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I’m a 19-year-old student, and I have a very short attention span. I zone out mid conversation and forget what was being said after a while. Sometimes I’m doing alright, sometimes I’m hyperactive, and sometimes I just don’t feel like doing anything. I have extreme mood swings. I try focusing on a certain task but then I get distracted easily. Is this just laziness or is it a symptom of ADHD? What should I do?—L.I. Answered by Aditya Dangol, counseling psychologist, Happy Minds First, I want to start by appreciating your self-awareness, which is a major step for further improving your mental state. The frustration is palpable and it indicates that you might be quite overwhelmed and confused, which is completely valid. One thing I can let you know for sure is that the symptoms you have mentioned are definitely not of laziness, but it might be associated with ADHD or anxiety. There are a few things you can try on your own to reduce those symptoms. With issues like mood swings, lack of concentration, and forgetfulness, it’s usually helpful if you make a schedule. That will structure your day and make you feel less anxious. You can set reminders for yourself in order to remember what you need to do. Include things that you love doing to avoid monotony. It doesn’t always have to be productive tasks, but things like watching a movie or going out for coffee could be on the list too. Reward yourself when you complete your daily tasks. It will motivate you to remain consistent with your routine. Having a support system is very important in this situation. Surround yourself with people who love and care about you and don’t shy away from sharing how you feel. Getting your feelings validated can be a calming experience. If you are an introvert, it might be difficult for you to open up. In that case, take baby steps. Start by sharing something small and see how that goes. You will eventually find someone you are comfortable enough to talk to, but you need to start somewhere.  If you know anyone who is going through the same issues, try asking him/her what he/she does in order to lessen those symptoms. Although the same thing might not work for you, it’s worth a try. Exercise is also beneficial in improving your mental health. But only minimizing the symptoms isn’t enough. It’s necessary for you to get a proper diagnosis in order to find out what is causing the problems in the first place. For that, you will have to visit a mental health professional. There are a few tests that you will need to go through since your symptoms can be related with ADHD, anxiety, or can simply be caused by stress. I would not suggest self-diagnosis because you might not always come to the right conclusion. There are a lot of factors like family history and physical health that need to be analyzed. Before visiting a psychologist, jot down your symptoms in a journal. This will help your therapist to understand what exactly you are going through, advise necessary tests, and come to a proper conclusion. Even if you get diagnosed with ADHD, don’t worry. It’s manageable. Follow the suggestions your therapist provides you, and you will be just fine.

