👀 New year

Namaste!

Let's kick things off with a little favor to ask! So, here's the deal: we've noticed that our subscriber growth has hit a bit of a plateau. If you enjoy our content, we'd be forever grateful if you could give us a shoutout on Twitter, leave a comment in the RONB section, or even just hype us up in your family group chat. Whatever floats your boat, you know? We promise to be semi-useful.

With that out of the way,

La Eta Hernus

Government

Trash Talk:  This week, Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah went a little unhinged on social media. He posted on Facebook saying that the garbage in Singha Durbar wouldn't be collected anymore and that leaders would have to be dumped at Sisdole if we want to clean up the country. Yikes! It's definitely harsh, but we feel you, Balen sir. Later, he followed up with a list of initiatives he brought to federal ministers, but sadly, they didn't cooperate with him. We know how frustrating it can be when things are beyond our control, especially with Nepal's system. However, Setopati, the news site that loves Balen (just kidding), pointed out that most of the issues he raised are not under his jurisdiction. All in all, perhaps we can appreciate him speaking up as a concerned citizen and mayor, but there's only so much he can do, and perhaps there’s only so much he should do?

What's next? Trash is starting to pile up at the country’s administrative center, and we're not just talking about politicians. Will they cooperate with Balen sir? Send us your thoughts.

New party, old ways: Rabi Dai's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RaSwaPa) is in hot water after a leaked audio clip revealed one of their members, Dr Dhak Kumar Shrestha, asking for 2 crores from businessman Durga Prasai in exchange for future favors as a health minister. Prasai is the same guy who rose to fame after inviting Prachanda to his house and feeding him Marsi chaamal ko bhaat. This dude seems to pay off all politicians. The audio clip is hilarious in its own way, as it shows how incredibly naïve Dr Shrestha is. Prasai confirms the dude's name, amount, everything, pointing to the fact that he was definitely going to record the audio clip to release it later. Swarnim Wagle's entry had people feeling hopeful about the party, but now they're back to their old ways.

WHY CAN’T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?

Looking ahead: RaSwaPa will make a decision on Dr Shrestha tomorrow. Rabi Dai has said that he will sacrifice himself in Gadhimai if he doesn't take action against corrupt members. Is it too dramatic? Well, it's Rabi Dai we're talking about.

Billionaire builds luxury apartments without required permits. Things are getting a little shaky in Bakhundol, Lalitpur! Locals are not too happy about the Summit Apartments construction project, which has already caused two buildings to collapse and damaged several others. Nepali Congress lawmaker and industrialist Binod Chaudhary is behind the project, and some are saying he didn't follow the proper approval process before starting work. Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan says he is on the case and has promised the locals they'll get the compensation they deserve. Lawmaker Toshima Karki is also demanding justice for the victims and punishment for those responsible.

Dr Dhaka Shrestha is probably pissed that billionaires can get away with unethical stuff but he’s probably going to get axed. We feel you, Dhaka sir, that is a legit gripe, we often think about that.

Tech 

Khan you not? Former minister Abdul Khan is embroiled in a scandal after he allegedly engaged in explicit conversations with a female account on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. The woman reportedly leaked videos of the ex-minister in a compromising position. While Khan has admitted to the chat, he denies that “everything” in the video is his.

Tongyi Qianwen: Alibaba's cloud computing unit has announced the release of its own generative AI chatbot, Tongyi Qianwen, to be integrated across its businesses in the near future. The chatbot will be capable of performing tasks such as turning conversations in meetings into written notes, writing emails and drafting business proposals, in both Chinese and English. Several other technology companies have also released their own generative AI chatbots in recent months, including Google and Microsoft's ChatGPT.

Fatafat

Stat: The Film Development Board has released the official earnings of Nepali and foreign films released in 2079, and "Kabaddi 4" takes the top spot as the highest-grossing Nepali film, with a whopping Rs 21 crore 38 lakhs in earnings. Meanwhile, "Chakkapanja 4" raked in 16 crore 94 lakhs. The highest grossing foreign film was KGF 2, which made Rs 29.29 crores.

Best of twitter switter:

Read/Watch: We're having a bit of trouble picking just one thing to recommend to you, so we're taking the lazy route by sharing this awesome article from WIRED that lists the 39 best films on Netflix this week. Just a heads up, we're not sure if all the movies are available in your area, so make sure to double-check that based on your location. Happy watching!

Kahi Nabhako Jaatra

Nepal's Home Ministry has issued a circular directing local officials to grant citizenship to children of single mothers, but in the name of their uncles or maternal relatives instead of the mother herself. The circular has been criticized for further reinforcing the patriarchal norms that perceive women as second-class citizens. We mean, duh? It’s a reaallllly bold take in 2023, but we think state needs to recognize women as individuals and grant them citizenship rights in their own names rather than defining them only in relation to the men in their lives.

Three news briefs and a lie

Three of these news briefs are real, and one is faker than old politicians’ concern over recent corruption scandals in the country. Can you spot the odd one out? (Scroll all the way to the bottom for the answer).

1. In a bid to combat rampant baggage theft and vandalism, Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority has come up with a cunning plan - they're going to give airport staff pocketless uniforms! Yep, that's right, if the airport employees don't have anywhere to put their sticky fingers, then there's less chance of them swiping your stuff.

2. Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh's recent concert in Nepal is causing quite the stir, with fans now clamoring for a piece of the action. The Nepali flag that the rapper wore during the performance is now up for sale on Facebook Marketplace for a whopping 1,23,000, making it a must-have for die-hard fans!

3. It turns out that the mayor of Dewahi Gonahi Municipality in Rautahat, Nepal, doesn't just delegate tasks to his staff - he even delegates his exams! Mayor Kanu was caught out when an exam monitoring team spotted his son-in-law taking the Secondary Education Examinations in his place.

4. Looks like Sita Airlines might need a GPS, or at least a map! The airline is being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority after a flight bound for Kathmandu with 14 passengers on board ended up in Dang instead. Talk about a detour!

Eta Hernus Quiz

What does the Nepali word फकरताउलो mean?

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A request

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(Answer to three newsbriefs and a lie: The second one is a lie. Answer to Eta hernus Quiz: फकरताउलो— वि॰ [फक्क+ताउलो] कुनै प्रसङ्ग नभएको सारविहीन कुरा गर्ने; गुदीविनाका कुरा गर्ने ।.)