ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Monday, December 30
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 30, 2019). New Year revellers at Mandala Street in Thamel, Kathmandu. Post File Photo
Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (December 30, 2019).
House panel passes controversial IT Bill disregarding dozens of amendment proposals
The Development and Technology Committee of the House on Sunday passed the controversial Information Technology Bill without making major amendments, which many fear could curtail freedom of speech online and increase surveillance of personal data.
When it was tabled earlier this year, the bill raised alarm bells for its comprehensive nature which lumps together every cross-cutting issue related to information technology, proposing sweeping changes on everything from social media use to surveillance, e-commerce and tech innovation. It also has provisions of hefty fines or imprisonment of individuals who post “improper” content on social networking sites that the authorities deem discrediting individuals and an attack on national security.
NCP’s decision to impose name and capital of Province 3 is unconstitutional, experts say
The ruling Nepal Communist Party’s decision to instruct its provincial party committee and the parliamentary committee of Province 3 to adopt Bagmati and Hetauda as names of the province and its capital has met with criticism. Many legal experts describe it as a move against constitution and federalism—and a result of the leadership’s centralised mindset.
As per constitutional provisions, provincial assemblies have the right to decide the names of the provinces and their capitals.
Nepal aims for 2 million tourists in 2020, but cities lack nightlife
On a dreadfully cold Sunday evening, Dina Pal from Greece was haggling to knock down prices for woollen garments she intended to buy from a vendor in Thamel, a hub of foreign tourists in the heart of Kathmandu.
The 57-year-old who arrived in Nepal for the first time for a three-week stay said after some purchases, she would like to head for a pub.
As mercury drops, doctors advise avoiding morning runs but stress regular indoor exercise
With temperatures dipping, Kathmandu experiencing the coldest day on Saturday as the mercury plummeted to 0.6 degrees Celsius and weathermen predicting the condition to continue for a few more days, doctors have advised avoiding morning walks. Freezing temperatures could put people to more health risks, including heart attack and brain stroke, they say.
But, according to doctors, skipping exercise altogether on the pretext of cold weather could be a worse idea.
Students in a Sarlahi school forced to sit on cold floors as mercury dip grips Tarai
A sharp dip in the temperature has severely affected daily life in the Madhes. The effect is most pointed towards those who have little infrastructure to battle the cold. The cold has also affected students, many of whom say they don’t want to go to school because they have to sit down on a cold floor to study.
Saroj Yadav, a second grader at the Janata Basic School, said he doesn’t want to go to school because he has to sit down on the cold floor, as there are no desks or benches in his classroom. “But I have to go to the school because my parents pressure me to,” Yadav says.
9.6°C Kathmandu