After a tumultuous year that gave rise to fears that Nepal is going the 'Sri Lanka way', the good news is the country's external sector has improved noticeably over the last two months. But the bad news is, the government is struggling to meet the revenue collection target along with expediting capital expenditure.  The government has spent only 24.26 percent of the budget in the first five months of the current fiscal year. According to the Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO), which tracks the budgetary operation, the government’s spending stood at Rs 435.21bn till mid-Dec with capital expenditure totaling just Rs 33.99bn, a meager nine percent of the money allocated in the federal budget, in the review period.  In this context, the most worrying part for the government has been a sharp decline in revenue collection. Such is the slump that current revenue collection is not sufficient even to meet growing recurrent expenditure.  Revenue collection has largely fallen behind the target in the first five months of the current fiscal year as the FCGO data shows the government's revenue collection has a shortfall of Rs 138 billion of the target.  The government had set a target of collecting Rs 464bn in revenue from mid-July to mid-December period, but the collection stood at only Rs 326bn. On the other hand, the overall expenditure stood at Rs 438.79bn. Improving external sector While Nepa’s overall economic prospect is still uncertain as the recession has gripped the economy, the recovery in the country’s external sector has given some breathing space to the government. The latest macroeconomic report of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows some key indicators of the external sector of the economy including balance of payment (BoP), remittance inflow and forex reserves all have increased.  Nepal’s BOP is at a surplus of Rs 20.03bn in the first four months of FY 2022/23, compared to a deficit of Rs 150.38bn in the same period of FY 2021/22.  Meanwhile, the forex reserve increased by 2.5 percent to Rs Rs 1246.27bn in mid-Nov 2022 from Rs 1215.80bn in mid-July 2022. In US dollar terms, the gross forex reserve increased one percent to 9.63bn in mid-Nov from 9.54bn in mid-July this year.  The current forex reserve, according to the central bank, is sufficient to cover the merchandise imports of 9.7 months, and merchandise and services imports of 8.4 months. Similarly, remittance inflow has increased by 20.4 percent in the first four months against a decline of seven percent in the last fiscal. Nepal has received remittances worth Rs 378.04bn till mid-Nov 2022.  Customs revenue down by 29 percent With a 20.71 percent decrease in the country’s imports decreasing, the customs revenue has also declined in the first five months of the current fiscal year. The new foreign trade statistics released by the Department of Customs (DoC) on Thursday show the customs revenue has shrunk by 29 percent. DoC collected revenue worth Rs 154.13bn in the first five months of the current fiscal year compared to Rs 217.33bn in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. The customs revenue has been affected due to the import restrictions on four-wheelers and motorcycles above 150 cc and mobile handsets costing over $300, that have higher share in government revenue collection.  Trade deficit decreases by 18 percent The country’s trade deficit has decreased by 18.77 percent in the first five months of the current fiscal year. According to the data released by the Customs Department, the country’s total trade deficit is Rs 597.44bn in the first five months of the current fiscal year compared to Rs 735.48bn during the same period of FY 2021/22. The decline in trade deficit is attributed to the shrunk in the country’s total foreign trade (both exports and imports) which went down by 22.23 percent in the review period.  Top 10 import items With the slowdown in economic activities and the overall market demand as a persistently high inflation rate and a squeeze in liquidity in the financial put a dent in the pockets of consumers, the imports of industrial materials, electronic and electrical equipment, vehicles, cereals, telecom equipment, and pharmaceutical products have declined in this fiscal. Top 10 export items The exports of edible oils, basically refined palm oil and soybean oil, have taken a beating in this fiscal year. The good news is exports of iron and steel have surged by a whopping 494.7 percent. BoP Surplus of Rs 20.03bn The country’s balance of payment (BoP) is at a surplus of Rs 20.03bn in the first four months of the current fiscal year.  Slight improvement in forex reserves Nepal’s forex reserves increased by 2.5 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year. Remittance inflow surged by 20.4 percent Remittance inflow has increased by 20.4 percent to Rs 378.04 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year.  Tourism income up by 137 percent With the fast recovery in footfalls of international visitors in the country, earnings from tourism reached Rs 17.95bn in the first four months of FY 2022/23, compared to Rs 7.57bn during the same period of FY 2021/22.  Inflation still at higher side The consumer inflation is at 8.08 percent till mid-Nov. Food and beverage inflation stood at 7.38 percent whereas non-food and service inflation rose to 8.63 percent. Under the food and beverage category, the price of restaurants & hotels has increased by 15.97 percent, tobacco products by 11.81 percent, milk products and eggs by 9.33 percent, cereal grains & their products by 9.19 percent, and alcoholic drinks by 8.84 percent.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin died on Wednesday at the age of 96 of leukaemia and multiple organ failure, Chinese state media reported, according to Reuters.

Jiang died at 12:13 p.m. (0413 GMT) in his home city of Shanghai, the official Xinhua news agency said, publishing a letter to the Chinese people by the ruling Communist Party, parliament, Cabinet and the military announcing the death.

"Comrade Jiang Zemin's death is an incalculable loss to our Party and our military and our people of all ethnic groups," the letter read, saying the announcement was made with "profound grief".

It described "our beloved Comrade Jiang Zemin" as an outstanding leader of high prestige, a great Marxist, statesman, military strategist and diplomat and a long-tested communist fighter, Reuters reported.

Jiang was plucked from obscurity to head China's ruling Communist Party after the bloody Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, but broke the country out of its subsequent diplomatic isolation, mending fences with the United States and overseeing an unprecedented economic boom.