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Earl J. Wilkinson, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the International News Media Association (INMA), visited Annapurna Media Network (AMN) office on Tuesday.

While visiting the AMN headquarters in Tinkune, Wilkinson emphasized the increasing difficulty of ensuring the sustainability and continued advancement of news media amid rapid digital transformation.

INMA is headquartered in Texas, USA, and works globally to strengthen news media organizations.

AMN Chairman Captain Rameshwor Thapa, Director Sachan Thapa, Editor-in-Chief Balkrishna Basnet, Group Chief Executive Officer Pankaj Baskota, and heads of various departments welcomed Wilkinson at the office. 

During the visit, Wilkinson presented a paper examining the current state of the global news media industry, highlighting emerging trends, the importance of balance and credibility in journalism, and evolving revenue models.

He noted that while the industry faces significant challenges, new opportunities are also emerging.

“Opportunities have begun to emerge in the media industry along with challenges with the change in time,” Wilkinson said. “We must not delay in transforming these opportunities into result-oriented solutions while addressing the challenges facing the media sector.”

He added that INMA is actively working to integrate global best practices, innovative revenue models, readership strategies, and market insights to help media organizations navigate ongoing challenges.

INMA currently has more than 24,000 media companies as members from across 103 countries.

On the occasion, AMN Chairman Captain Rameshwor Thapa said that Wilkinson’s visit would further strengthen the relationship between Annapurna Media Network and INMA.

“The innovative initiatives undertaken by INMA to address recent challenges in the media industry can serve as effective solutions for media organizations worldwide,” he said.

Editor-in-Chief Balkrishna Basnet emphasized the need for continued efforts to enhance the credibility of journalism and to make media organizations more digitally adaptable.

Kathmandu’s water crisis is no longer a seasonal inconvenience. It is structural, chronic, and growing. Even after decades of investment in large supply projects, water remains unreliable, unequal, and expensive for many households. As the city expands and climate risks intensify, it is becoming increasingly clear that relying solely on centralized infrastructure will not secure Kathmandu’s water future. In this context, the hiti system—Kathmandu Valley’s traditional network of stone spouts—deserves renewed attention, not as a relic of the past, but as a relevant urban planning tool for the present.

For centuries, hitis supplied water through an integrated system of shallow aquifers, canals, ponds, and recharge areas. These systems were carefully aligned with local geology and topography and embedded within settlement patterns. Importantly, they were decentralized, resilient, and community-managed. Today, while many hitis have dried up or fallen into disuse, their underlying logic remains deeply relevant.

The decline of hitis did not happen overnight. As Kathmandu urbanized rapidly, land use changed faster than planning institutions could respond. Agricultural land was converted into housing, ponds were filled to create buildable plots, and natural drainage channels were covered or encroached upon. In many cases, development unknowingly severed the underground connections that sustained the hiti system.

At the same time, modern water supply systems were introduced with the assumption that they would replace traditional ones. Individual household taps became markers of progress, and shared water sources were gradually neglected. This shift was reinforced by weak enforcement of land-use regulations and fragmented institutional responsibility for water, heritage, and urban development. Ironically, even as the municipal system struggled to meet demand, the traditional system that could have provided supplementary resilience was allowed to deteriorate. The result is a city heavily dependent on groundwater extraction and private tankers, while sitting atop an underutilized network of traditional water infrastructure.

In present-day Kathmandu, hitis matter for three key reasons: water resilience, climate adaptation, and urban livability. First, the hiti system offers decentralized water security. It is not meant to replace the municipal supply, but it can significantly reduce pressure on it. During supply disruptions—whether caused by infrastructure failure, disaster, or seasonal scarcity—functional hitis can provide much-needed water. Second, hitis are climate-responsive systems. Kathmandu already experiences intense monsoon rainfall followed by long dry periods. Traditional ponds and recharge areas associated with hitis help absorb excess rainwater, reduce surface runoff, and replenish groundwater. Modern cities now invest heavily in similar ideas under labels such as “sponge cities” or nature-based solutions. Kathmandu already has its own version; it simply needs to be recognized and restored.

Third, hitis contribute to urban livability. They were never just water outlets. The system functioned as public space—places to gather, rest, and interact. In dense neighbourhoods with limited open space, revived hitis can once again serve social and cultural functions, strengthening community life.

Despite their relevance, hitis remain largely absent from contemporary urban planning frameworks. Plans, regulations, and infrastructure projects tend to focus on visible elements such as roads, buildings, and utilities, while ignoring invisible systems like groundwater flow and recharge paths. This disconnect has real consequences. Construction permits are issued without assessing impacts on aquifers or traditional water channels. Road projects cut through rajkulo alignments. Ponds that once served as recharge basins are paved or built over. By the time a hiti dries up, the damage has already been done elsewhere.

Urban planning in Kathmandu still treats water primarily as a service to be delivered, not as a holistic system embedded in the environment. This approach is increasingly unsustainable.

