👀 April Fool's

Namaste! Last week was not only April Fools' Day, but also International Fact Check Week! So, if you got fooled by any fake news, now's the time to brush up on those fact-checking skills. This week is mostly politics as dais have been beefin.

La Eta Hernus

Government

100 days of Prachanda: Prachanda has just hit a major milestone - he's been the prime minister for 100 whole days! In that time, he's expanded his cabinet not once, not twice, but seven times. It's like a revolving door - people keep leaving, and new faces keep popping up.

Meanwhile, what have you been up to for the past 100 days? Have you taken up a new hobby, learned a new language, or finally started that coursera course you signed up for? We won't judge if you haven't - we're just curious!

How many Harvard graduates does it take to change a lightbulb? Looks like Swarnim Wagle is packing his bags and moving on up - or rather, moving OUT of the Nepali Congress Party and joining Rabi dai's Rastriya Swatantra Party. And boy, is it causing a stir! Wagle's family has been cozy with Congress for ages, so this is a big deal. He's even helped shape the current Congress manifesto, so this is like the equivalent of a messy breakup.

So, why the sudden switch? Rumor has it that he and Aarzoo Deuba, wife of the current prime minister and a veteran politician, just couldn't see eye to eye. We're not saying it's a full-on "it's not you, it's me" situation, but let's just say it's not surprising that he didn't get a ticket to contest last year's elections.

Looking ahead: Wagle's not letting this hold him back. So, remember how Ram Chandra Paudel is the president? Well, his seat in parliament is now vacant, so Swarnim Wagle is contesting the elections from Tanahu. Of course, his old buddy Gagan Thapa isn't taking this lying down. He's calling Wagle a "tourist candidate" and questioning his experience in Nepal. It's like watching a soap opera, but with more politicians and less romance.

Remember that Rabi Lamichhane is also contesting the elections from Chitwan to regain the parliamentary seat he lost due to the whole citizenship fiasco.

Meter byaaz: After an exhausting 11-day journey, a group of 85 people who fell prey to loan sharks have arrived in Kathmandu to seek justice from the Prime Minister. These victims began their journey on foot from Bardibas, with the sole purpose of highlighting the issue of loan shark exploitation that has plagued Nepal.

For those unfamiliar with the term "meter byaaz," it refers to the interest rate charged on these loans, which increases rapidly and compounds the interest, leaving the borrower with an ever-growing debt. Loan sharks target the poor and uneducated, taking advantage of their need for money, and exploiting them with high-interest rates that can often result in a debt cycle that is impossible to escape.

The Nepali government has formed a three-member team to investigate the matter. In the meantime, the victims are hoping that their efforts will raise awareness and bring about change to this predatory practice.

Proud Gorkhali Moment

Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff made a bold fashion statement at the Ambani gala event last week by wearing a Nepali topi and holding a plant. Sources say that his outfit was inspired by his love for his Nepali fans and his passion for the forests (remember, hariyo ban nepal ko dhan). It could have been a tribute to Anil Kapoor as well, but let’s claim this proud gorkhali moment anyways.

Tech

• Nepal Rastra Bank has given a stern warning to all the cryptocurrency enthusiasts out there, reminding them that engaging in any kind of cryptocurrency activity is illegal and punishable by law. So, if you are planning to be the next Bitcoin billionaire in Nepal, think twice or face the consequences. On second thought, this news would have been a better fit for our "Kahi Nabhako Jaatra” section.

• Italy's data protection authority temporarily banned ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, for allegedly collecting and storing Italian users' personal data without their permission and failing to verify users' ages. The ban follows a recent leak of user conversations with the chatbot. OpenAI, ChatGPT's creator, has withdrawn the chatbot from Italy and has 20 days to present a fix to avoid a fine of approximately $22 million.

Fatafat

Stat: The Nepali government has reportedly spent 24.5 crores on spies over the last 32 years, but there are no receipts for any of the expenses or payments. It's unclear what kind of top-secret information these spies are gathering, but sources say they're really good at keeping secrets - even from the government that's paying them!

Watch: Do yourself a favor and watch "The Tiger's Jaw," a documentary produced by Herne Katha that tells the story of honey hunters in Jajarkot, Nepal.

Three news briefs and a lie

Instead of our typical "Three Truths and a Lie," this week we're shaking things up! We've gathered all the fake April 1 tweets we tweeted (and some we didn't) just for you. Don't worry, none of these are true!

1. Sumana Shrestha's brilliant idea of a shared calendar for parliamentary agenda hit a snag when some senior members of the parliament got confused and started scheduling their personal events on it. Apparently, they thought it was an open invitation for everyone to attend their son's nwaaran or observe ekaadashi together. Sumana had to eventually shut down the calendar, leaving the parliamentarians to go back to their trusty old Jagadamba paatros.

2. Ullens School has implemented a strict policy for Teacher's Day sweets, specifying that they must come from Makkuse. One poor student was left heartbroken when her beloved aangan laddoos were unceremoniously tossed in the trash by the principal.

3. Google has released the most searched terms from each political party's head office in the past week. Congress's top search was "how many more years is Sher Bahadur the president?", while Maoists were curious about whether "coke is as bad as Narayan sir claims?" Emaale, on the other hand, was struggling with the age-old question of "how to lead a grassroots movement without supplying alcohol to our cadres?" At RaSwaPa, it was just Rabi dai googling "what does a neoliberal mean?"

4. Nepali tech research firm InsightsMandu has found that 78% of Nepali Twitter users who tweeted, "In another life, I'd have loved doing laundry and taxes with you," are unemployed, and therefore, do not pay taxes. This finding has left many wondering if they should rethink their ideal partner and perhaps aim for someone with a more stable job.

5. Three students from Rato Bangla School are taking Discord to court over its "deafen" button, claiming it is disrespectful to hearing-impaired people. The students are reportedly seeking a trigger warning on the app's homepage. Discord, meanwhile, is reportedly considering changing the button to "de-crescendo" to avoid any further legal trouble.

6. Hotel owners in Jomsom, Nepal have taken to the streets to demand an end to climate change mitigation efforts. The owners claim that global warming has actually helped their business, by melting the snow and making their hotels more accessible - proving that sometimes the solution to a problem is just to let it melt away.

7. In a surprising confession, Prachanda revealed that Shakti Basnet's appointment as the Minister of Energy had nothing to do with his qualifications or experience. Instead, it was all because of his name, which means "energy" in Nepali. Sources say that Prachanda is now on the lookout for a zoomer named "Krishika" to take charge of the agriculture ministry.

Eta Hernus Quiz

A politician from the Loktantrik Samaajwadi Party has done it again - he's become a minister for the FIFTEENTH time! Yep, you read that right, FIFTEEN TIMES! He first became a minister way back in 1987, during the Panchayat system under Marichman Singh's cabinet. Since then, he's hopped from party to party like a Dhiren Shakya dancing in old Nepali films and still managed to win every election.

Now, if you fancy yourself a political expert, you're probably thinking you know this guy's name. Who is he?

A request

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(Answer to Eta hernus Quiz: It’s Sarat Singh Bhandari.)