mostly working on commercial short videos like advertisements for different brands, portfolio videos for celebrities and music videos. Apart from that, videographers are also high on demand during wedding seasons—with the majority of clients preferring high production creative videos. Due to these diverse avenues, many young videographers, mostly in their early 20s, have embraced videography as a full-time profession, which they say has abundant opportunities but is an equally challenging pursuit.
This company is turning millennials into successful offshore mortgage brokers
At the crack of dawn on weekdays, 27-year-old Ajar Rajbhandari hurries to Jawalakhel, gets into his office and starts looking fixedly at his laptop screen filled with details on names, property and Australian banks.
Rajbhandari is a mortgage broker, who searches for leads for Home Loan Experts Nepal (HLE), an offshore arm of mid-sized mortgage firm based in Sydney. Since beginning its operations a little over six years ago, HLE-Nepal has groomed over 100 millenials like Rajbhandari, training them to understand 16 different credit services in Australia as well as regulations attached to such services. In return, these young men in Kathmandu have been working with thousands of home buyers who live nearly 10,000km away.
The group’s work has been drawing plaudits as well. This year, the Australian Mortgage Awards nominated the Nepal-based office of the mortgage firm as one of the finalists for best industry service. The winners will be announced next month in Sydney.