There are, however, encouraging examples within the Valley. In parts of Patan and Bhaktapur, community-led efforts have revived hitis by restoring ponds, clearing blocked channels, and protecting recharge zones. In some cases, water has returned after decades of inactivity. These initiatives highlight an important lesson: technical fixes alone are insufficient. Successful restoration required cooperation among local governments, technical experts, heritage practitioners, and, crucially, the community. Where local ownership was strong, maintenance followed. Where it was absent, interventions remained symbolic. These experiences suggest that hiti revival should not be treated as a standalone conservation effort, but as part of integrated neighbourhood planning.

Integrating hiti into present-day urban planning is not without challenges. Institutional fragmentation remains a major obstacle. Water supply agencies, municipalities, heritage authorities, and planning departments operate with limited coordination.

Another challenge is the lack of systematic documentation. Many hiti systems are poorly mapped, and their recharge areas remain unidentified. Without proper data, planners and developers cannot avoid damaging them, even when there is intent to do so. Public perception also poses a barrier. Hitis are often seen as outdated or ceremonial, rather than as functional assets. Changing this mindset requires demonstrating their practical value in addressing today’s urban problems.

If hitis are to play a meaningful role in Kathmandu’s urban future, planning practice must change in several ways. First, traditional water systems—including hitis, ponds, canals, and recharge zones—need to be properly documented and mapped. These should be integrated into GIS databases and development control systems. Second, urban policies and bylaws must recognize traditional water systems as critical infrastructure. Development guidelines should include provisions to protect recharge areas and underground channels, just as they protect road alignments or public land.

Third, hiti restoration should be linked to groundwater management and climate adaptation strategies. Viewing the system through the lens of water security, rather than heritage alone, opens access to broader planning and financing mechanisms. Fourth, community participation should be institutionalized. Local users are often the first to notice changes in water flow and quality. Empowering neighbourhood-level institutions to manage hiti can improve accountability and long-term sustainability.

Finally, planning education and professional practice in Nepal need to reconnect with indigenous knowledge systems. Modern tools and technologies are essential, but they should build upon local understanding of land and water, not override it.

Kathmandu’s water challenges are complex, and no single solution will resolve them. Large supply projects remain necessary, but they are not sufficient. The future lies in hybrid approaches that combine centralized infrastructure with decentralized, locally grounded systems.

Hiti represents such a possibility. They remind us that Kathmandu once planned its settlements with water at the center. Reintegrating that logic into contemporary urban planning is not about returning to the past—it is about learning from it. As the city continues to grow, the question planners and policymakers must ask is simple: will Kathmandu keep chasing water from afar, or will it finally learn to value and restore the systems beneath its own feet?

International tourist arrivals (overnight stays) increased by 4 percent, according to the World Tourism Barometer, as tourist activity increased in most destinations around the world. There were about 1.52bn international tourist arrivals worldwide in 2025. This is about 60m more than in 2024. Until Covid, the average growth rate of international tourist arrivals was 5 percent.

The United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) has noted that tourist arrivals have increased despite high inflation and geopolitical tensions. “The continued revival of destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, the good performance of major source markets, expansion of air connectivity, visa facilitation, etc. have contributed to the increase in international tourist arrivals,” says UN Tourism’s analysis.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Sheikha Al-Nuwais said that this growth in tourist arrivals is expected to continue in 2026, as the global economy recovers and destinations that were not yet at pre-pandemic levels are expected to recover. If the Asia-Pacific region continues to recover and geopolitical tensions do not escalate, tourist arrivals are expected to grow by about 4 percent in 2026. The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy and the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico are also expected to contribute to further international travel.

In addition to the overall increase in tourist arrivals, regionally, there has been an increase in tourist arrivals. Asia and the Pacific welcomed 331m tourists in 2025, an increase of 6 percent. However, this is still 9 percent less than in 2019. North-East Asia saw a 13 percent increase, while South Asia regained pre-pandemic levels.

Africa welcomed 8.1m international tourist arrivals in 2025, an 8 percent increase from the previous year. North Africa saw a significant 11 percent increase. The Middle East region grew by 3 percent in 2025, reaching 39 percent above pre-pandemic levels. The region is expected to welcome nearly 100m international tourist arrivals. According to the World Tourism Barometer, Europe, the world’s largest destination, welcomed 793m international tourist arrivals in 2025, up 4 percent from 2024 and 6 percent from 2019. Western Europe (5 percent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (3 percent) performed well. Central and Eastern Europe, with a 6 percent increase, was still 9 percent below 2019. The Americas region welcomed 218m tourist arrivals in 2025, up 1 percent.

According to preliminary estimates, international tourism revenue has reached US$ 1.9trn, which is 5 percent more than in 2024. Including passenger transport, total tourism export revenue is estimated to reach US$ 2.2trn.

Nepal’s tourism promotion in Thailand, a major tourism source market in Southeast Asia, is becoming stronger. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has effectively presented the diversity and potential of Nepali tourism by successfully participating in the 31st Thai International Travel Fair (TITF) 2026 held in Bangkok.

The board, in collaboration with Nepal Airlines and 11 reputable travel and trekking companies of Nepal, promoted tourism through the ‘Nepal Pavilion’ at the four-day tourism fair organized at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center from 22 to 25 Jan 2026. The participating companies provided first-hand information on adventure, cultural, spiritual and nature-based tourism products.

