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- 👀 Insta banned us
Namaste! So, last week, we sent out our newsletter, and apparently, some of you were so moved by our takes that you reported our Instagram page. Bold move. Now, don’t get us wrong - we love a good debate. But hitting that report button just because you didn’t like what we had to say? Well, that’s a little like complaining your chhoila has too much toriko tel. A bit dramatic, don’t you think?
Here’s the deal: we’re not perfect, and neither are our biases. We’ve all got ‘em. But if you ever feel like we’re letting those biases overshadow the whole point of keeping you informed, drop us an email instead of clicking “Report.” Reader feedback is our daal, bhaat, and tarkari - without it, we're just sitting here with an empty plate. We’ll keep rolling, with or without the ’gram, because let’s be honest - your engagement matters more to us than Zuckerberg’s algorithm ever will.
Let’s keep it real. Let's keep it Nepali. And, most importantly, let’s keep the conversation going!
La Eta Hernus
We’re going to be bold and start off with our pitch today.
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Desh
Lalitpur 1, Kathmandu 0: Yesterday, a mysterious hole appeared in a road in Kupondole, and we Kathmandu folks had our moment. “So much for ‘Lalitpur is soooo much better,’” we thought. We even drafted a news brief to bask in their infrastructure misery. But then, in true Lalitpur fashion, they went ahead and fixed it - in under 16 hours. Guess who’s eating humble gwaramari now? Well played, Lalitpur. You win this round… again.
Chini Buwa: Last week, Sidha Kura released a video that shook up Nepali social media. The video accused a man named Ashish Deula of wearing a creepy old-man mask, frequenting Kathmandu's nightclubs, and torturing young men in horrific ways. The allegations are brutal: abduction, threats with power tools, and even sexual violence. While Deula and three others are in police custody, the report’s source—a controversial news portal—raises serious questions about its accuracy and the media's sensationalism. For a deeper dive, check out Kalam Weekly.
Nepalis in Russia: The death toll of Nepali nationals fighting in the Russian army during the Russia-Ukraine war has climbed to 43, with three more names added to the tragic list. Russia has now requested DNA samples from the families of 35 more Nepalis to help identify bodies, but previous samples sent months ago remain in bureaucratic limbo. For many, the war is a harsh consequence of economic desperation, pulling Nepalis into a conflict far from home. As the numbers rise, the question remains: how many more lives will be caught in this deadly crossfire?
Balen vs Oli: Balen and K.P. Oli are still at it, with their followers launching campaigns to get people to unfollow each other’s social media. Curious about the great unfollowing? Check out the numbers here!
Tech
OnlyFans continues its meteoric rise, reporting a 20% increase in revenue to $1.3 billion for the fiscal year ending in November 2023. With 4.1 million creators and 305 million users, the platform saw $6.6 billion spent on content, while owner Leonid Radvinsky pocketed $472 million in dividends. Profits also soared to $485.5 million, solidifying OnlyFans as the dominant player in adult content. Competitors like MindGeek, which runs Pornhub, are left in the dust, with OnlyFans now likely the world’s most profitable (mostly) adult platform.
Gmail convert your inbox to physical mail once it's full
— Soren Iverson (@soren_iverson)
2:13 PM • Sep 10, 2024
Apple’s “Glowtime” event unveiled the iPhone 16, putting AI front and center but leaving investors wanting more answers on how the company plans to boost sluggish sales, especially with fierce competition from China’s Huawei. New features like Visual Intelligence, a Google Lens-like tool, and an upgraded Siri that can summarize emails and messages grabbed attention, but most updates were already previewed in June. The AI rollout will start in beta in the US next month, while the hardware upgrades - like a bigger iPhone 16 Pro display and next-gen AirPods Pro 2 - dominated the stage. Meanwhile, Huawei’s upcoming trifold phone threatens to steal Apple’s spotlight with over 3 million preorders.
Fatafat
That's NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba justifying the recent alliance with UML. The NC in Nepali politics is like me on Tinder in my early twenties - right-swiping anyone with a pulse.
Read: How a documentary spurred the fight for justice among Nepal’s sexual violence survivors (Calire Cozens, The Fuller Project)
Kahi Nabhako Jaatra
Three news briefs and a lie
Three of these news headlines are real, and one is faker than Paul Shah’s beard in that one movie. If you click on the true headlines, the links will take you to the news articles. If you click on the fake one, you’ll be in for a surprise!
Eta Hernus Quiz
Which district does Mr. Nepal 2024, Santosh Lokshum, hail from?
Bidesh Tira Hernus
Amrika: In a spirited 105-minute debate last week in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump sparred on key economic issues, giving voters plenty to chew on ahead of Election Day. Trump hammered the Biden–Harris administration over inflation, calling it a "country buster," while Harris fired back with her plan to tackle housing prices by building 3 million new homes. Taxes also took center stage, with Harris pushing for tax credits for young families and small businesses, while Trump promised more corporate tax cuts to "create a great economy like before." Tariffs were another flashpoint, as Trump pushed for steep import tariffs, which Harris dubbed a "Trump sales tax" that would drive up costs for Americans.
Market watchers leaned Harris' way, giving her a seven-point lead on PredictIt, while Bitcoin dipped 1%, a blow to Trump, who's recently backed the cryptocurrency. Post-debate, Harris called for a rematch, but Trump hinted it would only happen on "a fair network." Meanwhile, Taylor Swift swooped in with a viral endorsement of Harris, signing off as "Childless Cat Lady." Classic Swift.
More on Taytay: Taylor Swift's latest act of civic duty? Unleashing her Instagram army on vote.gov. After endorsing Kamala Harris for president, Swift's 24-hour Insta Story sent over 400,000 people scrambling to check their voter registration. To put it in perspective: that’s more traffic than the site typically gets in an entire week, all thanks to the self-proclaimed "Childless Cat Lady." With AI deepfakes of her backing Trump floating around, it seems Swift is determined to fight misinformation one vote at a time - because nothing says “election integrity” like a pop star with a cause.
Venezuela’s political crisis took another turn as opposition candidate Edmundo González fled to Spain after hiding from authorities. The 75-year-old, now seeking asylum, was accused of conspiracy following the disputed July election, which handed President Nicolás Maduro a third term. While the Venezuelan opposition claims González won convincingly, Maduro’s government has refused to release voting tallies. International pressure mounts, with nations like the U.S. and EU questioning the election's validity, while Maduro’s allies—Russia, China, and Iran—stand by him. Meanwhile, tensions continue in Caracas, as opposition figures shelter in foreign embassies.
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Best of Twitter/Switter
हिजो संसदमा छलफल भएको विधेयक कहाँ मस्यौदा भएको ? डकुमेन्ट मै हेर्दा देखिन्छ, एउटा संस्थाले गरेको देखिन्छ । विधेयकमा सबैको सहभागिता चाहिन्छ तर मस्यौदा गर्ने अधिकार एउटा संस्थाको हुन सक्दैन । यो सानो विषय हैन । यो तत्काल अनुसन्धान गर्नु पर्ने विषय हो । संसद्ले बोल्नु पर्ने विषय हो… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Sumana (@SumanaShrestha)
1:35 AM • Aug 28, 2024
Proud Gorkhali Moment
(Answer to Eta hernus Quiz: It’s Jhapa, obviously.)
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