Daily direct flights between Thailand and Nepal and more than 20 weekly flights have facilitated tourism exchanges between the two countries. The board says that this air access has played an important role in increasing interest in Nepal’s tourism in the Thai market. During the fair, Lumbini, the Himalayan region, heritage cities, trekking routes, adventure and spiritual travel products attracted Thai tourists. The board said that the fair provided an opportunity to inspire potential travelers to visit Nepal through direct dialogue with tourism professionals.

Along with tourism promotion, TITF 2026 also became an effective platform for business-to-business (B2B) networking. The participating Nepali companies met with representatives of the Thai travel trade, tour operators and media to establish new business relationships and discuss the possibilities of future collaboration. The board believes that Nepal’s presence at TITF 2026 has further strengthened Nepal’s tourism image in the Thai market, strengthened partnerships for long-term tourism growth, and played a role in taking Nepal’s destination identity in Southeast Asia to new heights

State-owned Nepal Telecom (NT) has cancelled its Rs 5bn procurement of a new billing system from Chinese technology giant Huawei, even though the bidding process had reached its final stage. The decision ends a tender that had been controversial from the beginning and raises fresh questions about governance, data security, and geopolitics in the country’s strategic telecom sector.

NT opened a tender for the system on March 18 last year. Although it shortlisted Huawei and WhaleCloud, the latter was disqualified at the technical proposal-stage. On Aug 31, NT formally invited Huawei’s representatives for the opening of the financial proposal scheduled for September 15. 

The process, however, never reached that point. The financial proposal opening was first postponed to Sept 24 following the GenZ protests of Sept 8 and 9 that toppled the KP Oli-led government. It was again postponed on Sept 4 until further notice. Days later, NT cancelled the entire procurement process, stating that a new tender would be called shortly.

Although then Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel had given the go-ahead to the Nepal Telecom management, sources say the cancellation came after instructions from higher authorities. According to officials familiar with the process, geopolitics played a decisive role.

Huawei faces heavy restrictions in several countries, including the United States, over national security concerns. Western governments have repeatedly warned that Chinese telecom equipment could expose sensitive data to state influence. Although Nepal has not formally banned Huawei, the pressure of operating a state-owned telecom company in a polarized global technology environment is growing.

But geopolitics was not the only factor. The tender had been disputed since its announcement. Critics accused NT of structuring the bid to favor a single vendor and undermining fair competition. Questions were also raised about the violation of a directive order issued by the Supreme Court, which had clearly warned against awarding both the core network and billing system to the same supplier. 

The court, in its order dated 10 Sept 2024, had stated that the billing system procurement must ensure the protection of fundamental rights, including personal data. It said that the vendor supplying the billing system should not be in a position to access personal data through the core network. It also warned that using the same supplier for both systems could create a conflict of interest and pose information security risks. In simple terms, the ruling effectively meant that Nepal Telecom should maintain separate vendors for its core network and billing system.

In a telecom network, the core network is the central system which handles all voice calls, data routing, switching, roaming, and mobility management. It also generates call detail records (CDRs), which contain sensitive information about who called whom, when, and for how long. The billing system is responsible for converting network usage into money. It calculates charges, prepares invoices, deducts balances, and enables packages and offers. It can work in real time, such as through an online charging system, or in non-real time, through offline billing. Since both systems are critical and sensitive, many telecom operators globally use separate vendors for them. This separation reduces security risks, avoids monopoly control, and makes fault isolation easier when something goes wrong.

Nepal Telecom’s core network is built by Huawei. Its existing billing system, however, has been supplied by Asia Info since 2011. The original contract was for three years, but instead of launching a fresh tender, NT repeatedly extended Asia Info’s contract. Citing irregularities in the contract extension process, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a case at the Special Court against former managing director Sangeeta Pahadi Aryal and others. The case is still under consideration.

The attempt to replace Asia Info with Huawei would have brought both the core network and billing system under a single vendor. That triggered alarms among experts and regulators.

Ganesh Gautam, associate professor at Pulchowk Campus, had advised NT that although a single-vendor model might offer minor operational convenience, the risks far outweighed the benefits. He warned of data security vulnerabilities, reduced transparency, difficulty in fault diagnosis, and the danger of vendor lock-in.

“If one system is compromised, the same method can be used to breach the other,” he explained. “When systems are supplied by different vendors, the chance of identical security weaknesses is very low.”

Gautam also said that if one system goes down due to a technical flaw, the other may also fail if both are supplied by the same company. 

Global Telco Consult, an international advisory firm, had also advised NT that awarding both systems to the same vendor could create conflicts of interest.

Many leading operators have separate vendors for core and billing systems. Even Ncell, Nepal’s private telecom operator, initially used Huawei for both. In 2018, it brought ZTE on board as its billing system provider to reduce dependence on a single vendor.

The cancellation of the Huawei contract, therefore, appears less like a sudden decision and more like the inevitable outcome of legal, technical, and political pressure converging at one point.  The larger question now is whether Nepal Telecom can restart the process in a transparent and competitive manner.